in the Mountains of the Moon. 231 



Korchdssi,* apparently in about 7° N. lat. ; and we may, from 

 analogv, entertain the opinion that the same line of swamps 

 and occasional lakes continues southwards along the entire 

 water-parting, as far as it extends. Beyond the fourth or 

 fifth parallel of south latitude, we have, indeed, evidence of 

 the existence of a very large collection of fresh water, called 

 N'yassi or " the sea,"t which is imperfectly represented in 

 our maps under the name of Lake Maravi or Zambeze, and 

 which is situate in or adjoining to the country of Mono- 

 Moezi ; but whether this collection of water forms pax't of the 

 same hydrographical system as the lakes already enumerated, 

 or whether it possesses its own distinct and separate basin, 

 our existing knowledge does not enable vis to determine. 



As it has already been observed, the seaward edge of the 

 plateau of Eastern Africa, when viewed from the low lands, 

 presents the appearance, and possesses the character, of an 

 extensive range of lofty mountains. And that portion of this 

 range which bounds the country of M.o\\o-Moezi, and which 

 lies in a general direction to the west of the island of Zanzi- 

 bar, corresponds so satisfactorily with the " Mountains of 

 the Moon" situate on the western side of the country of the 

 Anthropophagi, dwelling on the shores of the Barbaricus 

 Sinus, that we may, with every show of reason, place here 

 the source of Ptolemy's eastern arm of the Nile. We should, 

 however, probably be in error were we to regard the position 

 of that source as lying due west of Zanzibar, and this for the 

 following reason. The general direction of the Somali and 

 Zangebar coast, as far south as the island of Zanzibar, is 

 from about NE. to SW., and the rivers of that coast appear to 

 trend to the NW., at about right angles with the coast-line. 

 It may, consequently, be more correct to regard the head of 

 the Nile as being situate, not, strictly speaking, to the ivest of 

 Zanzibar, but behind thai island, at right angles with the coast- 

 line, and in the same general direction as the courses of the 

 rivers. Assuming this to be its real bearing from Zanzibar, 

 and its distance from that island to be between 300 and 400 



* Rochet, Second Voyage au Royaume de Choa, p. 274. 

 t Juurn. Roy. Geo'jr. Soc, vol. xv., p. 1, ct seq. 



