already been noted. Orchella-weed (Rocilla fuciformis?), a lichen most valuable in dyeing, is found, according to the late Lieut.Colonel Hamerton, growing on trees and rocks throughout the maritime regions. The important growths of the interior are the frankincense and bdellium, the coffee and nutmeg—which, however, are still in a wild state-the tamarind, and the sisam or black wood. The largest planks are made of the mtimbati (African teak?) and the mvule; they are now exported from the coast to the island, where they have almost died out. As the art of sawing is unknown, a fine large tree is invariably sacrificed for a single board. It was the opinion of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Hamerton that a saw-mill at the mouth of the Pangani River would, if sanctioned by the local government, be highly remu

nerative.

Cowries, called by the Arabs kaure, in Kisawahili khete, and in the interior simbi, are collected from various places in the coastregion between Ras Hafun and the Mozambique. This trade is in the hands of Moslem hucksters; the Banyan, who has no objection to the valuable ivory or hippopotamus tooth, finds his religion averse to the vile spoils of the Cypræa. Cowries are purchased on the mainland by a curious specimen of the "roundtrade;" money is not taken, so the article is sold measure for measure of holcus grain. From Zanzibar the cowrie takes two directions. As it forms the currency of the regions north of the "Land of the Moon," and is occasionally demanded as an ornament in Unyamwezi, the return African porters, whose labour costs them nothing, often partly load themselves with the article; the Arab, on the other hand, who seldom visits the northern kingdoms, does not find compensation for porterage and rations. The second and principal use of cowries is for exportation to the West African coast, where they are used in currency-50 strings, each of 40 shells, or a total of 2000, representing the dollar. This, in former days a most lucrative trade, is now nearly ruined. Cowries were purchased at 75 cents per jizlah, which represents from 3 to 3 sacks, of which much, however, was worthless. The sacks in which they were shipped cost in Zanzibar 1 dollar 44 cents, and fetched in West Africa 8 or 9 dollars. The shells sold at the rate of 80% (607. was the average English price) per ton; thus the profits were estimated at 500 per cent., and a Hamburg house rose, it is said, by this traffic, from 1 to 18 ships, of which 7 were annually engaged in shipping cowries. From 75 cents the price rose to 4 dollars, it even attained a maximum of 10 dollars, the medium being 6 and 7 dollars per jizlah, and the profits necessarily

declined.

* The value of cowries is of course infinitely various; that assumed in the text was the usual rate on the West African coast about twenty years ago.

The other articles exported from the coast to Zanzibar are bees'-wax and honey, tortoiseshell and ambergris, ghee, tobacco, the sugar-cane, the wild arrowroot, gums, and fibrous substances; of these many have been noticed, and the remainder are of too trifling a value to deserve attention.

To conclude the subject of commerce in East Africa. It is rather to the merchant than to the missionary that we must look for the regeneration of the country by the development of her resources. The attention of the civilised world, now turned towards this hitherto neglected region, will presently cause slavery to cease; man will not risk his all in petty and passionless feuds undertaken to sell his weaker neighbour; and commerce, which induces mansuetude of manners, will create wants and interests at present unknown. As the remote is gradually drawn nigh, and the difficult becomes accessible, the intercourse of man-strongest instrument of civilisation in the hand of Providence-will raise Africa to that place in the great republic of nations from which she has hitherto been unhappily excluded.

of

Already a line of steam navigation from the Cape of Good Hope to Aden and the Red Sea, touching at the various important posts upon the mainland and the islands of East Africa, has been proposed. This will be the first step towards material improvement. The preceding pages have, it is believed, convinced the reader that the construction of a tramroad through a country abounding in timber and iron, and where only one pass any importance presents itself, will be attended with no engineering difficulties. As the land now lies, trade stagnates, loanable capital remains idle, produce is depreciated, and new seats of enterprise are unexplored. The specific for existing evils is to be found in facilitating intercourse between the interior and the coast, and that this will in due season be effected we may no longer doubt.

ITINERARIES.

2 G

VOL. XXIX.

ITINERARIES.

The Sewing Itineraries contain the observations made by Captain Speke Txt when the May has been constructed. The orthography has been revised by Caresin. Bunc

The Lariruuas have been all recalculated, and appear to be satisfactory. The Lexorretas dereni chietly upon that of Kazeh in Unyanyembe; the 13 còservations for which have been calculated by Mr. C. George, and place in in brez 10030 E. This longitude has served to determine the errors in the travellers' lai reckoning. Besides this crucial station, Zungomero was observed at be in keg. 372 E.; and Rumuma in 36° 45′ 15′′. The places ed the sea-cast are taken from the surveys made by the late Admiral W. F. W. WHO. A single imperfect observation for longitude at Ujiji, on the Tanganyika Lada, Las been discarded, as it did not accord with the rate of travelling, which would place it in about longitude 30 E. The positions on Captain Steke's recte from Kazeh to the Nyanza Lake are dependent upon his latitudes and carefully kejt compass bearings.

A.. other longiles, except those above-mentioned, are estimated from the pr traction of the rectes on the Map.

The clevations of the different places above the sea-level are calculated from the temperatures of boiling water.-A. G. FINDLAY.