The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-08-26

hundred and fifty miles from the lake
Spoke describes the people of Ugunjh rs
"the French" OF these parts, from their
sprightliness and good taste in behavior
dress aud houses. Their ruler is absolute
in his power; fortunately he showoi-grcat
Kindness aud even affection FOR Spoke. lie
knew we'll of the navigation OF tho White
Nile by whites and had occasionally re-.
CciVed their bartercd goods He was cN.
ceedingly anxious for the establishment of
trading rout to Gondokoro. but northern
tribes blocked the way. SpcRe here found
the north shore of the Nyausa to be almost
coiucidcnt with the equator. He concciveS
the lake to have formerly extended further
than at present. Its banks are intcrsccted
at frequent intervals by what he calls "ru al
drains" apparently small half stagnant wa.
ter courses, which drain that portion of
the adjacent land, he believes tn have been
formerly flooded by the lake. The present
size of the Nyanza is considerable; it is
about one hundred and fifty miles in lcrgth
and in breadth, but it appears to have no
great depth. Spekc further learned that
other lakes have u share in feeding the Nile.
One of them lies Immediately to the east
and is probably connected with the Nyan2h.
! II supplies the ,Asaa River, which run2 into
the Nile just above Gondokoro. The other
is the luta Nzigc, to which we have already
alluded, and which Mr. Baker is now en-
gagged in examining. Captain SpeKc never
saw it, but pictures it Oh his map as being
annexed to the Nile, which enters it., after
making great bend at the castcrnmost
| part of its northern shoulder, and reissues
| at the wcstcrnmost part of the same. The
lake is one hundred and twenty miles north
east of the Nyanza. Spekc was Hospitality
delayed as sort of State prisoner ut
| Ugunda, for his movements were narrC +ly
! cOns.raincd; thence he was passed on to
, the next kingdom-that of Ungoro--still in
| habicd by the same Wahuma race, but 10y a
far less advanced portion of them. North
of Ungoro the South African family of lam
guagcs. which had been universal thus far
I suddenly ceased to be used and the north
ern dialects took its place, Hitherto, Spoke
had had no trouble about interpreters, for
one single language was used more or less
by persons in every kingdom he passed
through. Hcnccforth he could not get on
in the least without Ungoro interpreters
The people, too, were far moro barbar0us
lie then first saw people who lived in abso-
lutte nudity at Ungoro. There they adopted
u scanty dress, out of Difference TO the Gus.
toms of tho place where they were stran-
gers Spekc's troubles and the procrastina-
ton of the King kaunsai, when he was get
ting to the end of his journey, were most
annoying, the barbarian cndeayoring tu
take from him his only remaining chronom-
eter. He succeeded, however, in seeing the
Nile for two degrees of latitude north OF
! the great lake, or to latitude two degrees
north. There the river makes its great
bend to the west to pass through the Nut,
Nzigc Lake, and Speke WAS obliged 10 trare
along the chord of the bend a distance OF
over seventy miles. lie again struck the
river at De Bono's ivory station, in latitude
three degrees forty-&ye minutes, y few
marches south of GOiH0koTO. There is al
unexplained difference of level of 900 feet
in the river before and after the bond, and
in this interval highly inclined rapids OF
falls must occur. A large body of Turks
ivory traders) were tho only occupants OF
the station when Spoke arrived, aud they
welcomed him cordially. After some days
the camp broke up and marched to Condo.
koro, Spoke accompanying them. They
compelled the Bari natives to contribute
porters, and am sorry to add that the mar.
rative fully confirms the universal accounts
of the inhuman treatment of the natives by
the Turkish traders. Our traveller reached
Gordokoro on the 18TH of February, and
there met Mr.. Hakcr. In his retrospect OF
the more civilized countries he had visited
or the three Kingdoms of llaragwe, Ugunda
and Ungono, Spekc uuhestating ly gives the
preference to the first named, inasmuCh as
the King of kumanika is described as a
person of character and intelligence MtesQ
the Sovereign of Ugunda, being an amiabe
youth, surrounded by bis wives ami de-
lighting in field sports, while one of tho
rules of his Court seems to require the cX.
ecutiOn of at least one man per diem Tor the
good of the State. The ncrthernmOst o
these three kings, to the north of whose do
minions the language changes entirely, is
described as a mOrosc, suspicious, Churlisl
creature, yclcpt kamraSi, whose chief occu
patton was the fattcning of his wives and
children till they could not stand, and il
the practice Of witchcraft. Our travellers
spent whole year in getting through these
three Kingdoms, in no one OF which had a
white man ever been seen before, nor wouc
our friends in all probability, ever have cs
capped from their clutches had they not sup
piled their maicsties with numerous pres
cnts and had the kings not eagerly desired
to open traffic with the whites. The
question of the source Of the Nile has occu
pied geOgraphers and travellers from the
rcmotest periods of history; and when VT
come down to the periods Of the Romans
we learn from Seneca that Nero sent NJ
two centurians to settle the question, bu
they returned without accomplishing whd
our two countrymen have effected
Our travellers are nCw far below the cata
racts, and in steamers of the Viceroy. We
may very soon welcome them at home
When the full narrative Of this expedition
is laid before the Society, you will thel
have before YOU a most graphic and IN pari'
an amusing account of the customs and hah
its of various peoples OF whom wo never
heard before, aud the character and power
of kings, to traverse whose dominions re
quired sncl continual eNcrtion of tact
vigilance and resolution IS have proved tht
leader Of the expedition to be as good iii
plomatist as he is u gallant soldier. Look
ing at Spoke only as practical geoglapher
we of this Society owe deep obligations tc
him. For he las determined 10y astronom
ical observations the latitude and Longitude
of all the important sites which he has Wis
tied and, in transmitting these to us, ac
companied by variety of meteorological
data, has expressed wish that these
shoaId if possible, be calculated and com
pared by competent authorities before nc
reaches England, and before his map wa
! published. On this point / am happy tC
say that Mr.. Airey, the Astronomer Royal
has, with his well-known love of our sci
cnce, undertaken the important task
When delayed in the interior Captain SpekC
occupied his leisure honrs by writing his
/ N