Afoul

and adv. ( Naut.) Not free; entangled. Afra', St. Dedicated by her mother to the service of the Cyprian Venus, she was converted to Christianity by the bishop Narci us, sentenced to death during the persecution of Christians by Diocletian, and burned on the stake. B. at Augsburg; D. Aug. 7, 304. Afragola, a town of South Italy, 6 miles N.N.E. of Naples. Large manuf. of straw bonnets. Pop . 13,000. Afraid', a . [A. S. afered , to frighten.] Expre es all degrees of fear between the most trifling apprehension and the highest consternation; fearful; apprehensive; timid; cautious; careful; frightened; alarmed; terrified! suspicious; distrustful; anxious. "There los thing life, and yet of death afraid, In anguish of her spirit thus she prayed -Dryden IMG:content-0070.png:[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small] entrance of the Red Sea, so completing the circumnavigation of the whole extent of the A. coast. In addition to this acquaintance with the coast, the Portuguese, in course of time, formed various establishments in the space lying between the Senegal and the Gambia, along the banks of the Zaire, and in other parts of Congo. Finally, this nation very soon, also, established themselves along the east coast of A. by the conquest of Quiloa, Melinda, ., from the Arabs, 1505. - It is said that in 1364, long before Cape Nun was pa ed by the Portuguese, the French had already formed settlements very far to the south of that cape, but all these establishments were succe ively abandoned, except those of the Senegal. Several journeys into the interior were undertaken by the French residents at the mouth of the Senegal about the close of the 17th and the commencement of the 18th century. The most important of these were the voyages of M. Brue, who ascended the river Senegal as far as to the cataract of Felu. In 1714, M. Compagnon succeeded in the perilous undertaking of visiting the kingdom of Bambouk; and the kingdom of Gallam, which occupies the space between the Senegal and the Sahara, was early explored by the French settlers. - Settlements upon the west coast of A. were also early made, in imitation of the Portuguese and French, first by the English and afterwards by the Dutch. But no considerable progre was made till the first journey of Park, 1795-1796, who, pa ing through the kingdoms of Bondou, Ka on, and Kaarta, reached Sego, the capital of Bambarra, and there beheld the Niger "flowing slowly to the eastward." Park advanced beyond this point to another town named Silla, on the same river, and returned to the Gambia by a more southerly tract, following the course of the Niger as far as Bammakoo, and then proceeding through the mountainous districts of Manding, Konkodoo, and Dindikoo. On a second expedition, which was undertaken at the expense of the English government, 1805, this adventurous traveller was killed on the Niger.-In these dangerous enterprises there appear, in succe ion, the names of Capt. Tuckey, who ascended the Niger for about 280 miles; Bowditch, who in 1817 explored parts of the territories of the Fantees and the Ashantees; Clapper ton, who in 1822 reached Sackatoo, where he died; and Richard Lander, who in 1830 succeeded in discovering the mouth of the Niger. At an earlier date (1768-73) James Bruce penetrated Aby in i a, travelling from Ma owah to the head waters of the Blue Nile, then believed to be the source of that great river. This was the first scientific journey into the interior. The zeal for discovery in Africa, so strongly felt in the last century, sent also out a succe ion of travelers to explore the southern regions of that vast continent. The principal settlement in this quarter, that of the Cape of Good Hope, was founded by the Dutch about 1650, and taken from them by the British in 1806. For more than a hundred years this colony occupied only the extreme angle of the A. continent. The first traveller who penetrated any considerable way into the interior was Capt. Henri Hop, who was followed by the Swede Sparrman, and by the French naturalist Vaillant, whose journeys were made between 1775 and 1785, and extended to the territory of Bosjesmans, three or four hundred miles north from Cape Town. In 1836, Andrew Smith scaled the Caffrarian mountains, and in 1837, Capt. Alexander traversed the countries of the Namaquas, Bosjesmans, and the Hill-Damaras. In 1849, Dr. Living stone departed on his first journey, and to him credit is due for most valuable contributions to our geographical knowledge of southern Africa. He disclosed to us the true country of the negro race, traced the vast Kalahari desert, tracked the course of the great river Zambezi, discovered lakes N'gam i, Nya a, and Shirwa, and indicated new fields for commmercial enterprise. After him Stanley, whose career of exploration began in a search for Dr. Living stone, added immensely to our knowledge of Central Africa, his greatest achievement being the identification of the Lualaba, discovered by Living stone, with