particularly those along the shores of the Pacific ocean, from
California to Behring's straits, with comparative vocabularies of their
languages, is preparing for publication by the Hon. Albert Gallatin,
from authentic materials. Mr. Hale, philologist of the United States
Exploring Expedition, has made a valuable contribution to the Ethnology
of this region, in his volume, entitled "Ethnology and Philology," being
the seventh volume of the U.S. Exploring Expedition.
Recent Works on the Arctic Regions.
Barrow's (Sir J.) Voyages of Discovery and Research within the
Arctic Regions, from the year 1818 to the present time, in
search of a north-west passage, from the Atlantic to the
Pacific; with two attempts to reach the North Pole. Abridged
from the official narratives, with remarks by Sir John Barrow.
8vo. London, 1846.
Americas Arctiske landes gamle geographie efter de Nordiske
Oldskriefter ved C.C. Rafn. 8vo. Copenhagen, 1846.
SOUTH AMERICA.
The French expedition which has been engaged for the last three years in
exploring the interior of South America, has at length reached Lima,
from which place Count Castelnau has transmitted a detailed report of
his journey, to the French Minister of Public Instruction.[19]
This expedition is by far the most important that has yet been sent out
for the exploration of South America, and has already traversed a large
portion of its central parts, little known to geographers. Their first
journey was across the country from Rio Janeiro to Goyaz, on the head
waters of the river Araguay (Lat. 16 deg. 11' S. Long. 50 deg. 29' W.) which
river they descended to its junction with the Tocantiu, and then
returned by the last named river and the desert of the Chavantes.
They made another journey to the north of Cuyaba, to explore the diamond
mines, and examine the sources of the Paraguay and Arenos. In the next
journey,[20] the particulars of which have just been communicated from
Lima, the expedition descended the rivers Cuyaba and San Lorenzo to
Paraguay. During this voyage they entered the country of the Guatos
Indians, one of the most interesting tribes of the American aborigines.
"The features of these Indians," says the Count, "are extremely
interesting;--never in my life having seen finer, or any more widely
differing from the ordinary type of the red man. Their large, well
opened eyes, with long lashes, nose aquiline and admirably modelled, and
a long, black beard, would make them one of the finest races in the
world, had not their habit of stooping in the canoe bowed the legs of
the greater number. Their arms, consisting of very large bows, with
arrows seven feet long, demand great bodily strength--and their address
in the use of them passes imagination. These savages are timid,
nevertheless, and of extreme mildness. By taking them for our guides,
and attaching them by small presents, we were enabled to explore parts
wholly unknown, of that vast net-work of rivers which they are
constantly traversing." In Paraguay the party met a tribe of the
celebrated Guaycurus nation. These people are eminently
equestrian--transporting their baggage, women and effects of every kind
on horseback, across the most arid deserts. They are mortal foes to the
Spaniards, and a terror to the whole frontier. They wear their hair
long, and paint themselves, black or red, after a very grotesque and
irregular fashion; the two sides of their bodies are generally painted
in a different manner. "Their chief arms are the lance, knife, and a
club, which they throw with great precision at a full gallop. Their hats
are made of hides. Each warrior has his mark, which he burns with a red
hot iron on all that belongs to him--his horses, dogs and even wives.
One of the most atrocious traits in the manners of this people, is that
of putting to death all children born of mothers under thirty years of
age."
After traversing the country between Paraguay and Brazil, the expedition
proceeded north by the river Paraguay, and passed the mouths of the San
Lorenzo, where it entered the great lake Gaiva, and from thence the
greater lake Uberava, the limits of which could not be traced, being
lost in the horizon. An Indian told the Count that he had travelled for
three whole days in his canoe, without finding its extremity, which
supposes a length of twenty-five or thirty leagues. This great inland
sea is unknown to geographers. At Villa Maria a caravan of mules awaited
the travellers, when they entered the desert or Gran Chaco, as it is
called, and proceeded to the town of Matto-Grosso, which is considered
the most pestiferous place in the world. Out of a population of 1200
souls, there were found but four whites, of whom three were officers of
the government; all the rest was composed of blacks and Indians of every
variety and color, who alone are able to support this terrible climate.
From this place the expedition proceeded to Santa Cruz of the Sierra,
where they found bread, of which they had been deprived for two years;
after a month's repose, a journey of eight days brought the party to
Chuquisaca, in Bolivia, and from thence by Potosi to Lima.
The results of this expedition are already of great interest. It will
make known people, the names of which were unknown to geographers.
Rivers which appear on our maps are found not to exist, while hitherto
unknown rivers and large bodies of water have been discovered. Many
geographical positions have been determined, and the particulars of the
trade which is extensively carried on in the centre of this vast
continent by means of caravans of mules, are made known.
