1858-59.] FIRST EXPLORATIONS OF THE SHIRE. 255 



spected him greatly. Livingstone evidently made a 

 oreat impression on Chibisa ; like other chiefs, he began 

 to fall under the spell of his influence. 



Making a detour to the east, the travellers now 

 discovered Lake Shirwa, " a magnificent inland lake." 

 This lake was absolutely unknown to the Portuguese, 

 who, indeed, were never allowed by the natives to enter 

 the Shire. Livingstone had often to explain that he and 

 his party were not Portuguese but British. After dis- 

 covering this lake, the party returned to the ship, and 

 then sailed to the Kongone harbour, in hopes of meeting 

 a man-of-war, and obtaining provisions. In this, how- 

 ever, they were disappointed. 



Some idea of the voluminous correspondence carried on 

 by Dr. Livingstone may be formed from the following 

 enumeration of the friends to whom he addressed letters 

 in May of this year : — Lords Clarendon and Palmerston, 

 Bishop of Oxford, Miss Burdett Coutts, Mr. Venn, Lord 

 Kinnaird, Mr. James Wilson, Mr. Oswell, Colonel Steele, 

 Dr. Newton of Philadelphia, his brother John in Canada, 

 J. B. and C. Braithwaite, Dr. Andrew Smith, Admiral 

 F. Grey, Sir B. Murchison, Captain Washington, Mr. 

 Maclear, Professor Owen, Major Vardon, Mrs. Living- 

 stone, Viscount Goderich. 



Here is the account he gave of his proceedings to his 

 little daughter Agnes : — 



" River Shire", 1st June 1859. — We have been down to the mouth of 

 the river Zambesi in expectation of meeting a man-of-war with salt 

 provisions, but, none appearing on the day appointed, we conclude that 

 the Admiral has not received my letters in time to send her. We have 

 no post-office here, so we buried a bottle containing a letter on an 

 island in the entrance to Kongone harbour. This we told the Admiral 

 we should do in case of not meeting a cruiser, and whoever comes 

 will search for our bottle and see another appointment for 30th of 

 July. This goes with despatches by way of Quilimane, and I hope 

 some day to get from you a letter by the same route. We have got 

 no news from home since we left Liverpool, and we long now to hear, 

 how all goes on in Europe and in India. I am now on my way 



