in the Mountains of the Moon. 229 



nuthias is established. And such being the case, it follows 

 that the Barbarian Gulf (Barbaricus Sinus) is the bay or 

 bight in which Zanzibar is situate ; and that the country of 

 the Anthropophagi, who dwelled round this gulf, is that por- 

 tion of the east coast of Africa which is opposite to that island. 

 Further, as the Mountains of the Moon are stated to lie on 

 the western side of the country of these Anthropophagi, we 

 can have no hesitation in placing those mountains somewhere 

 in that part of the main land, which, in like manner, lies op- 

 posite to Zanzibar. It must be understood, that this is only 

 a first approximation. 



We will now inquire how far the general results thus ar- 

 rived at, are affected by the actual information which we pos- 

 sess respecting the interior of Eastern Africa, 



At the Meeting of the British Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, held at Southampton in 1846, I had the 

 honour of explaining, to the Section of Geology and Physical 

 Geogi'aphy, my views respecting the physical configuration 

 of the plateau of Abessinia.* From a personal inspection of 

 a considerable portion of the countries lying between the 

 9th and 16th degrees of north latitude, and the 36th and 

 43d degrees of east longitude, I was enabled to arrive at the 

 conclusion, that this part of the continent of Africa consists 

 of an extensive table-land, of which the eastern edge runs in 

 a general direction from north to south, in about the 40th 

 meridian, and at a general elevation of about 8000 feet ; and 

 as the ascent to this great height, from the very much lower 

 plain-country near the coast, occurs within the short hori- 

 zontal distance of from 25 to 40 miles, it is manifest that the 

 eastern or seaward edge of the plateau must present the ap- 

 pearance, and indeed possess the character, of an extensive 

 range of lofty mountains. 



Southwards of about the 9th parallel of north latitude, I 

 enjoyed no opportunity of personal observation ; but from the 

 information obtained by others at various points along the 



* See the Report of the British Association for 1846, " Transactions of the 

 Sections," p. 70, et. leq. See also Journ. Roy. Geogr. Sue, vol. xvii., p. 76, et 

 teq. 