the Congo, and the exploration of this great river throughout its course. In 1851, Dr. Barth made a notable journey acro the Sahara to Lake Tchad. The discovery of the great lakes of Central Africa was due to a succe ion of explorers, Tanganika being reached by Barton and Speke in 1858; Victoria N'yauza by Speke in 1858; Albert N'yanza by Baker in 1864, and Albert Edward N'yanza by Stanley in 1889. The lakes of the Zambezi and Congo systems were discovered by Living stone between 1858 and 1868. Little now remains to be discovered of the interior of this once "Dark Continent." II. TOPOGRAPHY. - This enormous peninsula is attached to the Asiatic continent by the Isthmus of Suez; but at two other points, the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, and that of Gibraltar, it approaches close to the respective continents of Asia and Europe. Its area is 11,290,030 sq. m. The equator cuts it into two parts of unequal magnitude, though the extreme southern and northern coasts are, on an average, pretty nearly removed the same distance from the equinoctial line. It lies between S. lat. 35° at Cape Agulhas, and N. lat. 38° at Cape Bon, and between W. lon. 17° 40 at Cape Verde, and E. Lon. 500 20 at Cape Guardafui. Its greatest length, from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Bon, is about 4,475 m.; its greatest breadth, from Cape Verde to Cape Guardafui, is about 4,225 m. - The geographical position and coastline of A. are characterized by lying, for the most part, within the tropics, and by the comparatively few deep indentations of the coast. Its northern shores are washed by the Mediterranean, and are the most irregular part of the African coast, presenting the indentations of the Arabian Gulf. the large gulf of Sidra, and that of Cabes. Only one river of any considerable magnitude, the Nile, flows from the African continent into the Mediterranean, but this is one of the most singular streams in the world, whose course the traveller may follow from the coast into the interior for over 1200 miles, without meeting with one single current that adds its waters to it. The Atlantic washes the western coast of A. , which, within the dominions of Morocco, is generally low, and succeeded in the interior by fertile plains of immense extent. South of this region. the arid character of the Sahara is found extending even to the shores of the ocean, and hardly disap pearing before we arrive at the Senegal. From the Senegal to the Cape of Good Hope the coast is now pretty well known, but the same minutene of survey has not been applied to all parts of it. The great characteristic in its outline is the gulf of Guinea, the northern shores of which have a general direction east and west through 200 lon. The Senegal, Gambia, and Rio Grande are the three largest rivers north of Sierra Leone. The great African river, south of the equator, is the Zaire, or Congo. Between the Congo and Cape Negro there are numerous streams, such as the great Coanza, and others which are of minor importance. From Cape Negro to the Orange river, which is a large stream, we have a coast of 800 to 900 miles, almost without fresh water. - The Cape Colony is so far known, that its geographical features need not be noticed in this general sketch. From False Bay to the extremity of Algoa Bay is a line of coast over 400 miles long, running nearly due east and west, and presenting to the Southern ocean as broad a front as the Spanish peninsula offers to the Atlantic.-South of the Zambesi, the great river of the Eastern coast, extensive ruins of great cities have been found, proving a once flourishing State, po ibly ancient Phoenician settlements. Farther north on the coast other streams, of le importance, reach the sea. In its interior aspect Africa presents two well-marked divisions, the northern table-lands and the central and southern plateau. The former comprises the great Sahara region, largely, though by no means completely, a desert expanse. The plateau region, which begins to the north of Aby in i a, occupies nearly all of Central and Southern Africa. The average elevation of this vast plateau is about 4000 feet. It descends on all sides by a series of terraces to the lowlands of the coast region. The great rivers generally rise within it, and descend from the highland region in a series of rapids and cataracts which preclude navigation.