94 Geographical Notices. 
8. Another lower chain of mountains extends along the At- 
lantic coast; behind it the Gulf of San Blas is situated. A 
valley from three to four leagues in width is extended between 
both chains, which are now and then connected by transversal 
ridges. El Generale is such a transversal ridge; it stretches 
from south to north and divides at the north. The northern 
slope of the Cordilleras is everywhere steeper than the southern. 
In the valley many roy prairies are found, being separated from 
one another by low 
4. The valley of a forms a considerable depression in 
the Cordilleras, and cuts them, as it were, through. Our cam 
in the centre of this pass was only 293 feet above Chepo an 
374 feet above the level of the Pacific Ocean. Up to this point 
of the peat the river has from its source a fall of about 120 
feet. As to the Madrofio nothing reliable could be elicited from 
the natives; it is however very robable that under this name 
that river is meant, which on Codazzi’s chart is called Rio Man- 
dingo, —_ — empties into the Gulf of San Blas. . 
all the mountain crests and the northern slope a 
the Gordilleras consist of granite, which is also found in the 
beds of the rivers. A great portion of the top is coyered with 
a kind of conglomerate, either of a yellow or red color, in pro- 
portion as the ox yd of iron preponderates. Something similar 
is seen at the summit of Cerro del Ancon near Panama. 
It is very interesting to see how at the springs of | Rio Chagres 
the Cordilleras suddenly cease to form a continuous chain, split- 
ting, so to speak, in little me mountains, especially between 
Panama an ‘Gatin, Here also - granite Koaspanin being 
replaced by po payry y, dolerite or trap. 
No part of the ordilleras diomesda the Gulf of San Blas and 
the Rio Chepo gives any indication of the possibility of estab- 
lishing an interoceanic canal. e most favorable situation for 
this purpose is still, in Wagner's opinion, the valley of the rivers 
Obispo and Rio Grande, viz. the present railroad route 
AFRICAN EXPLORATIONS.—Petermann’s Mittheilungen, for 
February 1859, contains brief intelligence in respect to seve 
of the African " expedi tions. We make the following extracts. 
Burton and Speke, who have reached the inner African sea, 
report that there is not one sea only, but four. The one which 
they have visited they call the Ugidsehi ; the others, Tschiwa, 
Nyassa, and Ukerewa. 
A pO aaa from the missionary Rebmann has the following in- 
remarks, under the date of Sept. 19, 1858. “A new 
Gavelles Dr. A. Roscher, has arrived here. I said to him that 
I he would first visit Kilimandjaro, that it might be set- 
tled whether I had taken white stone for snow, or not. This 
matter is to me of the highest interest. It seems to me that if 
it should prove stone the mountain would be so much the more 
