_19th January._—We navigate this morning with a gentle north-east wind to the south, and shortly afterwards have those grass-islands at our side that lay yesterday evening before us. Here the natives offer us every thing: weapons, certainly the dearest thing to them; arrows and bows, long spears, light javelins, and their ornaments, consisting mostly of iron rings! And all this for miserable Venetian conterie, which perhaps may serve for a long time as an article of commerce with the inhabitants of the interior of Africa. The sky lowers, and was yesterday also somewhat clouded. The river is here universally four hundred paces broad. When I look on the soil, I find that it is either percolated with sand, and forms a perforated black mass, like the humus in Nubia, or that the layers, being still unchequered or unworked, are disposed in strata one over the other, sand over humus, and _this_ over mixed earth, &c., but in thicker deposits than we are accustomed to see in other parts of the Nile. The undulating direction of these layers shews a stronger water-way, and a more vigorous forcing on and off of liquid soil. I am now not at all doubtful of a high land. Another shallow island joins on to the above-named green river meadow, over which the neighbouring wood peeps forth refreshingly, with a large village. The natives accompanying us are brought, by the partition of the shore, to a place from whence they cannot advance; they stand and stamp and dance, always upon one spot, some holding a spear, or bow and arrow, in their hands, some a long stick, and others without anything. They sing in alternate song, and raise at the same time one or both hands in the air, or stretch themselves towards us, and draw the arm back again. Eight o’clock. From S., a short tract to S.E., and then E. and N.E. Isolated, strong, ricinus plants, are distinguished by their dark foliage from the other vegetation, which is beginning here also to wither. On the whole it is wonderfully verdant on all sides, to which perhaps the heavy dew may mostly contribute. The people here have better teeth, but the four lower incisors are wanting, according to the custom of the country.