The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1875-11-17
THE DISC0VERER OF THE SOURCE OF
THE NILE.


THE MILE
Neither the American nor tho English press
appear to have noticed that Mr.. Stanley has
i won the great prize Of Afrie80 Exploration
the right 10 b recognized as Tie discoverer 81
the true source Of the Nile. The river flows
out Of tho Albert N'yanaa, butho one regards
that lake as its proper source, since il has i
more elevated and remote source IN tho great
Victoria Lake. Neither can tho latter lake
be ajudged to be the final source Of the Nilet
since the waters Of the River Shimeeyn, which
fall into the Victoria Lake on the side oppo-
site to that from which the Victoria Nile Is.
sues, are carried by the Nile to the Mediter.
ranean. The Shimeeyn has a course estimate
ed by Mr. Stanley to be at lenst $50 miles in
length. As 1t is the largest tributary Of the
Victoria N'yanza, it must be regarded as tho
extreme upper course of the. Nile, and its
fountain-hcad as the fountain of the great
river of Africa. Now, to Mr.. Stanley alone
belongs the honor to have discovered the
Shimeeyn and hence he deserves to outrank
Baker and Spoke In the field of Nile explora.
ton, and to be hailed as the fortunate man
who has finally solved the most famous prob.
lem of geographical science.
OF course, II DR.. Livingstone's theory that
the Lualaba, which has its source near the
tenth parallel of south latitude, belongs to
the Nile system, he--or rather his predecess.
or, the Portuguese Lacerda---is the discover
or of the firtherest source of the Mile. But
it is not only improbable, but actually impos.
sible, that the Lualaba falls into the Albert
Lake. At the most northerly point of his
last journey, he was at least four hundred
miles from Albert Lake, and at the point he
found the Lualaba running with very rapid
current. Of course, il 1t Is asserted that the
Albert Lake extends In southwcsterly tirec.
tion below the equator for vast aud indefi.
mite distance, it may easily be claimed that ID
extends nearly to the most northerly point of
Livngstones route. This however, would
compel us to ignore Schweinfurth's explora-
tions, since his discovery Of tho River Welle,
flowing from east to west and having its Origin
in the mountains west of the Albert N'yanza
and IN the neighborhood of the equator,
shows that he was ON another watershed than
that of the Nile system, and renders it ex-
tremely improbable that there can be any very
! great extension of the lake in southwesterly
direction. Moreover it has been ascertaned
that lake Tanganyika is drained by stream
falling into the Luaaba. This stream, ON
which Cameron embarked months ago, flows
with a hardly perceptible current, showing
that the Lualaba, at the point where this
sluggish stream, joins it, is but slightly below
the level OF Tanganyika. Now this lake Is
but ten feet higher than the Albert Lake. If
the Lualaba flows into the latter, it has a fall
of over ten feet in a course of at least five
hundred miles. And yet Livingstone found
it flowing with current so swift that it was
difficult and dangerous to cross it. This
swift current necessarily means a rapid dc-
scent, not only from the junction of the Lual-
aba and the outlet Of Tanganyika, which
junction is distant fully fifty, and perhaps a
hundred, miles south of Livingstone's further
est There can be hardly sny doubt that
where Livingstone last saw the Lualaba it
was many feet lower than the Albert N'yanza.
At any rate, its rapid current is wholly incon-
sistent with the theory that the river has only
fall of ten feet in a course of five or six
hundred miles. It's rapid current, taken in
connection with the fact that it drains the
Tanganyika, and that the latter is but ten
feet higher than the Albert Nyanza, demon-
strates that it does not fall into the latter
lake, and hence that it has no possible con-
nection with the Nile.
SANKEY'S fame is safe. He has found the
true fountain of the Nile in the River Shim-
eeyn. Livingstone never saw drop of water
that belonged to the Nile, and the discoveries
of Spekc and of Baker, important as they
were, have been interpreted and completed by
the bold American, who has finally graspcd
prize which has cost so many precious lives,
and which has eluded SO many gallant and
perseyering efforts. --New York Times.
Colon OF THE HAIR.-It is stated that
the transactions of the British Royal Society,
extending over two hundred years. contain no
instance of any sudden change in the color of
| the human hair--a circumstance regarded as
conclusive that no such change has ever occur
red, for had it been undoubtedly witnessed it
is not likely that it would have remained un-
described. The most eminent medical writ
ers confess themselves unaware that, rrespect-
i've of recorded evidence, anything in support
of the popular notion on this subject can be
adduced ON physiological grounds. 1t is well
known that human hair cannot be injected
| Using coored fluid, such as o solution of nj
trate of silver and solution Of iodine, does
not produce any change Of color except In the
portions actually immersed. Whether 1t owes
q ~, Gxo< Ill ~