The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-06-19
Solution of the Oldest Problem Known
Of Civil zation-- Discovery Of the
Source Of the Nile-A Large Lake
near the Equator.

Captain Spoke aud Grant have discovered
the answer to q question which has por.
picked the world since tho time of Herodo.
tus. with regard to tho sources of tho
Nile" said the Father Of History, moro than
Two thousand three hundred years ago, II
have found no ono among all those with
whom have conversed, whether Egyptians,
Libyians or Greeks, who professed to have
any knowledge, except a single person"
whose story was untrustworthy. Cesar is
reported to have said that he would abandon
warlike pursuits II he might have certain
hopes Of seeing the sources of the Nile
Horace aludes to-
"Fontium qui celat origines
Nilus."
and Tibullus, still fourteen hundred years
| ago, asks;
"Nilo pater quansm to deere causa
Aut quibus in terris accoluisse csput
| 1t was long since ascertoined by travellers
ascending tho stream of the Nile, that near
| Khartum, In north latitude 10 degrees 81
minutes, its waters divide into tive branches
called respectively the white Nile and tho
| 3luo Nile. Below this confluence the Nile
| flows one thousand five hundred miles and
emptes into the Mediterranean, and (with
the exception of single unimportant tribu.
tary) it receives nowhere single drop of
water, while it is a fruitful source of supply
to numerous works of artificial irriga lion.
Tho sources of tho Blue Milo, threo
springs in North latitude 10 degrees. we're
sscertained by tho Portuguese Jesuit, Fathor
Lobo, and afterwards by Bruce but those
, of the White Nile have hitherto de6ed dis.
; covery, Brown penetrated as far nortl, as
, latitude Z degrees Liuant Boy. in 1927.
, not quite so far Mr.. HOskins and Colonel
Lake. baffled in their efforts, declared that
, an armed force would be necessary to sub.
duo the great extont of country through
which tho river passes. Verne went as far
as 70 ur degrees of north latitude, and Mr..
Brun RoIlet nearly as high. The former
! was obliged to return by reaching shoals
, that could not be crossed by his boats, and
, he dared not leave them. The river, where
! the explorations ceased, was three hundred
aud twenty. three feet "broad, surrounded
by high reeds = the banks, he says, "seem
to DO of a soft groen color formed by pale
green aquatic plsnts--lilao convolvulous
i moss, water thstIes, and kind of hemp
n in which the yellow ambao tree 6oursbe'
;, hung round with luxuriant doop yellow
O creepers. Tho river seemed to stretch SSW.
# The latest expedition in this direction ia
O discover the source of the Nile is that OF
O Captain Petherick, as a volunteer Of whose
party our fellow citizen. DR.. Brownell, OF
@ Connecticut, lost his life last year in the
! manner heretofore record ded in these col
>, umns. DR.. Brownell's death occurred in
|. north latitude l5 degrees. The fate OF
Petherick aud his companions is unknown
" Meanwhile Captain Spoke and Grant on
Y tered the interior of Africa from the Easterr
}. coast, and left Zanzibar September 25, 1860
!, to prosecute discoveries in tho interior. Or
|. the l3th inst, wo published an account de
). rived from Mr.. Goodhue. u. S. Vice Consu
at Zanzibar, stating that they bad last 5ee
W heard from ApriI IL, 1852, "a year ago tina
I. isl in latitude degree 80 minutes south
that they had boon thwarted in their pro
gress down river which they believed t
"a be the first certain branch of the NI!e.
7 We now hear Of them at the other end o
q their journey which has been crowned will
a complete success. 1t appears that tho ad
4 venturous travellers have indeed penetrate,
IN to the source of the White Milo, which the
A. find to be large lake, and TO this they hav
i. oyaly given the name of Victoria" Hav
~ ing made this discovery, the little band of OF
"A pIorers, reduced from seventy to seventeen
ho have sailed down the rver--the grandes
ia voyage ever known to geographer--an
,is their approach to Khartum is reported i
nv the letter which we print in another column
,ls There is some obscurity in the account
regard to the position of tho Jake; the str
he sense of the original (Which our translatio
,es faithfully foIIows) would place it as far mort
,es as 10 degrees north latitude but as pr
nd vious discoyerers have followed the river
,re least six degrees further south, we suspe
i'm that there has been some inaccuracy in Il
en- report in this respect.
, A 1t has been given to the present age
as. solve this interesting geographical probleI
We as also that of tho northwest passage; an
the although in neither case do the discovori
nds which have been made promise much pra
an licaI advantage to mankind, we cannot b
,ib. feictate ourselves that the domain
be knowledge has been enlarged by perslste
red AID intelligent effort.
life O = attentive correspondent 10 Egypt !
red forwarded to us an extra (or Bulleti
of strsordinaro) of the spettatOre Egizia'
Z. published at Alexandria, under date of
Al 7th inst, containing more full particu
~ than have elsewhere been published. of
ved discovery Of tho seurcos of the White N
into by Messrs. Speke and Grant. The fact 4
our suoh discovery had been made was t.
i graphed from Alexandria to London, at
,ars same time that this extra appeared in
ma London Journals, but We are grstified to