^OO THE SHIRK AND I,AKE NYANJE. 



pass through the people of that name. The inhabitants 

 of its southern coast are named Shiva ; those on the 

 north, Mujao ; and they call the lake Nyanja or Nyanje, 

 which simply means a large water, or bed of a large river. 

 A high mountain stands in the middle of it, called Murombo 

 or Murombola, which is inhabited by people who have 

 much cattle. He stated that he crossed the Nyanja at 

 a narrow part, and was 36 hours in the passage. The 

 canoes were punted the whole way, and, if we take the 

 rate about two miles per hour, it may be sixty or seventy 

 miles in breadth. The country all round was composed 

 of level plains covered with grass, and, indeed, in going 

 thither they travelled seven 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 depar- 

 ture from the lake, and Senhor Candido was informed, 

 when there, that the lake was simply an expansion of the 

 river Nyanja. which comes from the north and encircles 

 the mountain Murombo, the meaning 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 navigate 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 that, when 

 I passed the mouth of the Shire, great quantities of this 

 same plant were floating from it into the Zambesi, and 

 many parts of the banks below were covered with the 

 dead plants. 



Senhor Candido stated that slight earthquakes have 

 happened 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 " shita- 



