Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1859-10-14


The intrepid and scientific travellers,
Captains Burton and Spoke, conquering
a thousand difficulties, succeeded in pen
etrating the continent, between latitudes
four degrees south, TO the depth o.
six hundred miles, over the land that
the foot of European never trod before.
The most remarkable discoveries they
made consisted Of two fresh water lakes,
those Of Ujiji and Nyanza, The bare cxis
tence of the first Of which only had been
known, while that Of the latter, by far
the largest, had not even hecu suspected.
We shall confine our notice to the
Lake of NyauZa as the most important
1t was found to be 3700 feet above the
sea. and hence above three times higher
tha1 the Lake of Geneva. It's breadth
was estimated from forty to ninety miles,
and its length conjectured at three hun
bred, which would give it an area equal
to that of two.thirds of Ireland. This
mighty inland sea is conjeetured by Capt
Spoke to be the true aud long sought for
source of the Nile question which has
puzzled civilized men for two thousand
years, aud is still unsettled. In our
judgement the question is more OF words
than of substance. Every great river
has many sources on the nomenclature
to which OF the several contributing
streams he may give the name which
practice has assigned. We have, how
ever, no doubt but that the Lake Nyanza
does contribute largely toward feeding
the classic stream, the inundation Of
which is the source Of the fertility of
that Egyptian valley which for thous-
ands 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 few
words to say. The land is evidently less
favored by nature than that of the west
ern side Of the continent and the ne
groes are physically, and perhaps even
mentally, inferior. The eastern side
possesses no navigable rivers bending
into the sea as does the western, nor has
it the gold or the valuable palm ofoil Of
the latter. Its cornss consist of millet
and of maize, the latter received from
America through India. With appar
emily abundant facilities for navigation,
not grain of rice, the main cereal of
tropics, is grown by the rude and stupid
inhabitants. The only valuable product
is coffee--still, however, in wild state
only. This is a peculiar indigenous plant
in this part of Africa, although we call
it Arabian, because we first derived it in
its cultivated state from that county
The common fowl and oxen, the latter
used only for their flesh and their milk !;
but not for labor, are the only animals
which have been domesticated. The
horse is unknown, and SO is the hard ass,
except to few Arabian settlers. Man,
then, has here no help in his TOLL with.
out which any respectable progress
impossible. A hardy coarse cotton
is grown, and the art of weaving
a fabric of corresponding qualify is I'M
derstood. S. is the art of making NAL
eable iron, the highest stretch Of negro
civilization in this part Of Africa. Let
ters are unknown to the negroes Of the
eastern coast, as indeed they are to all
African negroes. The staple exports
consists of the bodies of the inhabitants
in bondage and Of the tusks of the
slaughtered elephants. The imports
correspond in value. 1t would be but to
deceive the public to promise benefc-
ial commerce with such a country and
such people, London Examiner.