The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-27 00:00:00

DR. LIVINGSTONE'S EXPEDIIION.

The Cape Town Nall of August 20 has the fol-
lowing copy of a letter from Dr. Livingstone to Sir
George Grey, containing a sketch of some important
geographical discoveries in addition to those recently
announced by that distinguished explorer :
"River Shire, June 1, 1859.

"My dear Sir George,—We have lately disco-
vered a very fine lake by going up this river in the
steam launch about 100 miles, and then marching
some 50 more on foot. It is called Shirwa, and
Lake N'gami is a mere pond in comparison.. It is,
moreover, particularly interef:ting from the fact
reported by the natives on its shores that it is sepa-
rated by a strip of land of only five or six miles in
width from Nyanja, or Lake N'yinyesi—the stars
—which Barton has gone to explore. We could
,hear nothing of his party at Shirwa, and having
got no European news since you kindly sent some
copies of the Times last year, we are quite in the
dark as to whether he has succeeded or not. Lake
Shirwa has no outlet, and its waters are bitter, but
drinkable. It abounds in fishes, leeches, alligators,

and hippopotami. We discovered also by examining
partially a branch of the Shire, called Ruo, that
,one portion of Shirwa is not more than 30 miles
distant from a point that may easily be reached by
this launch, which by newspaper measurement
draws 13 inches, and actually 31 inches. The Lake
Shirwa is very grand. It is surrounded on all
sides by lofty green mountains. Dzoruba, or as
'people nearest it say, Zomba,-is over 6,000 feet high,
of same shape as Table Mountain, but inhabited on
the top ; others are equally high, tut inaccessible.
It is a high land region—the lake itself being about
2,000 feet aboTe the sea. It is 20 or 30 miles wiP.c.
and 50 or 60 long. On going some way up e hill,
we saw in the far distance two mountain tops, ris-
ing like little islands on a watery hP;rizon. An
inhabited mountain island stands mar where we
first came to it. From the size of the wares it is
supposed to be deep. Mr. MarAear will show you
the map. .
' " Dr. Kirk and I with 15 Makololo formed the land.
party. The country is well peopled and very much
like Londa in the middle of the country, many streams
rising out of bogs—the vegetation nearly identical
also. Never saw so much cotton grown as among
the Manganga of the Shire and Shirwa Valleys—
all spin and weave it. These are the latitudes.
Which I have always pointed out as the cotton and
sugar lands—they are pre-eminently so, but such is
the disinterestedness of some people that labour is
exported to Bourbon instead of being employed
here. The only trade the people have is that of 1
slaves ; and the only symptoms of impudence we
met were from a party of Bajana slave traders ; but
they changed their deportment instantly on bar-
ing that we were English and not Yotraguese.
There are no Maravi at or near Shirwa----they are
all west of the Shire, so this lake cO.l, scarcely be
called Lake Maravi—the PortugueFa know nothing
of it ; but the minister who clamed (blue book for
1837) the honour of first traversing the African
ontinent for two black men with Portuguese names
i---must explain why they did not cross Shirwa. It
lies some 40 or 50 miles on each side of the latitude
f Mozambique.
" They ,came to Teta only, and lacked at least,
00 miles of Mozambique. We go back to Shirwa
in July, and may make 'a push for I\i'yi,..yesi.
i (Signed) "DAVID LIVIY GSTONE."

~~_

ITE GOLD DIGGIN/Gs.

-4. -
The Eireipool Albion furniskes the following
ntercsting letter from a miner at the gold diggings,
'racer River, received by a gentleman in that
own. The writer had. .previously gained experi-
nee in the gold fields of California and Australia.
•Vriting from Print..o Albert Flat, on' thz: 27th of
July, he says :----J:left New York on the sth April,
t two p.m., and. had a pleasant run down to Aspin-
vall, calling at Havana on the 11th, at 6.30 a.m.,
rriving at Aspinwall on the 16th, at 6 p.m. I
vent over: to Panama next morning by rail, and
roamed about there all day, went on board of the
John L. Stephens at night, and left next morn-
mg,' atfive o'clock, for San Francisco, where we
arrived on the ISt of May, calling at Acapulco
on the 23d. Here I walked' round for two days
seeing the fashions, at the expense of sundry five-
dollar pieces ; but, as this was not paying, I left
for Victoria on the 3d of May, at 10 a.in., in the
steamer Brother Jonathan. whose greatest speed
did not exceed six knots; but the lArd sent us a
fair wind, and we got up to Victoria on the 7th, at
6 p.m. Here were any quantity of miners from up '
the river, whose account of the mines was anything
but encouraging ; but I felt assured that it could not
be any worse than Victoria seemed to be just then,
so I left for Fort Hope, 8.C., on the 9th, at 3.15 a.m.,
in the steamboat Governor Douglas. We had a
pleasant run up the river, calling at Queensborough,
Langley, Harrison's River, arriving at Hope on the
11th, at 6 a.m. We ran ashore, tied the boat td the
trees, and at night I kept straight on to Fort
Yale, 16 miles further up, but found it all alike—busi-
ness dead, mining dull, and river rising like the
tide. Go where you would, you would find deserted
claims and empty cabins. I did not like to be idle,
so I went prospecting for diggings of my own, until
I fell in with this place. Here I got the best pro-
spects I could find on the river, but it required
time and money to get at the gold, so I formed a
company of nine, took up the ground, and com-
menced a work on the 6th of June ; but the river
flooded us out, so that we did not get to work
again until the 7th of this month. We have to
run a tunnel 300 feet from tho river, in order to get
an outlet for our water. We own part of a ditch,
so that we are on the safe side ; I think we will
be in in another month. It will cost four thousand
dollars, but will pay from ten to twenty dollars '
per day to the men for three years ; so you will •
see that the prospect is a good one. Fraser
River does not contain one-tenth part of the popu-
lation it did this time last year ; but this is partly •
owing to men coming here with too large ideas, and
partly to Government mismanagement ; but if the
Government will now adopt a liberal policy and
encourage mining, the progress of British Columbia
will be upward and onward, perhaps not so fast as
Australia or California;• . but, nevertheless, it will
be sure, for gold can be found in almost every flat
from Harrison's River to Fort Alexander, in pay-
ing quantities. The average of miners here now is
greater than in California, but there being no roads
through the country, and provisions very dear,
miners. make little. more than a living, after paying
taxes, paying for water, and paying for every-
thing ; but they are making a roadafrom Harrison's
River to Bridge River, which will be through the
Cascades, the country being pretfy level from that to
Fort Alexander. There have been two silver veins
found in the vicinity of Fort Yale. I have found
some detached pieces of copper ore, but cannot find
where they came from ; indeed, I have had some-
thing else to do besides looking for copper. They
have located the capital of British Columbia. It is
a short distance from the mouth of the river. It is
called Queensborough, but it is to be called New
Westminster, lots brought as high as 2,000 dollP.rs.
1 It is reported that gold exists in large quantities in
Queen Charlotte's Island, and several parties have
gone there prospecting. Gold diggings are reported
to have been found above Fort Alexander. The
Indians are friendly all through the country. Busi-
ness has improved very little since I came here, but
-it is a shade firmer ; as the river falls it will be
! bciter.