The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-09-02

The intrepid and scientific travellers, Cap
tains Burton and Speke, conquering thou
sand difficulties, succeeded in penetrating
the continent between latitudes four degrees
south, to the depth of six hundred miles,
over land that the foot of European never
trod before. The most remarkable discoye-'
ries they made consisted of two fresh water
lakes, those Of Ujiji and Nyanza, the bare
existence of the first of which only had been
known, while that of the latter, by far the
larger, bad not even been suspected. ,oE=
We shall confine our notice to the lake of
Nyanza, as the most important. 1t was
found to lie 3, 700 feet above the level of the
see, and hence above three times higher than
the Lake of Geneva Its breadth was esti-
mated from forty to ninety miles, aud. its
length conjectured at three hundred, which
would give il an area equal to that of two
thirds of Ireland. This mighty inland sea is
conjectured by Captain Speke to be the true
and long sought tor source of the Nile; a
question which has puzzled civilized men
for two thousand years, and is still unset
tied. In our judgment, the question is more
of words than substance. Every great river
has many sources, and it depends upon the no.
menclature to which of the several contrib
uting streams he may give the name which
practice has assigned. We have, however,
no doubt but that the water of the Lake N.Y.
ana does contribute largely towards feeding
the classic Stream, the inundation of which
is the source OF the fertility of that Egyp-
tian valley which for thousands of years
has exercised so large an influence upon the
civilization Of man. trsftv- ~
Of the country and people seen by our
enterprising travellers we have but a few
words to say. The land is evidently less
favored by nature than that of the western
side of the continent, and the negroes are
physically, and perhaps even mentally infe-
rior. The eastern side possesses no naviga-
ble rivers leading to the sea, as does the
western, nor has it the gold or the valuable
palm oil Of the latter. It's corns consists of
millet and maize, the latter received from
America through India. With apparently
abundant facilities for irrigation, not grain
of rice, the main cereal of tropics, is grown
by the rude and stupid inhabitants. The
only valuable product is codee-still, how
ever, in a wild state only. This is pecu-
liar indigenous plant in this part of Africa
although We call it Arabian, because we
first derived it in its cultivated state from
that country. Tie common fowl, and oxen
the latter used only for their flesh and
small milk, but not for labor-are the only
animals which have been domesticated.-
The horse is unknown, and 80 is the hardy
ass, except to a few Arabian settlers. Man,
then, has here no help in his toll, without
which any respectable progress toward civ
ilization is impossible A hardy, coarse
cotton is grown, and the art of weaving a
fabric of corresponding quality is UNDER
stood. So is the art of making malleable
iron-the highest stretch of negro civiliza-
ton in this part of Africa. Letters are un-
known 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. 1t would be but to
deceive the public to promise beneficial
commerce with such country and such a
people.-London Examiner. An.