formerly fertile. In the Bechuana country all the rivers which have a westerly course are dry, or drying up. He found the empty bed of a large river which anciently flowed from north to south: it was in this that he discovered the fossils spoken of at p. 159, Lecture 1. The farther south you go, the more this drying up seems to take place. The parched Kuruman district appears formerly to have been as well watered as the neighbourhood of Lake Ngami is now, and the latter as well as that of Linyanti. The Mokoko, now dry, was a running stream in the memory of living witnesses. Notwithstanding, Dr Livingstone says that we may hope more for the greatness of central South Africa than for that of central Australia. GENERAL AS РЕСТ VERED COUN- We have already alluded to the geological, or of the geographical fact, that ridges of from 150 to 200 NEWLY-DISCO- miles in width, run down on each side, with a great flat in the middle. These ridges are fringed with forests of various kinds. The banks of the Zambesi are occasionally loaded with enormous timber-trees, and have sometimes a park-like appearance. These are the chief variations of the Makololo country. Then there exist great valleys, such as the Barotse. Farther west occur some flooded plains of from 15 to 20 miles in extent. The Balonda country is a flat gloomy forest prairie, unhealthy, and difficult to cross. There are large ant-hills in various parts: also artificial mounds raised by the natives for refuge in times of inundation. What with "wait-a-bit" thorns, grass 6 to 8 feet high, jungle and marsh in some districts, our traveller had enough to do to make any onward progress at all. Yet in the midst of this toilsome pilgrimage, so expressive of the journey of human life, with its pains, penalties, vicissitudes and joys, some of the scenes witnessed-especially on the banks of the Zambesiwere of such surpassing beauty, and so perfect in repose, that he was entranced with the glorious vision; such an one as would delight angels, and make mortals for the moment forget the sin, sorrow, and shame of the first Adam's fall, everywhere so visible in this lower world a magnificent wreck of former grandeur! GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY. "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.”—Gen. i. 2. 66 The references to these sciences in the Book of Travels, are numerous and valuable. At page 569, is an ideal section across south central Africa, intended to shew the elevated valley form of the continent." An examination of this section will much help to explain what is said about the ridges and river-system in the foregoing paragraphs. It appears that both coasts consist of calcareous tufa; and the western ridge of mica schist and sandstone. The great central plateau is formed of tufa, trap, and radiated zeolite. White basaltic rocks, mica schist, granite and trap make up the eastern ridge; coal in sandstone, and igneous rocks intervening between them and the calcareous tufa bordering on the sea. The general direction of the ranges of hills on the eastern and western ridges appear to be parallel to the major axis of the continent: the dip of the strata down towards the centre of the country shewing that Africa in its formation was pressed up more energetically at the sides than at the centre'. Our traveller suggests that the fissures which have drained the great central plateau are possibly geologically recent, because the one at the Victoria Falls has only about 3 feet worn off the edge subjected to the wear of the water; and that they may be progressive in case the gradual desiccation of the Bechuana country shews the slow elevation of the ridges 2. He found, near the Chiponga, a forest of silicified trees; some 22 inches in diameter; also near the Zambesi, towards 1 Letter dated Linyanti. 2 Letter dated Hill Chanyuné. Teté, other fossil trees: one of these being 4 feet 8 inches in diameter. The former were lying towards the river, the latter in various directions. Silicified palms also exist on both sides of the continent. COAL. Our traveller says that coal possibly exists near the rocks of Pungo Andongo, in Angola, since there are geological indications of its presence. He could find no traces of it throughout the centre of the country; which he much regretted. On the eastern coast he positively found it, as is shewn by the following quotation from the letter, dated' Quilimane, East Africa, 23rd May, 1856, addressed to Sir R. I. Murchison: "The disturbances effected by the eruptive rocks in the grey sandstone have brought many seams of coal to the surface. There are no fewer than nine of these in the country adjacent to Teté, and I came upon two before reaching that point. One seam in the rivulet Muatize is 58 inches in diameter; another is exposed in the Morongoze, which, as well as the Muatize, falls into the Revubue, and that joins the Zambesi from the north about two miles below Teté.