Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-13
[From the Friends Reviewl
From DIR. Livingstone TO }. d. BraIfEl-
NYnife.
MANYEMA COUNTRY, say 1870 miles west

MANYEMA COUNTRY, say 1870 miles west !
Of Ujiji, November, 1870.
My dear Friend Bevan Want of paper leads
me TO cut leaf out Of my Bombay check book
in order to give you and our friends some infor-
nation. If you have received previous letters,
you will readily take this as the thread of my
story that | am trying TO follow down the cen.
trail line of drainage of the Great Nile valley, a
great acustrine river which | name Webb's Luz
alaba-an eXtant specimen Of those which in
prehistoric times abOunded in Africa, and whose
beds are still known in the south as A"Melapo,"
in the north as "Wadys words meaning
the same thing-riVer channels 10 which no
water ever flows. The third line of drainage
lies west of this, and is formed by two large
rivers, each having the same native name of
Lualaba. An English epithet seemed necessary
so l have named them by anticipation after Sir
Bartle Frere and Mr. Young. These two Lua-
labaS unite and form a large lake, which | am
lain TO call Lake Lincoln. Looking back south
wards from Lake Lincoln TO the watershed, we
have remarkable mound from which four
gushing fountains rise, each the source of a
large river, though not more than ten miles
apart Two on the northern side become
Bartle Frere's and Youngs great rivers
Two on the south side form the Liambai or
Upper Zambesi-the larger one, at which a
man cannot be seen across. [ name after Lord
Palmerston; the lesser which, lower down, be-
comes the Kafue | call after my old friend and
fellow traveller, Oswel. You know that Sir Bar
tie Frere abolished slavery in Upper India
Scinde, or Scindiah Lord Palmerston worked
for many long year unWeariedly to stop the
slave trade and MIR. Lincoln, by pdSgiDu the
amendment of the United States constitution,
gave freedom to 100000 slaves. We live too
near the events in which these good men acted
to appreciate the greatness OF their work Pal
merstOn and Lincoln are no longer among US:
but in giving all the honor in my power desire
TO place as il were my poor little garland of
love on their tombs. 1t is almost premature to
make use of their names before J reach the
mound, but have heard Of it when 30 miles dis
tant on the southwest, again when 1870 miles
from it on the southeast and east; again when
$50 miles distant from it on the northeast; and
now on the north northeast many intelligent
Arabs, who have visited the spot and had their
wonder excited as much as the natives, give
substantially the same information. 1t is prob
ably the locality Of the fountains men.
toned 10 Herodotus by the secretary Of
Minerva in the city Of Sais, in Egypt-"foun-
tains which ii was impossible to faith
ON, aud from which half the water flowed
north to Egypt, the other half south to Inner
Ethiopia" ! have been sorely hindered by the
worst set OF attendants | ever Travelled with
Here, in the cannibal country, no one will 20
into the next district, for fear they say, of being
killed and eaten. Elsewhere could get the
country people to carry from village to village,
and was comparatively Independent after the
flight oil my johanna men from terror Of the
maurading Mazitu or Batuta left me with few
petted, codded, and spoilt liberated slaves.
Here | was at their mercy, and they took full
advantage of the situation, and even became
eager slave hunters of their cCuntrymen. ! have
to wait for other men from the coast II they
arrive, four or five months will finish all have
to do to make a complete work OF the explora-
ton. Had known all the hunger, hard shin
toll, and time required, might have preferred
a straight waistcOat to undertaking the task;
but, having taken it in hand, could not bear to
be beaten by difficulties. had to feel my way
and every step of my way, and was generally
cropping in the dark, for who cared where the
rivers RAM My plan was TO come across the
head of Lake Nyassa, examine the watershed,
aud in two years begin a benevolent mission on
the slope back again TO the sea. Had / left at
the end of two years, could have given little
more light than the Portuguese, who, in three
shaving visits to Casembe inquired for slaves
and heard Of nothing else.
asked about the waters till almost afraid of
being set down as afflicted with hydrocephaus
and many a weary foot | trod ere | gained
clear idea of the ancient problem Of the drain
age. The watershed IS in latitude 10 to u de-
grees south. Thence the springs Of the Nile do
unqucstionably arise. The length Of the water
shed from west to east is between 700 and 800
miles. This is where PtOlemy put il, and the
mountains on it-onlY about 1000 feet above
the sea-are his Mountains Of the Moon. | feel
little thankful TO old Nile for so hiding his big
erers out in the cold. The little river
that comes out Of the Victoria Nyassa, less by
a full half than the Shire out OF Nyassa,
would not account for the Nile. WeDbs Lua-
laba, from 1000 to 5000 yards WIDE and always
deep; aud, again, Young's Luaaba, of equally
large proportions, would give an abundant sup
ply of water for foundations, and for the enOr-
nous evaporation OF q river almost without
aifiuents, for distance in latitudeand longitude
Of about 5000 miles. Mine is a rediscoy-
cry of what sunk into oblivion about 1000 years
ago This is all | can, in common modcsty,
fairly claim. One line Of drainage was IN.
known even to Ptoemy-that is mine, until
It be found that the ancient explorers from
whom Ptolemy collected his geography, knew
II before did A map Of the Ethiopian gold
mines is the oldest in the world, and Of the time
Of Seihos II. 1t may have IL. ! am thankful to
kind providence for enabling me to do what
may reflect honor on my children, IL not on my
country. II is not without anxious care that
have stuck 10 my work with John Bulish tenac-
ity. The only thing could feel sure Of, IN the