The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-08-20
D;scoye, les on the Eastern Side Of Africa
by CAPTAIN Burton and Speak.

! These INTREPID and scientific travellers,
/ conquering athouSand difficulties, succeed
/ ed in penetrating the continent between
lattudes four degrees and eight degrees
south to the depth of 6'D miles, over iand
tia, the foot of an European never trod
before The most remarkable discoveries
they made consisted Of two vast fresh wa
ter lakes, those of Ui,ii and Nyanza, the
bare cXjstance of the first of which on
IL had been known, while that of the lat
ter. hv far the largest, mad not even been
suspected.
We shall coniine our notice to the lake
Nyanza, as the most important. 1t was
found to be 800 feet above the level OF
the sea and hence above three times high
cr than the lake of Geneva. Its breadth
was estimated from forty to ninety miles,
and lis length conjcctured at 3oO, which
would give it an area equal to that two
thild= of Ireland. This mighty inland sea
is coniecturcd by Captain Speke to be tho
true and long sought for source Of the Nile,
a question which has puzzled civilized men
for 1000 years and is still unsettled. In
our own judgment, the question is more
one of word. than substance. Every great
river has many sources, and it depends on
the nomenclature TO which of the several
contributing streams he may give name
which practice has assigned We have.
however, no donht but that the water q
the lake Nvanza does contribute largely to-
ward feeding the classic stream, the inun-
datiOn of which Is the source OF the tertili-
y oi that Egyptian valley, which for thou
sand OF years has eXcrcized 50 large an in
tucnce on the civilization Of man.
pi the country and people seen by our
cntcrpr;sing travellers. We have but few
words To eay The land is evidently less
favored by nature than that on on the wes-
tern side OF the continent, and the negroes
ar" physically. and perhai', even mentally
inferior. Tie eastern side possesses 10
nav cable rivers leading 10 the sea, as does
the western, nor has it the gold or the val
liable palm oil of the latter Its corn con-
>i-t> oi m.lct and OF maize, the latter re-
ccived from America through India. With
apparently abundant facilities for irrigation
not a grain Of rice. the main cereal Of the
tropics i grown by the rude and stupid
inh1bitant> The only valuable product 10
coffee, still. however. in q wild state only
This :. Il peculiar indigenous plant in this
part OF Africa. although we call it Arabian,
because We first derived il III its cultivated
state from that country.
The common fowl and oxen. the latter
used only for their flesh and small milk,
hat not for labor. are the only animals
which have been ,lome-ticated The horse
j. unknown and 50 j. the hardy ass. unless
10 few Arabian settlers Man then. has
here no help in his toll, without which any
respectable progress towards civilization is
impossible. \ hardy coarse cotton is grown
and the art of weaving Il fabric of CORES
Vondng quality is understood. So is the
art Of making malleable iron, the highest
~rretc. Of negro civilization in this part Of
Africa Letters are uukuow 10 the ne
,r"cs ot til" eastern coast, as indeed they
;r" t. I'll African negroes. The staple ex-
ports consist OF tie bodies of the inhabi-
tlnts in iondaGe and Of the tu>ks Of the
slaughtered elephants. The imports cor
respond in value. 1t would lie but to de-
ccive the public to promise beneficial
commerce with such country and such
people.-Londoa Era0tner