The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-12
SPEKE'S LATITUDES.
THE WORK YET TO BE DONE.
VILLAGE OF KAGEHYI, DISTRICT OF
UcHAMBI, COUNTRY OF UsUKUMA,
Nav Is. 1878.

May 10, 1879
By the aid of the enclosed map you will be
able to understand the positions and places
of the countries mentioned in my last and of
some shall be obliged to describe in this
letter. It is needless to 60 over the same
ground described in my letter from Ugan-
da ; but, since send you map, it will be
but charity to again briefly sketch the char
acteristics of the countries lying east between
Usukuma and Uganda.
Between the district of Uchambi, which is
in Usukuma and the Shimeeyu River the
principal affluent of the Niyanza, lie the
pretty districts of Sima and Magu,
governed by Independent chiefs. On
the eastern side of the Shimeeyu is
Masanza, rugged and billy country, thinly
populated and the resort of the elephant
hunters Beyond Masanza the coast is
formed by Manasa and the country is
similar in feature to Masanza, Astounding in
elephants. This extends to the eastern ex-
tremity of Spoke Gulf when we behold
complete change in the landscape. The
land suddenly sinks down into o fiat,
marshy country, as if Spoke Gulf formerly
had extended many miles inland, as / have
no doubt, but rather feel convinced, it did.
This country is called Wirigedi peopled
by savages, who have little or no intercourse
with Usukuma, but are mostly exclusive
and disposed to take advantage of their
strength to rob strangers who visit
them. Urrigedi is drained by the
Ruana which discharges itself into
Spoke Gulf by two mouths. 1t is powerful
stream, conveying vast quantity of water to
Spoke Gulf, but in importance not to be
mentioned in the same category as the
Shimeeyu and the Kagera, the two principal
htfiuents of Lake Victoria.
sPEKE GULF.
Spoke Gulf at it's eastern extremity is
about twelve miles in width. Opposed to
the hilly ranges of Manasa and Masanza are
the sterile naked mountains and plains of
Shashi, Uramba and Urirwi. The plains
which separate each country from the other
are as devoid of vegetation as the Isthmus of
Suez. A thin line only bordering the lake,
is green with bush and cane. The gulf,
as we proceed west from Urirwi, is shored
by the great island of Ukerewe, O coun-
try blessed with verdure and plenty, and
rich in herds of cattle and ivory. A narrow
strait, called the Rugeshi, separates Ukerewe
from Urirwi. The Wakereweh are an enter
prising and commercial people, and the King
Lukongeh, is most amiable man. The
Wakereweh possess numerous islands
Nifuah, Wezi Iraugara, Kamassi, &C., are all
inhabited by them. Their canoes are seen
in Ugeyeya Usongora and Uzuiza; and to the
tribes in the far interior they have given, by
their activity and commercial fellowship,
their name to the Victoria Niyanza.
Rounding Ukerewe, we pass on our left the
island of Ukara and, sailing past Shin and
Kiveru, come to the northern end of Ruge-
shi Strait, from where we see the towering
table mountain of Malta little to the north
east of US, the mountains of Urimi and
Uramba in our front
MALTA NOT AN ISLAND.
| mentioned to you in one of my letters
that Spoke described Malta as an island,
and that |, standing on the same spot,
would do so likewise if 1 had no other proof
than my own eyes, AS we approach Malta
we see the reason of this delusion
The table mountain of Malta is about
5000 feet in altitude above the lake, while
on all sides of it, except the lake side at
its base, are low brown plains, which rise
but few feet above the lake. 1t is the same
case with Urirwi, Uramba and Shashi. At
distance thought them islands, until / ar
rived close to them.
On the northern side of Malta the brown
plain extends far inland, and do believe
great plain or a series of plains bounds the
lake countries east, for we have views dis
tant or near everywhere. In endeavoring to
measure the extent of this plain l am COM
PEELED to think of Ugogo, for, as we traversed
its northern frontier we saw each day
stretching north the barren, thorn-covered
plain of Uhumba. On leaving Iramba we
came again in view of portion of it, more
recently covered with water, under the
name of the Luwamberri Plain. AS we jour
neg through Usmaow we saw from many
ridge the plain extending north. That part
of the plain lying between Urimi and the
lake is, Of course, drained by the Luwam-
berri, the Mwaru and the Duma rivers and
discharged into the Niyanza under the name
of the Shimeeyu. But northeast of the Shi-
meeyus mouth imagine the land heaved into
low, broad and lengthy ridge, forming an
other basin drained by the Ruana, and still
another drained by the Mara, and again an
other by tho Mori, &c. If we ask the natives
what lies beyond the immediate lake lands