Ovakuengama, Ombandja-onene, and others. Their chief occupation is agriculture, cattle-rearing being of quite subordinate importance. Besides that, they are experienced in copper-smelting, forging, pottery, and other kinds of manufacture. Hahn reports that the Bushmen who work the Otavi mines sell at least fifty to sixty tons of copper ores annually to the Ovambo of Ondonga. These northern parts of South-West Africa are more populous than all the others, the total number of the Ovambo amounting to about 120,000. It remains to add a few words about the natives near Lake Ngami, where two tribes especially have to be distinguished, viz., the Batovana, a Bechuana tribe which immigrated there in the first part of our century, and subjugated the original inhabitants, the Makoba or Bayeye. The occupations of the Batovana, who number only about 500, are hunting and cattle-rearing, but most of the work is done by the Bayeye, whom they treat like slaves, and who derive their chief subsistence from the produce of the soil. The total number of the Bayeye is about 10,000. East and north-east of these we find various settlements of Bakalaka, Makololo, Bakuena, Bakusa, and Barotse, whom we regard as representatives of different Bantu tribes. Their total number hardly amounts to 10,000. Adding the different items given, we find that the whole population of South-West Africa is about 300,000 people-a very low figure for a vast territory like this. The question of the value of South-West Africa for commercial and colonial enterprises has been frequently discussed in recent years, since Germany took possession of these countries. It is well known that the enterprise of Lüderitz was a failure; but this result was due to several unfortunate circumstances, and it would therefore be unfair to draw general conclusions from it. Practical experiments have been made on four different lines, and I will shortly summarise the results of them. I. South-West Africa was long ago known to contain various valuable minerals, especially copper, which is found at many places between the Orange River and the Ambo country. I need only mention the Khuias, Matchless, and Otavi mines, which contain copper ores of great purity, and have been partly worked in former years. But the difficulty lies not in obtaining rich ores, but in the high cost of transport, as it is impossible to smelt the copper in the country itself, coal being entirely wanting. The well-known "Walvish Bay Copper Mining Company," which worked the Matchless mines, sent the ores in ox-wagons down to Walvish Bay, and the experience of a short time proved that this did not pay. The same is the case with all the other copper mines in the country so long as no railways exist; and it will be remembered also that the copper mines south of the Orange River were known long ago, but did not pay before rails were laid from Port Nolloth to Steinkopf and Ookiep. Even if gold should be discovered in sufficient quantities, it would want a much greater outlay of capital to make it pay than was supposed when the first rumours about South-West African gold reached Germany some years ago. II. Agriculture is of some practical importance, more especially because the climate is such that European colonists could live in many parts of the country. No doubt much more water could be obtained in Namaand Herero-land by simple artificial means; but even if the most favourable conditions for agriculture on a large scale existed (which is not the case), there would not be sufficient demand in the country itself, and the export would meet the same obstacles as mining enterprises. III. Cattle-rearing has proved profitable until quite recently, and large herds were driven to the markets of Cape Town and Kimberley. But since the railway has been built between these two places, there is no further demand for cattle coming from Great Nama- and Damara-land. Moreover, it is difficult to believe that the idea of bringing cattle to Walvish Bay, Sandwich Harbour, etc., to be slaughtered there, and to send the meat abroad, was ever taken up seriously, because the animals, after being driven through the desert region near the Atlantic, would arrive at the coast more or less unfit for slaughter, without finding any pastures, and in most places not even water. IV. There remains the trade with the natives; but we have seen that the whole territory is far too sparsely populated for it ever to assume large dimensions, especially as the trade in ivory and ostrich feathers has greatly diminished in recent years. Hence, no prospects are at present apparent in any of the directions that have hitherto been tried. But is South-West Africa therefore without value? I think not. Several authorities have recommended the production of wool in Great Nama-land; and from all that we know of the soil and vegetation, it is unlikely that this undertaking would prove a failure, as all the conditions are similar to those in Cape Colony, and in some respects even more favourable-as, e.g., opuntias are almost unknown in