760 General Notes. [September, 



poor. Neither lions nor elephants were seen by the explorer, and 

 even antelopes were scarce, and never found in herds as in the 

 south. The Muata Yanvo is avaricious, like all these African 

 kings, but he is not cruel. Only three executions took place 

 during Dr. Buchner's six months' residence, and these for crim- 

 inal offences. At the residence of King Tambu, at Kabong, Dr. 

 Buchner met with a very superior description of native weapons 

 and woven fabrics, a fact which he thinks points to the existence 

 of highly civilized tribes in the interior which have not hitherto 

 come into contact with Europeans. — Athcncenm. 



The Royal Geographical Society's Proceedings states that the 

 members of the Livingstone Inland Mission succeeded in reach- 

 ing Stanley Pool in December last. They traveled on the south 

 side of the Congo from Banza Manteka to a point opposite 

 Bemba, and passed through forty miles of country not previously 

 traversed by Europeans. They found it densely populated, vil- 

 lages or " towns" being passed every few miles. 



The people were comparatively fearless and friendly, and food 

 was fairly abundant, large gardens in a good state of cultivation 

 surrounding most of the towns; the tracks of elephants and 

 buffalos were continually seen during the journey, and sometimes 

 the animals themselves at uncomfortably close quarters. At 

 Bemba the party crossed to the north bank of the Congo and 

 finished the journey to Stanley Pool on that side, reconnoitering 

 the country with a view to the selection of suitable sites for future 

 stations. They walked 169 miles in all. thirty-one of which 

 were along Mr. Stanley's road, now nearly overgrown with grass. 

 Bwa-Bwa-Njali and the other chiefs were at first friendly, but 

 suddenly turned hostile and refused to let them cross to the south 

 bank in order to carry out their plan of returning by that way. 

 This action the missionaries seem to attribute to the operation of 

 M. de Brazza's treaty, and they consequently retired to the 

 Nkemke River, near which they secured land for a station from 

 the chief of a populous district. Before proceeding with build- 

 ing operations, they went on to Bemba, and letters they there 

 found waiting for them determined them first of all to explore 

 the whole of the south bank from Bemba to Stanley Pool, in or- 

 der to see which would be the best way to take up the steamer for 

 the upper river. On this second journey of exploration the 

 party started about the middle of January. On April 26th, rein- 

 forcements left Liverpool for the Congo, including a physician and 

 a practical astronomer. 



Dr. Danckelmann, a competent meteorologist, is about to join 

 Mr. Stanley on the Congo. 



Pctermaiufs Mitthcilungcn publishes a recomputation of Stan- 

 ley's hypsometrical observations, by Dr. Zoppritz, who assigns 

 the Victoria Nyanza an altitude of 4058 feet. 



Herr Flegel has started from Loko on the Benue for Adamavva. 



