340 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY IN 1875. 



not reach. To this lake he heard that wearers 

 of trousers came in sailing-boats, and brought 

 palm-oil and gold-dust packed in quills. Pro- 

 ceeding down the Lualaba he found that the 

 upper course of this river is to the westward 

 of Lake Bangweolo, and that Livingstone prob- 

 ably took the Luowa to be the upper Lualaba. 

 On the route away from the river southward 

 from Nyangwe, he came upon a small lake, 

 Nohrya, which contained true lake-villages. 

 He found that the Lomami and the Kassabe 

 are entirely unconnected. Passing the sources 

 of the Lulua he established their position as lati- 

 tude 11 15' south, longitude 23 east. Of the 

 country through which he passed he gives a 

 glowing account. Coal was found, and gold, 

 copper, iron, and silver, were abundant. A 

 great variety of tropical products, such as nut- 

 megs, coffee, semsun, ground-nuts, oil-palms, 

 the mpafu (an oil-producing tree), rice, caou- 

 tchouc, copal, and sugar-cane, were found grow- 

 ing. He took 400 astronomical observations. 

 Cameron predicts that for a moderate outlay of 

 capital " one of the greatest systems of inland 

 navigation in the world might be utilized," and 

 proposes the construction of a ship-canal of from 

 twenty to thirty miles in length, by which the 

 Congo and Zambesi systems might be connected. 

 Lieutenant Cameron is the only European save 

 two, Livingstone and Silva Porto, who has 

 traversed the continent of Africa within the 

 tropics. He traveled on foot 2,953 miles, and 

 passed through 1,200 miles of entirely unex- 

 plored territory, and much of the remaining 

 country which he crossed has only been visited 

 by ignorant or unobservant travelers. 



The German Expedition to the west coast of 

 Africa has' met with many drawbacks. Herr 

 von Gussfeld was obliged to return to Berlin 

 with shattered health. The expedition started 

 by Herr Hemayr proceeded by the way of 

 Kasanje to the capital of the Matiamoo; but 

 its organizer remained sick at Loanda. Dr. 

 Lenz started a second time in a journey up the 

 Ogowe. The station, established at great ex- 

 pense at Chincoxo, they have been obliged to 

 abandon. 



The latest intelligence from the Scotch Liv- 

 ingstonia Mission Expedition was sent from 

 the Upper Shire" by Lieutenant E. D. Young, 

 September 25th. They ascended the Zambesi 

 and Shire in their steamboat Ilala, which they 

 took in pieces and conveyed above the Murchi- 

 son cataracts by the help of 650 carriers, hav- 

 ing now a plain course into Lake Nyassa, 

 expecting to steam into the lake in another 

 fortnight. The Makalolo chiefs and people 

 greeted them with enthusiasm, and worked 

 willingly to assist in the transportation. Thou- 

 sands lined the banks, clapping their hands, 

 dancing, and singing, saying their fathers the 

 English had come back to them. On the Lower 

 Shire the Makalolo inhabitants came to meet 

 them from far and wide in canoes, with pres- 

 ents of food, and fuel for the steamer. The 

 passage was slow and difficult on account of 



the low water but the party remained in good 

 health. The shores of the Upper Shire are 

 uninhabited; but along the lower source of 

 the river the country is thickly peopled for 

 forty miles, "and all are eager to be taught." 



Another missionary enterprise under the 

 conduct of Bishop Steer proposes to start from 

 the town of Lindz on the coast thirty miles 

 north of Mikindany Bay, pushing into the 

 Agaos's country, which borders on Lake Nyas- 

 sa, and establishing a mission among them, if 

 it can be effected. Bishop Steer is accompanied 

 by the Rev. A. 0. James, and Messrs. Bellville 

 and Beardall, and by Chuma and Susi, Dr. 

 Livingstone's attendants. 



NEW GUINEA. Further explorations upon 

 this still little known though highly interesting 

 island have met with small success. D'Alber- 

 tis, the sagacious Italian traveler, who recently 

 visited the northwestern part of the island, 

 has, in a second excursion, sought an entrance 

 from the southern coast, but was unable to 

 make a landing. The London Missionary So- 

 ciety dispatched an expedition, commanded by 

 Rev. S. Macfarlane, which, it was intended, 

 should ascend the rivers of the southeast, in 

 order to establish a mission in the interior: 

 their object remains unaccomplished ; but they 

 gained valuable information regarding the 

 geography and products of that portion of the 

 island. The Macleay Expedition, of which 

 much was expected by the Australians, re- 

 turned to Sydney without important results. 

 The difficulty of navigation prevented their 

 landing in the Fly River, which flows into the 

 gulf of Papua. The missionary expedition has 

 thus far excelled the colonial explorations, 

 since they ascended a river on the south coast 

 to the distance of sixty miles. The Australi- 

 ans will not remit their exploration of this 

 wonderful region, since they expect consider- 

 able commercial advantages therefrom. 



Mr. William Macleay has given an account 

 of the Chevrert Expedition. The vessel sailed 

 from Port Jackson, May 18th, with eighteen 

 in her crew, a doctor, four zoologists, three 

 botanists, Captain Onslow, and Mr. Macleay. 

 After visiting the intervening islands and stop- 

 ping in Mud Bay, they put out on June 28th 

 for New Guinea, making for the mouth of the 

 Katow River. Anchoring two and a half miles 

 off' the mouth of the river, they were visited 

 by two canoes containing the headmen of the 

 village of Mohatta at the month, and of a vil- 

 lage farther up. Upon the invitation of the 

 chiefs a party landed. The village consists of 

 seven houses about one hundred feet long, ele- 

 vated six or seven feet above the ground, and 

 thickly thatched. These houses accommodate 

 fifty people each, whose sleeping-places are 

 ranged on either side, the ends being open. 

 The houses are down upon the shore and are 

 surrounded with filth. The men are strong 

 and well built, very black, with hooked noses 

 and straight foreheads, and without the pro- 

 tuberant jaws of the Australians. They usually 