· The Revubue is navigable for canoes during the whole year, and but for a small rapid in it, near the points of junction with these rivulets, canoes might be loaded at the seams themselves." IRON. This invaluable mineral is found and extensively worked in Angola, both by the natives and Portuguese. The Banyeti, a people dwelling on the Islands of the Leeambye, make it into rude implements. This is also the case with the people of Shinte. Such an important gift of nature, occurring in circumstances so advantageous, argues much for the success, with God's blessing, of the means used for the utilizing and evangelizing of central Africa. Near to the river Moamba he found a solution of it running from several bogs; and near the Funze Hills he saw some strongly magnetic rounded pieces of iron ore. The iron of eastern Africa is particularly excellent, and in great abundance. 66 some places it is obtained from what is called the specular iron ore, and also from black oxide. The latter has been well roasted in the operations of nature, and contains a large proportion of the metal. It occurs generally in tears or rounded lumps, and is but slightly magnetic. When found in the beds of rivers, the natives know of its existence by the quantity of oxide on the surface, and they find no difficulty in digging it with pointed sticks. They consider English iron as 'rotten;" and I have seen, when a javelin of their own iron lighted on the cranium of a hippopotamus, it curled up like the proboscis of a butterfly, and the owner would prepare it for future use by straightening it cold with two stones. I brought home some of the hoes which Sekeletu gave me to purchase a canoe, also some others obtained in Kilimane, and they have been found of such good quality that a friend of mine in Birmingham has made an Enfield rifle of them'. GOLD. This precious metal is found certainly on the eastern side of the continent, and possibly on the western side, but not in the centre. It is unknown to the interior natives. The following quotation from the letter last mentioned gives a complete account of the matter: "If we consider Teté as occupying a somewhat central position in the coal-field, and extend the leg of the compasses about 340, the semicircle which may then be described from north-east round by west to south-east nearly touches or includes all the district as yet known to yield the precious metal. We have five well-known gold-washings from northeast to north-west. There is Abutua, not now known, but it must have been in the west or south-west, probably on the flank of the eastern ridge. Then the country of the Bazizula, or Mashona, on the south, and Manica on the south-east. The rivers Mazoe, Luia and Luenya in the south, and several rivulets in the north, bring gold into the coal-field with their sands; but from much trituration it is generally in such minute scales as would render amalgamation with mercury necessary 1 Travels, pp. 650, 651. to give it weight in the sand, and render the washing profitable. The metal in some parts in the north is found in red clay-shale, which is soft enough to allow the women to pound it in wooden mortars previous to washing. At Mashinga it occurs in white quartz. Some of the specimens of gold which I have seen from Manica and the country of Bazizula (Mosusurus!) were as large as grains of wheat, and those from rivers nearer Teté were extremely minute dust only. I was thus led to conclude that the latter was affected by transport, and the former shewed the true gold-field as indicated by the semicircle. Was the eastern ridge the source of the gold, seeing it is now found not far from its eastern flank? "We have then at present a coal-field surrounded by gold, with abundance of wood, water and provisions-a combination of advantages met with neither in Australia nor California. In former times the Portuguese traders went to the washings accompanied by great numbers of slaves, and continued there until their goods were expended in purchasing food for the washers. The chief in whose lands they laboured expected a small present-one pound's worth of cloth perhaps for the privilege. But the goods spent in purchasing food from the tribe was also considered advantageous for the general good, and all were eager for these visits. It is so now in some quarters, but the witchery of slave-trading led to the withdrawal of industry from gold-washing and every other source of wealth; and from 130 or 140 lbs. weight annually, the produce has dwindled down to 8 or 10 lbs. only. This comes from independent natives, who wash at their own convenience, and for their own profit. "A curious superstition tends to diminish the quantity which might be realised. No native will dig deeper than his chin, from a dread of the earth falling in and killing him; and on finding a piece of gold it is buried again, from an idea that without this 'seed' the washing would ever afterwards prove unproductive. I could not for some time credit this in people who know right well the value of the metal; but it is univer |