EARLY HISTORY. 
3 
the Joliba ; but it is certain that they never 
penetrated further than to the limits of jSumidia, 
and were at least totally unacquainted with 
" Southern Africa." 
"Whatever great and remarkable transactions, 
therefore, may have occurred on the Northern 
shore of this continent 3,500 years ago — ren- 
dering them known and famous amongst the 
ancients — they cannot nowbe claimed as bearing 
any relation to its Southern extremity, more 
than haying given to it a name, the derivation 
of which, in its Greek form, is quite inapplicable 
to it — though bright and sunny it may be, or 
productive and abundant in corn and wine and 
oil — a land indeed of plenty. 
Africa, viewed as a continent in respect to its 
physical features, is the most compact of any 
of the four great primitive divisions of the 
globe — it is, to use the expression of Bitter, 
u like a trunk without limbs." Hence its 
periphery is, in comparison with its superficial 
extent, much less than that of either Asia, 
America, or Europe. Bays, capes, and necks 
of land deeply indent and elongate the coast 
lines of these continents ; whilst, in Africa, 
these are few in number. The islands likewise 
are scanty, and none of them (if we except 
Madagascar) seem to possess any relation to the 
main land in their physical structure. 
b 2 
