Weekly Trinity journal., 1866-06-09

Livingstone, the great traveller, in his recent
book of his travels in Africa, thus describes the
most wonderful geographical discovery Of mod
ern times:
"The Victoria Falls of the Zambest river are
among the most remarkable curosities OF the
interior of Africa For several miles above the
cataract the river is smooth and tranquil, flow
ing by lovely islands thckly covered with tropical
vegetation. Lofty Palm trees with their fruit in
lofty clusters grow abundantly upon the banks
Many flowers peep out near the water cage.
But these charming islands are soon succeeded
by dangerous rapids. 1t is only when the river
is very low that they can be passed in safety
Elephants and hippopotami often swept over
the falls, and, of course, smashed TO pulp. In
entering the of waters, the party was re-
quested not to speak, as talking might impair
the virtue Of the q medicine" There were
places where the utmost exertions OF the canoe
man had to be used to force the boat to the only
safe part of the rapid, and to prevent it from
sweeping down 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
sherman, who with ready pole, turned the craft
n little aside, and it glided swiftly past the
threatened danger
On reaching the fails, Il spectacle OF ndescrib
nble magnifcence presented 10 the travellers.
The cataract is formed by crack across the
river, the bed of the Zambest at that place. The
lips of the crack still quite sharp, except
about three feet of the edge over which the river
rolls The walls go sheer down from the lips
without any projecting crag. The cleft is in
length a few yards more than the breadth of the
Xambest, which found to be, by measure
ment, little over $50 yards but this number
retained to mark the year in which the fall
for the first time carefully examined. The
width at the narrowest point was 80 yards and
at the widest somewhat more. Into this chasm
twice as deep as Niagara Falls, TIE river,
mile wide, rolls with deafenng roar forming the
Victoria cataract. II is broken into several par
tNl falls by rocks and islands, in all making
upwards Of 2700 feet of perennial falls. The
whole body of water rolls cleag over quite un-
broken bu, after descent of ten more feet,
the entire mass suddenly becomes like huge
sheet of driven snow. Pieces of water leap from
it in the form of comets with tails streaming be-
hind, till the whole snowy sheet is turned into
myriads of rushing, leapng, aqueous comets
The amount is probably exceeded by Niagara,
though not in the months when the Zambest is
in food. This vast body of water necessarily
incloses in its descent = large volume Of air,
which, forced into the cleft to an unknown depth,
rebounds, and rusbes up loaded with vapor to
form three even six columns, as if of steam.
visible at the distance of twenty-one miles On
reaching the hight of two hundred feet from the
level of the river, the yapor becomes condensed
into perpetual shower Of fine rain.
u CRAwLEp Up HIS TRowsBRs-LEG. A coun-
try friend sends the editor of IN Eastern paper
the following Nat, a neiglbor Of ours, is very
poor, rather light-fngered, and it is said is not
rs bright as his parents could wish The other
day, while passing neighbor s. Nat saw brood
of chickens, and caught one to carry home. lie
had not gone far, however, before he unexpect
cdly the coming up the street and
knowing how else to conceal the chicken,
crowded it into his hat. Bat the chick having
longing for liberty, thrust his head up through
an opening in the crown of Mats old straw hat.
Nat was presently accosted with
What have you got in your hat ?
- Nothing but my head" said Nat
But see n chickens head sticking through
the top of it, Nat"
Nat taking off his hat and looking at it in
feigned astonshment, replied:
- Wall, how do YOU pose that crtter got in
there? | swear he must a crawed up my
trowsers-leg =
hat n n 4