EXTRACTS FROM DR. KIRK's LETTERS. 5 



Dr. Livingstone lost eleven of the Bombay Sepoys, 

 and two of the educated Africans who accompanied 

 him. His party was thus reduced to twenty- 

 three. 



^' After eight days' march they came to Makata, not 

 far from lake Nyassa. The border of the lake pre- 

 sented a flat, sandy shore — it seemed to be about six 

 miles wide, and the opposite shore a white sand, and 

 no mountain of any consequence near, though large 

 hills rose to the south. From the natives of a small 

 village under Makata, four canoes were hired, in which 

 the party crossed. Embarking in the morning, they 

 had all landed by noon ; the water was shallow, and 

 the canoes propelled by large bamboos, paddles used 

 only at intervals. 



'' There is certainly no part of Nyassa south of 

 latitude 11°, which corresponds with this description. 

 Throughout the two hundred miles formerly explored, 

 it was found to be a deep blue lake, and at the only 

 point at all narrow enough to allow of their crossing 

 in the time mentioned, it is not only deep, but has a 

 mountain ridge not far off its western shore. Besides, 

 the head Johanna man (Moosa), our present inform- 

 ant, was formerly one of the party on the Shire, and 

 accompanied Dr. Livingstone on foot beyond the point 

 referred to, and as he positively asserts that the old 

 route lay far to the south, I have little hesitation in 

 placing the spot where, the lake was crossed as the 

 unknown extremity at about lO'^ 30' south latitude. 

 There is good reason to think that Mapoonda, where 

 Dr. Livingstone landed, is the same place that I heard 

 of in 1861."— (Alluding to the north end of the lake.) 



