on the one hand, and meteorites, or meteor-stones, on the other hand. The phenomenon in question had a something of the characteristics of each, but was more of the nature of the latter body, in which case the mere fact of its appearing at the epoch of the shooting-stars, may be considered in some degree significant of a connection, more especially when confirmed by a second instance in another year; while, moreover, the November period of shooting-stars had not then been suspected; and these two observations not only serve to confirm that period, but also to give the retrogression of the nodes of the orbit, which has been suspected. Mr Fallows to the Secretary of the Admiralty. P. S. ROYAL OBSERVATORY, CAPE of Good Hope, SIR, The inclosed document was drawn up at my request, by Captain Ronald. At the moment the first explosion took place (ten in the evening), I was writing in a room adjacent to that of the Transit, and imagined from the loudness of the report that it might be a signal of distress from some vessel in Table Bay. Shortly after, perhaps four or five minutes, for I cannot be certain, having no suspicion of what had been observed in the Transit-room, I heard a second report, but it was somewhat fainter than the former. This phenomenon has been noticed at Simon's Town, Stellenbosch, and beyond Koe-berg.*-I have, &c., (INCLOSURE.) "FEARON FALLOWS." Captain Ronald to Mr Fallows. OBSERVATORY, Cape of GOOD HOPE, 20th October 1829. "SIR,-As it may not be uninteresting perhaps to make some record of the circumstances attending the appearance of a meteor which was observed last evening, I beg leave to convey to you the following notice: remarking that having seen it only through the open roof of the Observatory, which prevented me from following the direction it took, my report must necessarily be so far incomplete. "At the time of the occurrence of the phenomenon in question, * i. e., 20 miles to the South, 25 to the East, and 15 to the North. about ten in the evening, I was in the Transit-room, engaged in observing the passage of a star, when a blaze of intensely vivid light was observed a little to the West of North, about the height of the Equator, and which continued for perhaps a couple of seconds. "While registering the observation, a loud report was heard nearly in the same direction, resembling that of a piece of heavy ordnance at the distance of two or three miles. The interval between the flash and the report reaching me, must have been between the limits of 2m 40s and 2m 45s, from the circumstance of my having observed the light just before the star (g Ceti) had come to the second wire* of the instrument, which, on referring to the transit-book, would have taken place at 23h 57m 47s-6 nearly, and therefore the occurrence of the phenomenon may be safely referred to 23h 57m 45s; and as, on hearing the report, I immediately consulted the Sidereal clock, which indicated 0h 0m 30s, I think that the error in assuming the elapsed time as above cannot be supposed to amount to five seconds. "There was little peculiar in the state of the weather or atmosphere; the day had been rather more than usually cool, the highest temperature being 68° Fahrenheit, the wind from the south, and moderate, with slight passing showers. The evening was nearly clear, with a light air from the south-west, atmosphere rather dry; the barometer standing at 30in.20, and the thermometer at 52°, and both were observed to rise suddenly after the explosion, the barometer by Oin 01, and the thermometer by 0°-1, though they regained their original position in a short time afterwards.-I have, &c., "W. RONALD. "By referring to my Meteorological Journal, it appears that a meteor of somewhat similar appearance was noticed in Cape Town early on the morning of the 6th November last year.-W. R." Discovery of the Great Lake “Ngami" of South Africa. Geographical discovery in Africa has even excited more interest than similar explorations in any other part of the world, and with reason-for, while it is one of the oldest and earliest peopled of lands; while the human race first attained there a high degree of civilization, and a high degree of knowledge in the arts of peace and war, of science and literature; *The Transit of g Ceti (2 Ceti) over the second wire, on this day is blank; and the word "meteor" is written in the margin. The first and third wires are 23h 57m 278.9 and 23h 58m 78.4. with a grandeur in some things, and a skill in others never since equalled; yet it is now the country of all others on the face of the globe concerning which we know least. In other continents there are undoubtedly parts not yet visited by Europeans, or worthy of being more fully explored; but they are but inconsiderable spots compared with the almost boundless spaces of Central Africa, where no foot of a white man has ever yet trod, and of the greater part of which no semifabulous native accounts even have ever reached us. So that age after age the civilization of the enlightened nations of the world is gradually losing the hold which it once had, at least along the northern shores of this vast continent; and the land of Ham is gradually reverting to a state of primeval wilderness, fenced in from all the rest of the world by the obstructive power of ignorance and position. And yet to no other part of the world has so continued a stream of geographical explorers been poured, and is even pouring still; but invariably either the deadly climate of the more fertile parts, or the passive but all-powerful