The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-29 00:00:00

THE SOURCES OF THE NILE,

(From the Athencrum.)
D Urban, Port Natal, South-East Coast
of Africa, Aug. 25, 1863.
Having taken a great interest in the travels of
Captains Burton and Speke to the Victoria Nyanza
Lake, and Captains Speke and Grant's late journey
through Central Africa to discover the sources of the
Nile, I send you a few extracts from Purchas's
"Relations of the World," published in 1617. Page
839, I. In the kingdom° of Goyame the river Niles
springeth ; it is there called Gion and comes from
two Lakes which for their greatness may seeme to
bee Seas, in which report goeth that Mermaydes,
Tritons or Menfshes are scene, and some have told
me (saith Aluarez) that they have seen it. Peter
Conillian, a Portugal], which had Jived a great part
of his life in those partes, told me that hee had been
in that kingdom by order from Queen Helena," &c.
Pages 578 and 879, " There is, indeed, another
Lake, which Nilus maketh in his course, but
standeth Northward from the first Lake Zembae,
and not in East or West parallel!. Neyther does
Nilus (as some affirme) hide it self under the ground,
eatnrdouas dfteenr r
es, without any settled
channel', and where no people inhabited, from
Ydesartse agame, but runneth through mon-
valley
whence that fabulous opinion did grow. This Lake
is situate in 12 degrees of Southerly Latitude, and
is compassed about like a vault with exceeding high
mountaines, the greatest whereof are called Casates,
upon the East, and the Has of Sal-Nitrum and the
[llls of Selver, on another side, and on the other
side with divers other mauntains. The River Nilus
runneth northwards many hundred Inyles and then
entreth into another great Lake, which the inhabi-
tants doe call a Sea; it is much bigger than the
first and contayneth in breadth two hundred and
twentie myles, right under the Equinoctiall Lyne.
Of this second Lake, theAnzichi give certain and
perfect intelligence, for they traffique into those
parts. And they report that in this second
Lake there is a people that sayleth in great
shipper, and can write, and useth number,
weight and measure, which they have not
in the parts of Congo; that they build their
houses with Lyme and Stone, and for, their fashions
and qualities may be compared with the Portugalls.
This seemeth to be in Goyame, where the Abassine
entitled himselfe King, and in his title (as before
you have read) cats it the Fountain of Nilus, which
Aivarez also mentioneth that Peter Conillian saw."
The first lake referred to must be the Lake Nyassa,
about which Dr. Livingstone has written so much;
the lake under the Equinoctial Line is the Victoria
Nyanza Lake. If you could obtain admission to the
archives of the Portuguese Government you would
find that the Victoria Nyanza Lake was well known
to the Portuguese; but they keep all their disco-
veries in the dark, to suit their own ends, on account
of their jealousy towards other nations, to prevent
trading in or near their possessions on this coast;
to wit, a cutter I sent last year into one of the rivers
northward was seized by them, and all on board
were bound, whilst suffering from fever, and were
thrown into an open boat for days, one of whom
died whilst thus exposed to rain and weatherivory
(this
was in an endeavour to open up the trade on
near the
the coast), and they would not have boon
released
then if a British man-of-war had
spot—the particulars of which affaniertareeennow in the
hands of the British Government.
-vir. R. DICKENSON.

St. John'

THE AFRICA STF,A3I6IIIP.—, .1 (AM'S, NE
',
Oct. 14.—The Africa still remains opposite the
entrance of the harbour, but will shortly move up to a I
sheltered position. Her mails go to Halifax on Thursday
by the Vesuvius. Capt. Stone considered himself 15 miles
further south when she struck. d
fast that when the engines slowed to take on the pilot the
uecrki. difficult
Suaihtt
air here, as there
ettheto
r pumps ummaking water sops to keep her
p
afloat.passen geHrsehraiil
jttioriaessswisitiltb h
is no dockyard large enough to receive her, Oct. 15.—The
Africa has been beached in a sheltered place at the head of
the harbour. It is impossible to ascertain
the extent of the
damage till divers arrive from Halifax. A portion of the
stern and keel forward is entirely
the keel from the sternposi; is also
gone, and a portion of
gone. There are other
damages amidships. The
passengers have been provided
for on shore.

L'ANGLAIS TimiDE.--Sir Robert Pol."—
Punch,