Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-26
The Sources Of the NiIe.

NEW YORK, July 25.-The Herald re-
ceived by cable tonight the following letters
from DR.. Livingstone, directed to James
Gordon Bennett, which reached London in
Stanly's mail:
Ujys on TdgGnika, East africa, NoU.
lS7l.--James Gordon Bennett, Jr., ESQ.,.
My Dear Sir: It's in general somewhat
difficult to write to one we have never
seen. 1t feels so much like addressing an
abstract idea. But the presence of your
representative, NJ. II. III. Stanley, in this re-
gion takes away the strangeness should
otherwise have felt, and in writing to thank
you for the extreme kindness that prompted
you to send him, / feel quite at home.
Ii l explain the forlorn condition in which.
he found me you will easily perceive that
have good reason to use very strong ex-
pressions of gratitude. l came to Ujiji,
Tip OF between four and five hundred
miles, beneath blazing vertical sun, hav-.
ing been baflled, worried, kefeated and fore
ed to return when almost in sight of the
end OF the geographical part of my mission,
by a number of half caste Moslem slaves
sent to me from Zanzibar instead of men.
The sore hear, made still sorer by the woe
ful sights had seen of mans inIumanity
to man reacted and told on my bodily.
frame and depressed it beyond measure.
thought 1 was dying on my feet, it's
not too much TO say, at almost
every step of the weary, sultry way in
pain, and reached Ujiji mere ruekle of
bones. There l found that some 9500
worth of goods which I had ordered FROM
Zanzibar had unaccountably been entrusted
to.a drunken man, half caste moslem tail
or, who, after squandering them for sixteen
months on the way to Ujji, finished up by
selling off the remainder for slaves and ivory
for himself. He swore on the Koran that he
found | was dead. He had also written to the
Governor of Unyanyembe that he had sent
slaves after me to Manyananza, who re-
turned and reported my decease, and beg
ged permission to sell off the few goods bis
drunken appetite had spared. He, how
ever, knew perfectly well from men who
had seen me that was alive and waiting
for the goods and men. But as for morali-
ty, he is evidently an idiot, aud there being
no law except that Of the dagger or musket,
| had to sit down in great weakness,
destitute of everything save a
few barter clothes and beads
which had taken the precaution
to leave here in case of emergency. The
extreme near prospect of beggary among
the Ujjians made me miserable. l could
not despair because laughed so much at a
friend who, on reaching the mouth of the
Zambesi, said he was tempted to despair on
breaking a photograph of bis wife; we
could have no success after that. After
ward the idea to despair had to me such
strong smack OF ludicrousness that it was
out of the question. When | got to about
the lowest verge, vague rumors of an Eng
lish visitor reached me. thought of myself
as the man who went down
from Jerusalem to Jerico, but neither
priest, Levite, nor Samaritan, could possibly
pass my way. Yet Samaritan was close
at hand, and one of my people rushed up
at the top of his speed, and, in great ex-
element, gasped out, San Englishman is
coming; L see him." and off he darted to
meet him. The American flag, the first
ever seen in these parts, which headed the
caravan, told me the nationality of the
stranger. am as cold and non-demOn-
stratiye as we islanders are usually reputed
to be, but your kindness made my frame
thrill. 1t was indeed overwhelming,
and I said in my soul, let
the richest blessings descend from
the Highest on you and yours. The
news Stanley had to tel me was thrilling.
The mighty political changes on the CONT
nent, the success Of the Atlantic cable, the
election of Gen. Grant and many other
topics riveted my attention for days to-
gether, and lad an immediate aud benef-
cial etf3ct on my health. l had been with
out news from home for years, save what l
could gleanifrom few Saturday Rerie1Cs
and Punch of 1868. Appetite revived and
in week / began to feel strong again.
Stanley brought most kind encouraging
dispatch fran Lord Clarendon, whose less
| sincerely deplore, the first | had receive
from the foreign office since S66, land tie
information that the British government
had kindly sent thousand pounds sterling
to my aid. Up TO his arrival l was not
| aware of any pecuniary aid, as came un-
| salaried. But this want is now happily re-
| paired and am anxious that you and all
my friends should know that though un-
eheered by letter, / have stuck to
the task which my friend Sir
Roderick Murchison set me, with John
| Bull tenacty, believing that all would come
| right at last. The watershed of South Cen
| trail Africa is over seven hundred miles in
length. The fountains thereon are almost
innumerable: that is, it would take mans
|
shed they converge into four large rivers,
and these again into two mighty streams in
the great Nile valley which begins in ten
degrees to twelve degrees of south latitude.
1t was long ere the light dawned
on the ancient problem and gave me
| clear idea of the drainage. l had to feel
my way, and every step OF the way l was
generally cropping in the dark, for 'who
yrnl ba riIyn dripl
| fill aud let the rest run by" The Portu-
| gese who visited Cazembe asked for slaves,
aud / heard nothing else. l asked about
waters, questioned and cross-questioned un-
| til l was almost afraid of being set down as
work in which | have been greatly hindered
| from want of suitable attendants
was following the central line of
drainage down the rough country
| of the canibals called Manyumia or shortly
manyema. This line of drainage has four
lakes in it. The fourth l was near when
obliged to turn. 1t is from one to three
miles broad and never can be reached at
any point or any time of the year. The
two western drains, Lupria or Bartlefreyz
river flow into it at Lake Kamalonoo. Then
the great LomaiDe flows through Lake
Lincoln into and seems to form the west
ern arm of the Nile ON which Petherick
traded. Now know about six hundred
miles of water shed, and unfortunately the
! seventh hundred is the most interesting OF
the whole, for in it, if am not mistaken,
four fountains arise from an earthen mound
and the last of the four becomes at no great
distance off large river. Two of these
run North to Egypt, the Lnpera and Lou
Taine; and two run South into inner
Ethiopia as the Liambai or Ripper Zam-
besi and Rafreane. These are not the sour
oes of the Nile mentioned by the Secretary
of Minerva in the city of Sais to Herod-
tuS. l have heard of them so often and
at great distance off that [ cannot doubt
their existence and in spite of the sore long
ing for home that seizes me every
time l think Of my family,
| wish to finish up by their
re-discovery. Five hundred pounds sterl-
ing worth of goods have again unnaccount-
ably been entrusted to slaves and have been
over a year on the way instead Of four
months. 1 must go where they lie at your
expense ere l can put a natural completing
to my work and if my dis
closures of the terrible UjIan
slavery should lead to the suppression OF
! tho east coast slave trade, I shall regard