The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-11-13
Source of the Mile.

AT the late meeting Of the British
Association, Sir +. Baker gave most
interesting account OF the Nile. lie
thus explained the course Of the river.
The White Nile i. the great stream
which nourishes Egypt. It's sources
are concentrated in two great lakes up
on the Equator which reccivethe drain.
age Of lofty mountains in a region OF
great rainfall, extending over ten
months Of the year. Commencing at
these vast reservoirs, the river flows
through ten degrees offlat marshes, and
arrives at Khdrtoum. in n. lat. 1890,
as stream emanating from morasses,
the water impure, full of vegetable
matter, dstasteful TO the palate and un-
wholesome. At that point the White
Nile is joined by the Blue Nile from
Abyssinia, a river Of mountain origin,
and accordingly OF sweet and whole.
some water. The effect Of the junction
Of the two streams is the publication
of the White Nile water. The main
stream commences its course through
sandy deserts, loses its vegetable matter
brought down from the morasses, and
continues northwards until it reaches
N. lat. 1877, where it is Joined by its
last tributary the Atbara, a river SINH
lar in character to the Blue Nile, but
inferior in volume, being, however, the
affluent which carries the entire drain
age of EasternAbyssinia to the Nile.
From this latter point Of Junction the
Nile flows, unaided by other tributa-
ries. through upwards Of II degrees Of
latitude, or, allowing for the winding OF
the river. about LOO miles, through
deserts of burning sand, until it meets
the Mediterranean. When he reached
the Atbara in June, it was no longer
tributary, but sheet OF blaring sand
along its bed, 500 yards in width, the
eye sought in vain for drop OF water.
The banks of the dry watercour5e were
abuut 80 feet in depth and thread Of
green foliage was all that marked the
rivers course along the yellow dreary
desert. For los miles there was no
change in the glaring bed Of sand here
and there were steep banks fringed with
trees,and at intervalsa deep bend in the
rivers course broke the monotony by
forming pools from II Quarter of mile
to Il mile in length. Crowded In these
| deep but Insignificant spaces were i'm
/ mense crocUdilcs, turtle, fish of mon
strous size, and some hippopotami--
! ,,;u IN Ilrx, INT lnf fpnn hN.
the rains. Suddenly the scene changed.
On the night of the 23d of June sound
was heard like distant thunder. The
Arab servants rushed down the river to
secure some skulls Of hippopotami,
which, after shooting, had been left
there to bleach, and before they had se-
cured the last the water was up to their
waists. The following morning, at the
same place, a food, 800 yards wide aEd
20 deep was boiling onwards towards
the Nile. In Abyssinia, whence these
waters came, the rain did not fall in
particles as with US, but in water-spouts
or perfect sheets. The rainy seasor
lasted three months, corresponding ex
|
Egg pit. From what he saw, therefore
on the Atbara, and from what he after
wards had the opportunity of witness
, ing year later at another point, he wa
. satisfied that the extraordinary rainfall
in Abyssinia and the quantity of sof
. mud carried down by the waters, ant
t scooped at one point alone from
valley two miles wide, afforded tn
4 key to the formation and annual irrigs
e tion OF the Delta of the Nile. OF hi
t subsequent expedition TO the Whit
y Nile, Sir S. Baker declined to speak q
! length, the account having been alread
> publ shed, but described very grnpt
| ically his meeting with Captain Spek
!, and Grant, for whose approach the nj
= tives had prepared him by description
: of "two white men with some curiol
y kind OF fireworks" To those bray
= men the highest honors We're due +,
: what they had achieved, and he chee
- fully and gratefully bore testimony
ID the fact that it was owing in n gre
{; measure to the information which tht
N placed at his disposal, and more esp
o. cially to the map which they prepar,
| and gave him, that he was afterwart
Is enabled to succeed as happily us he h
- done. Owing to the war which was |
~ ging at the time, Captain Speke W
not able TO pursue the windings of I
id river in the unexpected direction viii
q. these suddenly took, but he hims
D. took great pains in following up "a
"a establishing the perfect accuracy of t
conjectures made by Capt>in Speke, u
he on which, as he said vt tho time, doul
a5 would probably be thrown on his retu
id by somebody who knew "little of
| Thames and still less Of the Trent.
Sir :. Baker admitted that the inst
nents used in tho expeditions OF O.
tains Spekc and Grant wore not al
90 gether reliable, but contended for
en- perfect accuracy OF those he him'
ne had carried, which were tested at Kt
'te before his departure and then again
ou on his return ChUrchmdn.