The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-01-29

The discoveries OF DIR. Livingstone in Af-
! rica are considered Of great commercial VAL
ne. He lived with tribe Of Bechuanas for
eight years, and in cooperation with Mr.. Os-
wald, discovered Lake Ngami. He traced
by himself the course OF the great river Zam-
hesI, in Eastern Africa, extending two thou
sand miles.
The immense stream, whose discovery is the
great fruit Of the journey, is in its self an enig-
ma without parallel. Rut small portion Of
its waters reach the sea-coast. Like the
Abyssinian Nile, it falls through basaltic
cleft, near tho middle Of its course, which re-
duces It's breadth from 1000 to 30 yards.
Above these falls 1t spreads out periodically
into great sea, filling hundreds Of lateral
channels; below it is tranquil stream of a
totally different character; its mouths seem TO
be closing. The southernmost was navigabIe
when the Portuguese first arrived in the coun.
try, three hundred years ago, but it has long
since ceased 10 he practicable.
The Quillimane mouth has of late years
been impossible, even. for a canoe, from July
to February, and for two to three hundred
miles up the river navigation is never attempt
ed in tie dry season. And in this very month
OF July, when the lowei portion Of the river,
after its April freshets, has sunk to mere
dribiet, above the falls the river spreads out
like sea over hundreds Of square miles,
This, with frequent cataracts and the hostility
of the natives, would seem to be an effectual
bar TO the high hopes of Fat trade in which
English merchants and journals are now IN
dulging.
Duri, G this unprecedented march, alone and
among savages. 10 whom a white face was
miracle. DR.. Livingstone was compelled to
struggle thi oagh indsscribable hardships.-
The hostility of the natives he c. nquered by
his intimate knowledge of their character and
the Buchana tongue, to which theirs isrelated.
Many Of his documents were lost while cross
ing river, in which he came near losing his
life also; but he has memoranda Of the lati
tudes and longitudes Of multitude Of cities,
far TO fill up the unknown gions'' in our at
lases.
Towards the interior he found the country
more fertile and more populous. The natives
worshipped idols, believed in transmigrated ex.
istence after death, and performed religious
cer' MONIES in groves and woods. They were
less ferocioas and suspicious than the sesb ,rid
tribes, had tradition IF the deluge and more
sci led govern Some Of hem prdcticed
inocuatipn and Use qninine, and all were ea-
ger for trade, being entirely dependent on En-
glish calico for clothing, a small piece Of
which would purchase slave. Their Lam
guage was sweet and expressive. Although
their W. men, on the whole, were not well
treated, man having as many wives as he
chose, they Were complete mistresses OF their
own houses AMI gardens. which the husband
dared not enter in his wife's absence. They
were fond Of show and glitter, a.d as much as
$40 had been given for an English rifle. On
the arid pla eau of the interior, watermeloLs
Supplied the place of water for some months
III The year; as they do on the plains of Hunga
ry IN summer. A Quaker tribe on the river
Zanga never fight, never have consumption
scrofula, hydr,i hobia, cholera, smallpox, or
measles. These advantages, however, are
"unierbalanced By the necessity OF assiduous
devotion to trade and raising children to make
good their loss FIR m the frequent iaroades Of
their fighting neighbors