Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-07-09
REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA.

REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA.
At the annual meeting of the Royal Geographical Soc
city in London the 25th ultmo Sir Roderck Murchison
embodied 10 his address the narrative the recent disco
very Of the sources of the Nile by Capt Spoke and Capt
Grant compiled from their journals just received The
following extracts show u the remarkable discoye
ries made by these explorers
Speke sent qure of paper by way Of nzibsr which
| has never reached the society. sr4n
His present reports contain consecutive narrative #
the latter and the principal part of his Journey between
Kazeh and Gondokora They commence ON January 4
1862 and date from his departure from the capital the
Kingdom called Karagwe that abuts by its coroers
against the west shore of Nyanza at its souhe I'm end
Here no seems to have made favorable impression
on the intelligent king, who gave him much needed in
PRODUCTION for his onward journey ranked his expenses
and forwarded him with urgent aud friendly recommends
tions TO the powerful King of Uganda
Karagwe il portion Of peculiarly interesting dis
rict 1t occupies shoulder of the eastern watershed of
territory two hundred miles broad and some six thou
sand eet above the sea level that is studded with detach
ed conca hills least of which aans the height az
ten thousand f.et-.he Monies un OF Burton and Snrke
Two sources Of the Nile rise in this territory namely the
chief feeder Of the Nyanza lake. that OF another lake.
Livingstone if may believe the reports now brought 10
US by Spoke 1t at length THAI the Tangank lake
is emphed and not supplied, by river at its southern
end, and that this eiuent feeds the Niassa lake aud
through it, of course tho Shire The northern feeder o
the Tanganka takes its rise in the land of which
been speaking
part The present reports, that
the missing papers would have enlarged the fact that
in Karagwe Spoke fount himself in contact with supe
riOr negro strongly and avoraby contrasting with
the tribe. ne had previously and with the exception
OF Uganda, whittier Speke went, is inhabited BY 4
similar race Their country lies along the Nyanza, and
occupies full half of both its western and It's northern
shores The stream of the Nile bounds Uganda
the east from the middle of the nOrhe rn boun
dairy OF the lake with current hundred and fifty yards
in width. leapiDg fall of twelve feet in height The
Nayanza has other outlets from the same shore
tha TIA and faad fat
points OF its course extending to distance Of hundred
and fifty miles from the lake.
"Speke describes the peopls Of Uganda the French
OF these parts from their sprghnes and good taste in
behavior Dress and houses Their ruler absolute in his
power Fortunately he showed great kindness and even
affection for Spoke He knew well of the navigation of
the White Nile by whites and had occasionally received
their barered goods He exceedingly anxious for the
establishment OF trading route to Gondokoro but north
ern tribes blocked the way Spoke here found the north
shore of the Nanza to be almost concdent with the equa
tor He conceives the lake to have formerly extended
further than at present Its banks ntersected at FREE
quent intervals by what he calls rashdrains apparently
small hasagnant watercourses draiang that portion Of
the adjacent land which he believes to have been formerly
Hooded BY the lake. The present size Of the Nyanza
considerable; it is about one hundred and fifty miles in
length and BREADTH but it appears to have great depth.
Spoke was Hospitality delayed FIVE months sort OF
State prisoner at Uganda for his movements
constrained thence he was passed on to the next king
dom-that of Ungoro-stil inhabited by the peculiar
Hahuma race, but by far less advanced portion of them
North OF Ungoro the South African family of languages
which had been universal thus far suddenly ceased to be
ued and the northern dialects took its place. Hitherto
Spoke had no trouble about interpreters for single
language understood less by persons every
kingdom he passed through Hencerth he could get
on IN the least without Ungoro interpreters The people,
too were far barbarous He then first saw people
who lived IN absolute nudity at Ungoro. There they
scany dress out OF difference to the customs of
the place where they were strangers.
In his retrospect of the civilized countries he had
visited or the three Kingdoms of Karagwe Uganda and
Unaoro Spoke unhestatngy gives the preference the
tho inn no ,kaA
person OF character and intelligence Mesa the Sove-
reign OF Uganda being an amabe youth, surrounded by
his wives and deghtng in field sports, while of the
rules OF bis court seems to require the execution of
man per diem for the good of the State The northern
most of these three kings to the north of whose donnons
the language changes entirely is described morose,
suspicious chursh creature ycept Kamrasi whose chief
occupation the atsnng of his wives and children till
they could not stand and in the practciug of wchcra
Cur travellers spent whole year in getting through these
three Kingdoms, IN no one of which had white
been seen before, would friends, in all probability
have escaped from their clutches had they not sup
Piled their maeses with numerous presents and had not
the kings eagerly desired to traffic with the whites
Sir Koderick added: And here cannot but observe
that there remain any persons in the odashoned
oeef that the interior OF Africa is mountainous
sandy desert from which the of the Nile de-
rived the discoveries of Burton and of Spoke and Grant
have as completely dspeed the Illusion respects the
equatorial ATTITUDES the Journey of Livingstone nut AN
end TO similar false hypothesis in the south of this great
continent Modern discoveries have, indeed proved the
truth of the hypothesis which ventured to suggest
yu eieVen years ago. that the true centre OF Africa
great elevated watery bssn often Astounding in rich lands
its large lakes beng fed by streams from ada
ridges and its waters escaping to the by assures
and depressons in the higher surrounding lands As to
the Mountains of the Moon and Ptoemy, it is still open
doubt whether that geogpher had any sound basis
for his statement for, amid the mountains Of tropical
Africa we may hesitate to apply that designation with
Burton and Spoke to their central group north of Lske
Tanganyika; or, on the other hand, TO agree with Dr.
Beke IN considering such north and south chain the
east which, he supposes unes the lofty mountains of
Kilimandjaro and Knenia with Abyssinia. Even thesa
two views need not exhaust this prolific subject of theory
while they may serve geographers good turn usef
stimula to future explorers"