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NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



Matabele Land and the Victoria Fall ; a Naturalist's Wanderings 

 in the Interior of South Africa. From the Letters and 

 Journals of the late Feank Oates, F.R.G.S. Edited by 

 C. J. Oates, B.A. London : Kegan Paul & Co. 8vo, 

 pp. 370. With maps and illustrations. 



If we have delayed until now to notice this excellent book of 

 travels it has been rather for want of space to review it than 

 because we have had any doubt as to its merits. The author was 

 one of those young and ardent spirits who, had he not under- 

 estimated his own powers of endurance and the difficulty of the 

 task he had set himself, might have lived to attain the height 

 of his ambition. Unfortunately for himself he neglected the 

 advice of older and more experienced travellers than himself, 

 and fell a victim to African fever at the early age of thirty-four. 



The intention which he had formed in setting out for South 

 Africa was to reach the Zambesi from Natal, and see the Falls, 

 and, if possible, visit some of the unexplored country to the 

 north of that river. In the latter hope he was disappointed, and 

 the numerous difficulties encountered in realising the former part 

 of his project serve to illustrate some of the many obstacles to 

 be met with in African travel. He had to cope not only with 

 unfavourable conditions of climate, scarcity of food, and difficulty 

 in procuring bearers, but experienced endless opposition from 

 what his editor has termed " the obstructiveness of native 

 character." 



The King of Matabele Land, Lobengula, the son of Mosili- 

 katze, who conquered the country, is " absolute monarch, feared 

 and obeyed far and wide " ; and though well disposed to Europeans 

 travelling through his dominions, is very exacting in his demands 

 of tribute before giving the necessary permission to proceed, and 

 appears to dread nothing so much as the death of a white man 

 from sickness in his territory, and the introduction of cattle 

 disease. On one or the other of these pretexts, leave to proceed 

 is often withheld until the rains fall, and the traveller threatened 

 with death and confiscation of his goods should he advance after 

 notice to the contrary. 



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