The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-15

belief is that the Of the Victoria Siyanza as
large lake directly upon the Equator, was then well
known TO tho Arabs may be that they that
there was another great lake albert Niyanzal which
was also fountain or reservoir OF the Nile and that
Edriso in attempting in the composition Of his great
work TO reconcile what was known with fe two lakes
placed Ptolemy's map eight degrees farther SOUTH
enormously adopted three lakes the solution of the
difficulty.
Three lakes being introduced led to just con-
fusion for four centuries aerward among geographers
and photographers. Some adhered 10 the one lake
upon the Equator others adhered exclusively to the
two lakes represented upon the Ptoemaic map;
others like Magrebinus united the three into great
lake upon the Equator and made il the source alike OF
the Nile and the Congo while others rejected the lakes
altogether, until at last photographers settled down
upon the two lakes represented in tho Polemaic map
until the middle of the last century, when, IN conse
quencc of the reform in cartography introduced by
DAnyiles OF excluding everything that was not GER
tain, these two lakes omitted in all future maps
and, when redscovered century aiterward by Spoke
and Baker had been forgotten.
We have then the statement Of Ptolemy that the Nile
rises in marshes formed by descending from
what lie calls the Mountains Of the Moon, with the rep
resenation by his photographer that these streams
form two great lakes lying nearly parallel each other,
White Nile, flows We have also the opinion Of the
missionary Krapf that the marshy and woody lands
east and southeast Of the Victoria Nyanza supply the
water which flows into it, and that these marshes
fed by streams descending from Mount Kenia and its
vicinity The information of Herodotus that the toun-
tans Of the Nile were midway between two hills with
sharp conlcal tops" although the position assigned TO
them by the scribe who gave the Information to Hcrod
otus is much farther down the river | may add also
that the late Or. Baker African explorer and dis
unguished geographer OF the opinion long that
the missionaries Rebmann and Krapf had in Kilman
yaro and Kcna and the mountain range connected with
them, discovered ptolemy's Mountains Of the Moon.
WHAT TUE BLoop-sTAINED LETTER MAY REVEAL
Now apply these facts 10 Mr. SANKEY'S discoveries
Mr.. SANKEY'S first letter detailing his exploration
along the shores of the Victoria Niyanza has
not yet been received in this country the French OH
Ger TO whom IL was intrusted having been killed,
although it has since been found and shall long
know its contents What have his second let
ter and his map, which sufficient for my present
purpose. They show that large river the Shimeeyu
estimated by him be $50 miles in length
flows into Spekes Gulf at the southeastern
end of the Victoria Nyanza; that it is the
chief afiuent OF the lake and that seven rivers flow
into the lake its eastern side. That rugged and
hilly country extends from Uchambi the south OF
the lake. the extremity OF Spekes Guf when
a complete change occurs, the land suddenly sinking
down into fiat marshy country, with the indication
that Speke's Gulf formerly extended many miles in
land-this marshy country being drained by
\ powerful stream the Ruana, which empties
into Spekes Gulf Then follows along the east
ern shore sterile range OF mountains,
devoid of vegetation; that after he passed the table
mountain of Magita all sides Of which he found low
barren plains extending far inland, with an impression
his part that great plain series Of plains bound
the lake country east He then passed portions Of
country covered with water When he asked the
natives what lay beyond the immediate lake lands the
answer was Only plains = Again, northward he passed
low, fiat and wooded districts until he reached the tall
mountains of Ugeyeya and the River Gori, which
swels in the rainy TO great breadth and
DEPTH and learned that for twenty days march
the country is a continuous PLAN, where stream
runs NORTH but all flow into the Victoria Niyanza.
Upon approaching the northeastern end Of the lake.
and after passing the island of Ugingo he to
gigantic mountains, along the base OF which the little
vessel sailed and beyond this all that
low fiat wooded country TO the Equator and at the
northeast end Of the lake the land was fiat through
which a river flowed into the lake
IDENTIFYING MOUNTAINS
This exploration indicates in my opinion the marshes
OF Ptolemy the marshy and wooded land mentioned by
pr Krapf and that the mountain regions and
southeast of 1t from Kcnia to Kmanjaro are, DIR.
Beke supposed, Ptoemy's Mountains Of the Moon end
ing with Killmanjaro, the Silver Mountain known TO
Aristotle. 1t further indicates that Stanley has come
upon the real and ultimate source of the Nile, but
opinion upon that subject must be suspended until he
has explored the southern shores of the Albert Nyanza
The discovery Of the OF the Nile has been
quently assumed that is scarcely safe to conjecture
while anything remains unexplored which is essential
TO the problem.
STANLEY As A vERIPGER OF ARISTOTLE AND PToLEMy.
cannot however resist the conviction that Stanley
has reached the source and that is found to cor
respond with what Aristotle and Ptolemy stated
spectng it. If this should, as | apprchend It will,
prove be the fact then 1t illustrates the difficulties
that attend the acquisition Of geographical knowledge
by showing that our modern explorations and dscov
cries have only verified what known 900 years
ago.