The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-08
AFRICAN DYSCOTERY.


and the region which it drains. have attracted
much attention. Some information regarding
! its western section between the coast range and
| the sea has been furnished by recent German
and English travellers. and all tho trustworthy
data on the subject have been lately collected by
pr Pctrrmann.
II was in the year 1875 that Portuguese nav
| igator, Diego Cam, discovered on the west coast
| Of Africa mighty stream which he called the
Congo. lie marked his achievement by pm
drno or rude heap Of stones. which gave rise TO
the second name Of the river. for this being re-
| discovered by Martin Bchcm. was described az
the Rio do Padrao. The third appcllation,
Iairc. by which it is best known in Europe. is
n corruption of the word Nzadi. by which the
natives designate the lower Congo. We may
mention further that about n century after the
| discovery the Congo region was visited by an
| Englishman. Andrew Bati"ll. whose obscrva-
| tons are noted 10y the famous Samuel Purchas.
Finally in 1868 II Capuchin frnr. Cavazzi. who
had resided in these parts Tor many years, sent
Il long account Of them to Rome.
From the date last mentioned up TO the present
century occurs long hiatus in the geographical
knowledge Of the Congo district although u
part OF it was nominay included in the POrtu-
gucsc possessions. But in 1916 an expedition
sent out by the English Government under
Capt Turkcy. went up the stream $50 miles.
and. but for sickness might apparently have
pushed further. We may notc that Tuckcy's
extreme point has not yet been reached by any
subsequent traveller This WIS followed by n
number OF unimportant voyages. In 1873. how
ever. began the labors of the German Exploring
Expedition on the Loango coast. ana in Sep
t"mbcr. 1874. Baron Won SchlciniN took the
! Gaelic up the Congo ~ far ~ Punta ia Lcnha.
altcrward proceeding with smaller craft to
Bomtnd. Yet for the most considerable contri-
button to our knowledge Of the river We are IN
drbtcd To- the English expedition undertaken in
the year 1876.
In September Of that year British schooner
had been wrecked in the Congo and the cargo
plundcrcd and part OF the crew killedby negro
pirates. A military expedition was organized
to chustise the river thieves. and Us u prciimi-
nary tine sloop-oi-war Spltelul, Commander
Mrdycou, was ordered to make "a thorough
survey Of thu lower Congo and is anlurnts Tho
elaborate system Of measurements applied
through a couta, of more than a hundred
miles is now embodied ia a chart lately pub
lishrd 10y the British Admiralty. and constitutes
We need not ray. unique Performance in the
record IT African as plorntion. rs regards the
spc0 .ilc object of the English Government we
may mention that tho larger aflluouts being
found accessible 20 gunhoats. the native pirates
received a wholesome lesson which. however
IT was thought necessary To repeat IN January
Of last year. W. pass To- tho more important
geographical aud social data brought out 10y this
expedition and by that ol its German prede-
ccssor
Inasmuch as the mountain-chain which bor-
dcrs the vast interior plateau is at no great dis
lance from the west coast. the lower course Of
the Congo = of pthsr riNsrs in I.Ny,r Gufupn
il relatively short. or course. too. the falls and
rapids 10y means Of which the stream clcaves
the barrier. are impedmcnts 10 continuous
navigation. The first. or lowest. Of the cata-
racts encountered 10y the voyagor on the Congo
are the Sangalla. just before taking the main
leap al Bauzn N'lnga the river is from two to
four miles broad. Then rapidly converting. 10
n breadth OF 300. then 300. and finally 200 yards
1t plungcs through superb SERVES of water
falls ana torrents along a deep. narrow chan
mel worn IN IA" solid *. At Banzi Nokki
the landing place. below the catararts. the dis
tanra from IN" sea il ! lU miles. Hcrcthe Congo
il some $50 yards VIDE, and in tic westward
stretch Of forty i've mll,s g. the trading poet 81
Iommn. the breadth Varies from 700 yards To-
two miles. The banks are said to keep wild
romantic character as far as Nlnde. where an
imposing promontory stoep and craggy. is
thrust out half across the stream. as II barring
access 10 the mountain district
Soon after leaving Bomma the Zaire wdens
again and now the delta system which marks
lis further course begins. Tho high rocky
banks have disappeared. and hencciorward for
some ninety miles 10 the river-mouth mainland
aud islands present a houndlcss cXpanse Of
uAurant alluvial soil. SO minutey ntrrsected
10y arms and aflluents and SO completely water
soaked. that IN the wet season IT is not easy 10
find II firm, dry point for landing. 1t is how
ever. half way between Bomma and Punta lie
Lcnha. which latter post il about forty-nve
miles from the sea. that the Congo temporarily
loses its river character. and is transformed
into an archipelago The long. snuous islands
are here distributed in such way amid and
athwart the river bed that n single main stream
can no longer be- distinguished Somewhat fur
ther westward Il whole group of islands fills
what would have boon the mid-channol. split
ting the lattor into three arms. all OF which are
said to he equally navigahlc. although but one
has hitherto hccn used. These three streams
converge later at runta da Lonha. where new
bayou formation begins. Henceforward the
main mass - wat,i forms a wide unhrOken.
mighty river. ilinging out to the right and lett
innumernhle narrow arms which after multi
piled circuits and convolutions. return 10 the
larger stream. Tho average breadth Of the
WNnl' h'Upn, lnrullns inc space embraced
within this network is about twenty miles.
y ar Nh" mouth the central. unimpelod current
has span of three and u half miles. Thcmouth
oI tho Xlrn j. formed 10y the so-calod banana
and Antonio icn.n-ulas which Respectively lie
to the north and south. the oapos known as
French Point and shark Point markin. the
cNtrrmitios.
The enormous quantity Of water brought down
10y the Congo may he Inferred from the remark
able depth Of the river bed. Far within the bar
which stretches across the mouth. Mcdlycotts
soundings showed a depth Of 90Ofcct AT Punta
da L"nha. for-yllve miles inland moro than
seventy feet of water wrrc found Ships If
fourteen feet draueli can certainly 70 ~ far as
I'inIua, and. according 10 the reports of the
ia2 llc nu IA beyond that point. EVERYWHERE
th" current Is very strong. At Bauza Noki il
runs ilNe knots, and at the mouth from four to
SIN by II the watorol the Congo is swept far
ont To sea, So that at tho distance of fourteen
miles the water is perfectly fresh and ~ a
brownish hue. while at a distance of 800 miles
the current Is still pcrcoUtihlr. A. regards the
influence of the sodsons the comparatively
slight difference Occasioncd by the great rain-