The New York herald., 1875-12-10
lake and followed /. 10 the known portion OF the White


Nile.
LIKE sPEKB BAKER LEARNED PROM
the natives especially from King Kamrasi OF Unyoro,
that the Somerset River Immediately afer entering
the Mwutan leaves ii again and continued its course
as a navigable river, between the lands Koschi and
Madl From Magungo u deg 10 MN. north,
the point where the Somerset enters the Mwutan,
Baker towards the north, at distance OF eighteen
miles, the place where the river left the lake-the
lands Madi the and Kosch the west as well
as a mountain ridge accompanying the river on its
LETT side. He could not proceed down the
river because his followers feared the hostile
hadi and II appeared important 10
follow that part OF the Somerset River from its mouth
up north to karmua Falls which Speke had not seen.
So perfectly convinced Baker that the Nile issued
rom the hwuan that he considered 1t supernuous to
verify this assumption. When later on his return
Journey he came to the Nile near Ibrahlmija In the
land Of the Madi (3 deg. "a min. NJ he ascended an
elevation and saw the Of the river for about
twenty miles back. and here again lay in the the
land Of the Madi, in the west Koschi and the cham OF
hills bounding the valley OF the river in the Ma
gungo and Ibrahimija lie about ninety English miles
apart From these two points Baker about thirty
eight miles. There is, therefore,
ABOUT FIFTY MILES,
and If Baker really the outlet Of the Mwutan its
identity with the Nile good rs proved But there
is just possibility that he may have been Mistaken
and That the assertions OF the natives incorrect
With the same confidence he had asserted on the basis
Of what he told by the natives the connection OF
the Tanganyika with the Mwutah which now decided
to be erroneous
WHAT THE ANCIENT sAvASs THOUGHT.
Apart from the earlier views Of Penney, De Bono and
others that the Nile from small trbu-
taries, and not issuing from a lake, speke struck
xutAh thn
of much less volume than Somerset
River. He called it "Highland stream" and
his drawing gives very small opinion of the volume
of water in the young Nile, and remarkably
with the assertion OF Colonel Long that the Somerset
was navgabe for the Great Eastern therefore, for the
greatest ship of the world. e. Marno in one of his
latest letters also that the size of the Bahr Debel
uhe Nile that passes Gondokoro does lead to the
conclusion that it is the outlet OF such magnificent
lake. Traders told him that the Mwutan lost itself at
the northern end in swamps and many traders assert
that the outlet which Baker supposed he had seen is
only creek or bay, like Murchson Creek on the
northern shore Of the Victoria Nyan In short there
yet remain
DOUBTS WHICH MUST uP
before the Nile problem be definitely decided. 1t
is always possible that the Mwuan has its outlet in tho
south west perhaps leading to the Lualaba; that
at present considered to be the lake sources Of the
Nile in truth, like the Tanganyika Bangwcolo Moero
&c, belong to the Congo system, and that the Nile
springs, not from lakes, but from many small trbu-
taries which in part could from the mountains to
the west OF the Mwutan.
SURVEY
of the course OF the Nile upward from Ibrahmijaan
examination as to whether it really comes from the
Mwutan--is now the most pressing necessity for the
geography OF the Nile, the key the Solving of the
ancient problem; and 1t is be regretted that Colonel
Gordon has not long since undertaken this examination
from his garrison at Ibrahimija Twice have his mes
sengers, with small escort, reached King Mtesa's on
the northern shore of the Victoria Nyanza; and 1t
would be very easy for him to send small exploring
expedition up the Nile to the Mwutan. The hind
rance hitherto, has been the built for the
navigation of the Mwutan, which lay at Iado, and
could not be transported beyond the cataracs but it
would be an easy thing to examine first of all whether
steamer put together above the cataracts could really
succeed in reaching the Mwutan. According to the
latest information, in August,
COLONEL
had arrived with the Ibrahimija and he will
in all probability strive with Stanley to bring the Nile
problem to a solution. We therefore entertain the
hope Of seeing days the elucidaton OF the most
celebrated of all geographical probiems-one which en-
gagged the attention Of Herodous Caesar and Nerothe
problem OF the true sources of the Nile.