168 Scientific Intelligence. 
set and property lost. We then abandoned the canoes and came home on 
foot, thankful to say ‘all well.’”’ 
The Victoria Falls——Letters have been received from Dr Livingstone, 
dated January 19, 1861, and from other members of the expedition down 
to the beginning of February, giving an account of a second visit to the 
Victoria Falls. The following is Mr Livingstone’s description of this 
remarkable cataract :—‘ On reaching the foot of the island, the singularly 
unique character of this magnificent cataract becomes apparent. <A deep 
cut in the basaltic rock of the bed extends from the east to the west bank 
of the stream, here running nearly from north to south. This gash is 
but a few yards longer than the river is broad, the latter being by measure- 
ment 1860 yards. We tried to sound its depth by letting down a line, to 
the end of which was attached a weight with more than a foot of white 
calico, When 310 feet had been paid out, the weight rested upon some 
projecting rocks near the bottom, and the calico seemed no larger than a 
crown piece. There were no means of measuring the width of the cleft, 
which may be 70 yards at its narrowest and 100 at its broadest points. 
Into this yawning chasm, of more than twice the perpendicular depth of 
the Niagara Falls, the Zambesi leaps with a deafening roar, constituting 
the Victoria Falls of Mosloatunya. The waters of the Falls near the east 
bank now run in an exceedingly narrow channel along the bottom of the 
chasm, exactly at right angles to their previous course, or nearly west, 
for about 600 yards; at which point they meet the waters of the Falls 
from the west in a fearful boiling whirlpool. The Zambesi, now ap- 
parently not more than 20 yards wide, rushes out of this furious caldron, 
rolling south through the narrow escape channel for some 150 yards. 
Here the volume of water enters a second chasm somewhat resembling 
the first, and nearly parallel to it. Abandoning the easterly third of this 
gorge to the growth of large trees, the confined river turns off to the 
west, leaving behind it a jutting promontory on either side of the escape 
channel. The westerly one is 1200 yards long, with a breadth of 400 
yards at the base, and 150 at the head ; the easterly one is about half the 
length. The stream now winds round the head of a second promontory, 
flowing back again towards the east through a third chasm; afterwards 
gliding past a third point, and away west down another rift in the rock. 
We could see in the distance that it rounded another headland, and re- 
turned once more towards the east. At the point of the third promontory 
the river was about 500 feet beneath the land, which, below the Falls, is 
about the same general level as above. Our whole party walked forth on 
the promontories, and looked down with dizzy heads to the green and 
narrow stream far, far beneath. From Garden Island the spectator com- 
mands a good view of the great chasm of the western promontory with 
its evergreen trees, and, above all, of the brilliant rainbow resting on the 
face of the vast, unbroken, perpendicular rock opposite, with occasionally 
a second, and even a third, fainter and more faint, above the grand iris. 
Just, however, as at Niagara (with which Mr Charles Livingstone was 
able, from personal observation, to compare the scene) one has to go to 
the Canada side in order to behold the great Horse-shoe Fall, so here we 
had to cross over to Mosilikatze’s, or the west side, to gain the finest view 
of the two chief falls of Mosloatunya. By far the best is that from the 
longest promontory. Beginning at the west end of the chasm, there is 
first a romantic fall of about 60 feet in breadth, then an island of 600 feet 
diameter ; after which comes the main fall, consisting of an unbroken 
volume of water nearly 600 feet wide. This is separated by a few yards 
of projecting rock from the fall which is second in point of size and 
volume, being upwards of 300 feet from side to side. East of this lies 
Garden Island, succeeded, the water being then at its lowest, by a series 
