The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-09
THg SOURCE OF THE NILE.
OF HurtOn, Livingstone and
Du ChRillu.

V,rtornttons OF BurtOn, Livingstone and
Du ChRiiiu.
on tho l4th ultmo the Royal Geographical
Society recommended It's meetings in London Tor
the season, Sir Roderick Murehison presiding.
Captain Burton read paper "On the Present
state Of knowledge Respecting the Source Of the
Nile, in which he called in question many of the
statements and inferences that had been made by
Captain Spoke. lie denied, In the first instance,
the CNisttuce Of so large q lake as the Victoria
Nyunza where Captain Spcke had described IL to
be, ard consequently he disputed that the Nile
took its source from that lake.
lie assigned several reasons for disbcleving
that there was such lake. lie asserted that the
level Of the lake was not sufficiently high for the
sOurCe OF so large river, and from tue tesumOny
OF the Arabs, a road passed through what was
said 20 be the centre OF the lake. Another reason
why he thought the Nyanza could not be me
source of the Nile, was that the periods OF the
alleged greatest elevation of the water did not
OrrespOnd with the overflow Of that river
The word Nyanza IS applied by the African
tribes TO any body of water, Nya1a and Nyanza
being indinoroutly used with the same signihca-
| tiOn. The Mountains of the Moon, which were
| laid down some Of Captain Spekc's early maps,
had he said, really no existence, or at least there
| was no range Of mountains OF such magnitude
/ as had been described. The lunar mountains
/ were represented to be Of the form of horse
| shoe, and 10 enclose the north end OF the Lake
! Tapgane.ka some of the mountains being said
! TO he ten thousand feet high. lie did not deny
that there were some hills In that direction, hut
| they were not continuous, and Captain Burton
| cOntendCd that from the north Of that
| lake a river flows into other lakes 10 the north
| wards, and finally into the Nile the Lake Tanga-
| neka, situated much further 10 the northwest
| ECing The source from which the chief waters OF
| the Nile are derived. He denied, however, that
| that or any river took its source from a lake, the
real sources of the Nile being the rivers that fed
| the lake from which the stream issues. Captain
| Burton said he was far from wishing TO detract
! from the great merit which was due TO captain
| SpCke as an intelligent and adventurous explorer,
| but he thought II was desirable that further ex-
IlOrati0n should be made to settle the question OF
| tie sources of the Nile, which he considered mad
not yet been determined lie inclined to think
that lake situated to the northeast OF the repUted
| Victoria NyBnza is the source Of the White Nile,
| and the Assnara, which flows from ii, was mis-
taken by Captain Spoke for q tributary, when 1t
| is, in fact, the main stream.
DR.. Livingstone confirmed some OF Captain
| Burtons views respecting Lake Tdnganeikh. lie
said when travelling to the westward Of that lake
| he saw several rivers flowing towards IL from q
| high plateau upwards of two thousand feet high.
! He agreed with Captain Burton as to the general
signihCation Of the word NyanZa, and he said he
had intended TO call the Lake Nyaza by that
name, but finding that the latter term had been
used, he did not wish to change It, The north OF
Lake Nyaza had not been explored, owing to the
borders being in possession of hostile tribes; but
DIR. Livingstone considered IL not improbable that
a river flowed from it into the more northern
lakes. lie of opinion that the Nile originated
from several lakes in that part of Africa, and that
IL could not be traced TO any one source.
Mr.. Galton defended the statements Of Captain
Spekc, and contended that the objection 20 the
Lake Nyanza being the source ofthe Nile, founded
on its low level, was removed by the knowledge
of the fact that the instrument with which the
level was taken was very imperfect and could
not be depended on.
A letter from NJ. du Chaillu to Sir Rodorick
| Murchison was read, in which he stated that he
was about to proceed into the interior of Africa.
| He purposed pursuing the line OF the equator,
until he came to some large river flowing north
| wards which he intended to follow till it reached
the Mediterranean and he hoped in that manner
! to come to the mouth of the Nile.
He was taking with him one hundred people,
forty of whom would be employed in carrying
| his guns and ammunition, of which he hoped to
| make great use. He said he had caught three
gorillas, which he intended to have sent alive to
this country, but two Of them had died. The
other had been shipped 10 England, and he hoped
it would arrive safely. lie has forwarded also
some fine skeletons of gorillas and many other
specimens of natural history.