54 Sir R. I. Murchison on the 



not a single animal was similar to any living thing which 

 now inhabits the surface of our globe. The present central 

 and meridian zone of waters, whether lakes, rivers, or 

 marshes, extending from Lake Tchad to Lake Ngami, with 

 hippopotami on their banks, are, therefore, but the great 

 modern, residual, geographical phenomena of those of a 

 mesozoic age. The differences, however, between the geo- 

 logical past of Africa and her present state are enormous. 

 Since that primeval time the lands have been much elevated 

 above the sea-level — eruptive rocks piercing in parts through 

 them ; deep rents and denies have been suddenly formed in 

 the subtending ridges, through which some rivers escape 

 outwards, whilst others flowing inwards are lost in the in- 

 terior sands and lakes ; and with those great ancient changes 

 entirely new races have been created. 



Travellers will eventually ascertain whether the basin- 

 shaped structure, which is here announced as having been 

 the great feature of the most ancient, as it is of the actual 

 geography of Southern Africa (i. e. from primeval times to 

 the present day), does or does not extend into Northern 

 Africa. Looking at that much broader portion of the con- 

 tinent, we have some reason to surmise, that the higher 

 mountains also form, in a general sense, its flanks only. 

 Thus, wherever the sources of the Nile may ultimately be 

 fixed and defined, we are now pretty well assured that they 

 lie in lofty mountains at no great distance from the east 

 coast. In the absence of adequate data, we are not yet en- 

 titled to speculate too confidently on the true sources of the 

 White Nile ; but, judging from the observations of the mis- 

 sionaries Krapf and Rebmann, and the position of the snow- 

 capped mountains called KilmanjaroandKenin (only distant 

 from the eastern sea about 300 miles), it may be said that 

 there is no exploration in Africa, to which greater value 

 would be attached than an ascent of them from the east 

 coast, possibly from near Mombas. The adventurous tra- 

 vellers who shall first lay down the true position of these 

 equatorial snowy mountains, to which Dr Beke has often 

 directed public attention, and who shall satisfy us that they 

 not only throw off the waters of the White Nile to the north, 