- Lakes . The great lakes of Africa lie principally along the eastern rim of the plateau, the N'yanzas forming part of the Nile system, Tanganyika and others being connected with the Congo, and Nya a with the Zambezi. Lake Tchad drains a basin in the Central Soudan, its overflow pa ing into the desert. Salt lakes are of frequent occurrence in the area of the Continental drainage. Perhaps the most remarkable is the A al lake, which lies in a depre ion east of Aby in i a, 600 feet below the level of the Red Sea. SOUDAN, the SARAHA, of the countries under the general name of ATLAS regions, of the high lands of the ancient Cyrenaica, and the desert of BARCA, will be found under their respective names. - Minerals . Salt is widely distributed, but in the Soudan is wholly wanting. Gold is found chiefly in South Africa, and since about 1885 has been profitably worked, especially so in the Transvaal; the formation consists chiefly of a grill a ceo us slates, and schists, sandstones and conglomerates. Copper exists in large quantities. The diamond fields in the districts of the Vaal and Orange rivers, north of Cape Colony, have the most abundant yield, beyond all other diamond fields put together, quite eclipsing those of India and Brazil; they were discovered in 1869 and up to 1897 the total out-put of precious stones of all kinds was estimated at over 5 tons in weight, valued at more than $300,000,000, III. METEOROLOGY. - Africa lies almost entirely in the torrid zone, and is the hottest of all continents. The great. est heat, however, is not found under the equator, but to the north of it, in consequence of the northern portion being of greater extent than the southern, and of le elevation. The greatest temperature is found throughout the Sahara. In Upper Egypt and Nubia eggs may be baked in the hot sands, and the saying of the Arabs is, "In Nubia the soil is like fire and the wind like flame." The regions along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts are rendered more temperate by the influence of the sea. To the south of the Great Desert, where the country becomes more elevated, the temperature decreases, and some spots, quite near the equator, reach the altitude of permanent snow. Regular snowfall, however, does not occur even in the most southern or northern regions. - Winds .- A . is not much under the influence of the regular winds, except the monsoons of the Indian ocean. The north is much exposed to the hot winds and storms from the Sahara, which are called in Egypt khamsin , in the Mediterranean sirocco, and in the western regions harmettan . Extreme heat and dryne are the characteristics of these winds, which, raising the sand, filling the air with dust, and favoring the powers of evaporation, are often fatal to the vegetable and animal creation. Rain. The Sahara and the Kalihari of southern Africa are almost rainle regions. The lateral regions of this continent, from the Kawara to the Senegal, receive copious falls of rain with the S.E. trade-winds; but the largest supply of rain appears to be brought by the summer-monsoon on the east coast. This monsoon, lasting from April to October, extends over the Indian ocean in a half-circle from S.E. to N.E. by W. From the latitude of Mozambique to the Equator it has a general direction from S.E., and there the chief rainy season is found during April, June, and July The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia IMG:content-0072.jpg:[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed] The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia IMG:content-0074.jpg:[graphic] IMG:content-0075.png:[ocr errors] IMG:content-0076.png:[ocr errors] IMG:content-0077.png:[ocr errors] ako ria Falls ni HAMA'S Garuga ENTRY IMG:content-0078.png:[ocr errors] IMG:content-0079.png:[ocr errors] Under the equator the direction of the monsoon changes, and becomes S.W. To these winds are to be ascribed the heavy falls of rain that drench the extensive plains and ascending grounds of the east horn of A. Farther inland they are broken by the great Aby in i an tablelands, so that they do not extend beyond the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, S.E. of which a great fall of rain consequently occurs; to the N.W., on the other hand, scarcely any rain falls. The S.E. monsoon does not stop in the coast regions, but continues northward as far as lake Tchad and Kordofan; in both regions its influences begin to be felt in May, or one month later than on the coast. IV. HUMAN SPECIES. - The southern regions of Africa are occupied by two nations, the Hottentots and Caffres . The Hottentots occupy the northern part of Cape Colony and the basin of Orange river. Their profile is hideous, and their foot is so singularly formed that they can be tracked by their marks. They are certainly the most indolent, helple , and dirty of the human family. The Caffres differ both from the Hottentots and those whom we call Negroes. They are generally well made and of rounded limb. In the useful arts of life, the Caffres are far above their Hottentot neighbors. They extend from Natal, on the southern coast, into the interior, probably as far as the tropics. - The most widely extended race in A. is the Negro or Ethiopian , observing that under this name we understand only the true negro race, which, whatever resemblance they may bear to the other dark races of Africa, still differ from them considerably in physical character and geographical distribution. Varieties of language, shades of complexion, ., exist among them. yet we must recognize the whole Ethiopian face as forming a distinct and