194 Messrs. Chalmers 8f .Hatch — Mashonaland 8^ Matabeleland. 



The later facts of history are briefly as follows : — Mosilakatse, 

 driven from the Transvaal by the Boers in 1837, crossed the 

 Limpopo, and by dint of his warlike propensities, and the valour 

 of his Zulu followers, established in the course of three years a 

 mastery over the greater part of Central South Africa between the 

 Limpopo and Zambesi Elvers, creating the Matabele supremacy. 

 This supremacy he and his son and successor, Lobengula, main- 

 tained until the series of events following the formation of the 

 British South African Company culminated last year in the 

 Matabele war, the overthrow of Lobengula, and the occupation of 

 Matabeleland by the adventurous and plucky 800 who advanced 

 to Buluwayo, 



TOPOGKAPHICAL AND PHYSICAL FeATUKES. 



The area of Matabeleland and Mashonaland, now consolidated, is 

 upwards of 135,000 square miles. The territory has no seaboard. 

 The nearest coast is that of Mozambique, Sofala being about 108 

 miles, and Beira 160 miles from the border. The eastern boundary 

 as regards Portuguese territory has not yet been finally agreed 

 upon. It is probable that it will be about the 33rd degree of east 

 longitude, with a tongue projecting westward to include Masse- 

 Kesse in Mozambique. Some distance south of Masse-Kesse the 

 boundary trends westward, ending about the intersection of the 

 Limpopo Eiver and 32 east longitude. The western boundary of 

 Matabeleland proper is indefinite, but the Chartered Company's 

 rights, so far as the British Government is concerned, are co- 

 extensive with the British sphere of influence, between the Limpopo 

 and the Zambesi, exclusive of Bechuanaland, reaching as far as 

 longitude 25 E. The backbone or " hogs-back " of the country is 

 formed by an irregular belt of high plateau land, or high " veldt " 

 as it is termed in South Africa, with an altitude varying from 3500 

 to 5000 feet. This belt, embracing the most salubrious portions 

 of Matabeleland and Mashonaland, stretches from south-west of 

 Buluwaj'o, in a north-easterly direction to Umtali in Manicaland, 

 passing just north of Victoria, but including Salisbury. It forms 

 the main divide of the river systems of the country, being the 

 source of the tributaries of the Limpopo or Crocodile Eiver and 

 the Sabi Eiver on the south, and those of the Zambesi on the north. 



There can be no doubt that the country is on the whole well- 

 watered ; and although many of the smaller streams are mainly 

 replaced by broad beds of sand in the dry season, still the traveller 

 can scarcely ever be said to suffer from scarcity of water, either for 

 his own needs or for his cattle. 



Geological Structure. 



That the physical features of a country are to a large extent 

 dependent on the geological formations which compose it, is no- 

 where better illustrated than in Mashonaland and Matabeleland. The 

 rocky structure is remarkable for its uniformity over large areas ; 



