The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-06-01


TIE LAST GREAT TRIUMPH or GEoGRApHroAr
ScIEScE-DBcovERY OF THE SOURCE or TIE
WHITE NILE--We know no announcement
which is calculated to afford more pleasure to
men of science than that which we published
yesterday in regard to the safe arrival at Khar-
tum of the English explorers Spoke and Grant.
1t has solved question which has puzzled the
world since the earliest epoch of civilization. and
which will, no doubt. be fruitful Of the most i'm
portant results. Instead of ascending the White
Nile, as had been done by all previous explo-
rers, these travellers entered the interior Of
Africa at Zanzibar, ON the eastern coast, and
struck towards the northwest. The last heard
from Them previous to the accounts just ar
rived, was by our government, through Mr..
G0odhue, our Consul at Zanzibar, who stated
that letters had been received from them on The
18th of April, 1862, from latitude one degree
thirty minutes south, and that they had been
thus far disappointed in the object of their
search. From the statements published in the
Egyptian journals, it appears that they finally
succeeded in overcoming the difficulties that OPP
posed themselves to their progress, and had
penetrated to the source of the White
Nile, which turns out to be the large
lake which appears on our maps under
the title Of Lake Victoria, come five or six de.
grees to the south Of the Mountains Of the
Moon. No details are given, as the travellers.
not wishing TO have the results of their labors
anticipated by greedy publishers, had not been
very communicative to those from whom the
information is derived.
This adds another to che series Of important
geographical discoveries which have been ac-
complished in our day. Within the last half
dozen years the solution of the question of the
existence of great inland Arctic sea by Kane,
the discovery Of the Northwest Passage by
PIN and McClintock and the exhumation of
the remains of Frobishers expedition by Hall,
have been amongst the most remarkable of the
tri,lmphs thus achieved. These are likely TO be
soon added to by discoveries equally important
and gratifying. In another month Mr.. Hall will
set out on fresh exploration of the Arctic re-
gions. In this he has three objects in view
first, to search for records of Sir John Franklin
and bis party; secondly, to find the open Arctic
sea; and thirdly, to settle the question whether
according to the Esquimaux tradition, this is a
great fresh water lake. Many persons ridcule
these expeditions and question their utility.
They are wrong; for their scientific value
apart, they are of great Importance to
the interests OF the world. The recent dis
coveries in Africa not only open up regions in
which gold and ivory abound, but they may
afford us solution of the problem which is be-
ginning to puzzle us-that of the future Of the
emancipated negro. In many parts of the In
terror of Africa bordering on the White Nile
there is, we are told certain amount of civil
lization that may invite emigration. Though
the process resembles somewhat the " sending
Goals to Newcastle" it may have its industrial
as well as political results. AS to the re-
suits of Arctic explorations, although they
have not thus far proved of much benefit, there
is no saying to what they may lead in the f,l-
ture. If we had no other motive for prosecut-
ing our researches in that quarter, the interests
of our whale fisheries would be a sufficient in
dncement to keep alive the enterprise which
has already led to so many interesting dis
coveries.