68 APPENDIX. [sect. 



of the map will shew that it has many tributaries. Our tra- 

 veller justly places his hopes on this river becoming the great 

 highway for the civilization and evangelization of central 

 Africa, because it is the only known continuous watercourse. 

 The natives say that there is water communication from Ma- 

 tiamvo down to Linyanti. 



This river is remarkable for the amount of animal life in 

 and upon its waters ; which rise 20 feet high in inundations, 

 and flood 20 miles of adjacent land. In some places it is 

 3 miles wide, having many islands. A large number of tribes 

 reside on its banks. The chief of these are, the Batoka, Mate- 

 bele, Makololo, Barotse, and Balonda 1 . Its general flow is 

 3 j miles an hour ; running from north to south in the centre of 

 the continent, and then turning to the east. Its banks abound 

 with beautiful verdure, large forests, elephants, antelopes, and 

 buffaloes : and its waters with reptiles, water-fowl, fishes, &c. 



These are the only serious impediment to 



Victokia . _, . . . , , 



Falls. navigation. Ihere is a spirited account, and 



view, given of them in the book of Travels. 

 Suffice it here to say, that they are about 1000 miles inland, 

 and about 1000 yards across. They are formed by the river 

 rushing into an immense fissure in its bed, about 80 feet wide, 

 the waters falling down 100 feet, and then being compressed 

 into a space of 15 or 20 yards : the opposite banks being of 

 equal height. Our traveller is the first European who has ever 

 seen them, and pronounces them to be the sublimest sight which 

 he has seen in Africa. One main object of the present expedi- 

 tion is to survey this noble river. 



We have seen that the surplus waters are 

 ca gradually carr i e( l °ff m the partial emptying of the central 

 losing its wa- basin, which is advantageous. But in the south, 



especially about the Kalahari desert, such desic- 

 cation has become so serious as to make deserts of lands 



1 For an account of these tribes, see Sect. III. pp. 92, 96, 97, 99. 



