The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-05-16
Ar RICAN EXPLORATIONS.

before
the Society for the Advancement of Science and
Art, at the Cooper Institute last evening, to an
audience of about one thousand persons. The
lecturer was introduced by DR.. Griscom, who
said that the Society which he represented had
been greatly encouraged by the extraordinary
patronage of the public on the occasion of Pro-
fessor Agassiz's lectures before it, and they now
had the pleasure of presenting another distin-
guished explorer of a field far different but not
less interesting than that treated of by Pro-
fessor Agassiz. Mons. du Chaillu had spent ten
years of his life exploring the equatorial regions
of Africa entirely at his own expense, and so
extraordinary had been his discoveries that his
Vefaclty had been questioned in England; but
In the lectures he was 10 deliver before the
Society here, he would convince his nearers
that what he hau stated in his published works
was true.
Mons. du Chai lu, in commencing his lecture
SAID he appeared before the audience with diff
dence, as he was no speaker, and little accus-
toned TO address popular audiences. He had
travelled over 10000 miles of the equatorial
region OF Ailca, always on foot, and had col
lected over 1000 specimens OF birds. had killed
Il gor1lias, large number of chlmpanzees, and
gathered oeether l20 skulls of negroes. The
country bordering on the west coast OF Equa-
torial Africa and extending back into the lnte
rior was one vast jungle, a gigantic forest COM
prlsng TWO and three degrees north and south
OF the equator. Scattered through this forest
were now and then patches OF prairie, looking
like little islands in the vast sea of wilder
ness. Between the ranges of mountains the
country was low and marshy. The lecturer
here described on map the mountain sources
OF the rivers Ogobal, OFiqui, OKanda, etc.
Along the rivers and marshes the country was
flled with snakes and venomous reptiles. from
which the traveller suffered greatly in his eX-
ploranons of this good.fOr-nothng country.
Few quadrupeds were to be found here; he saw
neither the lion, nor the zebra, nor the ostrich
Even the antelope, which was found everywhere
else in Africa, was missing here. The traveller
would journey for miles and miles without
seeing the face of human being, or a
monkey-without hearing the note of a bird,
or even the falling OF limb 10 break the
awful silence. He would have TO fight with
hunger ana starvation, picking up a scanty
subsistence here ana there from the berries
that the taste OF his monkey-companion indI-
Gated TO be safe tor food hlmself Often had he
gone TOR days without food CT any KIND but he
was consoled for his suderings when he Disco
vered new bird or animal with which to enrich
his collection. There were two seasons, the
rainy and the dry; the rainy season OH the sea-
coast commenced in September ard ended in
May and further back IN the interior, by way of
a change, the rainy season lasted the year
round. There was no thunder lightning
or tornado in the interior but on the sea-coast
the thunder was terrific. In the last two years
of his explorations he never saw the sky
without clouds but twice, and then only for
an hour or two at each time. The heat was
not extreme, although under the Equa-
tor, the thermometer never reaching above SO
commenced at twenty minutes past O'Clock
the days and nights under the Equator being
nearly equal-in watching the heavens. This
AFFORDED nm enjoyment which 1T was difficult to
describe The stars seemed to him like old
friends for they had often been his guides, when
without them, he would not have known where
he was or whittier to go. In the months OF
April and May the finest Constellatons OF the
Southern Hemisphere were visible at the same
time. The planets Jupiter, Saturn, and
Venus were also visible, and far to the north
could be seen the GIeaC Bear which used to
remind him of LOme. Open spaces were visible
in the heavens, il whose deep blue ether the
most powerful telescope had been unable TO
detect star, and then there was the milky
way, brilliant ard sparkling with diamonds, and
the zodiaCal light so luminous rs almost to
enable one to read. In the equatorial forests
were vast numbers of ants-net ants with the
H, they sometimes say IN ENGLAND.
Uaughter0 Among them was the Bashqua,
the most voracIous of all living animals. They
traverse the country, destroying every living
thing in their journey; they cannot
endure the heat of the sun, and when they
come TO an open space they dig a tunnel,
through which they all travel to the nearest
shade The elephant fees before them, and also
the negro. They travel by night and by day.
When on their march the whole insect world
fees before them. He used 10 be warned OF
their approach by this fact, and frequently had
to take to the water TO escape them. The scan.
tness OF the population was marked feature
of this country. The tribes were thinly scat
tered and each tribe was divided into clans
Further to the east he found a race o
dWaris, from four feet four inches TO foul
feet six inches of stature. The form 0
government OF the natives WAS patrarchal thu
chiefs being noted Tor the mildness OF their rule
No man could be put TO death without tn
sanction of a council previously held in hi
case The natives used to wonder at the in
terest be took in the past and would ask why h
cared about the years gone by. They though
he was "cracked," as the saying is. daughter.
MANY of his European friends also thought h
was '"cracked" for spending so much of hi
time in Africa, tLaughter.) There were yer
lew GENET eres in this country. II man die
in a place the people all leave, thnklng tn
witches had come and 1t would not b
safe to stay there longer. All deaths are a
fributed 10 witches. He did, however, see or
cemetery ON the sPa-coast, and 1t was held 1
great reference, The natives only visited 1t Q
funeral occasions; they think the spirits OF u
dead hover around it, and don't like to dlstul
them. ANY amount OF treasure Wouiu De iS
there without being stolen. He visited u
cemetery in company with man uepu'eu
the king 10 accompany him, and ne loul
corpses aud skeletons, collins ana tOmos sea
tered about in great profusiOn. Among tue
was the tomb of the Kings brother, WI
had recently died, and near 1t was laII
chest full OF goods and ornaments that
1onped 10 him. Around the tomb wore sea
tered the skeletons of 100 negroes VINO nj
been killed to accompany the deceas
Prince into the other world. In traVelhi
through that region it is advisable TO car
plenty OF old clothes, particularly OF solule
coats OF which the natives are very lonR NJ
which will 60 further in procuring assls'ah