A New African River.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 15, 19 January 1887, Page 4

A New African River.

A Brussels correspondent writes to the " Voaaieche Zeitung" an account of the discovery of another great navigable tributary,to the,.Congo, .which it joins on the right ban--,'at a point on th 9 Obange aud tho Lincona. It ia called the Sekoli, and waa discovered by an expedition that, starting from Madiville, on the Qngone, proceeded in a north-northeasterly direction for four weeks, journeying with the greatest difficulty through thick forests and jungle. In latitude 1 dog. 30 mm, north they come on a river which the natives called Sekoli, at a point, as they afterwards learned, a^out one degree south of its source. Proceeding further, they came into the district of the Jambis, who showed themselves so hostile that the explorers considered it safer to return. They again struck tho Sekoli, which they determined to descond, but the natives refused to sell them boats, co thoy had to make soma small boats for themselves. The voyage down the river -occu pied six weeks, The river thoy found ia 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 tbe equator it receives on its right bank a considerable tributary, the Ambili. The water is brackish at thia point; indeed,tho foil all around is impregnated with salt, which is gathered by tho natives, and forms an article of trado for them. Tho country abounds in large game, wild oxen, antelopes, elephants, hippopotami. Below the ecruator the southerly direction beoomes more decided. The river is between 500 and 600 metres broad, and has many islands. In the lower portion of its course 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 _thee is a great delta, almost opposite tho former station of Lonkokelo. The diecovery of Sekoli has added about 600 kilometres to the navigable network of the Upper Congo waters, . j