554 Meeting of the British Association. [ Oct., 
Tribes of Central Africa as influenced by Local Conditions.” He 
gave his observations in the form of a narrative, commencing with 
his first meeting with true negroes, in sailing up the Nile, m 15° 
N. lat. All tribes to the north of this were of Semitic derivation, 
or mongrels of various intermixture. He described the wretched 
condition of the Aliab, Shyr, and other tribes who inhabit the vast 
region of morasses extending on either side of the White Nile 
between 10° and 5° N. lat.; naked savages of emaciated forms and 
the lowest type of negroes physically and morally. In these 
regions there was no iron ore or dust and therefore no iron manu- 
facture, one of the causes of the superior condition of the tribes on 
the higher lands. They are always ina state of semi-starvation, 
and are driven to grind the bones of animals between stones to 
make soup of. Among the tribes of the higher lands between 4° N. 
lat. and the equator, the art of working in iron is everywhere 
practised, and instruments of great beauty are manufactured. 
The Unyoro people have even invented a kind of hoe, so ingenious 
that it might be copied to advantage by Europeans. In those 
parts of the country, again, which are adapted for cattle, the tsetse 
fly has great influence ; the fly is restricted to certain circumscribed 
localities; wherever it is present there can be no cattle, and the 
people are inferior in civilization; wherever it is absent the condi- 
tion of the people is entirely changed; for the protection of their 
wealth in cattle necessitates warlike organization and elevates the 
social character in many other ways. Notwithstanding the many 
points of difference, the general character of all the tribes was the 
same. Sir Samuel reiterated that the first step necessary to the 
improvement of the Central African tribes, was the abolition of the 
present slave traffic; and that an extensive commerce might be 
carried on between Huropeans and the superior tribes dwelling in 
the region of the great lakes if this step were taken. 
Mr. Palgrave’s paper was on the two divisions of Arabia, North 
and South. He endeavoured to impart some novelty to a subject on 
which he has already written and lectured so much, by describing in 
a clear form the physical and social characteristics which distinguish 
Nejed, the country of Wahabee domination, from Oman, the region 
which is becoming of growing importance to us. 
M. Du Chaillu’s paper was entitled “Notes on the Physical 
Geography and Tribes of Western Equatorial Africa.” The subject 
was generally thought to be ably and scientifically treated ; and the 
audience seemed to be surprised, if not disappointed, that they were 
not treated to gorilla anecdotes and travellers’ tales. The author 
gave a general description of the country he had traversed during 
his last journey, showing that with the exception of a belt of low 
coast land about 80 miles wide, it consisted of a hilly region covered 
with primitive forests. The land successively rose as he ascended 
