The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-18 00:00:00

THE GORILLA COUATRY.

. -
Mr. Walker, of Fernand Vas, has written a
letter to Dr. Gray, under the date of August 29,
1867, from which we (Athenxum) are allowed to
make the following extract :—" It may interest you
as well as the Zoological Society, to know that I
have a fine, healthy, young male gorilla, which I
hope may eventually reach the Zoological-gardens.
I have heard of a young chimpanzee at some dis-
tance, and have to-day sent to endeavour to pro-
cure it as a companion for my little Njine. I shall
do my utmost to send the pair safely to England ;
but as the winter will be coming on before I can
ship them, I may have to keep them until next
spring, and it will be a hard matter to keep them
alive all that time. The gorilla was captured on
the 13th instant, and brought to me the next day
by its captor, one of the natives trading for me,
who,, whilst taking a walk, unarmed, except
with a spear, suddenly came on a family of
gorillas—father, mother, and young one. The
mother, contrary to what might have been
expected, abandoned her baby,' and ran off ;
the father showed fight, rushing at the native open-
mouthed, and receiving a stab in the side from a
spear, which caused him to retreat a little; when
my man, not waiting to receive a second attack,
snatched up the young one, and made for his home.
as fast as possible, and the next day brought the
little fellow to me, made fast with a forked stick
about his neck, as if he was a most ferocious animal.
I soon made him more comfortable, by placing a
belt round him, to which I attached a small cord ;
and though somewhat snappish for a day or two,
and very shy, he soda became quite familiar and
tame, and now his greatest delight is to be in my
arms, where he would stop altogether if I would 1 t
him, and had nothing to do but to nurse him. lie
is, I should think, between one and two years old,
hearty, vigorous and healthy, with a tremendous
,rpofit., and eon trives to -get - through-__several
pounds of berries a day, besides nearly a
pint of goat's milk, with which I mix up two
raw eggs, to prevent diarrhoea, to which these
animals are very subject, and which has occa-
sioned the death of four others which I have
had at different times ; but I think this one
stands a better chance of living than any of the
previous ones—at any rate, there seems little fear
of his dying of starvation. I have always been
puzzled by M. Du Chaillu's account of the uncon-
querable savageness of young gorillas, which is so
diametrically opposed to my own experience of them.
I certainly never saw any of those in his possession
whose untamablencss he mentions, but be saw one
perfectly tame at my factory in, I think, 1860; and
of the five I have had, only one, and that one about
four years old, was at all savage ; the others soon
became tame, familiar, and playful ; and the present
subject is no exception to the rule, having made
groat progress in a very short time, and being cer-
tainly quite as devoid of spitefulness as a chimpan-
zee of the same age, and only so short a time from
the bush,' would be. The grief of the little fellow
when first caught was quite touching to witness ; hs
could scarcely bear to be looked at, and, if at all
annoyed by the.presence of many people round him,
would lie on the ground, with his face buried in his
hands, and sway his head from side to side, as if in
an agony of sorrow at losing his parents ; and even
now, when left alone for any length of time, he has
relapses of the same kind, and appears to be in great
tribulation."

Foreign Mail Packet List,

MAILS DUE.

Australia and Now Zealand, via Southampton-- Dec. 20.
Ditto, via Marseilles Jan 14
Ditto, via Panama
Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and Monte Video Jan. 5.
Ditto, by French packet Dec 2:
Cape Verde, by Brazil packet i.m. 3.
tape of Good liope. Ascension. and St. ilelena De 3. 23.
Uhins, Penang:, and Singapore, via Southampton_Dec. 20.
Ditto, via Marseilles Dec. 28
Falkland Islands
ilibraltar, Tilt Southampton,. Dec. 20.
India. via Southampton Dec. 29.
Ditto, via Marsell es D. c 28.
Malta, Egypt, .to. Dea 20
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Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, and Natal, via
Southampton Dec..o.
DIU Mar.el les Jan. 13
ewfoundla rd
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Ditto .tto to Lisbon
United States, antda, California, &c., by British

packet
Ditto, by L i ited states packet
Ditto ditto 'New York)
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Went Inuies and Pailic (except Mexico and Baha-
mas) Dec.
Cub i and Mexico ..
Bahamas, via New Yurk Jan. 0.
Bermuda, Via Jan. 3.

TESTIMONIAL TO A POLICE INSPECTOR.—Air
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tradesmen of Southwark, Bermondsey, and Rotherhithe
have, in recognition of his courteous, obliging, and straight-
forward cocduct while in the district, presented him with
a testimonial, consisting of a silver tea service, value 40
guineas, and a purse containing 100 sovs.
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