M. de Castelnau has paid particular attention to the productions of the
country, with a view of introducing such as are valuable into the French
colony of Algeria. Large collections in Natural History have already
been received at the museum in Paris; observations on terrestrial
magnetism and meteorology have been made, in fact, no department of
science seems to have been neglected by the expedition, which will
reflect great credit on its distinguished head, Count Castelnau, as well
as on the French government, by whose liberality and zeal for the
promotion of science it has been supported.
From Lima, Count Castelnau intended to prosecute further researches in
the country of the Incas, after which he would proceed to the Amazon
river.
PERU. Some interesting remains of the ancient Peruvians, have lately
been brought to light in the Province of Chachapoyas, about five hundred
and fifty miles north of Lima and two hundred and fifty miles from the
coast. The particulars of these ruins were communicated by Senor Nieto
to the prefect of the Department.[21] "The principal edifice is an
immense wall of hewn stone, three thousand six hundred feet in length,
five hundred and sixty feet in width and one hundred feet high.[22] It
is solid in the interior and level on the top, upon which is another
wall six hundred feet in length, of the same breadth and height as the
former, and like it solid to its summit. In this elevation, and also in
that of the lower wall, are a great many rooms eighteen feet long and
fifteen wide, in which are found neatly constructed niches, containing
bones of the ancient dead, some naked and some in shrouds or blankets,"
placed in a sitting posture.
From the base of this structure commences an inclined plane gradually
ascending to its summit, on which is a small watch tower. From this
point, the whole of the plain below, with a considerable part of the
province, including the capital, eleven leagues distant, may be seen.
In the second wall or elevation are also openings resembling ovens, six
feet high, and from 20 to 30 feet in circumference. In these, skeletons
were found. The cavities in the adjoining mountain were found to contain
heaps of human remains perfectly preserved in their shrouds, which were
made of cotton of various colors. Still farther up this mountain was "a
wall of square stones, with small apertures like windows, but which
could not be reached without a ladder," owing to a perpendicular rock
which intervened. The Indians have a superstitious horror of the place,
in consequence of the mummies it contains, and refused to assist the
exploring party, believing that fatal diseases would be produced by
touching these ghastly remains of their ancestors. They were therefore
compelled to abandon their researches, though surrounded by objects of
antiquity of great interest.
Mr. Chas. Frederick Neumann, a distinguished oriental scholar of Munich,
has lately published a work "On the Condition of Mexico in the Fifth
Century of our Era, according to Chinese writers." It purports to be an
account of that country, called Fu-Sang, in the Chinese annals. De
Guignes, in his celebrated work on China, supposes that America was the
country referred to, while Klaproth, on the contrary, believes it to be
Japan.
It is stated in the English papers[23] that an expedition, which
promises the most important results, both to science and commerce, is at
this moment fitting out for the purpose of navigating some of the great
unexplored rivers of South America. It is to be under the command of
Lord Ranelagh; and several noblemen and gentlemen have already
volunteered to accompany his lordship. The enterprising and scientific
band will sail as soon as the necessary arrangements are completed. He
proposes to penetrate, by some of the great tributaries of the Amazon,
into the interior of Bolivar--for which purpose a steamer will be taken
out in pieces. Returning to the Amazon, he will ascend this great river
to its highest sources. The distance and means of communication between
the Pacific and the basin of the Amazon will be minutely examined.
Another scientific expedition has been sent out by the French Government
to its West India colonies and the northerly parts of South America,
under M. Charles Deville, a report from whom was read at a meeting of
the Paris Academy of Sciences in June last. Its publication was
recommended.
The French Government gave notice to the same Academy, at its meeting on
the 31st August last, of an intended expedition by Lieut. Tardy
Montravel, to the Amazon river and its branches, with the steamer
Alecton and the Astrolabe corvette; and invited the Academy to prepare a
programme with a view to facilitate the researches which M. de Montravel
is charged to make.
NOTE.--The following is a list of the books relating to South
America which have recently been published.
Historia fisica y politica de Chile segun documentos adquiredos
en esta Republica durante doze anos de residencia en ella, y
publicada bajo los auspicios del supremo gobierno. 7 livr. 8vo.
with an Atlas of 27 plates. Paris. 1844.
Memoria geografico economico-politica del departmento de
Venezuela, publicada en 1824 por el intendente de ejercito D.
Jose M. Aurrecoechea, quien la reimprime con varias notas
aclaratorias y un apendice. Quarto. Madrid. 1846.
