The New York herald., 1875-11-12


and all his anmosites the excellent Speke
SANDER" Dr. Petermann writes further:-''stanley,s
journey to Lake Victoria Nyanza Is great thing.
received the NEW YORK HERALD with stanley's two
letters and give both in full with excellent map in
my next number OF the Geographical Communica-
tions / have also Stanleys map published IN the
HERALD Of the 18th. Stanley's last journey
concludes the German geographer, and navigation OF
the lako is very great and mertorous deed for sew
eral reasons, which, however, have now no time TO
explain
STANLEY'S H-LIVINGSTONE'S
FAILURE.
New YORK, Nov II, 1875.
To THE EDITOR THE HERALD:-
An editorial article in the New York Times Of to-day
calls attention to the most pleasing and important in
eigence that has been greeted by geographers since
the discovery OF the New World The Times claims
that Henry NJ. Stanley the HERALD explorer, has
ceeded in penetrating tho mysterious regions OF Central
| Africa and discovering the source OF the Nile.
| When It is considered that this problem has pre-
sented itself the civilized world the earliest
historic period the time when the valley of
the Nile was the granary of the East and the annual
overowings Of the mighty river brought fertility and
plenty TO the land ruled by the Pharaohs this dis
covey by Stanley of the of the Nile stands
OF the grandest achievements or geographical
science. 1t is singular dispensation OF fortune
that traveller from the New World, armed and
equipped as 1t by the authority OF the American
people, represented by the NEW YORK HERALD,
should be the successful competitor in neld which
has exhausted the energies and OF the Old
World with all the apparently superior facilities pos
sessed by the governments and peoples Of Europe. 1t
is most gratifying evidence OF spirit enter
prise and daring which characterzes all the efforts of
your journal in the interests Of science well
humanity.
The Times editorial enters so fully into the proofs
OF Mr.. Stanley's that will only respass on
your space to corroborate its statements they
bear on the physical peculiares OF equatorial Africa
The great Of water known as the Victoria
Niyanza, which drains into the smaller area called the
Albert Nyanza and from thence into the Nile has
proved by Stanleys voyage OF circumnavgation TO
single lake. and not series Of lakes claimed by Dr.
Livingstone. 1t bears the relation the Nile as
Lake Superior does to the St. Lawrence and forms the
OF the headwaters that collect therein from
the surrounding territory Among the principal
that supply the Victoria Nyanza and consequently the
Nile, find the Shmeeyu, OF which Stanley is beyond
doubt the first discovefer. This stream penetrates
southwark and eastward into the region of swamps
lie between the Victoria Niyanza and the ittora range
OF mountains which form the rim of the great
depression that embraces all Central Africa between
the tenth degrees OF northern and southern latitude
AS the Times article statcs the length OF this river
has been estimated by Stanley at three hundred and
fifty miles. He traversed its entire length In his march
northward from Ugogi, following the direction OF its
| flow into the great lake He has evidently studied
closely its of supply and attributed them the
swamps the passage through which he has graphiA
cally described in his letters. We may, therefore,
safely that the collect OF oil these waters is tho
true of the Nile and that Henry NJ Stanley is
tba diacov of tho 1ouuh do ~
lievo that DR.. Livingstone visited the region OF
the headwaters OF the Nile He had been exploring an
entirely different watershed and enormously regarded
Lake Tanganyika part of II not the true Of
the Nile system The western outlet OF this. lake.
ms discovered by Cameron, partly supplies the
lesser lakes that formed by distractions
in the course Of the Lualaba, Webbs River The
point OF junction between the Tanganyika waters and
the Lualaba must be at about tho eighth degree OF
southern latitude, comparison of the levels
Of Tanganyka and Moero shows that the latter is
700 feet higher than tho former and therefore could
be fed from It Again. the Albert Niyanza over
100 feet higher than Tanganyka, and. therefore, re-
ceves OF its waters. fully agree with the
writer OF the Times article when he states that the
united waters of the Lualaba and tho Lomamc do not
because they cannot flow into the Albert Niyanza
Now Lvingstones exploration OF the Lomame termi-
mated at point about degree south OF tho Equator
and in the latitude tho southern extremity Of
the Albert Nyanza have shown that south Of these
points there possible connection between the lake
and the rvcr Unless then the Lomame can be traced
TO junction with the Niic north Of Albert Niyanza
cannot form part OF the Nile system The Nile has
been thoroughly explored far to the south as the
head OF tho grea, lake without such Junction beng
discovered therefore must dismiss from our minds
all relation between Livngstonos explorations and tho
sources OF the Nile / inclined to the belief that
the Lomame forms part Of river system that drains
a watershed westward OF that Of the Nile and into
great lake basin situated north OF the Equator
and of the twenty fourth meridian of ion-
gitude and yet undiscovered This lake may have
an outlet into branch OF the Congo River or may DO
without any, like the Sea OF Aaral, in Asia or Salt
Lake, in Utah Territory, losing its surplus by
evaporation
In an editorial article recently published in the NEW
YORK HERALD you suggested very reasonable theory
regarding of water supply for these great
equatorial basins is evident that the topography Of
tho Central African regions Is very broken and SO d.
vided by high lands into the sections represented by
the watersheds Of the of the Nile the Zambez
and the Congo Tho peculiar outlines OF the lakes and
the tortuous Of the rivers prove this beyond
question. The we'll defined mountain marked depres-
sion which forms the watershed Of Victoria Niyanza
and Albert Nyanza then, the within which tho
truc Of the Nile has boen discovered by Stanley
Explorers frequently misled by tho proximity OF
rivers lakes other bodies OF water and instantly
infer a connection between them; but only
point to the case OF the Mississippi and the ako region
to show how Of this kind may grow out OF
pretty close examination Of strange land like
Central Africa Every fact that comes TO light
strengthens my belief in Stanley's triumph. am
sure that the source OF the Nile has been visited and
examined by your gallant representative, and hasten
to offer my congratulations this signal victory OF
modern journalistic enterprise feel that tho world
owes deep debt Of gratitude to newspaper which. by
It's enterprise and berality, has achieved an unpar-
aeled success the interest OF SCIENCE and proud as
| we must all feel Of the victory OF our countryman
stanley we should regard the triumph OF HkRALD enter
prise as the more important feature In the success or
The great undertaking IL gives the world promise Of
splendid future in journalism. am gratihed that your
1 -..a,n,~or.~y tba York Times sbOuld