182 EARL DE GREY'S ADDRESS. [May 28, 18G0. 



to that of Livingstone, and to tlio nortliward of it, affords not a 

 few points for comparison and verification, which have been ably 

 discussed by Mr. J. Macqueen, and illustrated by a map which will 

 be published at the same time with his paper. Perhaps at some 

 future date the zeal of African geographers will give us, in a 

 condensed form, the tangible results of Portuguese discovery from 

 the earliest times — a subject of much historical interest, and not 

 without present geographical importance. For the present we 

 depend, in matters of South Central African geography, almost 

 wholly upon what we have learnt from Livingstone, Lacerda, 

 Burton, and Speke. For a knowledge of the exports, and imports, 

 and commercial capabilities of the Mozambique coast of Africa, we 

 are largely indebted to the various data collected by Mr. McLeod, 

 late H.B.M. Consul of that place. 



On the western coast of Africa, Mr. Andersson's arduous attempts at 

 traversing an exceedingly wooded country, along a line untraVelled 

 by caravans and requiring the constant use of the axe for a distance 

 of some 300 miles, ended in that explorer reaching what appears to 

 be the southernmost branch of the head- waters of the Zambesi. 

 His progress was checked by a severe fever that had prostrated him 

 and most of his party for a space of four months. His discover}^ 

 makes it improbable that the course of the Cunene should be solono;, 

 and, consequently, that its volume of water should be so great, as 

 native reports to the south of that river had represented it. It is 

 easy to conceive that men living in an otherwise arid land should 

 have their imagination deeply impressed with a perennially flowing 

 river, and that an exaggerated reputation of its size should have 

 penetrated to the dwellers in the bush and Karoo. The times are 

 indeed changed from those in which, some few years ago, the 

 Orange Eiver of the colony was the northernmost running water of 

 which English travellers had certain knowledge, excepting only a 

 portion of the then far-famed Limpopo. Now, the Karri-harri 

 Desert has been crossed by many tracks ; the lake Ngami, which 

 then was usually considered a myth, has been long since searched 

 out and overpassed ; and the great length of the mighty Zambesi is 

 familiarly known. 



Through our honoured Associate, Sir William Hooker, we have 

 received some very good memoranda of a Trading Trip into the 

 Orange River Sovereignty, and the country of the Transvaal Boers, 

 in 1851-2, by Mr. J. Sanderson, which will be published in our 

 Journal, with a map by Arrowsmith. 



