The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-06-26

HOLLOWAY & DAVIS. P1bltahnIs


Anetber OF Ihe great geographical puzzles
is solved. fk< sources OF 6be sacred Nile,
unknown. but inquired alter for thousands
OF years. and object of curiosity 10 the n.
t.lligent from the days when Herodotus could
get no satisfactory account to the present,
are at last revealed by an adventurous En-
gIishmsn, Captain Speke.
In letter to Sir Rcderick Murchison.
printed in English journals received this
morning. the fortunate discoverer writes:
~ said would do it. and l have done II.
The Victoria Nysnzs is the great reservoir
of the sacred Bshr ell Abiad( White Niie.I
SIR hoderick Murchison adds:
This discovery by Speke and Grant. by
which the soulhermost limit Of the basin OF
the Nile is determined to be. four degrees
south OF the equator, is the most remArkab,e 9
geographical feat OF our age. and is. indeed.
an achievement OF which all our country men
may well be proud.''
/ The lske Victoria Nyanz.. which these
two Enghsha EN- have thus ascertained to be
the true sorce or headwaters of the White
Nile, was discovered hy Captain Speke on
the 81 OF August, 1885, de set out with
Capt. Burton, but lett the latter at the Lake
Tauganyika, ani pushed on alone till he
reached the Victoria. He reported this water
I to be extensive, the southern extremity lying
about one hundred and fifty miles south OF
the equator, and the northern reaching at
last degree north Of the equator. IN longi-
tuda Sd deg. or 80 deg. $50 - f"f3A
| Capt Speke returned to England convin.
ced TIA, this lake he had discovered was the
true source OF the White Nile. Capt. Burton
ridiculed the supposition. and i. Was received
with doub, by the geographical public :
/ Persuaded that he was right. and determi.
ned to prove it, Speke returned TO the Afri-
can cast. organized new expedition. and
left Zanzibar with it September 25th. 1850
About year ago, on the 1ith of April.
1862. they were reported in latitude deg
80 min south having discovered = river
which they believed TO be the first certain
branch of the Nile. About the end OF March
last, he and the small remn ant of his party
arrived at khartum, having followed the
stream from the lake Victoria Nyanza down.
OF seventy men who formed his retinue on
leaving Zanzibar, only seventeen remained
with him. ~
1, was happy accident for Captain Speke.
that the first letter he opened on emerging
from the darkness of an unknown land COM
munica,ed to him that he had, during his
absence, received the highest reward the
Royal Geographical Society can bestow. for
his discovery of the lake in 1883. He writes:
IL think may safely say that never felt
so rejoced as did when Pstherick deliver
ed to me your lettsr notifying me that the
Royal Geographical Society had adjudicated
to me their Founders Medal. for the dis
covery of the Lake Victoria Nyanza. the
more as the kind expressions In your let
ter reached me just my trials were over"
In another letter, written March 30th,
from Khartum. he says: .r.f
1--WE left Petherick, wife and doctor all
well at Gondokoro. Baker. who was the
first En9lishman we met with, gave US as
sistance in boats. stores and money"
! The "doctor" me ntioned can scarcely be
DIR. Brownell, an American. whose death
was reported some months ago. ii But it was
also reported that Mr.. Petherick. had been
killed, and this appears now to have been an
error. Iszne.l.8 .8sf "a. .aes4.,
Thus, geographical problem, as interest
ing as that OF he north west passage. and
longer than that the subject Of Intelligent
speculations and research. is at last solved.
the stubborn earth has given up another o I
It's secrets, and there remains now no great
prize for geographers and explorers TO strive
for B.yard Taylor wrote. some years ago.
'.Since Columbus looked upon San Salvador.
the earth has but one emotion OF triumph
lleft in her bestowal. and that she reserved
for him who shall drink from the fountains
Of the White Nile" 20