( 377 ) 

 SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



GEOGRAPHY". 



1. Southern Africa. — Dr Smith, so well known for his zoolo- 

 gical researches, in a letter to Sir James Macgrigor, communi- 

 cates the following information : — Knowing well as I do the in- 

 terest you take in the promotion of knowledge, I lose no time in 

 making you acquainted with my successes during a late journey to 

 Port-Natal and the Zoola country. On the expedition I was 

 absent about six months, and, though constantly surrounded 

 with difficulties and dangers, yet I have been more than com- 

 pensated for all, by the great additions I have been enabled to 

 make to my natural and geographical knowledge. The extra- 

 ordinary characters of some of the tribes I visited, excited the 

 most lively sensations, and furnished me with actual evidence of 

 the existence of extreme despotism^ such as I had never seen 

 before. I think the account I shall be able to publish of them 

 will amuse the world, and will raise the feelings of the humane, 

 so as to suggest some means for putting a stop to the horrible 

 practices of at least the Zoola tyrant. Every department of 

 both the animal and vegetable kingdom offered much to attract 

 attention, and I did not return without making an addition of 

 many new species, particularly of reptiles and fishes. Of both 

 the latter I may say I have obtained types for new genera, and 

 some of them are not a little extraordinary. It is curious that, 

 in the very southern parts of Africa, we have little of the Sene- 

 gal zoological productions, but at Natal they are abundant, 

 and though there be but little difference of latitude, yet there is 

 considerable change in the animal forms. This discovery has 

 set me to observe the geographical distribution of our creation, 

 and if I can trace the causes of the changes, it may throw some 

 light upon the natural system. The geological structure of the 

 south east coast is also very interesting. The granite, which 

 disappears immediately to the eastward of Cape Town, rises 

 again near Natal ; and between these points, we have extensive 

 formations of quartzose sandstone, clayslate with quartz rock, 

 and old red sandstone ; the extent and form of those will be 

 shewn in the geological map which I am at present constructing. 

 -^Cape Town, 6th October 1832. 



