NEW GROUND. 
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abundance all along that district. Those in the low 
country have no particular occupation other than the 
formation of their rice-grounds, hunting the wild boar, 
and collecting honey with which to make their native 
beer. The whole country, from the north to the south, 
is remarkable for the beauty of its scenery. The deep 
valley of Ivohitroso is perhaps the grandest and loveliest 
of all. Here the principal feeders of the Matitanana 
emerge from the forest into the low country, forming in 
their descent cascades and waterfalls of great grandeur 
and beauty; and the main stream of the Matitanana 
itself bursts from the green shades of the forest with a 
perpendicular fall of 500 or 600 feet, its dense columns 
of water being broken into clouds of misty spray long 
before the deep pool at its base is reached. Over this 
pool, sacred to the natives from their superstitious ideas, 
there is spanned many a gorgeous rainbow, born of the 
bright sunlight and the misty vapours of the fall. These 
falls are named the Victoria Falls ; those at the head of 
Faraony river, near Anjolobato, the Cecil Falls. Hear 
the eastern base of the hills, near the Inamorona river, 
there is a hot spring, close to the falls of that river, 
which at the time of my visit had a temperature of 
112° F., as compared with the atmospheric temperature 
of 70° F. On the north of the Matsiatra, near Ivohibola, 
we have another hot spring, and close to the village of 
Imanampy there is a third, and in the Bara land we 
discovered another about five miles east of the Govern¬ 
ment town Tompanandrarana. The precise situations of 
these hot springs are : 47° 38' E. by 21° 10' S.; 47° 18' 
E. by 22° 16' S.; 47° 5' E. by 21° 47' S.; 46° 23' E. by 
22° 20' S. notwithstanding these springs, I was unable 
to discover any distinct traces of volcanic action. The 
