The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-05 00:00:00

BANK OF FRANCE.

(REUTER'S EXPRESS.)
PARIS, August 4.
The following is the return of the Bank of France
for the week ending to-day, together with the cor-
responding figures of the previous accounts :

AUGUST 4. JULY 28.
Dn. f. c. f. c.
Capital of the Bank 182,500,000 182,500,000
PrOfits in addition toCapital
(Art. 8 law June 9„1857) 5,096,101 60 5,084;886 88
Reserve in the Bank and

its branches
Reserve in landed property 4,000,009 4,000,009
Notes in circulation 766,629,625 791,673,525
'Bank notes to order and re-

ceiptA payable at sight 6,065,549 08 5,178,660 95
Treasury aci. cur. creditor 55,911,233 85 64;609,323 31
Currentaccounts—Paris 120,954,304 14 120,672,434 21
Do. branch-banks 30,859,591 23,994,551
Dividends payable
Discounts and sundry
interests 6,308,241 16 5,005,201 97
Re-discounts of the last

six montha ..
Sundries

Dr. Livingstone's Exp editfcns

The .Poona Observer, of June 21, contains an
account of a visit paid on the preceding day to the
Free Church Institution in Pooona by Dr. Living-
stone, who was at the time the guest of his Excel-
lency the Governor of Bombay, at Daporee. We
take the following from its columns : —" Dr. Living-
stone arri;•ed at eleven o'clock, accompanied by
Ca-itain Leith, and was received by Mr. Gardiner,
the missionaries, Major Candy, Mr. Ross, Presby-
terian chaplain, several cfficers and other gentle-
men. Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Gardiner, and several
ladies were alsopresent. Dr. Livingstone examined
come of the classes, and afterwards the young men
to the number of some hundreds. Mr. Mitchell in-
troduced the illustrious traveller as one with whose
fame they were familiar, and whose well-known
work they had seen. Of course another
book of equal interest would be expected
in some months' time (this remark caused some
merriment), and it would give them an additional
interest in it to have seen the distinguished author
among them, and heard him speak to them. In
reply to a request from Mr. Mitchell, that he
would give his opinion as to the prospects of South
Africa in regard to its future civilisation and trade,
Dr. Livingstone stated that those prospects were
not nearly so bright now as they had been when he
arrived with the expedition at the mouth of the
Zambesi river in 1858. They had procured the
assistance and countenance of the Portuguese Go-
vernment, and an order to its subordinates to give
them every aid• and support. The harbour was a
remarkably fine one, and everything promised well
when they made their first expedition up the river.
They found the neighbouring country thickly
peopled, and some caution was required to avoid
any demonstration, lest they should be attacked
from the banks with the arrows of the natives, who
knew no Europeans but the Portuguese, and were
❑ot disposed from what they knew of them to give
strangers a very friendly reception. When they
came down, however, they found that these hostile
feelings had disappeared, and that they were well
received. The expedition was sent out by the Eng-
lish universities, and accompanied by the excellent
and devoted Bishop Mackenzie, who was so regard-
less of his own comfort that there is little doubt he
lost his life thereby. The Portuguese had long
carefully excluded all other Europeans from the

country; he himself had obtained access to it on a
former occasion by entering it from the south and

coming down the river, when they could not for

very shame compel him to go back. This was in
1856, and on his return two years later the expedi-
tion was allowed without difficulty to enter the
country, as just stated. On akcending the river
several cataracts were encountered, which Dr.
Livingstone had not seen when be came down. O❑
this account they took the direction of the Shire
river, and ascended the beautiful valley of that
name. It contained a thick population, flourishing
villages, and fine cultivation. Above was an eie•
vated plateau some thousand feet ebove the sea,
which strongly resembled the Deccan, except that
it was covered with trees and grass, and which, like
the valley, contained a large population. But about
that time the Portuguese sold a quantity of firearms
and ammunition to one of the tribes, to be paid for
in slaves. The tribe, thus armed, swept the whole
neighbouring country like a scourge, killing the
men in the villages, and carrying off women and
children into slavery. This produced a terrible
famine, in which large numbers of the survivors
perished, and the fine valley of the Shire was
transformed literally into a valley of bones.
Whole villages were found without people ; it