Twenty-four years in the Argentine Republic, embracing the
author's personal adventures, with the history of the country,
&c. &c., with the circumstances which led to the interposition
of England and France. By Col. J.A. King. 1 vol. 12mo. New
York. 1846.
Travels in the interior of Brazil, principally through the
northern provinces, and the gold and diamond districts, in
1836-1841. By George Canning. 8vo. London. 1846.
Travels in Peru, during the years 1838-1842, on the coast, and
in the Sierra, across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the
primeval forests. By Dr. J.J. Tschudi. 2 vols. 12mo. New York.
1847.
Mr. Thomas Ewbank is preparing for the press a work on Brazil,
being observations made during a twelve months' residence in
that country. From a personal acquaintance with this gentleman,
his reputation as a man of observation, and his well known
capacity as a writer, we think a valuable book may be expected.
AFRICA.
The zeal which was manifested a few years since for the discovery and
exploration of the interior of Africa, and which seemed to have
terminated with the Landers, and the unsuccessful voyage of the steamers
up the Niger, has again shown itself, and we now find as much curiosity
awakened, and as much zeal manifested for geographical discovery in this
vast continent, and the solution of questions for ages in doubt, as has
been exhibited at any former period.
The Travels of M. d'Abaddie, Dr. Beke, Isenberg, and others make known
to us the immense extent and windings of the Bahr-el-Abiad and the
Bahr-el-Azrek, or the white and blue Nile, but they have not yet been
traced to their rise, and the solution of the question of the true
source of the Nile, remains still unsettled.
We have received from Mr. Jomard, member of the French Institute, a work
entitled "Observations sur le voyage au Darfour" from an account given
by the Sheikh Mohammed-el-Tounsy, accompanied by a vocabulary of the
language of the people, and remarks on the white Nile by Mr. Jomard.
This is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of a portion of the
interior of Africa, only known to us by the visit of Mr. Browne in 1794,
and forms a link in the chain between Lake Tchad and a region of country
quite unexplored, and of which we have no knowledge whatever.
We have some information of interest, relating to Senegal, communicated
to the Royal Geographical Society of London,[24] being a narrative of
Mr. Thomson, linguist to the Church Missionary Society at Sierra Leone,
from that place to Timbo, the capital of Futah Jallo. His place is about
four hundred miles northeast of Sierra Leone. "The principal object of
the mission, was to open a road for a regular line of traffic through
that country, between the colony and the negro states on the Joliba or
Niger."
Mr. Thomson's narrative is full of interest and shows the great
hardships to be encountered in effecting a communication with the
interior. No man could be better prepared for such an enterprize, both
by knowledge of the languages of the country, and the manners of the
people; zeal, perseverance, and courage, also were prominent traits in
his character; yet his enterprize failed and death cut him off, when on
the point of starting for the eastward.
An expedition more successful in its results, has been undertaken in
Dahomey on the Guinea coast, the particulars of which are given in the
Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, (vol. 16.) This
journey was performed by Mr. John Duncan, from Cape Coast to Whyddah,
and from the latter about five hundred miles due north, through the
Dahomey country to Adofoodiah. Although the king of Ashantee had refused
permission for Mr. Duncan to pass through his territory, and had
endeavored to prejudice the king of Dahomey against him, he was received
with great kindness by the latter, and every facility given him to
travel in his dominions. A guard of one hundred men was furnished to
accompany him--a path was cleared for upwards of one hundred miles, and
arrangements made so that at every village through which he passed,
provisions were always waiting, ready cooked for them. Among the strange
things seen by this traveller was a review of six thousand Female
troops, well armed and accoutred. Their appearance, for an uncivilized
nation, was surprising, and their performance still more so. The slave
trade is carried on extensively in Dahomey. In the market of Adofoodiah,
articles from the Mediterranean, and from Bornou in the interior were
exposed for sale, showing the immense extent of the trade of the
country. He met people from Timbuctoo and gathered some particulars of
that remarkable city, as well as some information respecting Mungo
Park's death. This enterprising traveller has lately been provided with
the means to enable him to set out on a new journey with a determination
to penetrate the country to Timbuctoo, from whence he will endeavour to
follow the Niger to its mouth.
The American Missionaries at the Gaboon, (Western Africa), with a view
of establishing a mission in the Pong-wee country have been preparing a
grammar of the Pong-wee language, the peculiarities of which are such as
to deserve notice. The Missionaries call it "one of the most perfect
languages of which they have any knowledge. It is not so remarkable for
copiousness of words as for its great and almost unlimited flexibility.
