The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-11-30
TIE s0sRCEs OF Tf.E NILE.
Discoveries of Dr. the
African ENplOrcr--asis last Re
DORIS.

The letter from Dr.. David Living !
stone, the African explorer, to Lord
Clarendon, alluded to several days ago
in the cable dispatches, has bcen made
public II is dated Near Lake Bang /
wcolo, South Central Africa, July, 1868
Rr. Livingstone says, regarding his pre-
vious reports:
"Whcn had the honor of writing to
You, in February, 1857, l had the i'm /
preston that | was then on the water
she'd between the Iambesi and either the
Congo or the Nile More extended OBJ |
scrN alton has since convinced ne of the 1
essential correctness Of that impression
and from what | have seen, together
with what have learned from intelligent
natives, think tha. may safely assert
that the chief sources of the Nile arise
between l00 and l2o south latitU@c, or
nearly in the position assigned ta them
by Ptomcly, whose RiNtr Rhapta is
probably the RovumA Aware that 9th
efs have been mistaken, and, laying no
cksimS to infs sliblily, do not yet speak
very positively, particularly Of the parts
west and northwest of Tanganyika, be
cause these have not yet come Under my
observation but if your Lordship will
read the following short sketch of my
discoveries you wflS :ttrctiyc that the
springs of the Nile have hitherto been
searched for very much too far to the
north. They rise about four hundred
miles south Of the most southcrly Y por-
tion of the Victoria Nyanza, and, in
decd, south of all the lakes, except Bang
weolo." ..r-... ...
After leaving the valley Of the Eaoang-
wa, which enters the zambesi at ZI1hbo,
he says he and kis party climbed up to
what seemed TO he q great mountain
mass, but it turned out to be only the
southern edge Of an elevated region,
which is rroin 5000 to G,GGO feet above
the level Of the sea. This rough land is
estimated to cover space south of Lake
Tansanyika OF some ;hree hundred and
fifty miles. lie then proceeds:
1.-The country of Usango, situated cast
of the space indicated, is also an upland,
and affords pasturage to the immense
herds of cattle of the Basango,a remark
ably light colorcd race, very friendly to
strangers, Usango forms the eastern
side of great hat still elevated valley.
The other or western side is formed by
what are called the Konc Mountains, be
yond the copper mines Of katan9a.-
Still further west, and beyond the kone
range or plateau, our old acquaintance,
the Zambesi, under the name of Jambaji,
is said to rise. The southern enc of the
great valley inclosed between Usan9o
and the kone range is between II and
12o south. We were then fairly on the
upland. Next day. We passed two rirn-
lets running north. As we ADVANCED,
brooks, evidently perennial, became nu-
merous. Some went eastward to fall
into the Loangwa, Others went northwest
to join the river Chambezc. Misled by
a map calling this river in an off hand
manner "Rambez, eastern branch" l
took it to be the southern river of that
name; but the Chambeze, with all its
branches, flows from the eastern side
into the center of the great upland val
ley mentioned, Which is probably the
valley of the Nile. 1t is an interesting
river, as helping to form three lakes, and
changing its name three times in the 800
or 600 miles of its course. 1t was first
crossed by the Portue euese, who always in
quired for ivory and slaves, and heard
nothing else.
81 crossed the Chambczc in ten de-
grees thirty flour minutes south, and sew
cral of its continents south and north,
quite rs large as the Isis of Oxford, but
running faster, aud having hippopotami
in them. The Chambeze runs into Lake
Bangweolo, and on coming out of it as
sumes the name of Luapula. The Lua-
pula flows north past the town of Ga
zembe, and twelve miles below it enters
Lake Moero. On leaving Moero at its
northern end by a rent in the mountains
of Rua,it takes the name Of Lualuba ; and
passing on the northwest forms Ulcngc,
in the country west of Tanganyika. l
have seen it only where it leaves Mocro,
and where it comes out of the crack in
the mountains of Rua, but am quite sat
isfed that, even before it reaches the
river Sofunso from Marungu,and the So
buri from the BALBOA country, it is quite
sufficient to form Ulenge, whether that is
a lake with many islands,as some assert,
or a sort of Punjaub-a division into
several branchcs-as is maintained by
Others These branches are all gathered
up oy the Lufira-a large river which, by
many continents, drains the western side
of the great valley. have not seen the
Lutra, but, pointed out west of eleven
degrees south, it is there asserted always
to require canoes. This is purely ma
tive information. Some intelligent men
assert that when Lutira takes up the
water of Ulenge, it flows north-north
west into Lake Chowambe, which l con-
lecture to be that discovered by Mr.. Ba-
ker. Others think that it goes into Lake
1anganyika at Uvira, and still passes
northward into Chowambe by river
named Loanda These are the parts re-
garding which L suspend my judgment
If l am in error there, and live through
it, shall correct myself My opinion at
present is, if the large amount of water
have seen going north does not flow
past Tanganyika on the west, it must
have an exit from the lake, and, in all
likelihood, by the Loanda.
son the northern slope of the upland,
and on the I'd of April, 1867, l discov-
cred Lake Liemba; it lies in a hollow
with precipitous sides 1000 feet down
it is extremely beautiful, sides, top and
bottom being covered with trees and 9TH
er vegetation. Elephants, buffaloes and
antelopes feed on the steep slopes, while
hlppopotami, crocodiles and fish swarm
in the waters. Guns being unknown,
the elephants, unless sometimes deceived
into pitfall, have it all their own way.
1t is as perfect a natural paradise as
Xenophon could have desired. On two
rocky islands men till the land rear goats
and catch fish. The villages ashore arc
embowered in the palm-oil palms of the
west coast of Africa. Fom considera-