SOUTH AFRICAN 



QUARTERLY JOURNAL, 



SECOND SUTLIUS. 

 No.2. JANUARY— MARCH, 1834. Fart 1. 



Progress and present State of Geographical Discovery hi 

 the African Continent, made from the Colony of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. — By John Centlivres Chase. 

 [Read at the South African Institution.] 



The last public Expedition dispatched from this Colony, for 

 tlie purposes of discovery into the vast, unknown and interesting' 

 Continent of which it forms a part, was that of Dr. Cowati 

 and Lieut. Donovan, in the year 1808, who were sent with in- 

 structions to cross to the Portuguese Settlements on the Eastern 

 Coast, which failed, in consequence of the destruction of the 

 party, but what were the causes which led to tliat disastrous 

 event, or the precise scene in which it occured, has never yet 

 been satisfactorily ascertained. 



Since that period nothing upon so extended a scale has been 

 attempted, althoush several plans have from time to time been 

 laid before the Colonial Government for Expeditions to pene- 

 trate the Interior by persons of enterprize, among whom, prin- 

 cipally, may be named the present Commissioner General and 

 the late Capt. Birch of the Royal African Corps. 



After the lapse of a quarter of a century public attention 

 has once more been awakened within the colony to this subject, 

 rendered more important than at the time of that fatal ex- 

 periment, from the mass of information which has since been 

 acquired, especially during the last thirteen years, and from its 

 important results in the establishment of a highly lucrative and 

 increasing traffic with the neighbouring savages, both beyond 

 the northern and eastern frontiers, with whom an amicable and 

 mutually advantageous intercourse has been arranged, as well 

 as from the settlement of numerous Missionary Institutions even 

 at remote places among them, charged with the promulgation 

 of our common Faith. 



The Abstract, whose title appears below,* published by an 



• Abstract of Proceedings diawn up for publication by direction of 

 the Managing Committee of , the Cape of Good Hope AssnciatioB for Ex- 

 ploring Ceutral Africa, Cape Town. Creig, 1833. pp. IG. 



