A New African River.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 189, 29 January 1887, Page 3

A New African River.

A Brussels correspondent writes to the "Vossieche Zeitung" an account of the discovery of another great navigable tributary to the Congo, which it joins on the right bank, at a point on the Obange and the Lincona. It i 3 called the Sekoli, and was discovered by an expedition that,_ stai-ting from Madiville, on ths Ougone, proceeded in a north-northeasterly direction for four weeks, journeying wi&h the greatest difficulty through thick forests and jungle. In latitude 1 deg. 30 tnin. nprth they come on a river which the natives called Sekoli, at a point, as they afterwards learned, about one degree south of its source. Proceeding further, they came into the district uf the Jambis, who showed themselves so hostile that the explorers considered it safer to return. They again wtruck the tSekoli, which they determined to descend, but the natives refused to sell them boats, so they had to make some small boats for themselves. The voyage down the 'river occu pied six weeks. The\ river they found is known by different names in different parts of its course. It flows at first in a direction from west to east, and then bends southward. About the equator it recoives on ii-s right bank a 1 considerable tributary, tho Ambili. The water is brackish at thia point ; indeed,the soil all around is impregnated with salt, which is gathered by the native?, and forms an article of trade for them. The couutrj' abounds in large game, wild oxen, antelopes, elephants, hippopotami. Below the equator the southerly direction becomes more decided. The river is'betvveen 500 and 600 metres broad, and has many islands, la the lower portion of its couree it flows through immense grass plains, which feeds vast numbers of T?ild cattle, antelopes and elephants. But the navigation is impeded by the hippopotami. The human populasion is very thin. At last the expedition reached the Congo. At the confluence thete is a great delta,' almost opposite the former station of Lonkokelo. The discovery of Sekoli has added about 600 kilometres to the navigable network of the Upper Congo waters.