The New York herald., 1871-12-31

Geography Of EsuatsriaI Africa-The
Probable nIeve.eats Of DR.. Livingstone
and Our Explorers.
On this last day Of the year, in looking
back over its memorable events in the affairs
of men and of nations, and in calling the roll of
our numerous agents scattered about over the
world, gathering the never-ending but still
beginning harvest of news with which our
readers are supplied through all 'the rolling
year
From Greenland's icy mountains
To lndlas coral strand.
/ Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand
our thoughts are irresistibly drawn to our
adventurous traveller detailed into the heart
of savage Africa, and under its burning equa-
torial skies, in search of DR.. Livingstone. We
have great faith in our experienced Oriental
campaigner who conducts this expedition,
and strong hopes of his complete success.
We think that by this time, having accom-
plished his appointed journey to Ujiji on
Lake Tanganyika, and having found DR..
Livingstone, our man, with his caravan, is
probably back again at Zanzibar, or is,
perhaps, pushing through those mysterious
regions Of the great equatorial lakes, from
which the mighty river rises, to join Sir
Samuel Baker on the Upper Nile. In any
event, with all the rest of our faithful harvest
ers, we wish our courageous African ex-
plorer ga Happy New Year." Meantime,
from the newspaper extracts on the subject
which we transfer to this paper, it will be
l hot oypodifiop 10 off nfsu
much attention.
The comparative geography of Central
Africa at this time is matter of intense
interest to the whole civilized world, so
deeply interested in the fate of DR.. Livingstone
and his fellow explorers.
1t was said of a great physiologst that,
having given him any bone of an extinct
species of animal, he could tell the kind; and
it is the Office Of physical geography to apply
its principles to the solution of just such
| problem as presents itself in Central Africa.
Glancing at Mercator's Chart of the World,
we see that Africa and South America strik-
| ingly resemble each other in their configura-
tion, and it is plain they were once portions
| of one vast continent, which has been rent
asunder to give an ocean channel for the waters
| of the Atlantic. Could South Am erica be foated
eastward its eastern shores would accurately
fit into the western shores of Africa, the east
ern angle Of the Brazilian coast just filing in
the Gulf of Guinea. There is this difference
between the two Continents, that in Africa
the loftiest and most extensive mountain
ranges appear to skirt the northern and east
ern coasts and sides, while in South America
the Andes skirt the western coasts. But it
will be noticed that on the southeastern coast
of Africa there is comparatively level coun-
try in the valley of the Zambezi and north
ward. In South America so level is the
country from the Atlantic to the Andes that
navigation is possible all the way from the
mouth of the Amazon to Nauta, in Peru, on the
Eastern Andean declivities. In Africa the
level expanse seems to extend from the Allan
tic eastward into the regions of Central Africa
The geographical key to the character of Gen.
tral South America is in the phenomenon of
the southeast Trade winds, which sweep the
whole valley of the Amazon; and by the
moisture which they bring up from the South
AbidutiC, duu WuiCu tuC AuuCS AOp tuCuA Va,
they feed the perennial and overaowing foun-
tains Of the Amazon. Were the Andes on the
eastern coast Of South America there would be
no Amazon. This reasoning, which is un-
questioned by physical geographers, furnishes
US clue to the climatology of Central Africa.
Through all the region on the southeast of
this Continent, where not interrupted by high
mountains, the southeast Trade winds sweep
all the year, and bear towards Equatorial
Africa the enormous evaporation of the Indian
Ocean-the most vapor- marked ocean of the
globe-and also the still greater evaporation
from the superheated Mozambique Gulf
Stream.
In South America far smaller quantity of
vapor is sufficient to keep ever swollen the
immense valleys and river beds of the Orinoco,
the Amazon and the Rio de la Plata; and we
are consequently forced to the conclusion that
there is an immense rainfall in the regions
drained by Lakes Tanganyika and Albert Ny
| ANA.
| 1t is very improbable that the Congo River
can carry off such drainage as must be
rendered necessary by the precipitation in
Equatorial Africa and for some degrees of
| latitude north and south of the line over
which the belt of greatest precipitation and
the rainy seasons vibrate with the sun in
| declinatipn. The Congo River, it is true, has
not been very fully explored, but its mouth is
| in q well-known region of Africa; and the
mouth of river tells an unquestionably re-
liable story of the extent of its drainage. II
in bearing to the sea the precipitation Of
Equatorial Africa. But it is comparatively
small river. The Zambezi is known to drain
| the southern declivity of the same tableands