widely spread family. Beginning on the west coast with the Senegal river, which is the southern limit of the arid deserts, we find a race e entially different from those of Northern Africa. Iu the woolly hair, black skin, the profile of the face and forehead, the oblique insertion of the incisive teeth, the form of the pelvis, and the legs, we see the undoubted characteristics of a race peculiar to the A. continent. As war and the slave-trade have often transplanted the Negro from his localities in A. , it is difficult to say what parts of the continent must be considered as his proper country, but it may be safely a umed that the Negro is on his native soil in all the regions that extend from Senegal southward, along the gulf of Guinea, and south of the equator as far as the sixteenth degree of latitude. -The desert of the Sahara, and the southern limits that border on Soudan, swarm with innumerable tribes of mixed races, and living a wandering life. They are not Arabs, but they have adopted the religion of Mohammed. The most numerous and widely spread race of the desert are the Berbers. The mountain regions of the Atlas, as well as the whole shores of the Mediterranean from the straits of Gibraltar to the Cyrenaic regions, have been subject to the invasion of conquerors ever since the earliest periods of history. The Phoenician, Greek, and Roman, Vandals and Goths, and Arabs from Asia, have at different periods po e ed portions of these regions, and mixed their blood with that of previous races. The Arab invasion has produced the most permanent effects, and that nation now occupies the most fertile parts of the Atlas region and the towns on the coast, and are generally known to us by the incorrect appellation of Moors and Berbers. The ruling race of Amhara and Tigré, who are included under the name of Aby in i ans , must either belong to Arabic stock, or if they be considered as a separate, they are still a nearly related family. It is probable that the various peoples who occupy the widely spread Aby in i an provinces contain many varieties of the human species, the remnants of nations become extinct, or the result of the intermixture of different races. The Arab race, which sometimes has mingled with negro and other races, now occupies a large part of the countries north of Aby in i a as far as the Mediterranean; but the population of the Nile basin is of a very motley Fig . 46. NUBIANS. character. The Copts , or descendants of the Egyptians, are reduced to a small number; and of all the conquerors or settlers in Egypt, none have stamped their physical and moral character so strongly on the country as the followers of the Prophet. The Mohammedan religion has spread over at least one third of the continent; and some of its precepts and practices seem well adapted to win the favor of the indolent and pleasure-loving negroes, among whom prevails the most disgusting Fetichism. The only African countries where Christianity is now established, excepting the few European settlements, are Egypt and Aby in i a. In Egypt it is confined to the Copts, and in Aby in i a both its doctrines and precepts are as ill understood as they are obeyed. - The Jews are found in the Samen of Aby in i a, in Egypt, and indeed scattered as far west as the kingdom of Morocco. They do not seem to have established themselves south of the Sahara. - The Arabic is the only character that is now used in Africa by those who wish to read and write, except those employed by the people of Tigré and Amhara. Its use is, however, limited to very few in Soudan, where it is only great doctors who can read and write. The Berber and Shelluh tongues are spoken ir the Barbary states, and along the Atlas mountains. The Mandingo language is used from the Senegal to the Joliba. On the western coast, a corrupt Portuguese is heard; in the regions of Aby in i a, the Tigré and Amhara tongues prevail. The languages of the blacks are as multifarious as the nations. In Sahara alone, 43 dialects are said to be spoken. But of all the 150 languages said to be spoken in A. , we are hardly acquainted with 70. V. ZOOLOGY.- In the animal kingdom, A. seems richer than any other quarter of the globe. It can enumerate five times as many species of quadrupeds as Asia, and three times as many as all America. It excels Asia in the size of its colo al river-horse (hippopotamus), gigantic giraffe, and large antelopes and apes. That giant of birds, the ostrich, is exclusively indigenous to Africa. But the most beneficial gift of nature to the African is the camel, the constitution of which is in every respect adapted to the country and climate. Of the quadruman a, there are 55 species, among which the most interesting is the Chimpanzee, and the most wonderful is the ferocious Gorilla discovered by the dramatic traveller M. du Chaillu. Among the other anima is are the elephant and rhinoceros, the lion, panther, leopard, ounce, jackal, hyena, wolf, fox, dog, cat, mong us, bat, rat, marmot ( cavia.capensis ), hare, rabbit, jerboa, porcupine, hedgehog, mole, civet-cat, ichneumon, bear, horse, a , zebra, zebu, sheep, goat, innumerable varieties of the gazelle, the buffalo, fallow-deer, the roe, swine, emgalos, babyrou a, and other quadrupeds, whose natural history has been as yet by no means Fig . 