that the colonisation of the healthy highlands by our own countrymen will be the most effectual means of winding up the difficulty. I have no doubt our people would make themselves rich, while virtually crowning with success our long continued efforts for the abolition of the slave trade. I have ventured to suggest this in a dispatch on the slave trade. A few Portuguese, not numbering, if the convict soldiery be excluded, more than 30 or 40, keep other nations out of this immense territory.

Kindest salutations to Mrs Turner and your family.

To James Aspinall Turner, Esq. M. P.

DAVID LIVINGSTONE.

No. 10.

Addressed to Miss BURDETT COUTTS.

Senna, 8th May, 1859.

WE have had the honour of discovering a magnificent lake called Shirwa (Sheerwah), and this is the first letter I have written about it. We went up the Shire to Lat. 16° 2′ 8′′. Left the vessel there with a chief called Chibisa, and proceeded northwards, over a high mountainous country, following generally the course of the river. After a fortnight's march we got a glimpse of the lake in the east, and four days afterwards reached its shores: thankful to God for permitting us the honour to be the first Europeans that ever gazed on the goodly sight. Lake Ngami is a mere pond to it. We were 200 feet up a hill, and in the north could see no end to it, but two blue mountain tops rose on the horizon like islands fifty or sixty miles off. It is surrounded by lofty mountains, some 6,000 feet high, very grand to behold, and is itself 2,000 feet above the level of the sea. There is a mountain in it which is inhabited. There is no outlet known. The water is slightly bitter. We saw about a mile of reeds from the place where we stood, and thought to gain the shore and take an observation for latitude with the natural watery horizon; but on wading in about half a mile it got waist deep, and had lots of leeches, which made us I was accompanied by Dr Kirk and fifteen Makololo. But I have yet to tell you the most interesting thing of all. There is, say the natives, only a partition of a few miles between this lake and Lake Nyinyesi (Nyassa, or Uniamezi of the Maps-Nyinyesi Stars—a pretty name, is it not?). We asked if Burton had reached, but could get no news of him. Nyinyesi runs up well to the equator. We came back to the ship by a shorter path, holding along the valley of the Shirwa southwards, then, crossing the mountains, saw the end of it in the south. It is

retreat.

shaped somewhat like a tadpole.... We then went down the Shire in the vessel, ascended a river flowing into it, called Ruo, till we were within thirty miles of the Molanje range; so we have but thirty or perhaps fewer miles of land carriage to Shirwa, then five or six of partition to Nyinyesi. If Burton has discovered Nyinyesi, we have found the way to it. We know nothing of home news; not a word have we got since we left England from our friends. While waiting for another vessel we may try Nyinyesi. We were twenty-two days on foot; slept only two nights in huts. The elevation made it feel cold; but, though our beds were always wet with the dew in the morning, and the long grass, eight feet high, which hangs over the narrow footpaths, wetted us daily, we returned in good health. Found one of the men suffering from fever. The country is full of people, and cotton is cultivated largely. I intend writing to the Church Missionary Society to occupy this field. Chibisa is a civil obliging man, and one of his daughters is a slave in the house of the priest of Tette. I intend redeeming her, and presenting her to her mother. The priest and I are good friends, so I think I shall get her. I think a Missionary could live well with him-Chibisa. But the Portuguese are bestirring themselves. A Governor-general is lately appointed, who is believed to be under French influence. French emigration, alias slavery, goes on regularly. Our best friend, Major Sicard, is superseded. They would like French rather than English here.... We go down to the mouth of the Kongone on the 24th, expecting to meet a man-of-war with salt provisions for us.

No. 11.

Addressed to the Rev. H. VENN, Secretary to the Church Missionary

Society.

Senna, 15th May, 1859.

WE have just returned from the discovery of a magnificent lake, called Shirwa, separated by a partition of only a few miles from Nyinyesi, (Nyassa, Uniamesi, or Nyanja,) and not more than thirty from the navigable Shire; and one of the first thoughts that entered my mind after gazing on the broad blue waters, and admiring the lofty cloud-covered mountains that surround it, was, "Now this is what the Church Missionary Society has been thinking of for some years, a field in Eastern Africa for planting the Gospel, beyond the unfriendly coast tribe: I shall write to Mr Venn about it by the first opportunity."

Our first visit up the Shire created great alarm; for the people had

never been visited by the Portuguese, and a steamer was a more formidable sight to the Manganja than a comet would be to the hysteric among ourselves. We allowed that alarm to subside, and on our second visit found the people all so friendly that we left the vessel with a chief called Chibisa (16° 2′ Lat. S. and Long. 35o 21′).

The people have no firearms, and pointed out a pass in the mountain range, Milanjé eastwards, through which a' tribe with guns came to attack them. They were all friendly, excepting a party called Bajana or Ajana, who are in the habit of taking down slaves to Quillimane. \They thought us Portuguese, but changed their conduct instantly on learning that we were English. The others were alarmed, but we got abundance of provisions at a cheap rate. I have never seen so much land under cotton as here, and every one spins it; but we want the agents that Sierra Leone has supplied to Western Africa to guide the people to lawful commerce. The first time we came up the Shire we bought specimens of their cotton, and this time they brought it in bags; and were there an agency, I have no doubt a trade, which would render the visits of Bajana slave-traders unfruitful, would spring up. We were accompanied by one of Chibisa's people as a guide, but he was useful only as making it known that we came from a man of influence. He is a sensible man, and would treat any white man well, and he has influence with all the people in the north, with whom his family is traditionally connected. We returned to the vessel after twenty-two days' march. . . . We have had several cases of fever, but none fatal. The severity of the disease is, to us who are well provided for, nothing compared with what I experienced before: the cases seemed more like common co ds than fever at first. They have become more severe lately during the unhealthy period of the year, but are quite amenable to proper treatment.