Nama-land. A glance at the wool exports of Cape Colony since 1830 shows of what importance this may become in a comparatively short time. If a first success could thus be established, various other undertakings might likewise be made to pay, and with the progress of civilisation it is to be expected that trade, agriculture, and mining operations will also become profitable. But the first thing will be to pacify the country, and not to expect too much from territories which have hitherto been almost entirely useless to the civilised world. At the beginning of this paper I stated that my attention had been drawn by Mr. Theal's History of South Africa to the explorations of last century. It was generally believed that the Orange River was discovered by Gordon in 1777; that at some later period Paterson, and probably Le Vaillant, reached and crossed it, but that neither before nor after did any other traveller penetrate into the interior of Great Nama-land, until the mission station of Warmbath was founded in 1805. J. Alexander was regarded as the first scientific traveller who penetrated from the Orange River northwards. Mr. Theal's information, which he derived from the archives of Cape Colony, leaves no doubt that several other expeditions had in the last century reached and crossed the Orange River, the knowledge of which had been lost early in the present century. It is thus proved that the first discoverer of the Orange River was Coetsee, who reached it in 1760; that in 1761-1762 a well-equipped exploring party under the command of Captain Hop, consisting of seventeen Europeans and sixty-eight natives, was sent by the Cape Government into the interior of Great Nama-land, and penetrated beyond the 26th degree of S. latitude; and that in 1791-1792 another expedition from the south reached as far as Damara-land. I have found, as already mentioned, that the British Museum Library contains the diary of the expedition of 1761-1762. This diary was published in Amsterdam in 1778, and is entirely unknown to our present-day geographers. It describes minutely the events of this journey, gives the distances and directions of the route, and has many valuable observations about the countries discovered. Thus I have been enabled to lay down the correct route of this expedition on our modern maps, which leads partly through still-unexplored districts of eastern Great Nama-land. As, however, the space of my paper is limited, I can deal but briefly with that part of the journey which refers to the countries north of the Orange River, omitting the information which the journal gives respecting the more southern territories. The expedition reached the Orange River in September 1761, in about 18° 30′ E. longitude, and, after having crossed it, proceeded to a place where they found a hot spring, which can be no other than the site of the present mission-station Warmbath. The Orange is here described as about 1000 feet broad, with steep banks, and surrounded by high mountains close to the river, over which the travellers had to pass for several days, until they came to a periodic river which flows past Warmbath, its confluence with the Orange being south-east of that place. They called it the Lion River, and there is no doubt that it is the Hoom River of to-day coming from the Karas Mountains. Near Warmbath the mountains terminate, and a large and splendid grassplain commences. They followed the course of the Hoom due north, finding plenty of water, until after a tedious journey of sixteen days the grass-plain ended, and they came to another mountainous district with many rocks and cliffs, in which we easily recognise the southern end of the Karas Mountains. From Warmbath to these mountains, Alexander's route, seventy-five years later, was almost identical; and he gives a similar description of the river, the plain, and the mountains. From thence, proceeding over the last low hills of these mountains, they reached, on October 28th, another periodic river, dry at that season of the year, called Draay, now Chamgagu, which flows into the Fish River near its confluence with the Orange. Continuing north, they crossed after two days another dry river-bed with steep banks, called the Kab, finding everywhere on the western side of the Karas Mountains splendid grass-plains, water, and pastures. Another day brought them to the end of the mountains, and after travelling through a steep and stony pass they reached a beautiful grass-plain extending northwards. Here they came to the beds of two dry rivers, tributaries of the Gamma, and reached the latter after a journey of two days, November 22d, 1761. The whole journey was very tedious, as they had fifteen wagons with them, and experienced great difficulties with their draught-oxen. The country is here described as consisting of splendid plains covered with grass and bushes, isolated hills and mountains rising here and there. It seemed to be well peopled by Hottentots; and on the plains numerous wild animals-e.g., rhinoceroses, buffaloes, giraffes, and various kinds of