Hostilities in East Africa in 1888-1896 according to Msimulizi

School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has made available almost 1000 pages of Msimulizi, the first printed journal in Swahili language. The Msimulizi texts in the archives are from years 1888-1896. The journal of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa describes hostilities between various groups from the viewpoint of local people, who experience the events on the grassroot level. One of the themes in the journal are the hostilities between English, German, Portuguese, Arabs, and the local Africans. These news are scattered all over the journal. In this report, I describe how the information on this theme can be extracted effectively using the advanced search system described elsewhere

typifying four Ehrenberg names and a preliminary checklist of the African taxa

To comply with the new phylogeny within the Surirellales as supported by molecular and morphological data, re-evaluations and re-combinations of taxa from and within the genera Surirella, Cymatopleura, and Stenopterobia and with the re-established genus Iconella are necessary. Since the African diatom flora is rich with taxa from these genera, especially Iconella, and the authors have studied these taxa recently, describing also new taxa, a preliminary checklist of African Iconella and Surirella is here presented. 94 names are contained on this list. 57 taxa have been transferred to Iconella; 55 taxa were formerly ranked within Surirella and two taxa within Stenopterobia. 10 taxa have stayed within Surirella and six taxa have been transferred from Cymatopleura to Surirella. 20 Surirella and 1 Stenopterobia names are listed which are either unrevised or unrevisable since morphological data is missing. Four names and taxa described by Ehrenberg are here typified. Two had been transferred to Iconella already: Iconella bifrons (Ehrenb.) Ruck & Nakov and Iconella splendida (Ehrenb.) Ruck & Nakov. Two are re-transferred from Cymatopleura to Surirella: Surirella librile (Ehrenb.) Ehrenb. and Surirella undulata (Ehrenb.) Ehrenb.; both taxa are currently known by their younger synonyms: Cymatopleura solea (Bréb.) W. Smith and Cymatopleura elliptica (Bréb. ex Kützing) W. Smith. Lectotypes for Iconella bifrons, I. splendida, Surirella librile, and S. undulata were designated

A review of the genus Popa Stål 1856 (Insecta Mantodea)

It is suggested that Mantis undata Fabricius 1793 does not belong to the genus Popa Stal 1856 as believed until now, but to the Indian genus Ambivia Stal 1877 (n. comb.). The systematic position of the species of Popa is re-examined and a single species, Popa spurca Stal 1856 (= P. undata auct. nec Fabricius) is recognised. The species is differentiated into two subspecies, one being Popa spurca spurca Stal 1856 (= P. stuhlmanni Rehn 1914, P. batesi Sauss. & Zehnt. 1895) (n. syn.) widespread throughout all Africa south of the Sahara, except in the east which is populated by the other subspecies, P. spurca crassa (Giglio-Tos 1917)

Slavery in Msimulizi in 1888-1896

A major motivation for starting mission work in Eastern Africa was the abolition of slavery. The network of mission stations of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa was established keeping in mind the eradication of slavery. Many converts were slaves, who had fled from their masters or were bought free from the traders. Msimulizi is a collection of brief reports from a number of mission stations over the years 1888-1896. The texts do not include any comprehensive reports of slave trade. The subject is dealt with as part of general reporting. Yet we can get interesting information of slavery using an intelligent search system

Death in Msimulizi 1888-1896

In Msimulizi, the reports from various locations in East Africa contain information on various events in the area, including illness and death. Tropical diseases, especially malaria, were a constant threat for missionaries, who had no resistance against tropical diseases. Therefore, it is no wonder that there are several reports of deaths of missionaries. Also, political tensions caused a potential danger, although missionaries were not direct counterparts in conflicts. It is not known whether all deaths of missionaries were reported in Msimulizi. However, considering the fact that even some less important events were reported, it is likely that deaths of missionaries were not left unmentioned. However, most death reports are on local people. It is interesting that the local people and missionaries were treated in the same way in reporting, while reporters were local people. Yet one has to note that special obituaries were written on the death of some notorious missionaries. They were considered messengers, who brought the Christian message to Africa, and therefore deserved special reverence. This study was made using accurate search method described elsewhere in this series of technical reports. This method makes it possible to use accurate search keys

David Livingstone - As I See Him Now

No Abstrac

From Lake Nyassa to Philadelphia: a geography of the Zambesi Expedition, 1858-64

This paper is about collecting, travel and the geographies of science. At one level it examines the circumstances that led to Isaac Lea’s description in Philadelphia of six freshwater mussel shells of the family Unionidae, originally collected by John Kirk during David Livingstone’s Zambesi Expedition, 1858–64. At another level it is about how travel is necessary in the making of scientific knowledge. Following these shells from south-eastern Africa to Philadelphia via London elucidates the journeys necessary for Kirk and Lea’s scientific work to progress and illustrates that the production of what was held to be malacological knowledge occurred through collaborative endeavours that required the travel of the specimens themselves. Intermediaries in London acted to link the expedition, Kirk’s efforts and Lea’s classification across three continents and to facilitate the novel description of six species of freshwater mussel. The paper demonstrates the role of travel in the making of mid-nineteenthcentury natural history and in developing the relationships and credibility necessary to perform the research on which classifications undertaken elsewhere were based