No. 12.

Addressed to the Rev. PROFESSOR SEDGWICK, Cambridge.

MY DEAR SIR,

River Zambesi, East Africa, 27th May, 1859.

WE visited the Shire about the beginning of the present year, and our presence caused considerable alarm among the people, who had never seen white visitors before. We ascended in our little steamer about 100 miles of latitude: the Portuguese never went more than twenty-five miles, and having been beaten back had no good word to say for those who had drubbed them. The Manganja, as the people are called, are brave, and

TO THE REVEREND PROFESSOR SEDGWICK. 363

can use well their bows and poisoned arrows. You must bear with my prosiness at first; my reasons will appear farther on. The river is deep, and easily navigated for 100 miles. Seeing the alarm we had created, the people in large bodies guarding us on both banks night and day, we retired in order to let our (though I say it) decently civil conduct have its effect; and in the end of March returned, and found the inhabitants so friendly that we left the vessel with a chief called Chibisa, 16o 2', and with Dr Kirk and fifteen Makololo proceeded northwards on foot.

Our course lay along the banks of the Shire, which then was found flowing in a mountainous region; and though our marches were but short, we each day gained 200 or 300 feet of elevation. In about ten days we were about 1,500 feet above the ship, and in sight of a mountain, Dzomba, or as the people near it call it, Zomba, over 6,000 feet high. A marsh prevented our following the Shire to the northern spur of Zomba, to which it seemed to go, or rather to come; and in crossing the southern spur, we were 3,400 feet high, and thence we got our first sight of Lake Shirwa in the East: four days afterwards we stood on its shores, and thanked the great Father of all for permitting us the honour of first seeing its broad blue waters. A grand sight it is, for it lies among bold mountain scenery, and all the mountains are clothed with vegetation, and several are inhabited even on their very tops. We went some distance up a mountain, and could see 26o of watery horizon in the N.N.E. only. Two mountain tops look in the blue distance like little islands, fifty or sixty miles away. The lake is of a pear shape; or were it not so unpoetical, I would call it of a tadpole shape. It is from twenty-five to thirty miles wide in the broad part; but a narrow prolongation stretches south of where we stood some thirty miles. No outlet is known; its waters are bitter, but drinkable; and it contains plenty of fish, alligators, and hippopotami; leeches too, as we found in wading through a piece of marsh to get a meridian observation of the sun with the natural horizon. The Shire probably comes out of Nyinyesi: it cannot come out of this, for its waters are

sweet.

At present I have to say that this is a real highland region. We saw many old people; and Dr Kirk and I slept on the ground out of doors twenty nights, and got our clothes wet with dew from the tall grass (seven or eight feet) every morning, yet returned to the ship in good health. The vegetation and people are much like what we have in Loanda, in the middle of the country; also many streams with bogs. The people cultivate cotton very extensively, we never saw so much anywhere; and this is

the region I have pointed out as capable of becoming a counterpoise to American slave labour.

The farther we went, the more important did the crop appear, and every one spins and weaves it. Now the Portuguese knew nothing of this lake, being so near lat. 15° 23′ 35′′ S. and 36o E., and we tell them very little. We allow our own government to do that (tell them), for when I crossed the continent, the Portuguese minister claimed the honour for two black men (blue book for 1857) with Portuguese names, in order to establish a claim to lordship over the whole territory. Then they proposed to erect a station, at the mouth of the Shire, for the same purpose; and a custom-house at the mouth of the Kongone branch of the Zambesi, which we discovered. At present, they are depopulating the country by French free emigration, the emigrants being sent out in chains. You will thus see that I cannot have much heart to open up a country for a parcel of Portuguese pedlars in men's bodies and souls; but I trust in Providence, a merciful and kind Providence, to turn all round to the glory of God.

We were obliged to wait for a stronger vessel to take us up the rapids above Tette. I would rather have gone up to make our experiment in the Makololo country at once; but it has turned out for the opening of a highland lake region, and I pray that our own Christian people may be permitted to enter and spread our blessed Redeemer's Kingdom.

I had to become both first and second in command; and you know that standing on a paddle-box in a hot sun is not favourable to literary labour.

No. 13.

Addressed to Mr J. ASPINALL TURNER.

MY DEAR MR TURNER,

River Zambesi, 30th May, 1859.

WE have lately discovered a very fine inland lake, called Shirwa (Sheerwah), by going up the river Shire (pronounced Sheerey) about 100 miles in this vessel, then some 50 more on foot. The lake is from 20 to 30 miles wide at the broad part, and 50 or 60 long. It is very beautiful, being surrounded on all sides by lofty mountains; and it is about 2000 feet above the level of the sea itself. It is reported to be separated from a very much larger lake, Nyanja (or, as we ascertained its proper name to be, Nyinyesi, or The Stars), by a strip of land only 5 or 6 miles wide—and, as we after