730 Mr. A. Hmry Savaije Landor [May 31, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, May 31, 1907. 



Sir James Crichton-Browxe, M.D. LL.D. F.K.S., Treasurer 

 and Vice-President, in the Chair. 



A. Henry Savage Landor, Esq., M.R.I. 



Across Widest Africa. 



Mr. A. Henry Savage Landor said : 



I crossed Africa from east to west in its widest part. The journey 

 was accomplished in 364 days, inchiding halts. Immense detours and 

 zig-zags were described during the journey. The distance travelled 

 over by my expedition was not less tlian 8500 English statute miles. 



Starting from Djibuti in French Somaliland, Abyssinia was crossed 

 in a south-westerly direction as far as the Baro river. The tribes north 

 and south of the river Sobat, a continuation of the Baro, were visited 

 on the way. I did not travel by water, but rode mules and horses 

 until I arrived at the Nile at a place some seventy miles south of 

 Fashoda. From there my journey was continued across the Bahr- 

 el-Ghazal, then through the forest dow^n to the Mbomu and the 

 Ubanglii rivers in the French Congo. The Congo Free State was 

 also visited. 



At a point where the river Ubanghi turns sharply to the south, I 

 proceeded with a numl)er of carriers in a north-westerly direction to- 

 wards lake Tchad. I crossed lake Tchad, but instead of continuing 

 towards the west, I made a great detour coming back towards the east, 

 as I wished to inspect the formation of some of the depressions and 

 basins in the desert of the Kanem. Roaming about the desert, T 

 had an opportunity of visiting some of the tribes north of lake Tchad. 

 Having crossed what is called the Chitati country, I returned south- 

 ward until the north-eastern part of lake Tchad was reached. Ap- 

 proximately some thirteen hundred kilometres (about 850 miles) 

 on camels across the desert brought me to the Niger, via the market 

 of Zinder. Another thousaiid kilometres (about 680 miles) by canoe, 

 took me to the sacred city of Timbuctu ; from there the journey up 

 the Niger was continued. Then I crossed over to the Senegal river 

 until Cape Verde, the most westerly point of Africa, was reached. 

 With the exception of a flyir^g machine, I availed myself of every 

 possible means of transportatioTi in order to get on. Horses, mules, 

 donkeys, oxen, camels, human cairiers, canoes, steel boats, rafts, were 

 used, and naturally, on a long journey of that kind, I lost many 

 animals and some men. At no time of my journey did I possess more 



