The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-12-24

''SIng, pray and swerve not from His ways,
But do thine own part faithfully;
Trust His rich promises of grace,
So shall il be fulfilled in thee;
God never yet forSook at need
The soul that trusted him indeed.'
DOCTOR LIVINGSTONE.
The Sources OF the Nile Established -
Letter From the Explorer TO Lord
ClarendOn--HiS Important GeOgraDh-
lcal Discoveries in Central Africa.
At the opening meeting of the
Royal Geographical Society in Lon
don, on the 8th inst, Sir R. Murche-
son, President in the chair, the re-
port of DR.. Livingstone to the Brit
ish Government, on his explorations
in Central Africa aud at the sources
Of the Nile, was read.
WHERE THE NILE RISES.
DR.. LiVingstone's report is dated
"Near Lake BangweolO, South Cen
tral Africa, July, 1852 1t begins
with reference to mis- dispatch dated
February, 1867, in which he had re-
corded his impression that he was
then on the watershed between the
Zambesi and either the Congo or Nile.
More extended observation subse>
quently convinced him that his i'm
preston was essentially correct, and
with his habitual modesty he an
nounees one of the most glorious
discoveries in the annals of modern
geographical exploration, by saying
81 think l may safely assert that the
chief sources Of the Nile arise be-
tween ten degrees and twelve degrees
south latitude, or nearly in the posi-
ton assigned to them by Ptolemy
whose river Rhapta is probably the
RoVuma." The short sketch of his
discoveries which he then proceeds to
give, conclusively shows that the
springs of the Nile have hitherto been
searched for very much too far to the
north. "They rise some four hun.
ared miles south of the most souther-
ly portion of the Victoria Nyanza,
and, indeed, south of all the lakes
except Bangweolo." His finding .
chain of lakes connected by rivers
far to the south of Lake Tanganyika
has encouraged him in this view, the
further realization of which will, as
DR.. Livingstone promises, and as Sir
ROderick Murcheson believes, settle
the question of the final sources OF
the Nile.
AN UPLAND COUNTRY COLD FOR
AFRICA.
After announcing his discoveries
in regard to the Nile, DR.. Livingstone
describes an upland country: "Leav-
ing the valley of Loangwa, which en-
tiers the Zambezi at Zumbo, we climb
ed up what seemed to be a great
mountain mass, but it turned out to
be only the southern edge of an ele-
vated region, which is from 5000 to
5000 feet above the level of the sea.
This upland may roughly be said to
cover a space south of the Lake Tan.
ganyika of some three hundred and
fifty miles square. 1t is generally
covered with dense or open forest,
has an unduiating, sometimes hilIy
surface, a rich soil, is we'll watered
by numerous rivulets, and for Africa,
is cold. 1t slopes toward the north
and west, but have found no part of
it under 5000 feet of altitude. The
country of Usango, situated east of
the space indicated, is also an upland,
and affords pasturage to the immense
herds of cattle Of the Basango, a re-
markably light colored race, very
friendly to strangers. Usango forms
the eastern side of a great but still
elevated valley. The other or west
ern side is formed by what are called
the Kone mountains, beyond the cop
per mines of Katango. Still further
west, and beyond the Kone range OF
plateau, our old acquaintance the
Zambesi, under the name of Jambaji,
is said to rise. The southern end OF
the great valley enclosed between
Usango and the Kone range is be-
tween eleven degrees and twelve de-
grees south. 1t was rarely possible
there to see a star, but, accidentally
awaking one morning between two
and three o'clock, l found one which
showed latitude II degrees, Sc min
utes south, and we were then fairly
on the upland. = x :
A LAKE DIsCOVERED-"A NATURAL
PARADISE"
On the northern slope of the up
land, and on the I'd of April, 1867,
discovered Lake Liemba. 1t lies in
a hollow, with precipitous sides two
thousand feet down it is extremely
beautiful, sides, top and bottom being
covered with trees and other Yegeta-
.tion. Elephants, buffaloes and ante
lopes feed on the steep slopes, while
hippopatami, crocodiles and 6sh
swarm in the waters. Suns being
unknown, the elephants, unless some
times deceived into a pitfaIl, have il
all their own way. 1t is as erfeet q
natural paradise as XenOphon could
have desired. On two rocky islands
men till the land, rear goats, and
catch fish; the villages are en-
powered in the palm-oil palms of the
west coast Of Africa. Four eousid-
erable streams flow into Liemba, and
number of brooks CScottice trout
burns FROM twelve to fifteen feet
broad, leap down the steep, bright
red clay sehist rocks, and form splen-
did cascades, that make the dullest oi
my attendants pause and remark with
wonder. l measured one Of the
streams-the Lofu-ffty miles from
its confluence, and found it at a ford
two hundred and ninety four feet, say
100 yards broad, thigh aud waist deer
and flowing fast over the hardened
sandstone flag in September. The
last rain had fallen on the 18th o.
May. Elsewhere the Lofu require.
canoes. The Lonzua drives a larg,
body os smooth water into Liemba
bearing on its surface duek-Weed ant
grassy islands. This body of Wats
was ten fathems deep. Another O