Its expansions, contractions, and inflections though exceedingly
numerous, and having, apparently, special reference to euphony, are all
governed by grammatical rules, which seem to be well established in the
minds of the people, and which enable them to express their ideas with
the utmost precision. How a language so soft, so plaintive, so pleasant
to the ear, and at the same time so copious and methodical in its
inflections, should have originated, or how the people are enabled to
retain its multifarious principles so distinctly in their minds as to
express themselves with almost unvarying precision and, uniformity, are
points which we do not pretend to settle. It is spoken coastwise nearly
two hundred miles, and perhaps with some dialectic differences, it
reaches the Congo river. How far it extends into the interior is not
satisfactorily known."[25]
An attempt to penetrate this continent from the north has been made by
Mr. James Richardson, by advices from whom it appears that on the 23d
November, 1845, he had reached Ghadames, in the Great Desert, where he
had been residing for three months, and whence he was to start on the
following day, with a negro and a Moor, for Soudan. If successful in
reaching that country, he intended to proceed to Timbuctoo and other
parts of the interior. Mr. Richardson was well received by the people
and Sultan of Ghadames; but his journey to Sackatoo the capital of
Soudan, which would take three months to accomplish, through some of the
wildest tribes and without any guarantee from the English or Ottoman
government, was considered foolhardy and desperate.[26]
Later accounts state that Mr. Richardson had returned after a successful
exploration in the very centre of the Great Zahara, and that he has
collected important information relating to the slave trade, one of the
objects of his undertaking. We shall look forward with interest to the
publication of his travels.[27]
The details of the expedition under M. Raffenel of the French navy and
other scientific gentlemen, up the Senegal, have just been
published.[28] The party ascended the Senegal to the river Faleme, and
from the mouth of the Faleme they penetrated the country to Sansanzig.
They then visited the gold mines of Kenieba, on the Bambouk, the country
of Galam, Bondou and Woolli, and returned by the river Gambia. Seven
months were spent on this expedition. They found the country beautiful,
but its cultivation neglected, and of course little was produced. They
visited the place where the French were formerly established, with the
view of making treaties with the natives for its occupation anew. Few
traces of the colony were to be found. They were kindly received by the
various tribes of aborigines, wherever they went; though when at the
extreme point of their journey, owing to the wars among the natives,
they did not think it safe to proceed farther. The results of the
expedition are interesting to science, as well as to the friends of
humanity, who wish to improve the condition of this people.
For the more complete exploration of this portion of the African
continent, it has been proposed to send another expedition under M.
Raffenel for the purpose. This gentleman has submitted a memoir to the
Minister of Marine, by whom it was presented to the Geographical Society
of Paris. The result was favorable, and Mr. Raffenel has been provided
with instructions for his guidance in his proposed journey.
A journey of exploration and civilization in Soudan, is about to be
undertaken by four Jesuits from Rome--Bishop Casolani, and Fathers
Ryllo, Knoblica, and Vinco. Casolani and Ryllo will start from Cairo in
January, 1847--having previously obtained a Firman from Constantinople;
and, proceeding through Upper Egypt, Nubia, and thence by Kordofau and
Darfour, they hope to reach Bornou,--and meet there their brethren, who
travel by the way of Tripoli and Mouryok. Should they be fortunate
enough to meet, it will then be determined which route shall afterwards
be followed. They have determined to accomplish what they have
undertaken, or perish in the attempt. From the high character of all the
parties, great hopes are entertained of the result of this journey. They
are all men of extensive learning, and familiar with the languages,
manners and customs of the East.[29]
A project is on foot in London and a prospectus has been issued for a
new Expedition of Discovery to penetrate the interior of Africa from the
eastern side. Many advantages are presented by beginning the work of
exploration here; among them, the populousness and civilization of
Eastern Africa, which is in general superior to that of the western
coast. The languages of the former bear a close affinity to each other,
and extend over a very large space, which is not the case with the
latter. "The absence of foreign influence, (particularly of the
Portuguese, by whom the slave trade is carried on), and the readiness of
the Sultan of Muscat to listen to British counsels," are strong
inducements to carry out the scheme proposed.[30]
Lieutenant Ruxton of the Royal Navy, who has lately made an interesting
journey into Africa from the southwestern coast, near the island of
Ichaboe, is about to undertake a second journey with the intention of
crossing the continent from this point to the eastern coast, under the
sanction of the British Government.
Some valuable contributions have been made to our knowledge of the
geography of Southern Africa by Mr. Cooley[31] and Mr. McQueen,[32]
which tend to elucidate portions of this continent hitherto enveloped
in much obscurity. Mr. Cooley's investigations relate to the country
extending from Loango and Congo, the Portuguese settlements in Western
Africa, to the eastern coast between Zanzibar and Sofala, in lat. 20 deg.
South.