, 1859-11-11
DiscOYeries in Eastern Africa.

The intrepid and scientific travellers, Cap.
tains Burton and Speke, conquering a
thousand difficulties, succeeded in penetra-
ting the continent, between attitudes four
degrees South, to the depth of six hundred
miles, over land that the foot of an Euro,
pean never trod before The most remark.
able discoveries they made consisted of two
fresh water lakes, those of Ujji and Nyan-
IN, the bare existence Of the first Of which
only had been known, while that of the lat
ter, by far the largest, had not even been
suspected
We shall cOufne our notice TO the Lake
Nyanza, as the most important. 1t was
found to lie G,700 feet above the level OF
the sea, and hence about tbrec times high
er than the Lake of Geneva. Its breadth
was estimated at from forty to ninety miles,
and its length cogjecturcd at three hundred,
which would give it an area equal to that
of two-thirds of Ireland This mighty in
land sea is conjectured by Captain Spoke
to be the true and long sought for source
Of the Nile; question which has puzzled
civilized men for two thousand years, and
is still unsettled. In our Judgment the
question is more of words than substance.
Every great river has many sources, and it
depends on the nomenclature to which of
the several contributing streams he may
give the name which practice has assigned.
We have, however, no doubt but that the
water Of the Lake Nyanza does contribute
largely towards feeding tho classic stream,
the inundation of which is the source of the
fertility Of that Egyptinn valley which for
thousand Of years has exercised SO large an
influence on the civilization Of man.
OF the country and people seen by our
enterprising travellers, we have but a few
words 10 say. The land is evidently less
favored by nature than that Of the West
ern side Of the continent, and the negroes
are physically, aud perhaps even mentally
inferior The Eastern side possesses no
navigable rivers, leading to the sea, as does
tbe Western, nor has it the gold or the
valuable palm oil of the latter lis corns
consist Of millet and maize, the latter re-
ceived from America through India With
abundant facilities for irrigation,
not grain Of rice, the main cereal Of trop-I
les, is grown by the rude and stupid inhab-
itants.
The only valuable product ID coffee
still. however, in wild state only. This is
q peculiar indigenous plant in this part Of
Africa, although we call it Arabian, be-
cnuse we first derived it in ifs cultivated
state from that country The common fowl
and oxen, the latter used ouly for their
flesh aud small milk, but not for labor, are
the only animals which have been domesti-
Gated. The horse is unknown, and SO is the
hardy ass, except to few Arabian settlers
Man, then, has here no help in bis toll
without which any respectable progress to-
wards civilization is impossible. A hardy,
coarse cotton is grown, and the art Of weav-
ing a fabric Of corresponding quality is un-
derstood. So is the art Of making malle-
able iron, the hig6esi stretch OF negro civ
ilization in this part of Africa. Letters
are unknown to the negroes Of the Eastern
coast, as, indeed, they are to all African
negroes. The staple exports consist Of the
bodies of the Inhabitants in bondage, and
OF the tusks Of the slaughtered elephants,
The imports correspond in value II would
be but to deceive the public TO promise a
beneficial commerce with such country
and such people.-LOHdOn EramiRer.