The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-09-02
Latter from j d. FAVE s..tone

SsSs Un5I Nov. le, 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
lirst intimation I had that q cable had
been successfully laid in the deep Attain
tic. Very few letters have reached mo
for years. in consequence ofmy friends
specializing where I should come out
on the west coast, down the Nile, or
elsewhere.
The watershed is broad upland,
between 1000 aud 5000 feet above the
sea and some 10 miles long. The
springs OF the Nile that rise thereon IRE
almost innumefable. It would take the
best part OF q mans lifetime 20 count
them. One part, "a miles Of latitude,
gave SO springs from calf to waist deep,
or on spring for every two miles. A
birdseye view Of them would be like the
vegetation of frost on the window panes.
To ascertain that all OF these fountains
united with four great rivers in the
upper part of the Nile. Valley was work
OF time and much travel. Many q
weary foot I trod ere light dawned on
the ancient problem. II I had left at
the end Of two years, for which my bare
expenses were paid. | could have thrown
very little moro light on the country
than tile Portuguese who. in their three
slavery visits To Cazembe, asked for
ivory and slaves, and heard OF nothing
else. asked about the waters, ques.
toned and cross.questioned till was
really ashamed, and almost afraid Of be.
ing set down rs afflicted with hydro.
cophAlus. / went forward, backward,
and sideways, feeling my way, and every
step OF the way I was generally cropping
in the dark, for who cared were the
rivers ran? W "
Ofthese four rivers into. which 4he
springs Of the Nile reyerge, the central
one, called Lualpba, is the largest. It
begins at the River Chambeze, which
flows into the great Lake Bangwolo.
on leaving II, Its name is changed from
Chambeze to Luapula, and that enters
Lake Moero. Coming out Of it the
name Lualaba is assumed. and 1t flows
INTO third lake Kamoloudo), which re-
ceiyes one Of the four lnrge drains men.
toned above. II then flows on and
makes two enormous bends to tho west,
which made mo often fear that ! was
following the Congo instead Of the Nile.
It is from one to three miles broad, and
never can be waded at any part or al
any time OF the year. Far down the
valley 1t receives another of the ioul
large rivers above mentioned, the
Locke or Lomame, which flows
through what have named before Lake
Lincoln, and then joins the central,
Lualaba. Wohaye, then, only two lines
OF drainage III the lower part OF the
great yalley-that is, Tanganyika aud
Albert Lake, which are but ono lake
river, or soy il you want to he pedantic,
'lacustime river" These two form the
eastern line. The LuaiAba which I cau
Webb's Lualaba, Is, then, the western
line nearly as depicted by Ptoleny in
the second century Of our cru, Aftel
the Lomame enters tho Lualaba, the
fourth great lake in the central line Of
drainage is found, but this / have moi
yet seen, nor yet the link between the
eastern and western mains. h.
at the top OF Ptolemy's Loop the
great central line goes down into large,
reedy. lakes, possible those reported to
.Nero's centurion, and these from the
western or Petherick's arm, which
Spoke and Grant md Baker believed to
be- the river OF Egypt. Neither can be
called the Nile until they unite. The
lakes mentioned in tho central line oil
drainage are by no means smaN, Lake
Bangwolo, at the lowest estimate, is LOO
miles long, and I tried to cross it aud
measure It's breadth exactly. Tho first
stage was to IN inhabited island, q
'fae. Is; the second stage could be se5l
Pile the highest point, or rather the
10 y Of the trees upon II, evidently lifted
Iup By mirage the third stage, the main
land, was said to be rs for beyond, but
my canoe men had stolen the canoe, aud
they got hint that the real owners
we're In pursuit, and got into q furry to
return home. Oh. that they would
But | had only one coverlet left to hire
another craft, and the lake being 400
feet above tho seq, it was very cold. So
I gave in and went back, but I believe
the breadth to be between 60 and 70
miles. Bangwolo, Moero, and Kamo.
arc looked on as great riyerine lake,
and arc Que Of Ptolemy's. The other Il
the Tanganyika, which found steadily
flowing to the north. This geographor'a
predecessors must have CLEANED Their
geography from men who visited this
very region. The reason why his
genuine geography as.reiected was tile
extreme modesty Of modern map makers.
Ore idle person in London published
a pamphlet which, with killing modesty,
identified "Inner Africa Laid Open =
mud in the newspapers, even in the
Times, rails at any one who travels aud
tlares 10 find the country different from
TINT drawn in bis twaddle. I am q
great sinner in the poor fellows opinion,
and the Times published his rawlings
even when was most unwisely believed
to be dead. Nobody but Lord
Brougham and knew what people will
say after We IRE gone. The work Of try.
ing to follow the central line Of drainage
down has taken nc away from mails or
postage. Tho Manyema are undoubted-
" c.nnibaled, but It was long before /
could got conclusive evidence thereon.
I was sorely let and hindered by having
halI.caste Moslem attendants, unnitigat.
cd towards, and false as their prophets,
ofwhose religion they have only imbibed
thefulsome pride.
They forced me back when almost in
sight Of the end Of my exploration a dis.
tnnca nj hetwnnn lOD md ZOO miles