The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-29
Sir Samuel Bakers Latest Report on
Lakes Albert and Tanganyika.

Sir Samuel Bakers Latest Report On
Lakes Albert and Tanganyika.
The latest intelligence from Sir Samuel Baker
on Lakes Albert and Tanganyika reduces the
evidence as to their being one and the same
lake to the questionable reports of native mes
sengers and traders. In his letter to Sir Henry
Rawlinson, of July 2 last, from Khartoum
(the point at which our special correspondent
met and obtained from the intrepid explorer
the news first communicated to the world that
Pacha says" The news of Livingstones
safety received here is most cheering; but
am astonished at his account of an examina-
ton of the north end of Tanganyika that
there does not appear to be any connection
with the Albert Nyanza. Since wrote to Sir
Roderick the King of Uganda, M tese, to
whom 1 had entrusted the search for Living |
stone, sent messengers to me at Fatiko Tin
the Albert Lake country, saying that his
men had been to Ujij, and declared that Liv-
ingstone had left that place long ago for the
west side of Tanganyika, since which nothing
was known of him. They also reported that
three white men had been to Ujiji, but had
returned
Further" says Baker, ''the ENJOYS sent by
NJ tese all assured me that the Tanganyika is
the MWootan Nzige albert Nyanza), and
that Ujiji is on the eastern border; that you
can travel by boat from Ujiji to the north end
of the Albert Lake; but you must have a guide,
as some portions are very narrow and intri-
cate. From my experience of the high water
grass, I should expect islands and floating
vegetation in the narrow places described. I
am by no means fond of geographical
clear that accepted it as fact that the Tan
ganyika and Albert lakes are one sheet of
water, with narrow, marshy straits overgrown
with water grass, through which you require
guide" In letter to the late Sir Roderick
Murchison, published in yesterdays HERALD,
Baker Pacha reiterates those views as gained
from two native merchants of Karagwe.
These may be considered as official reports
from Baker to the London Royal Geographical
Society, and, while we regret that they do not
establish the fact assumed, we regard the tes-
timony submitted as furnishing at least
clew to the solution of the still unsettled mys-
terry of the sources Of the Nile. The native
ENJOYS sent up to search for Livingstone, from
the report of their mission, were evidently at
Ujiji They report that Livingstone had gone
thence to the west side of Tanganyika, and
that nothing had since been heard of him, and
A. IL III l.. I.
but had returned or gone the way they came.
From the confusion of the native reports
generally we may surmise that this piece of
intelligence refers to Mr.. SANKEY'S HERALD
expedition party. Livingstone and Stanley
parted at Unyanyembe, and not at Uiiii. So
far then, Baker is supported in assuming it
as fact that the two lakes mentioned are
one continuous lake, or that the Tanganyika--
the southern end of which is marked as reach
ing the eighth degree south latitude-is the
fountain head of the Nile. If so, the mighty
Nile, flowing through forty degrees of latitude,
will, probably, in its windings, give us river
in length exceeding four thousand miles for
the Mississippi, which has more direct
course through its twenty degrees OF latitude,
is, by the line of the stream, over three thou
sand miles in length.
But if we accept the testimony of these
native African messengers of their reported
journey to Ujij, how are we to account for
the river which Livingstone and Stanley found
flowing into the Tanganyika at its northern
end? This river may be a strait connecting
the two lakes, and the strong current seen
pouring into Tanganyka from the North by
Livingstone and Stanley may have been the
back water from some heavy equatorial rains
in the Albert basin; for in this basin of some
seven hundred miles in length, including the
Tanganyika, the equatorial rains are heaviest
in the northern section directly under the
Equator, where the mountains are the highest.
The river Rush,, then, does not overthrow
Baker, acceptance of the reported fact that
the Tanganyika and Albert are one and the
same lake, or that they are separated only by
narrow straits and islands of tropical water
grass. Captain Selfridge found the great
river Atrato, OF South America, in some places
where it is deep enough for the heaviest ships,
nearly bridged over BY o dense growth Of grass