My present limits will necessarily render it impossible for me to give more than a mere outline; but I hope in another volume1, which I have in active preparation, to give such details as the importance of the subject deserves.

All the members of the expedition were assembled at Birkenhead by the 6th of March, 1858. Mrs Livingstone joined her husband accompanied by her youngest child. They finally set sail from Liverpool on Wednesday the 10th of March, on board the screw steamer Pearl, under the command of Captain Duncan, but not without having been prevented from putting to sea by stress of heavy weather for some days previously.

The steam launch was screwed on the deck of the Pearl in three compartments. This vessel was built by Mr John Laird at his Birkenhead iron works, by order of the government, for the purposes of the expedition. She is 75 feet long, 8 broad, and 3 deep; being in the shape of a large flat-bottomed canoe, having both ends alike, and covered in with awnings. Her hull is made in three compact watertight sections, with a curved keel; the draught of water being only 14 inches.

The Ma-Robert is now worn out, and probably is not in use by the expedition at this time. She does not seem to have been well adapted for her work, and the fault appears to lie as much in her original design as in the execution of her contract.

Happily this defect will be remedied by the liberality of the government in furnishing Dr Livingstone with a suitable 1 Modern European Footprints in Africa.

2 Capt. Bedingfeld's MS.

steamer powerful enough to stem the current of the Kebrabasa falls, and to bear rough usage among rocks, shoals, &c.

In 15 days they arrived in the harbour of Sierra Leone, at which place they took on board twelve Kroomen1 as a crew for the launch.

They left Sierra Leone on the 31st March, and taking the in-shore passage arrived at Table Bay on the 21st of April following. Mrs Livingstone remained behind at Cape Town, where, as might be expected, the expedition was well received and entertained. Captain Bedingfeld says: "During our stay at the Cape, we experienced the proverbial hospitality of the inhabitants. A grand dinner was given at Cape Town to Dr Livingstone and his companions, and the greatest interest was taken in the expedition2."

The Pearl left the Cape on the 1st of May, and arrived off the mouths of the Zambesi on the 14th; and after beating about on account of contrary winds she stood in on the 15th for the mouth of the West Luabo, in company with H. M. S. Hermes. The bar was pronounced to be in a dangerous state for boats; the captain of the Pearl, at great risk, ran the ship over the bar, but happily without accident.

The Hermes left for Quillimane; and Dr Livingstone had the launch hoisted out on the 16th, which difficult task was performed without disaster. On the same day Captain Bedingfeld and Dr Kirk took soundings and angles at the mouth of the Luabo.

1 The Kroomen are natives of Cape Palmas, on the western coast of Africa. Captain Bedingfeld says that they are a fine independent race of men; and that Her Majesty's cruisers are allowed to employ them in many useful ways.

2 MS. Narrative.

The following passage shews the amount of life even at the very mouths of the Zambesi. "On the left bank at the point we disturbed a herd of venerable hippopotami and numerous pelicans, flamingoes and other birds, but as it was Sunday they were not fired at. We called this hippopotamus point,' not a very good name by the bye, because, in consequence of the abundance of these animals on the coast, nearly every river has its hippopotamus point. We saw numerous tracks of antelopes of different kinds and also footprints of natives, but as yet we had not seen any of the animals themselves1."

The launch was in sailing order by the 20th. It was arranged for Captain Bedingfeld to pilot the Pearl by going a-head and sounding with the launch. "After proceeding up the river about 12 miles we found it branch off to the N.E. and N.W. The N.E. branch was first tried, and having ascended about 12 miles it was thought advisable for the Pearl to remain while the launch went on to explore before taking her higher 2." A ten-miles' trip up this branch of the river in the launch proved that the Pearl could not proceed higher; while the launch herself was soon stopped in a sort of shallow ditch. Captain Bedingfeld and Dr Kirk tried to land on the left bank but were prevented from going far by swamps. On the right bank they found the ground firmer at a place "where (he writes) we had seen the footprints of some natives, but we did not succeed in finding any paths; and the long grass and mimosa thorns were too much for us. We saw here numerous tracks of buffaloes and antelopes, but not a sign of a hut. The banks were nearly 15 feet high

1 MS. Narrative, p. 5.

2 Ibid. p. 6.

and the ground firm; and an immense plain of high grass extended as far as the eye could reach'."

In consequence of this stoppage the launch went back to the Pearl, and it was arranged to return to the Fork and to ascend the N.W. branch in order to see if a passage could be found for the Pearl into the Zambesi by that means; if not the launch would have to try the perilous experiment of crossing the bar in order to enter the Kongone branch of the river.

Captain Bedingfeld and his party soon found on ascending this branch that neither the launch nor the Pearl could by that means get into the river. They fell in with a native hamlet of seven miserable clay huts, as well as another village from which the inhabitants had fled, but who afterwards became more friendly. By steaming many miles onward they at last found that this branch ended in a marsh. The captain says: "The river now took a northerly direction; it was very narrow, but as we had still two fathoms water I still anxiously hoped to find a channel into the Zambesi. But in this I was doomed to be disappointed; for having gone on for miles beating the long grass down with both paddle-wheels, we had to stop at last in an immense marsh, extending on both sides as far as the eye could reach, reeds growing all across the channel3." After further examination they found themselves obliged to return, having gone about fifty miles from the mouth of the river. The following passage reminds us of Dr Livingstone's description of the banks of the Chobe. "Immense numbers of wild fowl of all kinds were disturbed, for the first time I suppose, in this marsh; Ibid. pp. 8, 9. 3 Ibid. p. 9.

1 MS. Narrative, p. 7.

and alligators were slipping into the water in all directions. We were obliged to remain here for the night; the mosquitoes were something dreadful, and the noise which arose during the night from frogs and insects can scarcely be imagined by those who have never experienced it1."

The following passage helps to shew that intercourse can be established with the natives even when the country is disturbed by wars and rumours of wars. "When abreast of the village from which the natives fled yesterday, we found that our bread and beef had had a good effect, as they waited on the banks and did not attempt to run away?."

They found other inhabitants, partial cultivation and abundance of game, as well as monkeys innumerable, on the banks of these and the lower parts of the river.

On two occasions the success of the expedition depended on the critical position of the launch. The first of these was the hoisting of her out of the Pearl. The other was her passage of the bar, in order to find another channel into the Zambesi, on the failure of the attempt just narrated. The testimony of other officers goes to make it plain that Captain Bedingfeld shewed consummate ability in performing this difficult service. Hear his account of it. "I had to choose between two evils (in consequence of the boat of the Pearl not coming to shew the way), that of keeping the launch outside all night, where, if it should come on to blow, she would in all probability have filled and gone down, or running in and taking my chance of finding the channel. The latter I thought involved less risk, and Captain Gordon went with me in his boat to the back of the breakers to point