was impossible to walk half a mile without seeing
a skeleton lying by the way ; and you might open
the door of a hut and find skeletons inside—some.
times two side by side, with a little skeleton be-
tween them. On another expedition they ascended
the main stream of the Z Ambesi, passing 35 miles
of rapids, and reached Lake Nyassa, which was 270
miles long and silty or seventy wide. Above it
was a range of hills, which proved, when they had
' ascended it, to be another plateau or table land
nearly 4,000 feet high, extending for many miles,
and tilled with villages and cultivation. The
government was et the patriarchal fort:, each
village being entirely independent under its own
head man or chief. They had no central govern
ment, and each chief had to be negotiated with
separately. In one respect there was a great
contrast to this country, for there were slaves
in every village chained up and working for
their masters. They were inhabitants of other
villages, who had been kidnapped and brought into
captivity. They were held by a collar round the
neck, to which a long stick was attached, and they
were thus secured for the night, or when made to
travel pushed along by the proprietor, who held the
other end of the stick and followed. Many of the
slaves were quite little children, whose parents pro-
bably had been killed, for Dr. Livingstone, who
seemed good naturedly desirous to satisfy the curi-
osity of those present, stated that the cultivation by
the African natives was very good, though it was
entirely carried on with hoes. They were very indus-
trious, and whole families worked in their gardens,
which were often very large; men, women, and
children all together, an infant in addition being
sometimes seen deposited under a hedge. They grew
beans of all kinds, pumpkins, maize, and rice, but
nut wheat nor grain. Cotton they grew, spun, and
wove themselves. They had no trade, except occa-
sionally in tobacco, or any idea of money, and they
had to carry with them on the expedition a large
quantity of calico, glass beads, and brass wire, for
purposes of trade ; and here also they were liable to
disappointment, for if the glass beads were not of
the kind in fashion among the ladies of the village
you were done—they would not be taken on any ac-
count. They had no ides of letters, nor ever acquired
any. Reading appeared to them a sort of witchcraft;
and they often amused themselves with the chiefs by
writing a word in large letters and sticking it up,
when one by one the members of the expedition
would whisper it, without any previous consulta-
tion, into the ear of the chief, who felt an ever new
surprise at the accomplishment. The people on the
coasts were of the negro type, but with much
variety of head and feature, and it must by no
means be supposed that they all resembled the
negroes outside the tobacconists' shops in England.
As a rule they all had what we should call rather
fiat noses. They, however, considered the noses of
the Europeans coo sharp, and he (Dr. Livingstone)
was not prepared to say wt ich opinion was right.
He thought that by establishing a permanent
British settlement, by gradually opening trade
among them, and the introduction of mis-
sions, their condition might be improved ;
but the occurrences he had described Laic
for the present done much to hinder any
measures of the sort. Dr. Livingstone then
took leave of his native hearers with the African
salutation, which our reporter greatly regrets he has
forgotten, but which the Doctor said be presumed
they hadeom mfaozu thatn
to
B Bombay,
b a wouldy understandwhn
ro
obeeeeda
juns: hfr
eolaba and back, though he obtainedie wasve alwaysrylittle
attention when he spoke English,
remarkably well understood when ho expreesec
himself in the African language—provided he did
so with sufficient emphasis. The boys rendered
applause,y
schools,
Dr.io Livingston®
thanks with
gstoanreoulenct
!,00fvviseirtyonheeeoeft
the
to the mission. He subsequently paid e
visit to the Poona College, in the Neutral Lines,
and heard some cf the Sanscrit reading. In theafter-
noon Lady Frere held a reception, to which nil the
ladies and gentlemen in the station were invited to
meet Dr. Livingstone."

THE LONDON RESTAURANT COMPANY.— The
inaugural dinner of No. 2 Branch of this Company
was held on Wednesday evening at the establishment in
Catherine-street, Strand, which is elegantly fitted up and
intended to provide dinners of a superior description at a
reasonable rate. At the opening dinner Captain Little
presided, supported by Colonel Money,
Captain Hawkins,
and other military and naval gentlemen. Dr Hogg, in tht
unavoidable absence of Dr Hassard, occupied the vic€
chair. The usual loyal and patriotic toasts were given,
and also " Success to the London Restaurant Company,"
The bill of fare comprised almost every description of food,
and certainly the dinner proved that those engaged in ite
preparation had well studied the culinary art. The wines
too (consisting of upwards of 20 choice varieties) wen,
highly commended, and did ample credit to the Vintage
Wine Company by whom they were supplied,