The New York herald., 1875-12-20
JUDGE DAILY on THE NILE And STLyLEYS
EXPLORATIONS.
To THE EDrroR oT rHE HERALD:-

The discourse the Nile with the maps illustrating
IT, which Judge DAILY, at the meeting OF the Geosraph
cal Society the other evening gave TO the large ana in
tclgcnt audience assembled TO hear him, was learned
and exhaustive review or the various theories and tra
dtions among the ancient Greeks touching
the sources the drainage and tho annual inundaton OF
the grand old river but the rcvow incomplete in
relation to the discoveries OF modern travellers in the
Nile basin and inaccurate in some or the most prom
opinions and conectures advanced by tho learned
lecturer
First, according to the HERALD report, tho fullest
given OF the discourse under consideration. In
reference to the drainage from the western slope OF tho
great chain OF mountains Of East Equatorial Africa or
which the snow crowned Kmandjaro and the Kcnia
the oftest peaks Judge Daily said:"As stated at
our last meeting 1t is my impression, in the present
state Of my knowledge that the great mountain land
have referred to, and its western and southwestern
slopes, is the remote and chief of the waters
which create those great reservoirs or tho Nc tho
Victoria and tho Albert Niyanza" Further on in thus
decourse the Judge remarked 'IL as apprchcnd and
most gcographers believe the Albert Nyanza shall
provo TO be an independent lake, then Mr Stanley will,
in all probability, be tho dscovcrer of the ultimate
source o. the Nilc.n
Hero arc two conflicting opinionshrst, II tho Albert
lake is OF tho great reservoirs Of the Milo tcannot
be an Independent akc second If 1t Is independent
lake IL cannot draw single drop OF water from the
great mountain land referred to. Tho whole OF the
western drainage from the Kmandjaro range flows
into the Victoria lake and other lakes and rivers
which discharged into the No and, except the
outlet of portion Of this drainage tho Albert cannot
possibly get drop OF il except through tho Victoria
lake.
But whence this impression of Judge DAILY that tho
Albert Niyanza Is an independent lakes There is at
lnaot ti,aN rIn th,
question conclusivc but his testimony strangely
overlooked by the Judge in his summing up OF modern
Nile explorations aud discoveries. We refer to Sir
Samuel W. Baker. In his book, entitled '1smaia: A
Narrative of the Expedition Central Africa for the
Suppression OF tho Slave Trade Organized by Ismal,
Khedve of Egypt" published by Harper Brothers.
1875, the Judge will find the fact fully established
that the Victoria lake Is discharged into the White
Nile, through the Albert lake. as the fact that the NO.
hawk is a tributary of tho Hudson River.
At page 236 of this book we have map Of tho Albert
Nyanza On this map traced Sir Samuel Bakers
routes of 1s6365 and of 1s71-73 The dotted line,
marking the routes OF his first expedition, carried
down tho river which discharged from the Victoria
lake, from the pron where IL struck by Sir sam
ue to Murchison Falls, within twenty miles OF Lake
Albert, and thence down to Magungo where this river
the waters" March, 1864, the lake southwark
coascd by Sir Samuel IN canoes for thirteen days,
when he gave It up and returned northward But lat
page 273, same book Baker says Tho grand White
Nile lay like broad streak of silver on our right as 1t
flowed in calm deep stream direct from the Albert Nj
yanza-at this spot above all cataractsn - =
'Hcre the entire volume flowed from the Albert Nj
yanza distant hardly one degree, and here had
always hoped to bring my steamers, the starting
point for the opening of the heart of Africa TO naviga
tion'-that is through Lake Albert
Judge DAILY them Is altogether wrong in his impress
sion that the Albert may be independent lake. II
the great dschargng reservoir while tho other Niyanza
is the great receiving reservoir OF the No But IL no
connection existed between the two lakes there would
still be ground for the impression that the fresh
water Albert is independent lake. because IL such 1t
could have no outlet, and without an outlet would be
salt water like our Great Salt Lake and others too
mcrous 20 mention.
