404 



GEOGRAPHICAL PROGRESS AND DISCOVERY. 



lake in the center; one of its angles is the 

 junction of the Shasha and Limpopo Rivers, 

 another the junction of the Chobe with the 

 Zambesi, near the Victoria Falls. 



Andrew A. Anderson, like Dr. Holub, has 

 spent many years in southern Central Africa, 

 and has collected interesting data regarding 

 the countries of the South African plateaus 

 and their inhabitants. East of the Mashona 

 country, which he counts as belonging to Mata- 

 beli-land, is the Makombe country, about 40,- 

 000 square miles in extent, reaching to the Por- 

 tuguese possessions. South of this is a terri- 

 tory extending to the Limpopo, with an area 

 estimated at 70,000 square miles. Parts of this 

 are inhabited by a tolerably thick and indus- 

 trious population, who grow and weave cotton. 

 South of Bamangwato, which has an extent of 

 about 70,000 square miles with a population of 

 about 45,000, is Secheli's country, which ex- 

 tends from the Limpopo on the east to the Ka- 

 lihari Desert on the west, whose population, 

 exclusive of Bushmen,- is about 45,000 ; this 

 region has an area of about 30,000 square miles ; 

 the capital town is Molopololo. In the same 

 country two independent chiefs rule over about 

 30,000 people. Immediately south of this coun- 

 try, between the Transvaal and the desert, ia 

 Gasietsise's country, 60,000 square miles in ex- 

 tent, with Kanya for its chief town, and a pop- 

 ulation, exclusive of Bushmen, but including 

 the followers of two chiefs who live there by 

 sufferance, amounting to 35,000; and to the 

 east, bordering on the Transvaal, is the terri- 

 tory of the chief Macasi. South of Gasietsise's 

 dominions Monsiwe rules over about 20,000 

 square miles of territory, with a population of 

 perhaps 15,000. Below. this country and north 

 of Griqualand "West is about 30,000 square 

 miles of territory, occupied by several petty 

 tribes, numbering some 20,000. "West of Ba- 

 mangwato, the region about Lake Ngami is gov- 

 erned by a son of the late Lechuatabele, whose 

 kraal is at the foot of the lake, where the Zou- 

 ga or Botletle issues. His territory has an ex- 

 tent of about 40,000 square miles ; the people 

 number about 20,000. The countries west of 

 the Kalihari Desert are Ovampo-land, Damara- 

 land, and Great Namaqua-land. Ovampo-land, 

 on the north, would be an excellent grazing 

 country for cattle and sheep, having plenty of 

 water and very fine veldt ; the mountains are 

 reported to be rich in minerals. This country 

 contains about 60,000 square miles, and sup- 

 ports a population of only 30,000 ; the people 

 are industrious, and raise grain and vegetables. 

 Damara-land lies to the south and west of 

 Ovampo-land and north of Great Namaqua- 

 land, extending in its southern portion from 

 'the sea to the desert. It has lately been an- 

 nexed to Cape Colony. Along the coast the 

 country is a sandy desert, but its eastern por- 

 tion is mountainous and rich in mineral prod- 

 ucts. The same is true of Damara-land, run- 

 ning from Great Nam aqua-land to Orange Riv- 

 er on the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean 



to the desert of Kalihari, and containing an 

 area of some 70,000 square miles. In the east, 

 near the Great Fish River, are also good graz- 

 ing-grounds. The population is very mixed, 

 embracing Namaquas, Hottentots, Bushmen, 

 Griquas, and Damaras, with different varieties 

 of half-breeds called Kurumas, Veldskoen- 

 drawers, Bundle-Swaarts, and Africanders, 

 and a good number of Caffres who have run 

 away from the Cape. The latter, numbering 

 about 20,000, live under arms and are given to 

 plunder. The great Kalihari Desert is 900 

 miles long, and in some places 500 miles 

 broad; it contains 260,000 square miles, be- 

 sides a tract of 20,000 square miles on the 

 Orange River. Between 1864 and 1872 Mr. 

 Anderson explored and surveyed the desert of 

 Kalihari. He was always accompanied by a 

 large following of Bushmen, who, he says, are 

 the best behaved but the worst treated of all 

 the black races he has met in Africa. The des- 

 ert is rich in minerals : coal is abundant ; cop- 

 per is found in considerable quantities on the 

 west side ; and gold was discovered by him in 

 two mountain ranges. Those parts of the 

 country in which water is always to be found 

 are well adapted for farming. Near the large 

 sand-rivers water is always obtainable. The 

 rainy season is from January to May. Sheep 

 and cattle fatten well on the herbage. The 

 fine grassy pastures are full of large game. 

 There are large forests of bush and timber. 

 The cotton-growing region in the Mashona 

 country is described by Mr. Anderson as em- 

 bracing an area of 25,000 square miles. Lo- 

 bengule now bars the way to this rich field for 

 European settlements. Transportation to the 

 coast is everywhere easily to be accomplished 

 by the numerous watercourses. Rice is also 

 cultivated in this district ; spices of all varie- 

 ties thrive exceedingly ; and oranges, lemons, 

 citrons, and many vegetables attain the highest 

 degree of perfection. Gold is found in this 

 same country, as well as silver and other min- 

 erals. Portions of the Mashona district and 

 other parts of Matabeli-land are absolutely free 

 from fever, which is unknown in the elevated 

 and mountainous regions. "West of Lake Ngami, 

 in Kalihari and the Ovampo, Damara, and 

 Namaqua countries, there is no fever. The 

 fever districts of this part of Africa are princi- 

 pally confined to the valley of the Zambesi and 

 the regions east of Lake Ngami, in the low 

 country along the Zouga and Mababe Rivers 

 from the great salt-pan of Makarakari up to 

 Victoria Falls, and along the Chobe or Cuan- 

 do River. The sickly season begins when the 

 mapane-trees, which grow to a great size and 

 have a frond and flower like those of the 

 orange-tree, send out their young shoots ; from 

 May to October the whole country is free from 

 fever. 



One of the most important geographical 

 achievements of the year was accomplished in 

 south Central Africa by Major Serpa Pinto, 

 an energetic and accomplished young Portu- 



