The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-07-02
The Rival Of Niagara.

Livingstone, the celeOraCeu traveller, ID his
recent book of travels in Africa, thus describes
the most wonderful geographical discovery of
modern times
The Victoria Falls of Rambesi river are
among the most remarkable curiosties of the
interior of Africa. For several miles above
the cataract the river is smooth and tranquil,
flowing by lovely islands thickly covered with
tronical vegetation Lofty palm trees, with
their fruits in golden clusters, grow abund-
antly upon the banks. Many flowers peep
ont near the waters edge. But these charm
ing islands are soon succeeded by dangerous
rapids. 1t is only when the riverais very low
that they can be passed in safety. Elephants
and bippopotami are often swept over the
falls, and, of course, smashed to pulp. On
entering the race of waters the party was re-
auested not to speak, "as talking might i'm
pair the virtue Of the neicine.e There were
places where the utmost exertons .of' the ca
noenen had to be put forth, to force the boat
to the only safe part of the rapid. and tn pre-
vent it from sweeping broadside on. At
times it seemed as if nothing could save the
canoe from dashing headlong against the
rocks, but just at the nick of time the word
was passed to the steorsman, who, with ready
pole, turned the craft little aside; and it
eliled swiftly past the threatened danger
Gu reaching the falls a spectacle of indie
scribable magni6cence was presented to the
travellers. The cataract is formed by a crack
across the river, the bed OF the Zambesi, at
the place. The lips of the crack are still
quite sharp, except about three feet Of the
edge over which the river rolls. The walls
90 sheer down without any projecting crag.
The cleft is in 'ength few yards more than
the breadth of Zanbesi, which was found to
be- by measurement, little over 1850 yards
but this number was retained to mark The
year in which the fall was for the first time
examined The width, at the narrowest
point. was found to be eighty yards, and at
the widest somewhat more. Into this chasm,
twice as deep as Niagara Falls, the river, a
mile wide, rolls with deafening roar, forming
the Victoria cataract 1t is broken into sew
eral partial falls by rocks and islands, in all
making upward of 1900 feet of perennial
falls The whole body of water rolls clear
over quite unbroken, but after descent of
ten OF more feet, the entire mass suddenly be-
comes like huge sheet of driven snow. Pieces
Of water leap from it in the form of comets
with tails streaming behind, till the whole
snowy sheet is changed into myriads Of rush
ing, leaping aqueous comets. The amount
is probably exceeded by Niagara, though not
10 the months when the Zambes is in food.
This vast body of water necessarily incloses
in its descent large body Of air, which forced
into the cleft to an unknown depth, rebounds
and rllshes up loaded with vapor to form
three or even six columns, as if of steam, yisi-
bile 1.-THE distance of twenty-one miles, On
reaching the hight of two hundred feet from
the. level of the river, this vapor becomes con-
densed into perpetual shower Of fine rain. i
The Hnntsuilla A dvpreisar gays. settlf-ef -
The crops generally, in this section, are in
the grass. The rains have been SO constant
and SO long continued, as TO put it out OF the
power Of the farmers to work their crops over
Corn and cotton both need work now, and if
notsworked over clean very soon, will be past
saving. Farmers within the last few days
have been offering one dollar per day for ex-
ira hands to enable them to work over and
to save their crops. The weather is now
clear, and quite cool for the season. We trust
1t will remain clear for a week or So that
farming operations may be uninterrupted. 4
a Fortress Monroe letter of Esd, says that
large numbers of the freedmen and freed
women of the Peninsula, are being shipped
to the Northern States by the Freedmen's
Bureau, to the great joy of the neighboring
turner's. About 1000 daily rations are be-
ing issued to the colored people, by the Gov
ernment within an area of 20 miles, 1t is
surely time to scatter them, and we rejoice
at their shipment North.
Forney gives clue to much of the ven
ON and falsehood that appear in his paper
when he says, in a late issue: ISLANDER is
towards revenge, Discrimination his de-
Tense"
The Savannah steamer Oak, from Kawin-
yille, when oil the southern end of Whining
ton Island, was discovered to be on fire. 1t
being impossible to subdue it, with the most
desperate efforts, sixteen of the crew, inciu-
ding the captain, purser and chief engineer
We're saved: nine persons were, drowned or
burned to death. The steamer and cargo,
the latter of which consists of SOB bales of
cotton and in which the fire originated, was
insured in Northern Offices. k j
A convention of Texas planters was held
in Austin, last week. to organize joint stock
company, with capital Of $1,0o0,O00, hav-
ing for its object the importation OF labor and
the sale of Texas lands to Immigrants. The
plan of operations reported is to employ
agents to induce European labor and capi-
tal to emigrate to Texas The company has
been fully organized, and only awaits the
sanction of the Legislature and the granting
OF the requisite subsidies to go into operation.
Tbs debt Of Georgia at the beginning Of
the war was SAITH 50, and due on coupons,
March last, $685. $50, making total indebted
ness S3,374 200. Bonds authorized BY the
last Legislature, $500, 900, making total
Indebtedness of So, ia 800. The resources Of
the State outside of taxable property, is So
1882. Confederate debt repudiated by the
State, $1s,O35,776.
One of the events of the day has been the
experimental firing OF a l2a-ton 9-inch rifed
cannon at one of Capt Coles's turrets on the
Royal Sovereign. The turret came out Of the
trial triumphantly, contrary to the general
expectation, as it was supposed that seel
!. bolt at tWn hundred yarCis nronallad hu far=