The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 16, 1865.

den the heart of every geographer. The enthusiasm
with which the return of Captains SPEKE and
GRANT had been greeted might well be renewed on
the appearance of Mr. BAKER, who has not only
verified many important points in the discoveries
of his predecessors, but has increased our store of
knowledge by several achievements of his own. He
has ascertained that the Luta or Muta Nzige of
Central Africa, alluded to by Captain SPEKE, is a
deep and vast rock basin, nearly as long as Scotland,
exclusive of its Southern boundary, which is at pre-
sent unknown. Another remarkable discovery is,
that this vast basin, unlike most African lakes, is
surrounded by hard granite rocks. Mr. BAKER
certainly deserved to reap the reward of being able
to enrich our scientific stores with discoveries of his
own, for he has already won the Victoria medal by
his noble and enterprising conduct. Mr. BAKER is
far from showing that jealousy and dislike of an-
other's success which is too often observable in
men who are striving for distinction, for he no
sooner learned that the travellers SPEKE MA GRANT
were believed to have emerged from Equatorial
Africa in a perilous and exhausted condition, and
that the succour which had been sent to them
had been unexpectedly delayed on the route, than
fitted out an expedition at his own cost
and hurried out with fresh supplies, being the
first to meet the adventurous explorers and to
relieve their wants. Undeterred by the dangers
which they had experienced, he resolved to go
forward into Equatorial Africa to follow up their
discoveries. It was in 1861 that he started on his
travels, ani he employed the first year in exploring
the tributaries of the Nile. In 1862 he started from
Khartoum with a powerful force, which included
29 animals of transport, camels, horses, and asses.
Three vessels were engaged for the conveyance of this
expedition. He pursued his course along the banks
of one of the tributaries of the Nile, where he lost his
only European attendant, who died from fever.
The rest of the party reached_Gondokoro in safety,
and awaited the arrival of a trading company
with whom they hoped to travel southwards.
After a fortnight's delay some new arrivals were
announced, and these new arrivals proved to
be Captains SPEKE and GRANT, " clothed in rags,
but with the glory of success upon them." Captain
SPEKE told Mr. BAKER that he had been assured by
the natives that a large lake existed to the west-
ward, which he believed to be a second source of
the Nile, and that he had traced the river up to
2•20 N., when it diverged to the west, and he was
obliged to leave it. Mr. BAKER, on learning this,
undertook to follow up the stream, and arranged
to join a trading party going south. Unfortunately
the trade along the White Nile consists really of
cattle stealing, slave catching, and murder ; so that
the men whom Mr. BAKER had to engage
were of the vilest character. After the de-
parture of SPEKE and GRANT the men mu-
tinied, and• tried to prevent Mr. BAKER'S
proceeding further, fearing some exposure of the
slave trade, in which they were engaged. His 40
armed men threatened to fire upon him, and the
Turkish traders whom he was to accompany went
on without him, forbidding him to follow in their
track. The only persons upon whom he could rely
in this perilous strait were his devoted wife, who
shared all his perils, and one faithful follower. He
managed, however, to get back the arms from the
mutineers, and induced seventeen to go with him
eastward, though none would go south. He after-
wards found they meant to desert him at a short
distance. By the advice of Mrs. BAKER he
also managed to bring over the chief of the
trading party, and accordingly they arrived in
safety at the Latooka country, 110 miles from
Gondokoro. This country Mr. BAKER describes as
one of the finest he has ever seen, producing ample
supplies of grain, and supporting large herds.
There are large towns thickly populated, and the
inhabitants are warlike though friendly. Of his
further adventures Mr. BAKER gave a graphic
account, and its successful results we
have already recorded. The travellers had
to encounter a host of dangers in various forms,
and in crossing one of the rivers Mrs. BAKER was
struck down by a sunstroke, and remained insen-
sible for seven days, during which time the rain
poured down in torrents. We may fancy the
terrible anxiety of her husband in such a position,
and how great must have been his relief when her
consciousness returned. In proceeding into King
KA3IRASI'S country, of which we. have formerly
heard, Mr. BAKER crossed the river Assur, which
some have supposed to be one of the chief
affluents of the Nile, but which had not
enough water to cover his boots. King
KA3IRASI detained him some days, and looked upon
the party with suspicion, owing to a foray made by
the traders who escorted SPEKE and GRANT. He
tried to prevent. Mr. BAKER from going further, and
told him that the great lake in the west was
six months' journey. Mr. BAKER was then
ill himself, his wife was prostrate with fever, and
his attendants refractory. This statement there-
fore gave a death-blow to his hopes. Happily a
native salt dealer informed him that the lake was
really about ten days march from him, and he in-
duced KAMRASI, by the present of his sword, to lei

them pass on. It was after leaving here that Mrs.
BAKER received the sunstroke. In eighteen days
they came in sight of the lake which proved to
be the grand basin of the Nile. The western shore
consisted of a range of mountains 7,000 feet in
height. This lake they named the Albert Nyanza
and its size is evidently immense, though its exact
boundaries are unknown. The achievements of Mr.
BAKER, and his adventurous wife, who must be in-
eluded in his triumphs, are certainly such as to give
him a claim on the gratitude of his countrymen, more
especially as this expedition was fitted out entirely
at his own expense. The medal he has so nobly
won is a token of the recognition of his services by
scientific men, but we should like to see some more
substantial token of public sympathy bestowed
upon one who has so strikingly exhibited the forti-
tude and the enterprise of Englishmen.

BLOCKADE OF THE CHILIAN PORTS.—The mer-
chants and shipowners of Liverpool interested in
the trade with the West Coast of South America have sent
a communication to the Postmaster-General on the subject
of the Spanish blockade of the Chilian ports and the
threatened bombardment of Valparaiso. They have re-
quested that arrangements may be made for postponing
the departure of the outgoing West Coast mail, so as to
admit of their communicating with the British Government
on the subject of the advices now overdue, and thereby
enabling them more fully to instruct their correspondents
abroad in the present critical position of affairs.
TIIE VINEYARDS IN FRANCE are divided between
78 departments and 2,200,000 landed proprietors.
They produce annually 38,000,000 hectolitres. Of this
quantity 13,340,000 hectolitres are offered for sale •
2,454,000 hectolitres are distilled and converted into spirits
of wine or brandy ; the quantity exported to foreign
countries amounts to 2,030,000 hectolitres ; the vinegar
makers dispose of 220,000 hectolitres, and 15,245,000 hoc-
cilitres are consumed by the growers or sold directly to