impediments offered by the more desert portions, as well as the active opposition of natives, more savage and sanguinary than in any other part of the world, have invariably, by death or otherwise, put an untimely stop to the progress of the travellers. Under these circumstances it must be highly encouraging to all interested in the prosecutions of African geography, to hear that an actual and tangible discovery, and one of the most important kind for the country in which it was effected, and for the prosecution of still further research, has just been made, in the fact of the Rev. David Livingston, a missionary of the London Society, having at least reached the great lake* of South Africa. The circumstance requires perhaps something more than mere notice, and to have more names mentioned in connection with it, from its being part of a general system of cooperation in which many have borne a part, and a very im * This lake must not be confounded with the smaller one, supposed by the Portuguese to exist on the coast of Zanzibar. portant and necessary part, towards the result which has been finally achieved; and at the very least, the name of the Rev. Mr Moffat, the fellow missionary of Mr Livingston, deserves mention whenever the great lake is spoken of. Its existence had been suspected long since, and its discovery has been a constant theme of conversation for many years past at the Cape. But yet the information of its whereabout, and size, and nature, were so very scanty, as to throw more doubt over the matter, the further that it was examined into. Up to a very recent date, the only persons who had ever been able within the colony to bear testimony to the fact of the existence of the great lake, from personal knowledge, were two young Bechuana brought down by D. A. Smith's expedition. They said, that when they were children, and their tribe was flying from their enemies, they had been at one period close to the great lake; but, after the closest cross-questioning, they left the matter more uncertain than ever, for from the length of time that their tribe was flying about in the desert in various directions, it would have been quite possible to have reached the sea either to the east or west, or the colony to the south; and nothing certain could be made out as to the mean resulting direction of the marching and countermarching. Nevertheless, many were the ardent explorers who endeavoured to reach this consummation, so greatly to be desired, amid the arid plains of South Africa. The last which started, and by far the most important of all that were ever organized in South Africa, was that of the Cape Town " Association for Exploring Central Africa," and which started in 1834, and returned in 1836. The party consisted of about seven Europeans,as many waggons, and about thirty natives. The whole was under the direction of Dr Andrew Smith, staffsurgeon, who had admirably qualified himself for the command, by the experience of very many years spent chiefly in the interior, and amongst the natives. Among the members of the expedition, were an astronomer, well supplied with instruments, and two artists, and Mr Charles Bell for landscape, topography, and the manners and customs of the natives; and another, Mr Ford, for the natural history department. Dr Smith took upon himself especially the zoology, the ethnology, and geology; and the others all contributed according to their powers, while the whole of their notes and journals of every kind were to be made over to the association. The expedition started in 1834, reached at length the Rev. Mr Moffat's residence at Kuruman, then the outpost of the Missionary stations; by him it was carried on further into the Zoolah country, to the abode of the great chief Umsiligas. This seemed for various reasons the furthest northing that the expedition could make, but a small party went on in light marching order a little further, so as to be just able to say that 23° south latitude had actually been reached, before the retrograde movement was begun. The chief result of this expedition has been the publication of Dr A. Smith's beautiful and valuable zoological work, for the publication of which the government granted a sum of money. The personal journal, the astronomical, geographical, geological, and meteorological observations, have still to come; likewise Dr Smith's own observations touching the history, language, and other particulars of the various tribes of aborigines whom he met with; as well as Mr Charles Bell's inimitable drawings of the manners, customs, and appearances of the natives, and his expressive landscape scenery. This degree or measure of success seemed to put the great lake further off than ever, Europeans despaired of their ever finding or heholding it, and none but traders and huntsmen subsequently traversed that part merely of the road towards it, which the expedition did pass over; while the only scientific mission which has acted since in South Africa, viz., that of Captain Sir J. E. Alexander, sent out by the Royal Geographical Society of London,-hopeless, apparently, of doing anything by following Dr Smith's route, travelled and explored along the western coast. It was remarked long since by the North American Indians and other aborigines, that the "black-robe chiefs of the mission" had always preceded the daring hunter and the crafty trader; and in no country has the preceding spirit of the missionaries been more evident than in South Africa. While pushing their stations continually further and further |