Abstract
AT the meeting of the Geographical Society last week, Sir John Kirk read a paper by Mr. Joseph Thomson, on his examination of the Rovuma basin, East Africa, during his recent trip in search of the long-talked of coal-beds. These were supposed to be situated at the Mavitu village of Itule on the banks of the Lujende, some three days' march from its confluence with the Rovuma, but on investigation proved to be only some irregular layers of bituminous shale, which are of no practical use. Though disappointed in the primary object of his journey, Mr. Thomson has been able to add much to our knowledge of the geography of the Rovuma region, having traversed between 600 and 700 miles of country, besides furnishing many interesting particulars respecting the seven tribes, or remnants of tribes, which are found there. A paper by the Rev. Channey Maples, of the Universities' Mission, was afterwards read, on Makua Land between the Rivers Rovuma and Luli, a. tract of country hitherto entirely unknown. Mr. Maples bad hoped to have gone right through from Masasi to Mozambique, but on his arrival at Mvalixa's, the capital of the Meto Makuas, he was unable to induce his followers to proceed further. He had, therefore, to abandon his projected visit to the fierce branch of the Makua tribe, called the Walomwe; but what was more annoying, his hopes of verifying the existence of a snowy mountain, named Irati by the natives, and said to be about half way between Meto and Mozambique. In the discussion which fol-followed the reading of these papers, Sir John Kirk made some interesting remarks on the great expansion of the india-rubber trade in East Africa during recent years, the value of the annual export having risen from nil to about a quarter of a million sterling.
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Geographical Notes . Nature 25, 302–303 (1882). https://doi.org/10.1038/025302a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/025302a0