The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume X, No. 6 [‎123r] (98/186)

THE MONTHLY RECORD.
637
also the French claims to Sansanne Mango and Gambaga. All the places mentioned
lie outside the “ Neutral territory ” agreed upon between Great Britain and Germany,
in 1888, and distinctly shown on our sketch-map. As to Gambaga and Sansanne
Mango, it should be borne in mind that the British claims date back to 1894, if not
to an earlier period, whilst the treaties producible in support of French and German
claims are not older than 1895. Germany, on her side, surrendered, by implication
if not explicitly, all claims to Borgu, Gurma, and Gando.
German-Portuguese Boundary in East Africa.— The third number of
the Mitteilungen aus den Deutschen Schutzgebieten for the present year contains
a map by Dr. F. Stuhlmann, showing the boundary between the German and
Portuguese possessions in the neighbourhood of the lower Ruvuma, as laid down
by the commission of 1895, together with the country on either side between Tungi
bay and the Ruvuma (such, according to Dr. Stuhlmann, is the correct spelling of
the name). The boundary leaves the coast at Ras Lipuu, about a mile north of
Cape Delgado, running roughly parallel to the northern shore of the Cape Delgado
peninsula until it strikes the parallel of 10° 40' south. This it follows westwards
to about 40° 17' east, but before striking the Ruvuma diverges somewhat to the
north, and on again reaching the parallel of 10° 40' runs parallel to the Ruvuma
as far as a point opposite the upper end of Nyenyere island, leaving to Germany a
strip 1 kilometre wide on the south bank of the river. Dr. Stuhlmann gives some
notes on the general nature of the country traversed by the boundary, which he
divides into the coast belt, the plateau, and the Ruvuma valley. The coral reef
which fringes the shore at low-water level, he considers to have once formed a
raised shore-line, but to have been worn away to its present level by the waves.
Dunes now fringe the shore at high-water mark. The plateau, which is mostly
covered with impenetrable bush, is of no great elevation, but its well-marked
escarpment towards the Ruvuma valley is due to the action of the river in wearing
down its bed. Forests occur hardly anywhere but on the plateau-edge and along
the banks of the Ruvuma. The Ruvuma plain, which has its principal extension
south of the river, is covered with grass of moderate height.
Explorations in the Congo Basin. —Commandant Brasseur, whose explora
tions on the Lualaba and Luapula rivers have already been alluded to {Journal,
vol. ix. p. 560), contributes an article on the countries of Urua and Katanga to the
Mouvement Geographigue (1897, Nos. 35-38), accompanied by a map, on which his
Various itineraries are laid down. In addition to the explorations already men
tioned, the geographical work performed by M. Brasseur includes an examination
of the whole country lying to the west of the upper Luapula (including the Kunde-
lungu plateau), which he has covered with quite a network of routes. Several
tributaries of the Luapula have for the first time been laid down with accuracy,
one of them, however—the Lushipuka—having been mentioned by the “ Pom-
beiros” as far back as 1806 (as “Lutipuca”). M. Brasseur’s delineation of the
southern end of Lake Mweru differs much from that of Mr. Alfred Sharpe and other
previous travellers, the mouth of the Luapula being placed far to the south-east of
Kilwa island, the shape of which also differs considerably from that given to it by
Mr. Blair Watson. The Belgian traveller states that the lake is yearly diminishing
in size. The Luapula, after leaving Mweru, seems to bend further to the west than
has been previously supposed, the junction with the Lualaba being placed by M.
Brasseur some distance to the south-west of the position assigned to it in Captain
Hinde’s map. Although holding to the view that the Lualaba is the true head-
stream of the Congo, he allows that in point both of length of course and volume
of water the Luapula has the advantage, and his opinion, based on geological
grounds only, can hardly be considered satisfactory from a geographical point of