antelopes-were to be seen. The Gamma River is said to flow during the rainy season into the Fish river, and we can easily identify it with one of the largest eastern tributaries of the latter, the Chamob of to-day. Here the expedition encamped, and two of its members, Coetsee and Marais, explored the country still further north as far as the Fish River, and reached their furthest point, probably somewhat north of the 26th degree of S. latitude. The Fish River was almost dry, there being in some places merely pools of water. On both sides of it they found extensive plains and pastures. The Hottentots living there had much cattle, and our travellers found many wild animals, especially elephants. From here they returned to the camp; and the whole expedition commenced the return journey by the same route on December 7th, 1761, as it was found impossible to proceed further with the cattle and wagons during the dry season. The inhabitants, who were numerous, were all Namacqua, divided into different independent tribes, of which the Comeinacqua, Tradiamacqua, Cabona, Korikambi, and Keinamacqua are the most important. The Keinamacqua, who were met with at the Fish River, are probably the "Red Nation" (Geikoum) of to-day, who live now in the district near Hoachanas. All these tribes, who had numerous fixed settlements, were engaged in cattle-rearing. They collected some particulars of other tribes, different from the Hottentots, and living further north. No other information was obtainable about the Damrocqua, of which Coetsee had heard in 1760; but the Keinamacqua reported that there were two nations living north-west of their country called, respectively, the Tamacqua and the Saumtamaap. The former are black and have incised their faces, whilst the latter live in the source-region of the Fish River. It is very probable that the Tamacqua and Coetsee's Damrocqua are identical and correspond to the Damara of to-day, and that the Saumtamaap are the Hill Damara of to-day, who are now called Ghoudamap by the Hottentots. There is another nation in the north-east, viz., the Birina, who bear a strong resemblance to the Tamacqua, and, like these, speak another language than that of the Namacqua. Probably they are another Bantu tribe. They barter with the Hottentots, receiving cattle for iron, copper, coral ornaments, etc. The expedition further reported that the mountains which they discovered in Great Nama-land contain no copper but only mica. They are barren, and hence form a striking contrast to the grassy plains west and north. Several of the tribes, of whom the expedition heard, seem to have been known to Paterson and Sparrman, but it is not clear where they obtained their information respecting them. The probability is, they were conversant with Hop's discoveries. Le Vaillant probably also knew of this expedition, and it is surprising that his doubtful journey to Great Nama-land in 1784-1785 should contain a number of names and localities which coincide with those mentioned in the diary of the expedition of 1761. Le Vaillant's reports are by no means exact as regards distances, bearings, etc., and it is a matter of question whether he ever made the journey himself. However this may be, the diary of Hop's expedition is much more trustworthy and exact than the reports of all other contemporary travellers about the countries north of the Orange River. The passage on p. 472, 11th to 13th line, should run as follows :— "I have to add that, of the second of these expeditions I have hitherto been unable to obtain any other notice than the short account which Mr. Theal has given us in his book, and the reports which Dr. Büttner has published about Mr. Theal's researches (see BIBLIOGRAPHY, Büttner: 'Die ersten Reisenden,' etc.; 'Die erste Reise,' etc.)." BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOUTH-WEST AFRICA FROM 1884 TO 1891. Deutsche Kolonial Aschenborn.-Angra Pequena : Annalen der Hydrographie, 1884. Die koloniale Entwicklung Südwestafrikas: D. Kol. Ztg. 1886. Ansiedelungsverhältnisse in Südwestafrika: D. Kol. Ztg. 1890. Brincker.-Die Bewohner des Nama- und Damralandes: Globus, 1886. Das Hinterland von Walfisch bai und Angra Pequeña: Sammlung von Ackerbau und Viehzucht in Südwestafrika, 1885. Reisebilder aus Sudwestafrika: Export, 1886. Südafrika D. Kol. Ztg. 1887. Die deutsche Kolonie Stolzenfels: D. Kol. Ztg. 1887. Eröffnung von Wegen in Südwestafrika, etc.: Mittheilungen aus deutschen Schutzgebieten, vol. 11. 1889. Die ersten Reisenden im südwestafrikanischen Schutzgebiet: D. Kol. Ztg. 1889. Die erste Reise eines Europäers nach Damaraland: Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin, 1889. Reise von Bersaba bis Okahandya: Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Canolle.-Angra Pequeña : Revue maritime et coloniale, 1886. Conradt. Das Hinterland von Angra Pequeña und Walfischbay: D. Kol. Ztg. 1887. Lage des Handels in Südwestafrika: D. Kol. Ztg. 1888. v. Danckelman.-Die klimatischen Verhältnisse der Westküste von Afrika : Wetter 1885, and D. Kol. Ztg. 1885. |