Major Pinto's African Journey

Abstract

MAJOR SERPA PINTO has been lecturing in Lisbon to a distinguished audience on his journey across Africa from Benguella to Durban. He apologises for the disjointed character of his lecture, for which he had no time to prepare, and which, therefore, cannot be taken as anything like a complete account of the results of his journey. There is some likelihood of his soon being in London, and probably then he may give us a more systematic account of what he has been able to gather in the interesting region through which he passed. A good deal has been said of the large natural history and other collections he has made, and if these be such as they have been represented, science will certainly be much indebted to the gallant Major, who has tried to revive the glories of the old days when Portugal was in the front rank of exploring nations. A good many difficulties were met with at the beginning as usual, and Major Pinto deemed it advisable to separate himself from his companions Ivens and Capello, who took a more northern route, and as they had various scientific instruments with them, including such as were suitable for observations in terrestrial magnetism, possibly they may have some important contributions to make to science.