Junk 27, 1859.] MACQUEEN'S REMARKS ON CENTRAL AFRICA. 363 



The ablest Portuguese statesmen now clearly understand this truth, and their 

 exertions will shortly produce in Southern Africa as great a revolution in the 

 commerce of the world as the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope did soon 

 after it was made." 



The President. — I see a great African explorer here, Captain Burton, and ask 

 him if he has any observations to make upon this part of Central Africa ? 



Captain Burton, f.r.g.s. — My experience of Central Africa is more in the 

 eastern than in the western country. Perhaps some little account of the A rabs, 

 to whom Mr. Macqueen has just alluded, may be permitted, especially as Dr. 

 Livingstone met them in the very centre of the African continent. They left 

 Zanzibar about 1842, and travelled over the Unyamwezi country. They crossed 

 the Tanganyika Lake, via Ujiji, and from that point they went to the south- 

 western country of Marungu : thei'e they fell into trouble in consequence of a 

 blood feud with the people. Their boats were burned, and they found them- 

 selves unable to return to Ujiji. They were almost the first traders that crossed 

 the Tanganyika Lake. They were compelled to go on from Marungu again to 

 the soutTi, and, as well as I remember, Dr. Livingstone met one or more of them 

 at Linyanti. 



Mr. Macqueen stated this was not the party of Arabs to which he had alluded. 



Captain Burton. — I understood Mr. Macqueen to allude to the party of 

 Arabs who crossed over from Zanzibar. I left Zanzibar in February last, and 

 no other party had gone from Zanzibar to the western coast. 



Mr. Macqueen said it was another party. 



Captain Burton. — Mr. Macqueen seems to allude to some other party, but 

 I have never heard of any except those Arabs who left in 1842. Another point 

 which strikes me in Mr. Macqueen's account is the immense length of the 

 marches — IH geographical miles in Central Africa. I believe that hitherto 

 such marching in the country in which I have been is quite unknown ; 10 

 statute miles, or about 6 geographical rectilinear miles, would be a high 

 average. 



The President. — I am sure we are much indebted to Mr. Macqueen for his 

 Paper, and particularly for that interesting and remarkable sketch with which 

 it concluded of some of the general geographical features of the region of Central 

 Africa, and especially of the character of its rivers. The whole subject is one 

 which has occupied the attention of this Society and of the public so very 

 much of late years, since the explorations of Dr. Livingstone and of Captains 

 Burton and Speke, that we are always glad to receive any addition to our stock 

 of knowledge. The history of the journey of these Portuguese Arabs from one 

 coast of Africa to the other is full of interest, and I have no doubt that, when 

 the Paper is printed in full, we shall find that many points of importance have 

 unavoidably been omitted this evening. Mr. Macqueen will fully understand 

 that it is impossible to read the entire Paper this evening. 



The third Paper read was — 



3. Notes on the Island of St. Helena ; to accompany/ his new Map of that 

 Island. By Major Edmund Palmer, r.a., f.r.g.s. 



Captain Palmer's map of St. Helena was executed during a residence 

 of nearly six years on that island. It is shortly to be published, on 

 the reduced scale of -^r^-oo, by the Topographical Department of the 

 War Office. The present paper is a concise memoir of the history. 

 VOL. in. 2 E 



