The New York herald., 1863-06-04
THE SOURCE OF TIE NILE.


Podola Is quiet
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE.
--~~~~~~-~-~~-->->~~->----
(From the London Times, May 81.
Nearly two thousand years ago Roman poet avaied
himself Of ageographica fact 10 give effect 10 mytho
logical story He describing the con son produced
in the universe when the away with the cha lot
OF the SUM- and he stated, incident OF the papie
that the Mo ncd dismay 70 the extremtes %
the earth and there hid It's heal which" he adds sre
miins hidden to this day." hose verses OF Ovid have
been read by thousands who probably gave much
thought 10 tho vortabc information which they recorded
Yot learn from these few words thu. in the days Of
Augustus not only was tho source Of the N,ie un
known, which was not at all extraordinary, but
that the fact Of its being unknown wAs regarded
wonder, which, Is very extraordinary indeed Why,
come to Think about ths m1tte should the Romans have
troubled themselves about the Of the Nle They
were no such geographers TO be provoked by
the obscuriy OF single problem in the scence 1heis
impressions Of tho earns surface and OF tho Distribution
OF It's territories loose and fanciu the extreme
II s natural thing for take Interest such .
question: because we believe that acquainted with
despatch expedition Of discovery to any point unvsed
or unknown Wee instruct maps OF the bottom OF the
should be the course Of su Aric IN river
But why should the Romans who knew not much more Of
geography than they did electricity concer themselves
about particular watershed In the mountains of hbys
sniay The Milo was great river, doubt, and q
es etnsr s 5ys wsTs % a. and
baby alike unknown; but in case, except Of the
Milo. was this highly natural ignorance ever made the
subject OF observation or explained by special fable
To understand this anomaly go back 20 early
history The Nile was not only great river bnt u was
as other lands. 1t was tho country Of wonders.
associated by iis annals and lis antiquities win
Nile actually identified u act tho river constituted
all the country that habitabie WHAT therefore,
Syp. woys was 70 'as the Ms was Egypt AID 70
Of Egypt learned hoy knew that their great river
had never been tracked 10 its source and they comu
nicated this informaon along with the rest OF hcir
learning TO others 80 everybody who had heard OF
thing had heard Of this aud Ovid turned the story 70
account and his readers accepted the Illustration Just
the OF all other rivers OF the world had been
regularly rtancd that the Nile remained remafk
able and almost miraculous exception. To complete
this story lot us now add that the very people who first
published the problem are the most rejoced At ts
has been ascerained at last by The discoveries q
Captain Spoke and Captain Grant, and the interest taken
by the Fgyptiana in the extraordinary.
vceroy considers his reign has boen rcndercd
enornbc by this success and tho whole population 10
| 10 q state Of excitement at the intelligence.
The part cuiars OF the discovery will soon be made
known to{s, but is one OF the curioses ( this most
curious subject that what has been discovered simply
what might have been presumed, or we may almost
say what lad been predicted beforehand. the Milo
asccnded mountainous country is reached, and these
mountains the Nile clearly originated. That much
KIN wn always and not much more, except tho exact
point OF the streams origin, can be known now.
| The story told by HerOiptrs Ia exceedingly simple
and natural He says that, to the sources Of the
! Nile, he never found any man-either Egyptian,
lay. The stream he states had been tracked long way
beyond the confines of Egypt but Il was stream stA,
Il IN aer %s
fessed geographer placed the sources OF the Nile, he
might very safely do in what he called the Mountains q
may really term It, has becn made by following Tho
route traced out by DR.. Beke mot long as likely
basin Of the Me Is determined be four degrees south
OF the equator" That in the words Of Sir Roderck Mur
chison is the great geographical fact ascertsncd
and wthou: entering nicely into the ntrcaces Of the
problem, think we may add that the discovery does
good deal Of curiosity on this subject has proba
| bly, by Inheritance. II natural that the
Egyptans should take On interest in the sourcs q
stresm which nothing less than life to them.
natural enough that the Inhabitants OF other coun
tries should borrow this story fr Egypt 40 they bos
rowed many more and when question has really been
raised and has not been answered for thousands OF
the inquiry assumes chsractsr Of importance prob
lem propOundel iu the earliest ages OF may
and entitled 70 tks pride in the achievsment q
long insciabIs. Bw w do VA ~ Mas asst1ias
t.rns vp.r T. We know, y seems, By actual
be seah Of certain line We have also reason 70 believe
that certain great laks three hundred miles long
reservoir Of this mysterious river Bat when these facts
arc accepted Asy do no a. Jar os vs can dsos so.ss
ss.s .,.ss ss,s: % " slss Ss e; .,ss @
the question OF route involved ~ there In tho
Northwest ps.s.so s M NE We . Syss 2 RE ss g re so 70:
win terminate coniectures the sub,ect; bat the
story very like that d Hsrodotus after All rs
Of tie Nils u far Ep ne couwy and tAe country &
impraoioaae: :ai Is barely poss for trapasr % 81
| otI
There is however, prospect opened OF another kind
Dr. Beke that the whole side OF the
basin Of tho Nile h anrierous, and he considers that god
which his peoped California and Australia will day
attract modern population 70 the Mountains OF the
Moon." Then The sources Of the Nae wl b ~ysiSoss
longer "Diggiugs will open up this land OF table, and
country which Egyptian reached, and which Eng
lshmen have been the first 70 reveal, will bs the
property OF every adventurer. At any rate We are
gradually penetrating into the secrets Of African
/ geography. II there is anything 10 be found, we
| shall lind II. Il concerns 10 leave accessible
country unexplored, for the simple reason that until
explored cannot tell what IL may dofor Discovery
terminates speculation, whom does nothing eise,
and spars the Of time conjecture and nference
n intelligence transmitted BY telegraph should prove
pshed which too arduous for Egyptian ki ngs
In the plenttude Of their poweA OF such an exploit
may well be proud, and 1t will be source Of satisfaction
well credit 70 US that we have removed from the
region OF obscury and doubt question which had been
fixed in that position for more ages than can count.
CAPTAIN sPEKE KxPECTRD In EGYPT.
alexandria (May 12) correspondence Of London Times
Captain speke expected here tine viceroy has
sent 10 meet him. and orders 10 help him In
every way His Hghpess Is most anxious 70 Captain
Spcke and expresses himself delighted that great .
discovery should have been made during his reign. II 10
remarkable how general the feeling o interest is among
the natives the discovery OF the sources Of tho Nile
THE LATE THEATRICAL MESALLIANCE.
| -->--~~~--~-----~-~->~
| George Jordan and Dion Boucfosuit.
| NH. BoUcICAULr EXPLAINS HIS RRLATTONs TO MRS.
|