Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-01-14


Geographical and Statistical Society, in New
York, very interesting letter was read from
Rev. DR.. Livingstone, the persevering and sue
cessful African Explorer. Mr.. Du Chaillu,
who was present at the meeting, also gave a
connected accouat of his own wanderings in
Africa. This celebrated Frenchman had ad-
vanced into the interior of thecontinent. and
had brought 10 this country many geological
specimens never seen before. lie read paper
detailing his adventures for four years in Cen
Iral Africa, under the meridian, among the can
nibal and other tribes. We quote his account
Of some of the marvels of the depths of wild
Africa
"The trade of these savages, he said, seemed
to be confined to an exchange of dead bodies
on which to feed. Human bones were found
in large quantities everywhere around their
villages. He was never in danger amongst
them, inasmueh as he was regarded as magi-
clan, and they were afraid Of him The tribes
of negroes in South Africa, other than the
cannibals, were numerous. He had visited
thirty five of them, but founl, notwithstanding,
that the country was very sparsely populated.
Owing to poligamy, the slave trade and general
belief in witchcraft, many of the tribes were
disappearing. When a king died, fifty or sixty
people would be accused of witchcaaft, in
causing his demise, and themselves put to
death. The foreign slave trade was calculated
on as principal source of revenue, and slaves
were regularly provided as a marketable com
modify
The gOrilla-that terrible monster which
bears su,h an unpleasant likeness to man
formed, perhaps, the most interesting topic of
Mr. Du Chaillu's lecture. Its existence was
long doubted by naturalists, aud to America
belongs the honor of discovery, or rather re.
discovering it. The lecturer exhibited the skull
one Of these animals and gave description of
their habits, size, strength, &c. Their tTe
mendouS roar, he said, could be heard four
miles of, aud the beating Of their hands up,n
their chest, a mode of expressing their anger,
is audible at distance OF one mile.
In answer to questions, NJ. Du Chaillu stated
that the female gorilla was shy, but the old
males would show fight. They lived in the
dark forest, and the natives were afraid Of
them. He hunted them day after day, and as
soon as the monster saw him, he turned and
came at him, beating his chest It sounded like
the beating of a drum. He waited until the
gorillas came near enough, and then shot them.
The letter of DR.. Livingstone is dated Tete
Zambas February %, 1882 His expedition
entered the delta of the river Zambasi in May,
1858. The river is large, and empties into the
Mozambique Channel The Portuguese have
held possession of the regions of its mouth for
more than three centuries, but the principal
seaboard settlements are mainly composed Of
European conviets or soldiers. The Portuguese
possessions have become so emf ebled, that Of
late years they have hardly been able to protect
their few garrisOns against attacks of the ma
tives, much less to make explorations.
DIR. Livingstone proceeded up the Zambasi
in small steamer, and we give the concluding
portion of his letter:
You may form better idea of its size if l
tell you Of one of the branches We ascended
the Shire lately, fully hundred miles from the
confluence, and found it with a two fathom
channel all the way up. It varied from 80
to $50 yards In width, and contains no sand
banks.
It flows in a beautiful fertile valley, about
twenty miles wide, and fringed with mountains
of great beauty, well wooded to their top
feet high. It was well cultivated on the top,
and bad several fine little fountains, the waters
of which were slightly thalybeate; they have
hot sui phurous fountain at the base, (tempera-
ture ia deg. Fahrenheit.) The people had
many sweet potatoes, holcus sorghum, and
other grains, and pine apple, lemon and orange
trees. They were very hOspitsble, and arc
independent. The vegetation is very different
from that of the plains, and so is the climate,
yet, with all these advantages, no use has been
made of it ss a sanitarium by the Portuguese,
and, as far as We can ascertain, this river has
never been explored by Europeans before
One part of tie luxurisnt valley of the Shire
is marshy, and abounds in lagoons, in which
grow great quantities of the lotus plant The
people were busy collecting the tubers, which,
when boiled or roasted, resembled chestnuts.
They are thus Lotophagi, such as are men~
toned by Herodotns. Another part of the
valley abOunds in elephants. Ny companions
estimated the number we saw at eight hundred
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 shore branches off occasionally and
forms islands. The upper part of the valley is
well Peopled, and many of the hills are eulti-
waited high up. But never having seen EuroS
peans 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 incIvlity was offered
when we landed, nor were our wooding party
moleBted. We obtained what may be consid-
cred reliable information, that the Shire actu>
ally does flow out of Lake Nyanga. We were
brought up by cataract, but five miles beyond
this point the water is smooth again, and
Arabs come down In canoes from Nysnga
thither. Seeing the suspicious we had aroused
we deemed it unsafe to leave the vessel and 20
overland. But no collision took place.
The greatest coward fires first, so, thinking
we had as much pluck as them, we did not lift
gun, though we saw them ready to fire, or
rather shoot. We did nothing to make US
ashamed to return, and mean to do SO next
month; and if we have their confidence we
may 60 further. They had abundance of pro-
visions, and sold them at cheap rate. Also
cotton of two kinds-one Indigenous, short 10
the staple but very strong and woody to the
feeling the other very fine and long in the
staple. We bought number of specimens of
their fpindles and yarn, an6 as it was quite
equal to American Uplands, did not offer them
any American seed The cotton plant is met
with everywhere, and though burned down an
nually, springs up again as fresh and strong as
ever. They grow sugar cane, too, bananas,
Sc.
The men are said by the Portuguese to be very
intelligent, and very mild. The women wear the
lip ornament, round one of which 1 put my pen.
The slit is made in the upper lip, at first, by a
ring in childhood. The ends are gradually
pressed closer together, and cause absorption
till hole is made. This is enlarged by bits
of reed, till in a lady of fashion a ring, either
hollow or cup shape, is inserted, and the edge
of the lip protrudes beyond the perpendicular Of
the nose, at least an inch. / am thus particu
lar, in case our own ladies, who show a noble
perseverance, when fashion dictates, may wish
to adopt lip ornaments.
Above this we have rapid, called ZEBRA, OF
Irather Kaorabasa. When the water is low it
shows deep groove, with perpendicular sides,