Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-06-10
The New African discoveries.

zeal Society by Dir houerlck Murchlsoh, III
which he uses the papers of Spoke and Grant,
and gives an account of their late discoveries
in Africa. We print few extracts. After
referring to the anxiety in regard to the trav~
elers that had been felt and describing their
temperance to the civilized world, he says -
"Whatever may be IN store as to future dis
cOveries, let us dwell with delight on the
grand achievement Of Spoke and Grant, who,
by traversing a region never previously APP
preached by any civilized person, have solved
the problem of ages, and have determined that
the great fresh water lake Victoria Nyanza,
whose southern watershed extends to nearly
four degrees south of the equator, is the reser-
voir from which the sacred Baclrel Abiad, or
White Nile, mainly descends to GondOkoro,
and thence by khartum into Egypt. In
tracing the outline of Speke'S recent discover
les, | may shortly recapitulate the nature of
the problem that was presented to him when
he started on the expedition. His previous
journey Cat right angles to the route Jointly
Travelled by Burton and himself to the Tan.
ganika lake, and undertaken while Burton lay
sick ut Kazeh) led him into land where the
waters flowed northward, and finally to the
shores OF fresh water sea, called the Nyan-
"a, of great reputed extent. The lake was
bounded to the right by the country Of the
warke Nasal race, through which no travel
er can now make way, and to the left, but at
some distance north of where Spoke then was,
by an important kingdom called Uganda
Speke's furthest point lay, by astronomical
observations, about four hundred and eighty
geographical miles south of Gondokoro, the
uppermOst well known point on the White
Nile, through the exploration of occasional
travellers and ivory dealers, as Penney, DE
II A.
tween the nearest points then known to white
men to four hundred miles. The assertions
of travelled Arabs convinced Spoke that the
outlet of the lake lay far away in the north,
and that it gave birth to the parent stream of
the White Nile; His present journey was
made to ascertain the truth of this previous
information. Speke's main difficulty was
presumed to lie in obtaining the good
will Of t powerful chief of Uganda,
and of such other native potentates as
might otherwise block his way; but no
great trouble was anticipated in reaching the
the lake district second time. Our travel
lers started from the East African coast on the
LIST Of October, 1860; but the commencement
of their journey most inauspicious.
Eastern Africawas parched with drought, and
its tribes were mostly at war, partly owing to
disputed SUGGESTIONS to chietanships, and
partly i'll consequence of famine. The result
was that they only reached kazeh after great
delays and anxiety, and consequent Illness
The next intelligence was dated September
80, 1861, near kazeh, and told more cheer
ing tale. The travellers were again on the
advance, with sufficient attendance of pUr-
tiers and interpreters, and were hopeful of
success.
More than a year then ensued with
ont Il particle of news, when the joyful in
fprin1rop lIpva allu1nd tn rnnpupd EurlanJ
by telegram. There is a short break in our
knowledge OF their proceedings in the mean
time, for Spoke sent quire of papers 10y way
of Zanzibar which have never reached the So
CIety. His present reports contain Il cOnseCu-.
tive narrative of the latter, and the principal
part Of his journey between Kazeh and Con-
dokoro. They commence on January LIST,
1862, and date from his departure from the
capital of the kingdom called Karagwe, that
Adults by one of its corners against the west
shore of NyanZa; at its southern end Here
he seems to have made most favorable I'M
preston on the intelligent king, who gave him
much needed introduction tor his onward
journey, ranked his expenses and forwarded
him with urgent and friendly recommends
tons to the powerful king of Uganda. Karag-
we is IL peculiarly interesting district. 1t &C.
cupics shoulder of the eastern watershed
of territory POO miles broad, and some
5000 feet above the level of the sea, that is,
studded with detached cOnical hills. one at
least of which attains the height of 10000.
feet-the Monies Lune of Burton and Speke
Two sources Of the Nile rise in this territory
namely, the chief feeder of the Nyanza lake,
and that of another lake, the Luta Nzigi; so
also does the source of the Shire of Living
stone, if we may believe the reports now
brought TO us by Spoke. 1t seems at length
that the Tanganika lake is emptied, and not
supplied, by liver at its southern end, and
that this efiiuent feeds the Niassa lake, and
through it, of course, the Shire. The north.
ern feeder of the Tanganika takes its rise in
the land Of which we have been speaking. 1t
is evident, from part OF the present reports,
that the missing papers would have enlarged
on the fact that in Karagwe Spoke found him
self in contact with superior negro race
strongly and favorably contrasting with the
tribes he had previously seen, and, with the
exception of Uganda, whittier Spoke now
went, is inhabited by a similar race. Their
country lies along the Nyanza, and occupies
a full half of both its western and its northern
shores. The parent stream of the Nile
bounds uganda on the east, as it issues from
the middle of the northern boundary of the
lake, with current one hundred and fifty
yards in width, leaping over Il fall of twelve
feet in height. The Nyanza has numerous
OtIel uutlelS IIOln tue SAINT SHOTe, WHICH all
converge upon the Nile and feed it at various
points of its course extending to a distance of
one hundred and fifty miles fran the lake
Spoke describes the people OF uganda as
the french OF these parts from their
spnghlhness and good taste in behavior,
dress, and house. Their ruler is absolute in
his power; fortunately he showed great kind
ness and even affection for Spoke. He knew
well OF the navigation of the White Nile by
whites, and had occasionally received their
bartered goods. lie was exceedingly anxious
for the establishment of a trading rontn
to Gondokoro, but northern tribes blocked the
way.
Mr.. Spoke here found the north shore of
the Nyanza to be almost coincident with the
equator. lie conceived the lake to have for
merly extended further than at present Its
banks are ntersected at frequent intervals by
what he calls crush drains" apparently small
halt-stagnant water courses, which drain that
portion OF the adjacent land, he believes to
have been formerly flooded by the lake. The
present size of the Nyanza is considerable: it
is about one hundred and fifty miles in length
and in breadth, but it appears to have no great
depth Spoke further learned that other lakes
have a share in feeding the Nile. One Of
them lies Immediately TO the cast, and proba-
bly, is connected with Nyanza. 1t supplies
the Asaa river, which runs into the Nile just
above G0ndokoro. The other is the Luta
Nzige. to which we have already alluded and
which Mir. Baker is now engaged in examn-
inc. Cautain SDpkn never saw il hut nicturps