The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1860-02-08
LATEST Discoveries IN
AFRICA.

A letter was read before the American
Geographical and Statistical Society, on
the 5th of JAM, addressed to that body
by the celebrated African traveller, DR..
Livingstone, under date of " Tette, Fam.
besi, Feb. %, 1852" in which he gives
some interesting particulars of his latest
discoveries. Referring TO his explorations
of the Zambesi river, he says:
awe are all quite sure now, during al
least eight months of each year, steam
er of four or five feet depth of draught
could trade without embarrassment. The
reason why so little has been known about
the Zambesi may have been The branch
ing in the stormy promontory, by which
it was hidden from navigators. And
those easy-chair geographers, dreaming
over the geography of Ptolemy, actually
put down the Zambesi as flowing into the
sea at Quilimane, which in his days it
probably did, though not drop of Fam
besi water in ordinary circumstances reach
es that port. Had some branch of the
Anglo Americans planted their footsteps
on its banks, the world would have known
all about it long ago; and no one would
have ventured TO play with the river rs
has been done, making il lose itself and
flow under the Kalahari desest."
DR.. Livingstone and his party assembled
a branch of this river, the "Shire," and
he gives some account of the people and
things along its banks, thus:
$50 far as we can ascertain, this river
has never been explored by Europeans be-
fore. One part Of the luxuriant valley of
the Shire is marshy and abounding in la
goons, in which grow great quantities of
the lotus plant. The people were busy
collecting the tubers, which when boiled
or roasted, resembled chestnuts. They
were thus real Lotophagi, such as are
mentioned by Herodotus. Another part
of the valley abounded in elephants
Herd upon herd appeared as far as the
eye could reach; and noble animals they
were. We sometimes chased them in our
little steamer; for the Shire branches off
occasionally, and forms islands. The up
per part of the valley is well peopled, and
many of the hills arc cultivated high up.
But never having seen Europeans before,
they looked on us with great suspicion.
They watched us constantly, well armed
with bows and poisoned arrows, ready to
repel any attack, but no incivility was Of
fered when we landed, nor were our wood
ing parties molested. The greatest cow
ard fires first; so, thinking we had as
much pluck as they, we did not lift a gun,
though we saw them ever ready to fire,
or rather shoot. We did nothing to
make us ashamed to return, and if we
have their confidence, we may 90 further.
They had abundance of provisions and
sold them at cheap rate; also cotton of
two kinds-one Indigenous, short in the
staple, but very strong and woolly to the
feeling-the other very fine and long in
the staple. We bought number of spe-
cimens of their spindles and yarn, and, as
it was quito equal to American uplands,
we did not offer them any American seed.
The cotton plant is met with everywhere,
and though burned down annually, springs
up again as fresh and strong as ever
They grow sugar cane too, bananas, man
ioc, DC. The men are said by the Por-
tugese to be very intelligent, but very wild.
The women wear the lip ornament, which
is ring about four inches in circumfer-
ence, and nearly quarter of an inch
thick, passing through hole in the low
or lip, which is thus made to protrude
frightfully. am thus particular (the
do,tor is somewhat waggish), in case our
own ladies, who show a noble persevcr-
ance when fashion dictates, may wish to
adopt lip ornaments"
OF the climate, and the health of the
party, DR.. Livingstone, in conclusion,
writes rs follows:
awe were warned by the fate of the
Niger expedition not 10 delay among the
mangrovo swamps of the delta-the very
hot-beds Of fever. We accordingly made
all haste away, and we took daily guam
tity Of quinine. The period of the year