Miscellaneous Intelligence. 211 



within his view a horizon of three leagues in diameter, which is allowing: a 

 great deal, this gives us at most a surface of twenty-eight thousand square 

 leagues: but what is that superficies, compared with that of all Africa, 

 which is computed at 1,400,000 square leagues. It is plain, therefore, that 

 Europeans scarcely possess a knowledge of the fiftieth part of Interior 

 Africa: beyond that, all remains enveloped in confusion and uncertainty. 

 The lines of country that have been visited lie nearer to each other in the 

 south of the continent, and it is to the east of the central meridian, (the 15th 

 to the east of Paris) at about 10 degrees on each side of the Equator, that 

 the distance that separates them is the greatest. From the place where 

 Mungo Park perished, to that where Dr. Oudney sunk beneath the climate, 

 there only remains an interval of 12 degrees to be explored ; but from 

 Bornou, to the nearest coast of the Indian Ocean, the distance is estimated 

 at upwards of 30 degrees. It is not improbable but that a chain of moun- 

 tains may be found in that vast space, which would form a continuation of 

 the mountains discovered by Mr. Burchell, in the 26th degree of south 

 latitude; mountains which overhang the sources of rivers flowing in a con- 

 trary direction, and which appear to be farther from the ocean than was 

 supposed until the present day. 



N.B.— Since this paper was read at the general meeting of the Society of 

 Geography, information has been received that M. Hey, who accompanied 

 Mr. Edward Ruppell in his travels, had ascended the White Nile to the 

 distance of upwards of 60 leagues above its mouth ; and that Mohammed- 

 Bek, one of the generals of the Viceroy of Egypt, had drawn up an itinerary 

 of Kordofan, a country hitherto very little known, and situated between the 

 Sennar and the Dar-Four. It is said that volcanoes have been discovered 

 there, at upwards of 180 leagues from the Red Sea, and that they bore 



evidence of being still in full activity at the time they were observed. 



Literary Gazette. 



Training the Fine.— The grapes of Fontainebleau are chiefly raised in the 

 village of Thomery, on a poor, strong, clayey soil, and on the north side of 

 a hill, sloping to the Seine. 



Walls and Treillage.— The walls are 8 ft. high, built of clay, plastered or 

 washed over with a mortar of lime and sand, and covered by a coping of 

 boards or straw, projecting 9 or 10 in. on each side. The treillage is formed 

 of upright rails 18 or 20 in. apart, with horizontal rods 9 or 10 in. apart. 

 The south, west, and eastern sides of the walls are employed. The chief 

 peculiarities of the culture are, allowing only two branches to proceed from 

 each vine, and planting the vine several feet from the wall. The spurring 

 system of pruning is employed, and it will be seen that the success depends 

 principally on these three particulars. 



The main branches of each particular vine plant assumes, above ground, 

 the form of the letter T, each arm being 4 ft. long, the spurs 6 in. apart, 

 and the upright stem being shorter or longer accordingly as the two arms 

 or horizontal branches are higher or lower on, the wall. The horizontal 

 branches are placed 18 in. apart, the lowest being 6 in. from the ground, so 

 that a wall 8 ft. high will contain five lines of mother branches. If the plants 

 are all planted on one side, their stems at the base of the wall will be 18 in. 

 apart; hut in very poor situations they are planted on both sides of north 

 • walls, and the stems of those on the north side brought through holes in the 

 wall to the south side. 



Preparation of the Borders. — The upper stratum of 18 in. is trenched, 

 well manured, and such a slope given as will throw off heavy rains. 



Selection of Cuttings and Planting.— Cuttings are preferred, because they 

 ran choose them from any plant, or even shoot, which has produced an im- 

 proved variety of fruit. The cuttings, Trhich are called croisettes, are about 

 •2 ft in length, generally with an inch of old wood attached. In the month 

 of March, they are planted 1 ft. deep, in a row parallel with the wall, 4 ft. 

 distant from it and leaning towards it, and 18 in. apart in the row ; three 

 ryes being left on the upper end of each cutting. The young shoots made 

 from the cuttings arc tied to stakes the first summer, and the second spring 

 only the strongest shoot is left on each plant. This shoot is shortened to 

 three eyes, and a trench being opened in a direction from the plant to the 