Again, IN his recent discourse, while speaking OF the
drainage of those Eastern Equatorial mountains Judge
Daily said 'if this uhe fooding occurs the Eastern
slopes why may II not occur the Western slopes"
&C. and be those ancient geOgraphers asserted
the causes of tho great annual overflow water at
the fountain head of the Nile, and the of the
phenomenon of It's inundaton IN the summer along the
whole Egyptian valcyy"
Why not2 For the simple reason that the Judge is
1000 miles, more or less out OF his reckoning The
tains and tableands Of Abyssinia Sir Samuel Baker,
in his Nie Tributaries of Abyssina,' In thrilling
solves this mystery OF thousands of years. Baker
lying halt asleep on the margin OF the dry bed OF the
Atbara at about haiipast eight O'Clock p NJ when, he
says, II fanccd that heard rumbling like distant
thunder. had not heard such a sound for months;
but low uninterrupted roll appeared TO increase in
volume although far dstantn Then he tells how the
Arabs came rushing into his camp in the darkness,
shouting. "E Bahrl Ell Bahrln The rivcrl tho
river and omitlng the OF hurry, noise and con
fusion which then prevailed, quote:-s'The great
event had occurred The river had arrived. like thief
in the night On the morning Of the oath of Juno
stood the banks Of tho noble Atbara the break
OF day. The wonder of tho desort" Then, after de-
scribing tn amazing transformation the general
landscape around him, he says-"Dust and desolaton
yesterday. To-day magnificent stream, some 500
yards width and from fifteen 10 twenty feet In DEPTH
flowed through the dreary desert"
This was the beginning OF the annual inundation
from the distant mountains OF Abyssina descending
through the Abara or the Blue Nile upon Egypt The
described near 200 miles above the junction
o
In his preface OF this book Sir Samuel thus "un-
ravels The cntirc mystery Of the rlv,r:@"The lake
by supplying stream through all seasons sufficient
volume support tho exhaustion from evaporation and
ABSORPTION IL but sS 'Gd
which, by its annual deposit OF mud, has
actually created the delta OF Lower Egypt,
Egypt depends has origin separate from the lako
of Central Africa, and the supply OF water Is
derived exclusively from Abyssinia" Again, the
Atbara, known as the Bahr cl Aswat or Black River
''carrIcs down larger proportion Of soil than any
above all other rivers, must the wealth and fertility Of
Egypt be attributed /"
THIS evidence is conclusive both regard to the un-
failing stream and the annual overflow OF the lower
Nile, and how careful EcograpEer as Judge DAILY
failed to these actual AMI important dis
coverics, may call them OF Sir Samuel Baker,
are puzzled TO conjecture.
The learned lecturer was, however, very near the
mark In referring to one OF those magnificent gucsses
of the ancient Greek geographers, yiz:-"That the
Ephcsian cold northern winds which blow
Egypt winter and spring condensed when
they come in contact with the lofty noun
ranges OF Ethiopia (Abyssinia, and descend from
the western slopes OF those mountains in great tor
rents" and 'fhat this caused tho annual swelling Of
the Ncf Those ancient gcographers, however,
mistaken as To the yapor borne to Ethiopia those
northern winds. Winds from tho heart OF continent
comparatively vaporless Winds sGrchargcd with
vapor come from the TIC winds bearing the
clouds which discharge such copious Hoods oycr Abyss
sinia come from the Indian ocean and supply the
enormous rainfall not only OF Abyssina but Of the
Whole equatorial RAINY belt Of Africa.
10 stun up, JndEc DAILY, in this learned discourse,
gave his audience much interesting Information touch
ing tic nagniiicen gncsscs, traditions and opinions
of ihc anccnt Greeks but little actual modern
discoveries bearing upon tho sources the drainage and
the inundation of the Nile lie failed show that tho
sources Of The supply Of the anfailng main stream.
and the OF the annual overflow Of
Egypt, a. well known as the causes
o the spring rcshcts and summer lroughis Of the
Missouri River Valley he mlslcd his hearers with his
impression that the Albert Niyanza NAV be ndc-
pcndcnt lake; and, while handsomely complimonting
Mr. Stanley Tor his hcroisn his activity and his i'm.
porant discoveries IN tho region OF the Victoria lake.