47.-ZEBU. sufficiently investigated; even the problematical unicorn is still said to exist in the interior. The varieties of birds are equally numerous; among which is the crown-bird, the most beautiful of the feathered tribes; the flamingo, kingfisher, pelican, and many kinds of parrots; the peacock, partridge, pheasant, widow and cardinal-bird; the cuckoo, the cuculus indicator, turtle-doves, pigeons, ducks, geese, . The cla of reptiles comprises the crocodile and boa-constrictor, with many other serpents, some innoxious, others highly poisonous. The bays and rivers abound in fish, but the variety of the species is not so great as in the northern seas, and many of the most useful are entirely wanting. The shrubs and earth swarm with termites, ants, scolopendras, spiders and caterpillars, while pa ing armies of locusts obscure the sun like clouds. The most beautiful insects abound. VI. BOTANY. To the traveller who pa es from the south of Europe to Tangier, the appearance of the African coast presents nothing remarkably different from what he has left in Europe; and along the whole of the most northern shores so great a similarity continues to be preserved, that he may fancy himself still in South Spain or Italy. But as soon as the chain of Atlas is pa ed, the scene begins to change; the exce ive dryne of the climate on the northern borders of the Great Desert is such, that few trees, except the date, can maintain an existence. It is, however, in this arid region, where rain seldom falls, that the groves of date palms form a screen impervious to the rays of the sun, and cherish beneath their shade, the orange, the lemon, the pomegranate, and the vine, the latter of which climbs to the summit of their trunks by means of its twisted tendrils. Although reared in constant shade, all these fruits acquire a more delicious flavor than in what would seem a more favorable climate. - In Egypt, the European plants begin to disappear; in the districts still watered by the Nile, we find all the richne of vegetation of the spring months of Barbary: abundance of rice, barley, and wheat: rich fields of sugar-cane: olives, figs, vines, and plantains that have been introduced: while in the hotter or drier, or more southern, the date is the chief object of the scenery. In the richer parts of the country we find the acacias which produce gum-arabic, large tamarisk-trees, called atlé, great quantities of the senna plant ( Cu ia ob tusifolia and other species), intermixed with various herbs belonging to tropical genera. Cotton, coffee, indigo, and tobacco are cultivated with the greatest succe . In Aby in i a are first found species of the ginger tribe ( Scita mine a), in the form of cardamoms, which afterward become a feature of African vegetation Fig . 48.-PHOENIX DACTYLI FER A. within the tropics. - In the equinoctial parts of IMG:content-0080.png:[graphic] (The Date-tree.) Africa all trees of European vegetation, and even the date tree itself, disappear; where moisture exists in sufficient abundance to favor vegetation, the flora partakes in a certain degree, particularly on the east side, of the plants of India, but is to a much greater extent composed of species peculiar to itself. The landscape is characterized by ma es of the unwieldy Baobab ( A dans on i a ), huge cotton-trees ( Bombax pent and rum ), large gramineous plants with branching stems, sago palms ( Sagus raphia), and others of the same majestic tribe. In some places the woods abound in pine-apples, which, although not natives of the continent, have established themselves as completely as in their native stations in tropical America. With the general nature of the vegetation change also the species that are cultivated for the food of man. In the tropical regions of Africa, no waving fields of corn reward the labors of the husbandman; the vine is unknown, the figs are of other and of usele species, and of all the northern fruits the orange and the lime alone remain. In their stead the ca ava ( Jatropha manihot), the yam ( Dioscorea ), the pigeon-pea (Cytisus cajan), and the ground-nut ( Arachis hypogœa ), are the farinaceous plants; the papaw ( Carica papaya ), the tamarind, and the nitta or doura-tree ( Parkia Afri can a), are the fruits in some places; the Senegal custard apple (Anona Senega lens is ), the gray plum ( Pari narium), and the Safu, in others; and the bread-fruit of Polynesia is represented by a large tree called musang a, the seeds of which are as agreeable as hazelnuts. As we approach the southern point of this continent, a new change pa es over the face of nature; tropical plants disappear as they have formerly appeared, not however to find their places occupied by