The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-05
AFRICA.
recent Discoveries In d


Recent Discoveries I'm the Interior.
Mr.. John Hogg writes as follows to the Lon
don AthenGum:-
have had the opportunity of seeing some
maps relating to the discoveries by NM.
Ponoet as we'll as those by SignOri Antinori
and Piaggia, from which | understand that
the former travellers proceeded from the west
side of the Bahr ell Abiad, or White river, from
near Meaa in about 8 deg. N. lat, in westerly
and southwesterly directions, crossing several
rivers and the tracks Of Italian travellers to
near the small town or village called Merindo,
situate in about j deg. 80 min. N. lat. The
latter explorers departed from near Lake
No, or Bahr el Gazs, in S.S.W route,
in which they passed near and crossed
over the rivers Giau, Tangi, Do, and
other smaller streams, in the territories of the
several tribes called Ganghe, Giur, and Dor.
These rivers run northwards and apparently
flow into the Bahr ell Gazal and so ultimately
contribute their waters to the White Nile. 1t
is, however, difficult to make out the exact
routes of these active travellers in those
hitherto unknown regions without having the
detail 8 furnished in English. Also, it appears
that the Italian explorers did not themselves
reach the new lake on the equator, in the
MAN MAN or MAN Aniam territory, and
they we're not much nearer to it than Me-
rindo. Piaggia states in his map that he had
notice o it "a Chifa Perchie) from, | con-
clude two natives or traders. The extent of
the lake is not known; but its position as
given in that map is in rs deg. Il. long, and is
cut by the equatorial line.
The distance from the western supposed
termination of the Lake Albert Nyanza is
about two and half degrees, instead Of as
before enormously said, "half degree" This
lake, then, it seems, is only placed from re-
ports. may, however, add that 1t is likely
to be the lake which is laid down in Piga-
fettas map, engraved at Rome in 1891, by
Natoli Bonifacie; and although placed in 40
deg. longitude east of the Azores, and ex-
tending three degrees of longitude, and in
about deg. N. latitude, he calls that lake
sLago Negro" the "Black Lake, and makes
river issue from its northwest end, and
which he appears to consider as one of the
upper tributaries of the Camaroon river
"Dos Camarones,' as he writes it. He may
be right but think it not improbable that
that river if identical with Pigafetta's Beri or
Burr, may prove to be an upper branch of the
river Zaire, or Congo, although Pigafetta has
laid down the "Rio Congo" as emerging from
Bakers Lake at its southwestern extremity.
Imust also observe that the appellation "Lago
Negro" does not signify the Niger Lake: this
and the branches of the river Niger, "Rio
Niger" are given on that Roman map in
about II deg. N. latitude. Another lake,
without name, is placed, out of which to
the northwest flows another branch of the
4 RIeat 'hlO
All these lakes and rivers-though laid
down roughly, and with no cartographical
exactness-are still to be regarded with much
consideration, particularly when we remember
that more than 277 years have passed since
the Portuguese traveller, Ed. Lopez, visited
the kingdom of Congo and other parts o
Africa, and from whose notes Pigafetta drew
mp the map. Portions of this map were very
likely given from travellers whom Lopez had
met; it is, nevertheless, very valuable for its
geographical details at that eally date, and II
is q matter of surprise that it should have
been SO long consigned to oblivion, when we
find that Pigafetta's work had been published
in Latin, English, German, French, and,
believe, also in Portuguese.
DR.. Livingstone has (it is said) discovered
small lakes in the Casembe country near Lu
oerda, and one or more rivers which, like the
Marupgu, run northwards.
l will only observe that the discoveries o.
Messrs. Poncet and Antinori and Piagga ar,
detailed in papers, with two maps, just pub
lished in Italian in Florence, in the "Bolle
tino'' of the New Geographical Society o
Italy; and DR.. Petermann has engraved map
in which are laid down the routes of thes
French and Italian explorers.