Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1852-11-09

plexion," says Dr.. Livingston, "is darke
than that Of The Bcchunnas; and OF three
hundred words collected of their language
only ,wenty.one bear any resemblance ,t
Sichuana. They paidle along the river
and lake in cunoes, followed out Of III,
trunks of single trees, iake fish in nets made
of reed which abounds on the banks, ant
kill hippopoIami with harpoons attached tt
The ropes. We greatly admired" he adds
",he frank, manly bearing Of these inlanc
sailors" '' ~
The explorers were unable TO pursue theii
Tourney farther 10 the northward, as they
Ehad intended; but, last year, happily. this
Jealous and indefaigable missionary once
more, in company with his former fellow.
traveller. Mr. OsweI, set out from Kolo.
beng, and crossed The Zonga al point nearly
norih Of that station. From This ford they
continued on in the same direction for sew
eral days, at first over a parched and desert
region, until they reached the more fertile
Territories of the chief Sebetuane. This
chief had heard of their previous unsuccess-
ful attempts, and evinced great anxiety TO
open the way for The travellers, whom he
supposed TO be English traders. He not
only sent menin search Of them along the
Zonga, but made considerable presents Of
cattle TO different chiefs, with the request
that they would render the travellers every
assistance. Finally he came himself, 300
miles southward, TO meet them on the south.
ern limits of his territories, and seemed
overjoyed when they arrived. He remarked
that lheir cattle had been bitten by the tsetse,
or yenomous fly, and would certainly die.
"But never mind" he added, 81 have plen-
~, and will give you as many as you need"
| Unfortunately, this friendly and intelli-
gent chief, whose favor and assistance would
have been Of SO much advantage 10 future
travellers, was seized with illness, and died
a few days after the arrival of the parry.
His daughter, who succeeded him in the
chieGainship, evinced an equally good dis.
position; bul being in child.bed al a distant
town, she could do 10 more than send the
chief next to herself in authority 10 protect
the travellers. The latter had now full lib
cry 10 proceed wherever they wished 10 60.
Finding that they could no. then take the
wagons any further on, they pursued their
Tourney on horseback about hundred miles
towards the northeast, until they came, in
latitude seventeen degrees twenty.eight min
utes south, 10 great river, called variously
the Sesheke or Barotse, and repu,ed 10 be
the largest in that part Of the country. They
learned from the natives that, at "a months
distance farther down, this river was joined
by large effluen,, and tha. The united stream
was then known as the Zambesa or Zambe.
81. This river, they were informed, had
recently been ascended by ligh,.colored and
slraighl-hared traders, who purchased boys
and young men for slaves, giving muskels,
cloth, and olher merchandise in exchange.
There can be no doubt that this river is the
wel-known Zambese, The principal stream
Of Western Africa, flowing into the sea at
Quillimane.
AT The point where the travellers reached
the Sesheke, which must have been at least
300 miles from the sea, il was from 300 10
500 feet in breadIh, and Of considerable
depth" The exact depth of this river was
apparently not asceriained; but smaller
stream, found in its vicinity, the "Chobe,"
was sounded, and found TO have "a regular
depth of fifteen feet on the side 10 which
the water swung, and of twelve feet on The
calm side."
The Sesheke had been ascended by some
natives Of the MakoIo tribe (Sebeluane's
people) for distance of at least 400 miles,
their course being usually 10 The norlhward, +,
or, as they expressed it, "the sun rose upon
one cheek, and set upon the olher" But
some, in drawing "maps" for the travellers,
gave it LILLE weSing lis stated 10 abound
in alIigalors and hippopotami, Above the
Town of Sesheke, series OF rapids obliged
the boatmen 10 drag the canoes for some dis
lance along the shore; while, al about eight
miles below that town, large waterfall was
reported 10 exist, the spray and noise OF
which had gained for it the expressive name
OF "Mosi-oa,unya," or, the "smoke.sound-
ing" The mist ascending from this catar-
act was said 10 be visible ten miles off. AT
these falls, the river is narrowed between
rocks and hills, but Immediately below the
channel broadens again.
The most. interesting part Of DR.. Livings.
TONS narrative is his description Of The sin.
gular region which the explorers had now
lrayersed, for the first time, on their journey
from the Zonga 10 the Zambese. Accord.
ing TO this description, the vast territory in
the interior Of South Africa now occupied
by the people of the late chief Sebetuane,
is one Of the most extraordinary countries
on the face Of the globe. Nothing like it
exists, as far as our knowledge extends, in
any other part Of the world. An immense
plateau, elevated far above The sea, stretches
lor hundreds OF miles in IN dead level" moi
interrupted by the smallest hillock. Through
this immense plain, many wide and deep
rivers; flowing from The northwest, roll large
volumes of water towards the south and the
east. The land 10 great distance on each
side Of these rivers is in many places satu-
rated with water, forming extensive swampi
or bogs, through which, as tho travellers
found, oxen could not pass. The higher
lands, ON which The inhabitants build their
towns, plant their crops, and pasture their
cattle, are elevated but few feet above the
surrounding level. Tho rivers overflow theil
4 banks annually, and the waters spread over
| all but these elevated tracks, creating, as in
! the inundadons Of Egypt, vast lake, in the
midst Of which the inhabited portions o.
land appear like islands. },'''' ~i s5s'
}, "The numerous branches given Off BY
}, each OF the rivers," says DR.. Livingston
l - .