The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-26
AFRICAN EXPLORATION.
NJ Du ChRillu's Last ExpedtttOm-EILs
SCcUunE OF Iba PISns1es. ...-

Account OF The PIgmIes. ..--.
NJ. Du Chaillu delivered an address before the
Royal Geographical Society in London, on the
Sth instant, in which he gave a description of
his second journey into Equatorial Africa. A
large audience was present, among them many
eminent men of science. Sir r. Murchison, the
President of the Society, occupied the chair, and
among the general company were Mr.. Adams
the American Minister; Lord A. Churchill, Mr..
Crawford, Sir H. RawlInson, M. p; Mr.. G. Fol
som, President of the American Ethnological So
Ciety MI, owen, etc. At the close of the ad-
dress, Sir r. Murchlson, Professor Owen, and
others heartily vouched for the correctness of
Mr.. Du ChaiIus reporGs. Mr.. Du Chaillu said:-
He lett London on the 9Th OF August, 1863,
and on the 9Th OF October in the same year, he
reached a point called Fernand VaZ, on the
African coast, immediately to the south side of
the Equator He advanced eastward 10 the
Ashira country, where he had been on a former
journey, and where he;was wellremembereda and
kindly received. He had many offers of marriage
pressed upon him; but with these he had respect
tully declined. "a laugh.) In reading the works
OF Grant, Speke and Burton he observed many
words which were identical with and which
closely resembled words used in the district he
had traversed; and he had no doubt that the
tribes OF Western and Eastern Africa had
formed originally one common stock.
In the part he visited there was a row of
mountains near the sea, and although in a tropi-
cal country, he found 1t very cloudy, making
dSlTUuOHllCdl ODSSTNdIlOuS IuC RIedVCSJ
heat experienced was ninety-eight degrees in the
shade and one hundred aad forty-eight degrees
in the sun. The coolest weather in July regis
tered SIXTY degrees and siXty-iour degrees. He
found a gradual decrease of population as he
went inwards, showing that some deeper cause
for additional mortality is at work than the fire.
water Of the white man, and wherever he had
had been he found nothing but q vast Jungle,
From the earth below he had to look up to the
sky above to learn his route, and throughout his
journey he had tried very hard to collect infor-
nation, and to do his best. (Cheers.)
At the outset he had very unfortunate acct
dent, for a canoe turned over, upsetting not only
himself but much of his astronomical instru-
ments and baggage. he started to explore the
Ovenoa River with retinue of only i've men
and five boys, all natives, and of the Conf tribe
"a tribe who were always friendly with him,
and who would not hurt hair of his head,
though, to be sure very few hairs were left upon
it for them TO hurt. Naughter.) Perhaps if he
had more men he would not have been obliged
to return, especially as transport in the country
is very difficult and expensive, as it must all be
done by men.
,GoR1iLAs.-When they reached ollnda the
old King was very friendly with him, and called
him "his sweetheart" STILL he was so exacting
in his demands, that M. du Chailiu told him he
| thought he loved his goods most. The chief
| replied that he "1oved BOTH" '(Laughter.) Here
| he had numerous offers OF marriage from the
| native ladies, all dressed in their best but the
| whole were respectfully declined. From this
| place he visited the Bakalai Falls under difficult
| road. At the time he was unWell, and not strong
| enough to carry his gun. Thus unarmed, he
| was walking in advance OF his party, when he
| heard noise among the trees and came upon
| ten gorias eating berries. They quickly made
| Tor the ground and ran away, except one old
| male, who came towards him to know what was
| the matter, giving at the same time a loud roar
| The approach of his men frightened the animal,
| which then ran away.
He therefore had reason to modify some of the
| opinions expressed in his book and he believed
| that gorillas are sometimes gregarious. His
| negroes captured a tullgrown female, which
| they kept for several days, but the whole of
| them were very much frightened at IL. He had
four live ones in his possession at different times.
He saw nothing TO retract respecting their habits
from what he had previously stated. He fol-
| lowed the river Ovigui, near which he passed
many deserted villages. He visited the Nogoshi
| Falls The natives believe that the falls are
placed there by spirits to prevent people from
coming up the river, and that the spirits still sit
| there watching the waters. Near these falls
there are two islands, the dimensions of which
were much exaggerated by the natives; in fact
they cannot help eXaggerating everything, 10 il
is necessary to deduct seyenty-fve per cent
/ from their statements, and then the remaining
quarter will sometimes be far too much. The
river here is about one hundred and fifty yards
wide, and an island divides it into two parts al
the falls SO that 1t is difficult to see the opposite
bank. About seventy yards from the side OF
which he stood were two granite rocks, WHEREOF
the water Itell.