The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-14 00:00:00

The bodies of
.those of the tribe who are killed in
fight are not buried, but those who die naturally
are buried in front of the house in which they had
dwelt, and at the expiration of a fortnight the
bodies are exhumed, the flesh removed, and the
bones placed in earthen pots, which are placed at
the entrance of the towns. Like all the tribes of
the White Nile, the Lutookas seemed entirely devoid
of any idea of a Supreme Being. Indeed, the only
difference between them and the beasts is, that they
can cook and light a fire. There are forests abound-
ing with elephants, but cattle cannot live there on

account of the "tsetse" fly. The chief was an old man,
who was held to possess the power of producing or
restraining rain by a magic whistle ; but one day
Mr. Baker, happening to whistle upon his fingers
in a loud key, the natives assumed that he had a
power to control the elements and frequently called
upon him to exercise it. From Latooka he pro-
ceeded to Kamrasi's country, traversing the Assur
River, which Captain Burton regarded as one of the
chief affluents of the Nile, but which, when Mr.
Baker crossed it in January, did not contain enough
water to cover his boots. On arriving at Sherah a
large number of the porters deserted him, but he
pushed on for Enorra. He crossed Karooma Falls
in the same boat which had carried Captain Speke
across, but he was detained for some days by the
disinclination of the King Kamrasi to allowstrangers
to pass over, and it was only when Mr. Baker had
exhibited himself on an elevated spot in full Euro-
pean costume that he received the desired permis-
sion. It appeared that a trading party, headed by
one Dobonos, a Maltese, who had escorted Speke
and Grant, had made a foray upon Kamarasi
country, and Mr. Baker was therefore looked upon
with suspicion. From Karooma Falls the Nile
flows due west, a rapid stream, bordered with fine
trees. King Kamarasi, who was a well-dressed and
cleanly person, although a great coward, was very
suspicious, and sought to prevent Mr. Baker con-
tinuing his journey, by representing that the great
lake to the westward was six months' journey, a
statement which Mr. Baker, himself ill, with his
wife prostrate from fever, and his attendants refrac-
tory, received as a fatal blow to his hopes. Learn-
ing, however, from a native salt dealer that the
lake could be reached in something like ten days,
he induced Kamrasi, by the present of his sword, to
drink blood with his head man, and allow them to
depart. In crossing the Karan river Mrs. Baker
was struck down by a sunstroke, and remained
almost insensible for seven days, during which time
the rain poured down in torrents. On the 18th
day after leaving Kamrasi they came in sight of the
looked for lake, which proved to be the great basin
of the Nile. The western shore consisted of
ranges of mountains, 7,000 feet in height.
Upon achieving the object of their jour-
neys, Mr. and Mrs. Baker named the lake,
subject to her • Majesty's permission, Albert
Nyanza. That lake, together with that of Victoria
Nyanza, may be accepted as the great source of the
Nile. Embarking in canoes upon the lake, the
party proceeded for 16 or 20 miles to the point
where the river again resumed its course, while the
lake itself suddenly turned westward, but its boun-
daries in that direction as well as those of its
southern termination are unknown. The Nile
entered the lake precisely as the natives had reported
to Speke and Grant, and from its exit the river is
navigable. One grand waterfall had been named
IMurchison Falls, in honour of the distinguished
President of the Geographical Society. Upon their
return to Kamrasi's country the travellers were de-
tained nearly twelve months, the King being so
impressed with the skill and knowledge of his
European visitors that he could not be persuaded to
let them leave him. A party of traders, headed by
one Dobonos, a Maltese, made an incursion upon
the country, and Kamrasi called upon Mr. Baker to
assist him, in compliance with which request Mr.
Baker hoisted the Union Jack, declared the country
to be under the protection of the British flag, and
gave the intruders twelve hours to quit the King's
territory, which they did. The King, impressed
with the power of the flag, desired to have it, but
was told that its value would be lost in any but
British hands. Ultimately the' travellers managed
to leave, and, after a variety of difficulties with their
attendants and the traders, arrived safely at Alex-
andria. In conclusion, Mr. Baker handed to the
President a manuscript map which he had received
from Captain Spoke, and which had been of the
utmost assistance to him in his travels.

The PRESIDENT, in offering the thanks of the
society to Mr. Baker for his interesting statement,
observed that the society had no cause to regret
having awarded to that gentleman their gold medal
at a time when his work had not been completed.
In reply to questions from Mr. GALTON,
Mr. BAKER said it was difficult to form an esti-
mate of the volume of water of the river Nile before
its entrance into the Lake Albert Nyanza and after
its exit, as the characteristic of the White Nile was
a narrow channel with wide-extending beds of reeds
on either side.

The PRESIDENT remarked that to a geologist it
was an important fact that under the Equator there
should be a basin of granite or gneiss rocks, which
could hardly be reconciled with the ice excavating
theories which were sometimes put forward.

A number of characteristic sketches of scenery
and incidents by Mr. Baker were exhibited in the
room, and their examination occupied the remainder
of the evening.