418 THE SHIRE — EARTHQUAKES. 



country all round was composed of level plains covered 

 •with grass, and, indeed, in going thither they travelled 

 eeven or eight days without wood, and cooked their food 

 with grass and stalks of native corn alone. The people 

 sold their cattle at a very cheap rate. From the southern 

 extremity of the lake two rivers issue forth : one, named 

 after itself, the Nyanja, which passes into the sea on the 

 east coast under another name; and the Shire, which flows 

 into the Zambesi a little below Senna. The Shire is named 

 Shirwa at its point of departure from the lake, and Senhor 

 Candido was informed, when there, that the lake was sim- 

 ply an expansion of the river Nyanja, which comes from 

 the north and encircles the mountain Murombo, the mean- 

 ing of which is junction or union, in reference to the water 

 having parted at its northern extremity and united again 

 at its southern. The Shire flows through a low, flat, 

 marshy country, but abounding in population, and they 

 are said to be brave. The Portuguese are unable to navi- 

 gate the Shire up to the Lake Nyanja, because of the great 

 abundance of a water-plant which requires no soil, and 

 which they name "alfacinya" {Pistia stratiotes) from its 

 resemblance to a lettuce. This completely obstructs the 

 progress of canoes. In confirmation of this, I may state 

 ctiat, when I passed the mouth of the Shire, great quanti- 

 ties of this same plant were floating from it into the Zam- 

 besi, and many parts of the banks below were covered 

 with the dead plants. 



Senhor Candido stated that slight earthquakes have hap- 

 pened several times in the country of the Maravi, and at 

 no great distance from Tete. The motion seems to come 

 from the eastward and never to have lasted more than a 

 few seconds. They are named in the Maravi tongue 

 "shiwo," and in that of the people of Tete " shitakoteko," 

 or "shivering." This agrees exactly with what has taken 

 place in the coast of Mozambique, — a few slight shocks of 

 short duration, and all appearing to come from the east. 

 At Senna, too, a single shock has been felt several times, 



