Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 3.djvu/450

 of the soil. Hence health-resorts for Europeans can be founded only at the few points where spring-water occurs. In any case the fierce gales prevailing on the upper slopes would render a prolonged residence almost impossible.

From the heights dominated by the Albert Peak, the eye sweeps over a vast horizon, commanding a superb view of the surrounding lowlands and island studded waters, and towards the north of other cone-shaped masses. In 1885 Schwarz and Knuston, who penetrated over 70 miles in this direction, found the

northern horizon bounded by a range of peaks presenting every variety of outline, forest-clad at their base, and apparently from 8,000 to 10,000 feet high. Being disposed in a line with Fernando-Po and the Cameroons, these Ba-Farami mountains, as they have been named from the tribe inhabiting their slopes, are also perhaps of igneous character, more especially as the intervening plains are studded in many places with blocks of lava. North-west of the Cameroons rises another mountain mass some 8,000 feet high, known as the Rumbi, which