N.W., commencing with Lake Shirwa and ending with Lake Tsad or Tchad. These expeditions may be briefly enumerated as follows: 1. The missionaries sent out by the London Missionary Society, who, as we are just informed, have arrived at their destination. One party at Linyanti, on the north side of the Zambesi, to labour among the Makololo; the other party, on the south bank, to settle among the Matebele. The object which these two expeditions have in view is extremely good: viz. not only that of teaching the members of the two tribes Christianity and the useful arts, &c.; but especially to get these apparently irreconcileable enemies to dwell at peace together, and to induce the Makololo to take their old ground on the highlands more to the east. up 2. Archdeacon Mackenzie and his party', to regions as yet not determined on by Dr Livingstone and the committees. 3. Dr Livingstone's own expedition, now exploring in the Makololo country. 4. Captain Speke's double expedition, in which Captain Grant takes the place of Mr Petherick3. In a letter to myself, dated the 18th January, 1860, he (Captain Speke) says: "I am getting up a double expedition, for Mr Petherick to attack the Victoria Nyanza with myself; he starting from the north, whilst I, starting from the south, shall come upon its western flank and discover whether, or not, this lake has connexion with the Nile." 5. Captain Bedingfeld's proposed expedition up the Congo. An examination of the map shews that an expedition For an account of this Mission, see pp. 322-339. 2 See Barth's letter, p. 47, note. setting out from the western coast into the interior will complete the network of exploration converging from all points upon the central equatorial regions. Such an expedition must be highly important; and Captain Bedingfeld's appointment to its command would be both appropriate and popular. The Congo is a large navigable river, with no bar and 150 fathoms deep at its mouth. It passes through fertile regions of unknown extent, capable of producing most of the valuable articles of commerce found in Africa; and the inhabitants on its banks are friendly, teachable, and desirous of holding intercourse with Europeans. Slavery is here rampant as elsewhere. The extract from Sir H. Barth's Letter, page 47, note, suggests two German expeditions as well. Thus far the story of the most recent explorations in Central South Africa has been brought. We will close this account by stating connectedly the most striking facts which Dr Livingstone's expedition has lately elicited, since this book more especially confines itself to his researches. PRESENT RESULTS OF DR LIVINGSTONE'S PRESENT EXPEDITION. Geographical Results. WITH regard to the river Zambesi, we now certainly know its capabilities better as high up as the Kebrabasa falls. Dr Livingstone asserts that it can be navigated during the whole year in flat-bottomed boats of light draught, such as are used on the Mississippi, and for four or five months by good sized ships as far as Teté. The average depth of the river at low water is 34 feet; the average rise above low water mark being from 9 to 15 feet. There are long reaches of from 8 to 10 feet deep; the great difficulties in navigation being at the crossings of the channels. At Teté the river is 964 yards wide, being three times as broad as the Thames at London Bridge. It is three miles wide at the broadest part, where it is divided into five or six channels'. The Kebrabasa falls above Teté have been explored by several members of the expedition, and are found to be very remarkable; happily they present no impediment to navigation at high water by means of a powerful steamer. There are no rocks jutting across the streams, but the river is contracted into a groove 50 or 60 yards across in the narrowest parts, and a quarter of a mile in the broadest. The sides of this groove are perpendicular granite walls, in some places 300 or 400 feet high. At low water the river is 60 feet deep, and the rapids fall four or five feet, but which fall becomes level through the rise of the water. The stream, being so deep and swift and the sides so high, a boat can neither be punted nor towed, hence the only resource left is to stem the current2. Captain Bedingfield gives ample and interesting details about the river in the MS. to which I have before alluded. Of course in making the following statements, we must keep in mind the fact that the expedition went up not only at low water, but also during an unusually dry. 1 Letter, No. 7. 2 See Letter, No. 3. season, when the river had not been so low for many years past. Proceeding downward from Shupanga, he says that the channel is in places narrow, shallow, and almost impassable. The bottom is sandy and constantly shifting, the water in some places making ceaseless encroachments on the banks. The bar is well known to be somewhat difficult and dangerous. Despite these drawbacks, without doubt this noble river is capable of being made a great highway for commerce, civilization and Christianity. The river Shire' promises to open up a vast field for enterprise. Dr Livingstone has just proved that it flows out of Lake Nyanja, or Nyinyesi in lat. 14°, 25' S.; this he before concluded on account of the sweetness of its waters, and from the unanimous report of the natives who state that Arabs come down this stream from that lake in canoes. This river is always navigable, being deep and having a strong current; in point of fact it is better than the Zambesi for steam navigation, having perpendicular sides and no sandbanks; it flows into the Zambesi at about 100 miles from the sea. There are cataracts in lat. 15o, 55′ S., 100 miles from its mouth, which impede navigation, and extend about 33 miles in length. They never can be passable, since the river does not rise more than a yard at flood. One of these cataracts has been named by Dr Livingstone "Murchison's Cascade," in honour of the distinguished Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society, who has so nobly helped this and similar enterprises*. 1 Pronounced Sheeray. 8 Letter, No. 9. 2 See Letter, No. 10. 4 Letter, No. 6. The Shire falls about three feet from the wet to the dry season; it has a two and a half knot current in a generally two fathom channel, and is from eighty to one hundred yards wide. This river has been wrongly placed on the maps, since it is to the west and not to the east of the Morambala mountains'. The Shire flows through a rich valley 100 miles long, and 20 or 30 broad. This valley is most fertile, and will grow immense quantities of sugar-cane, cotton, indigo, corn, fruits, &c. Lake Shirwa, Tamandua or 'Bigwater, is a most im portant discovery made by Dr Livingstone and his party by going up the Shire 100 miles, and then by marching east over land about 60 miles on foot. This lake is of a pear-shape, and is 90 miles long, and 30 or 40 wide, being 2000 feet above the level of the sea, while its waters have no outlet. It cannot be properly called Maravi, since there are no Maravi people dwelling near, who are all on the west side of the Shire. The waters of this lake abound with fishes, leeches, alligators, and hippopotami: and its southern end is about 30 miles from the Shire. Lake Nyassa, Nyanja, or Nyenesi (the stars), has at last been visited and partly explored by Europeans. Dr Livingstone and his party have the honour of first viewing its waters. This lake must not be confounded by the reader (from several similar circumstances) with Victoria Nyanja, the great lake visited lately by Captain Speke, 1 Letter, No. 8. 8 See Letter, No. 10. 2 Pronounced Sheerwagh. |