The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-07-24
Nile Explorers Telling the Story of
their Wanderings.

The members of the Royal Institution
held a special meeting in London on the
23d ultimo, to hear a lecture by Captain
Spoke on the discovery of the source of
the Nile The Prince of Wales was pres
ent, attended by General Knollys, Sir
Roderick Murchison, and a numerous
suite. The Prince was accompanied by
the Comte de Paris and several other
membersof the late royal family Of France.
Before commencing his lecture Captain
Spoke introduced to the audience two
little black boys who were brought to
England for education. He also desired
publicly to thank Sir Roderick Murchison
and the Fellows of the Geographical So
ciety for the assistance they had afforded
him in proving the correctness of the con-
clusion at which he had arrived n 1853,
that Lake Victoria Nyanza was the source
of some great river, and that river was
the Nile Time would not permit him to
describe the whole of the incidents of his
Journey from Zanzibar to Egypt, which
occupied two years and halt, and extend
ed over distance Of more than three
thousand miles He chose rather to give
some account of the Wahuma and some
of the other tribes inhabiting the shores
of Lake Nyanza.
Judging from the physical characters
tics of those tribes, he considered them to
be descended from the ancient Abyssinians
an idea confirmed by the traditions of
the people, who, when questioned about
their origin, always replied that they came
from the north. Captain Spoke gave
long and interesting account of the history
of the people of Unyoro, tracing their
kings down to the present monarch. On
the most fertile part of the shores of Lake
Nyanza, he said, is the kingdom of Uganda,
which is the most interesting of all the ma
tons of equatorial Africa, being better
cultivated and better governed than any
other. The customs of Uganda are many
of them most irregular. The Princes hav
ing large harems of women, their progeny
is, of course, most numerous. When
King dies all his sons are burnt except his
successor and two others, who are kept,
in case of accident. until the coronation,
ofwhich one is pensoned off and the other
banished to Unyoro. Untidiness in dress
is capital crime, except the offender pos
sesses sufficient riches to pay an enormous
fine. Ingratitude, or even neglecting to
thank person for benefit conferred, is
punishable.
The court customs are also curious No
one is allowed to stand before the King,
and to touch him or look at one of
his women is death. They believe i'm
plicitly in magic and the evil eye, and the
kings are always attended by a certain
number of women crowned with dead liz
ards, and bearing bowls of plantain wine
in their hands. The King Of Karagwe is
the most civilized of all these native chiefs;
before entering Uganda Captain Spoke
spent many days with him. In manners,
civilities and enlightenment he might be
compared with many Europeans. He owes
much of this to the influence of an Indian
merchant named Moussa Mzouri, who
helped him by his advice to conquer his
brother, with whom he was at war; Capt.
Spoke was much entertained with many of
his questions as to what became of the
old suns and why the moon made faces at
the earth. He also wanted to know wheth-
er England, of which he had heard from
the ivory traders, could blow up the whole
of Africa with gunpowder. The moment
the King heard that he was DESTROYS of
going north he sent messengers to the
King of Uganda to prepare the way for
him. The King was most anxious to at
ford him every possible information about
the country.
While at the palace the King took him