Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-20
Letter from DR.. Livingstone.
Detailed Account of his Discoveries

TORONTO, Ont, Aug. 1O.-The Globe this
morning publishes a letter from the brother of
DIR. Livingstone residing in Listowel, Ontario.
The former says:
To the Editors of the Globe a enclose ex-
tracts from letter just received from my
Nov. 16, 1871, which presume came along with
Stanley's dispatches. On the envelope is writ
ten: This leaves Unyamyemba, 14th of March
1872 JOHN LIVINGSTONE"
The following is DR.. Liyingstone's letter to his
brother:
UJIJI, November 26, 1871
Ny Dear Brother. | received your welcome
letter in February last, written when the cable
news made you put off your suits of mourning
This was the first intimation | had that the
cable was successfully laid in the deep Atlantic.
Very few letters have reached me for years, in
consequence of my friends specializing where
should come out on the west coast, down the
Nile or elsewhere. The watershed is broad up
land between 1900 and 5000 feet above the sea
and some seven hundred miles long. The springs
of the Nile that rise thereon are almost innumer-
able. 1t would take the best part of mans
life time to count them. One part 60 miles of
latitude, gave thirty-two springs, from calf to
waist deep, or one spring for every two miles
A birds eye view of them would be like the
vegetation of frost on the window panes To
ascertain that all these fountains united with
four great rivers in the upper part of the Nile
valley was a work of time and much travel
Many weary foot trod ere light dawned on
the ancient problem. If had left at the end of
two years, for which my bare expenses were
paid, ] could have thrown very little more light
on the country than the Portuguese, who in
their three slavery visits to CoZembe, asked for
ivory and slaves and heard of nothing else. |
asked about the waters; questioned and cross
questioned, till was really ashamed, and al.
most afraid of being set down as afflicted with
hydrocephalus | went forward backwards
and sideways, feeling my way, and every step
of the way was generally cropping in the dark
for who cared where the rivers ran2
OF these four rivers, into which springs of
the Nile convey, the central one, called Luala-
ba, is the largest. 1t begins as the river Cham
beze which flows into the great lake Bangweo-
10, On leaving it its name is changed from
Chambeze to Luapula, and thar enters Lake
Moero, coming out of it the name Lualaba is
assumed, and it flows into third lake, KAN
Olondo, which receives one of the four large
drains mentioned above. Ii then flows on and
makes two enormous bends to the west which
made me often fear that | was following the
Congo instead of the Nile. 1t is from one to
three miles broad aud never can be waded at
any point, or at any time of the year Far down
the valley it receives another of the four large
rivers above mentioned, the Locke or Lomani
which flows through what have named Lake
Lincoln, and then joins central Lualaba. We
have then only two lines of drainage in the
lower part of the great valley. That is, the
Tanganyka and NgasSa lakes, which are but
one lake, river, or say, il you want to be pedan-
tic, Lacustaan river. These two form the east
ern line. The Lualaba, which | call Webb's |
LuaaDa, as depicted by PtOlemy in the second |
century of our era. |
After the Lomani enters the Lualaba, the |
fourth great lake in the central line of drainage
is found, but this | have not vet seem nor vet |
the link between the eastern and western mains |
AT the top of Ptolemy's loop the great central |
line goes down into large reedy lakes probably |
those reported to Nero's Centurion, and these |
form the western or Petherck's arm which |
Spoke and Grant and Baker believed to be the |
river of Egypt. Neither can be called the Nile |
until they unite. The lakes mentioned in the |
central line of drainage are by no means small |
Lake BangweOlo at the lowest estimate is $50 |
miles long, 6nd tried to cross it and measure |
its breadth exactly. The first stage was to an |
inhabited island "a miles. The second stage |
could be seen from its highest point, or rather |
the tops OF trees upon it, evidently lifted up by |
mirage. The third stage, the main land, was |
said to be as far beyond, but my canamen had |
stolen the canoe, and they got hint that the |
real owners were in pursuit and got into fur |
ry to return home. Oh, that they would, but |
had only my coverlet left to hire another |
craft, and the lake being 400 feet above the sea |
it was very cold, so gave in and went back,
but believe the breadth to be between go and |
70 miles. Bangweolo Moero and KamoIondo |
are looked on as one great riVerine lake, and is |
one of Ptolemy's The other is Tanganyika |
Ptoemy's geographic predecessors must have |
CLEANED their geography from men who visited |
this very region. The reason why genuine ge-
ography was rejected was the extreme modesty |
Of the modern map makers, One idle person |
IN London published pamphlet, which, with |
killing modesty, he entitled elmer Africa Laid |
Open" and in the newspapers, even in the |
Times, rails at any one who travels and dares TO |
find country different from that drawn in his |
twaddle. am great sinner, in the poor fell
lOW'g fhp f,.tI.ts I,,,I
ings even when was most unwiSely believed TO |
be dead. Not really, but Lord Brougham and |
know what people will say after we are gone
The work of trying to follow the central line |
OF drainage down has takenl me away from
mails or postage.
The Manyema are undoubtedly cannibals, but
il was long before could get conclusive evil
dence thereon,
/ was sorely let and hindered by having half |
caste Moslem attendants, unmitgated towards,
and false as their prophet, of whose religion
they have only imbibed the iulsome pride
They forced me back when almost in sight of
the end of my exploration, distance Of be.
tween four and five hundred miles under
blazing vertical sun. ! came here mere
ruckle of bones, terribly faded in body and
mind. The head man of my worthless Moslems
remained here, and, as he had done from the
coast, ran riot with the goods sent to me- and
was drunk for month at time. lie then d. !
yined on the Koran and found that was dead,
oOlu w ull lue EOOus tllNI ItHldlHtu lot slhNes
and ivory for himself, and ! arrived TO find my.
sell destitute of everything except few goods
left in case Of need.
Goods are currency here, and have to wait
now TIL other goods and other men come from
Zanzibar. When placed in charge of my supply
of soap, brandy, opium and gunpowder. from
certain Banians British subjects) he was four.
teen months returning, all expenses being paid
out Of nv stock Three months were ample, |
and then he remained here and sold OF ALL You |
call this smart, do your Some do, il you don't. |
think Il moral idiocy
Yours aifectionaiey,
DAVID LIVINGSTONE,