Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-12-17
STANLEY In CENTRAL AFRICA

HENRY M. STANLEY, the commissioner
sent by the New York Herald and Lon
don newspaper to continue his former ex
plorations in equatorial Africa, writes q
very interesting letter from Ulagalla
Uganda, e. longitude 80 deg. 40 min. AZ
Sec, N. lat 0 deg. 80 min, under date
April IL, 1875, which appears in recent
issue of the Herald and was published
simultaneously in Europe and this coun'
try. 1t was written just after an explora-
ton Of the Great Lake, and to the mind Of
Mr.. Stanley is satisfactorily solved the
problem of the Nile. Spoke and Grant
thought that the Niyanza was single
body of water, as Stanley has proved it to
be, but Livingstone believed it to consist
of series of lakes, and in this latter opin
ion geographers have until now generally
aoquiesced. If Mr.. SANKEY'S further ex.
plorations confirm his present opinion a
general reconstruction of the map of Cen.
trail Africa must result.
Neither Spoke nor Livingstone had ever
visited the lake, and had derived their
opinions from conversation with the ma.
tives. Mr.. Stanley says that from MI
ANA, the point from which Mr.. Spoke
caught distant glimpse of NiyanZa, two
points are seen which the latter thought
were islands, and which are so designated
in his map, but faithful exploration by
Mr. Stanley proved that they were lengthy
promonitories of land, extending into the
vast body of water.
His first published letters contain Mr..
SANKEY'S account of launching a small
boat, the Lady Alice, upon the virgin
waters of Lake Niyanza. Proceeding east
ward along the unknown and fabulous
shores with picked crew of eleven men
and guide, he coasted along the south
ern coast of the lake until he came to the
mouth of the Shimeeyu. This river at
its mouth is a mile wide, and extends
back distance of $40 miles. Between
the mouth of the Shimeeyu and Kagehyi
are two countries-Sima and Magu-and
on the eastern side of the Shimeeyu is
Mayanza, and beyond the last Manasa.
Beyond Manasa he came to Ututwa,
inhabited by people speaking different
language, a people slender and tall and
carrying formidably long knives and ter
rible and portentous spears. Then fur
Their progress eastward brought them to
the large island of Ukura, which they cir
COMMUNICATED, and found to be eighteen
miles long by twelve wide, and inhabited
by people strong in charms and magic
medicine. Beyond this lay Shashi, and
beyond it the first district in Ururi, the
country of Ugeyeya. Here, Mr.. Stanley
says, are mountains rising abruptly from
the lake to height of 5000 feet and
more This coast is also very crooked
and irregular, requiring patient and Ia
borious rowing to investigate its many
bends and curves. The people are a
timid and suspicious race, much vexed
by their neighbors, the Waruri, south,
and Wamasui, east, and are 10th to talk to
strangers, as the Arab slave-dealers of
Pangani have not taught them to lovep eo-
pie carrying guns.
The Ugeyeyans, having been troubled
by the Waruri, have left many miles of
wilderness between their country and that
of their fierce neighbors uninhabited.
But Sungoro, the agent of Mise Saba, who
prompted the Waruri to many devilish
act, and has purchased the human spoils,
is constructing in Ukerewe a dhow of
twenty or thirty tons burden, with which
he intends to prosecute more actively his
nefarious trade Nothing would have
pleased me better than to have been COM
missioned by some Government to hang
all such wretches wherever found, and,
if ever pirate deserved death for inhuman
crimes, Sungoro, the slave-trader, deserves
death. Kagehyi, in Usukuma, has be-
come the seat of the inhuman slave trade.
To this port they are collected from Sima,
Magu, Ukewere and Ugeyeya; and when
Sungoro has footed his dhow and hoisted
his blood stained ensign the great sin
will increase ten fold, and the caravan
road to Unyanyembe will become hell's
highway.
Sailing along the coast few miles
from the equator, Mr.. Stanley discovered
two islands formed of basaltic rock and
overgrown with tropical vegetation. At
Nakidino he reached the furthest point
east of the Victoria NiyanZa. Unyara
occupies the northeastern coast of the
Niyanza, and then Usoga begins. AT the
district of Usowa the navigators met with
the first hostile ntentiOn-though not act,
as the act was checked by show of superior
weapons-on the part of the natives.
Thence westward the districts of Uganda,
Uvira, Usamu and Utamba were success
sively passed Where Utamba begins large
islands again became frequent, the prInei-
pal Of which is Uvuma, an independent
country and the largest in the Victoria
Niyanza. Here, says Mr.. Stanley, we ex-
perienced treachery and hostility on the
part of the natives. By show of friend
ship on their part we were induced to sail
within few yards of the shore, while a
mass of natives were hid IN ambush be-
hind the trees. While sailing quietly by,
exchanging friendly greetings with them,
We were suddenly attacked with a shower
of large rocks, several of which struck
the boat; but the helm being quickly