the plants of the north, but to contemplate an order of vegetable life so different, that its very genera had been previously unseen. The Karroos of the Cape Colony are the residence of fleshy, leafle , distorted, shapele tribes of Stapelias, of Mesembryanthemums, Euphor bias, Cra ulas, Aloes, and other succulent plants, each holding to the soil by the weak support of a single, wiry root, and feeding rather upon the dews of heaven than the moisture of the soil, a situation to which they are admirably adapted by the want or imperfect state of their evaporating pores, so that whatever humidity they are able to collect is parted with as slowly as the limited supply is furnished to them. Among these grow stunted bushes of endle species of heath ( Frica ), and succulent geraniums ( Pelargonium ), strong-scented Buchu plants ( Diosma ), and a great variety of shrubby Composite. The hills and rocks are scattered over with a remarkable tribe of plants called Cycadeæ, intermediate, as it were, between ferns and palms; the plains are permanently clothed with patches of a rush-like plant called Restio . - At Cape Town has been introduced the American aloe, and the oaks and stone pines of Europe have found a congenial climate. Such are the more prominent features of the vegetation of Africa. Its islands partake more or le of the nature of the flora of the adjacent continent. VII. POLITICAL DIVISIONS. -The earlier divisions of Africa in use by writers were merely geographical, the native political divisions being but little known. These divisions have been in great measure replaced by those adopted by colonizing nations. On the east Egypt extends far up the course of the Nile, its former districts of Nubia having been recently re-conquered. Aby in i a occupies the northeastern section of the plateau region. Westward from it lie the Nubian districts of Sennaar and Kordofan and the native states of Darpur , Wadai , and Bagirmi. On the coast of Aby in i a is the Italian colony of Erythria , while south of the Gulf of Aden lies Somali Land , whose coast is in part claimed by France and Great Britain. British East Africa , a recent extensive division, extends on the coast from the river Juba to about 50 N. lat. and inland to Kordofan and Darfur. Adjoining it on the south and extending to the Rovuma River, lies German East Africa , a great area extending inland to Lake Tanganyika, and the Congo Free State. Further south extends the Portuguese district of Mozam bique for about 1000 miles along the coast. South of this lie Zululand and some other native states under British protectorate, and the British colony of Natal . Inland from these provinces are situated the two Boer republics, called the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (formerly the Transvaal ). South of these, extending to the extremity of the continent, is the large them the celebrated Mungo Park. In 1903, the a ocia- | Afton, in Wisconsin, a post-village in Rock township, tion was incorporated with the Royal Geographical Society. African Company. A society of merchants, established in the reign of Charles II., for trading to Africa, and incorporated in 1754. When the expenses of the company had to be defrayed out of the public purse, its charter was recalled by parliament, and its po e ions were annexed to Sierra Leone. African Islands. A cluster of low islands in the Indian Ocean, on one of which the Spitfire , a ship of the English navy, was wrecked, 21st Aug., 1801. Lat. 4o 53 S.; Lon. 53° 33′ E. African Methodist Episcopal and Zion Churches. METHODIST. See African Teak . The timber of the Old field i a African a , a tree belonging to the natural order Euphorbiace. It is exceedingly strong and durable. African us. See SCIPIO, (Publius Cornel i us.) Afrikeah, AFRIKIAH, or MAHADIAH. A seaport of the kingdom of Tunis, on the Mediterranean. It was taken by Charles V., who demolished its fortifications. Pop . 3,000. 115 miles S.S.E. of Tunis. Af's hars, or AFSCHARS, n . pl . A Persian tribe, of foreign origin, who claim to be descendants of the Turkomans. They are comprised under two divisions, Shamloo and Kirkloo, and reside for the most part in towns, of which Abivert and Helat are the principal. The tribe is said to occupy altogether 20,000 houses. Aft, adv. [A. S. æft, behind.] See ABAFT. "Good after ill, and after pain delight; Alternate, like the scenes of day and night."--Dryden. -Following in place;-commonly applied to words of motion; as, he came after , and stood behind him. "Sometimes I placed a third prism after a second, and sometimes & fourth after the third."- Newton. relation to. "After whom dost thou pursue?"-1 Sam . xxix. 14. "I will inquire after him." ocean, Madagascar, Mauritius, Bourbon, Zanzibar, .; and in the north Indian, the islands of Socotra. The maritime nations of Europe have been no le active in - In imitation of. "This allusion is after the oriental manner." -Pope . "What an opinion will after ages entertain of this religion?"Add is on.