202 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



A railroad is to be built from Loando to Ambaca, and 

 from Delagoa Bay to the Transvaal Republic. 



The International Commission for the Exploration and 

 Civilization of Central Africa, set on foot by the King of Bel- 

 gium, has established national committees in Belgium, Ger- 

 many, Austria, Holland, Spain, Italy, France, Russia, Switzer- 

 land, and Portugal. The pioneers of this society, consisting 

 of two Belgian officers, Captains Crespel and Cambier, and 

 a naturalist, Dr. Maes, sailed on the lSth of October for Port 

 Natal, whence they will make their way to Lake Tanganyika, 

 where measures will be taken to ascertain whether it be pos- 

 sible to found a station on the shores of the lake, or, leaving 

 a depot there, the station be fixed at Nyangwe and Man* 

 yuema. The place to be decided upon is to be used as a 

 basis for further exploration, and agriculture will be carried 

 on to make the expedition self-supporting. The society is 

 amply provided with funds, and proposes to set on foot two 

 large expeditions to penetrate from Loando and Zanzibar at 

 the same time. There is every prospect that this united 

 effort will succeed in solving some of the problems connect- 

 ed with the geography of Central Africa. 



The Italian committee for the exploration of Africa held 

 its first session at Turin in June, when it was decided to co- 

 operate vigorously with the International Society. For the 

 present the energies of the Italian committee will be devoted 

 to the maintenance of a supply station at Shoa, regarding 

 this as one of the most favorable stations from which to send 

 out expeditions for the exploration of the interior. 



In the proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society for 

 June 11, 1877, is an account, by Bishop Crowther, of jour- 

 neys up the Niger River between 1841 and 1871, and notes 

 on the neighboring countries. The delta of the river, he 

 states, is enormously large, extending along a coast line of 

 120 miles, with a breadth of 150 miles in some places. 



As the Church Missionary Society has resolved to send 

 out a small steamer drawing only three feet, most interest- 

 ing and valuable results may be expected from further ex- 

 ploration. 



Bishop Crowther's intimate acquaintance with the numer- 

 ous tribes inhabiting this region (no less than thirteen sepa- 

 rate tribes, speaking as many languages, being met in a jour- 



