, 1875-02-21


rope twenty years in advance Of what it would
have been but for the initiative taken by the
Congress Of tile United States in 1871.
AFRICAN EXPLORATION.
An Anaerica.e's Adventure ana Life In
Ccntrai Africa
From the New York Horh.
Col Charles Chaille Long, chief-of-s staff under
Col. Gordon in tho army Of the Khodive of
Egypt, has written a long letter to Judge DAILY,
President Of tho Geographical Society, giving
some further facts Of African travel aud exnlor-
alton. His letter, which ls dared at Gondesura,
Central Africa. Oct. 20 last. says in part:
On the 2Ith OF April ! received N order
from Col Gordon to visit DC Tse at Uganda, carry
him presents, and acquaint myself with tho
country. With ah.stily-col.coted outfit I started
I was armed with elephant rifles, and my two
soldiers. Said and Abdel, with Sniders. I also
had NTH mo two servants. Thus prepared, I
began my journey, although tho rainy season
had comm menced, aud the always-di1icu!t route
waa made moro difficult ati!l. Fifty-eiSht days
OF painful marching. and 1 arrived weary and
loot-so7e aDon tho hills Of Uganda Tho palace
OF the great African King NJ Use faced me upon
the brow Of hill 500 paces distant. Tho roads
before me wore broad and well swept. The
eceno Has pleasing. The mountains that stood
between me and the Victorin Nyanza. the vast
banuna forests from which the smoke asconded
from countless "Zeerebns," the fat pestiferoua
marsh Of Unyoro, were indeed novel sights to
one like me, d victim in common with my
soldiers to the Jungle fever. The barberic pomp
and circumstance with which Mise re-
ceived mo {'tho white princeD Was both
ludicrous and cruel. He Thought it courtly
honor. Tho next day, to complete the honor, he
decapitated thirty OF his subjects. MISE dur,
ing these bloody executions oftentimes displayed
great feeling. When permission WAS given me
to visit the lake and to return thence by Ripou
Falls and BY the river to Urondogani, M'Tse de-
capitated seven more OF his subjects, saying to
ms in broken Arabic, 1T is necessary to do so
pains my telly (heart) to kill them"
''MTso Is IS ye.r5 Of age, tall, and bearn him.
self every inch King. lie has good figure.
can hardly reconcile his character with his bar
barity. / remained twcnty-nine days as the
guest OF M'Tne, and my frequent visits to him
were honored BY tho killing OF eight or ten Of
his subjects On each occasion Although thus
cruel, claim for M'Tse a higher intelligence
than that shown by any other African Prince.
"My horse, the only one in Uganda. WAS An
der and fear to the whole country; apd at tha
end Of the expedition, notwithstanding the ma
laria, ho was vet sound. M' Tses monner towards
me- nas one Of marked consideration. In his
presence eat Oh 8 chnir-a ptincely honor there
while his courtiers prostratea themselves be-
time / tried to awaken Some ambition in
him, contrasting his ROYALTY with that
Of ths civilized world I told lum
OF brilliant pagcantry imposing celebra-
tions, dazzling festivities, and made him vora-
cious for these wonderful things. M*rse saidto
me-. finally:
"'All that have is yours It you make me
great King. want a carriage and horae.'
"B7 talking such grandeur to him got him
to consent to ms propositions. He,, however,
resisted my desire to return by the Victoria Nile.
But was stubborn, md ultimately Succeeded.
On July Il, although suffering from long-con-
tinned dysentory, ! visited the Victoria Nyanza,
three hours to 3fuzchiso1 Greek. I was mot bya
thousand of Al'Tse'R warriors in canoes of bark
OF a native troe. sewed together and ornamented
garrah drum, accompanied By limitations of the
crow, ectolng over the smooth surface Of the
lake made the occasion one never to be forgot
ten. Down Murchison Crock and out upon tha
lake. WAS escorted by this numerous suite. I
found the lake twenty-five to thirty feet in depth
end from twelve to fifteen miles across. It
might be double that distance. And although
visited 1hc right shore found no traces Of shells
and no tide marks to disturb this one source OF
tho Nile.
~ had intended to pass from tho lake via
Ripon Falls 10 Uroodogani. Superstition and
Afrikes' were two strong counter-i influences,
notwithstanding M'Tse had assumed that he had
decapitated the devils. Ind to abandon the
project and return to M'TBe, to whom again
mado my sdieux. I left for Urondoganl the 18th
Of July. After much suffering arrived after
march Of twenty days, when, under ordinary cir-
it could be accomplished in three or
four days. The native chiefs opposed me because
had closed the wall at Zanzibar and had re-
:tiyed the assurance Of AiTse that all ivory |
shon1d 10 future pass via Gondokoro and down
the Nile. When IL Tse heard Of my treatment.
de offered to indemnify me to any extent, and
promised topanish severely those to whom he
had con1ded my safe conduct to the river. Afri~ |
ran diplomacy did its utmost to deter me from |
my purFo5c to navigate the unknown Nile. l. |
however, seized from tho unwilling MTougolis !
Two bark canoes, md at dawn Of day on the |
3th Of August, accompanied by my two soldiers, |
Two servants, and throe children, and presents |
from Mise, folded my tent ana ailently stole |
aWay.
leg. 80 sec; high mountain on mv right. I on- |
tered large basin OF like. The bed OF the river
here loses itself. Has beses By storms and j!
without conpass- was forty-cight hours strus~
cling to find my way in this lake, which is at !
cast 20 to Is miles wide, wholly unable to per-
torn abaslos, I again resumed my journey. |
This lake seems not alone the reservoir OF tbs |
waters Of Lake Victoria Nyanza. but OF the |
Faters Of tia rlaseau, the great watershed ex-
except in July md August) fall and fill this ba-
lin to an immessurabIe deptb and when the
Ea:ers get too high they break through the |
:hannel, and, perhaps. this nccouuts fo1 the !
'ariodica1 innndatlon Of the Nile.
'tAng: II arrived near M'Rooli, where vas |
STACKED BY 400 men Of Keba Regas in canoes. |
defeated them after severe fight, With . less ]
o them Of eighty-swo killed, causing them to t
ls8ert thsir sinking boats. Twas wounded in
be face during the battle. The riTer then from /
1aruma to Foweira to Urondagaui is na-igable |
:ven for ships like the Great Eastern. Eesuning |
ny march northwsrd tho 18th Of September, |
Irriyed ut Gondoko1o tho 18th of Oetobex.
"1ho results Of ny expedition wezn-:in Ugzn-
hid indrscnd MrrnA f1t,saa fha ~nad ~ Hu-1