New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-10-27
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
prrRTON's AFRICAN DTsCOvERIEs.

The journey from Lanzloar 10 the region Oh tuo
Great Lakes in the eastern part of Central Africa,
on which this interesting volume is founded, was
CONNIE nced in Jure, 1857, and occupying about
twenty months was completed by return TO the
original starting point in March, 1859. Capt
Burton is an indefstgsble explorer; no difficulties
are permitted to daunt his courage; his spirit OF
enterprise never flags; and with excelen: scientific
culture, great practical experience, and ready
command of the pen, he has produced a narrative
Of his adventures and discoveries, which enttle
him to an eminent rank among the recent travellers
in Afrios.
Without attempting TO follow him through the
complicated details of his perilOus route, we will
here give brief summa of some of the results of
his observations among the people Of Eastern
Africa.
The villages are pOpulOus; the houses are so
near each other as to favor constant soclabty aud
the occupants spend much time in chatting to-
eether, in front of the central square. They rise
with the dawn from their cOuches OF COWS hide,
and the hour before sunrise being the coolest part
of the day, they usually kindle fire. and seek the
soace of their pipes. As soon as the sun is fairly
protects the entrance to their dwellings, to sask IN
the morning beams. About o'clock a. m. the
Aocks aud herds are driven to pasture by the elder
boys with loud shouts snd vigorous aPPlicanons
of the club-returniDg at sunset. After breakfast,
the African repairs to kind of public house called
the iwanza of which there are two 10 every settle
uent. one for each sex. Here he spends the
r A. da. YalEi and
his companions, or perhaps smoking himself 10
sleep. At about o'clock p. IN. he returns to bis
hut 10 eat the principal meal of the day. which has
been prepared by his women The chief articles
of diet are fish aud flesh, grain aud vegetables,
with the addition of such Injuries az milk aud
butter honey, bananas and dates. He finds az
intoxicating beverage in beer made from mlet,
called poube, toddy, and plantan wine. Fish is
abundant IN the lakes and in the numerous rivers,
but although it is priced By Travellers aud ths poor,
it is rejected by those who can afford to eat meat
EVER thing il the shape Of flesh is welcome to the
African taste; though as a rule, beef is preferred
which strangers generally find 1stulent and heat
ing. Grain is not favOrite article of food when
the flesh Of tame beasts is at hand. Next to the
bullock the goat is u request; mutton is rejected;
poultry and pigeons have only come iUtO fashion of
late years. and there is still prejudice against
eggs OF wild flesh, that of the zebra is preferred.
1t is smoked or jerked but still retains most
savory favor. Some of the anteOpes are tender
aad succueut, but most OF them are black, coarse,
and ildigestibe. The African is perfect cOrmo-
rant in bis appetite. Food is his thought By day,
and his dream by night. HIS whole soul seems to
be swayed by his stomach. The delight with which
he watches the process of cooking amounts to
ecstsoy. One great inducemeDt for him to travel
is to sford himself mole meat than he gets at
home. His fondpess for good living even some
times oOnquers his habltual mprovidence. He
preserves a store Of his favOrite food by placing
large Jumps Of it on a little platform of green
reeds and smoking it before a slow fire. With the
addition Of little SALT the provision thus prepared
will last several days, affording succession of
dainty meals on a journey. They also pack up a
quantity of meat dried in the sun for use 10 travel
irg, which is eaten ss a relish with rice and other
boiled grains. When meat cannot be obtained,
and good water is scarce, the African sewers one of
the iugulsrs of a bullock, and fastens upon it
like leech. Some tribes churn the blood with
milk.
The daily food of the poorer classes is maize, or
some inferior kind Of grain. In the interior, they
are ignorant of the simple art of esyeniug bread
By calculated whey, sour bean. paste, and similar
contrivances prscticed elsewhere They have not
even learned TO toast grain. Milk is universally
held in high estesm. Some live upon it almost
exclusvely during the rains, when the cattle find
abundant pasture. 1t is used in three forms,
fresh, as buttermilk, or 10 the shape of curds
They consider cheese as something supernatural
and with power to bewitch their cattle. The
fresh milk is not relshed during the heat of the
day, and is thought to increase bile, and eventually
to produce fever Curded milk, on the contrary
n special fsvorlte on account Of its cooling quail
ties, and its adaptation to quench thirst; and the
people accustomed t. il from infancy have for it
great longing. Butter is made BY filling large
gOurd with partially sour milk; this is shaken to
and froi but the product is thin, cOOress, infe-
rior article, which soon becomes rancid. In some
places butter is burned instead of oils in lamps.
In East Africa, every man is his Own msltster,
and the public hou,e # the village is the common
brewery. The pr ncpal Intoxicating beveragei is the
beer without hops, called pOube. This is of very
ancient date. 1t tastes somewhat like sour wort
of the poorest description; bat strangers who at
first dislike i. exceedingly, soon become extrava-
ssnty fond of IT, 1t is mid IN its action, forming
an agreeable Darcotc, and followed By sound sleep
and besviness in the morning but leaving its ulti
mate effects in tie shape Of rSeumatsm sore eyes,
q. faffo