The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-12-02
s-a.LEY's ACHIEVEMENT.
He 3 tie Real DIscoverer Of the Sources Of
the Nile-But Cui Roaol

He's lie Real DIscoverer Of the Sources Of
tire Nile-But Cui Poaol
There il no reasonable doubt that Stsn-
lev, the Head correspondent, has actually
discovered The source OF the Nile in the
River Shimeeyu, a large afiiuenr of Lake
Victoria, which again emptiea into Lake
Eiyaaza, Lying to the north Of il, ard that
sgaia into the Nile by stream or success
sion Of streams and bayous. There are
afi.GeHts 20 the great river from the Noun
tains of the Moon, range Of mountains
which rups southwark TO the east Of this
lake system, a coast range, and between
which and the lakes are the interminable
swamps which Stanley traversed in follow
ing Tie :;h.meeon. Connected with Speke's
explorations from the south, the route OF
the river Il fully defined. The Nile drains
basin, or lake system, between latitudes
Of 10 G~ggees on each side Of the equator
and extending east from the coast range Of
mountains 10 a watershed between Lake
Niyanza and Lake Tanganyika, the body
oi water which Livingstone, and Stanley
in his previous exploration, took TO be the
cOur-e 81 the Nile, and supposed to flow
into Nivanza il Is now found that Tan
ganyika Is on a lower level than Niyanza,
and Of course has some other outlet.
Livingstone found a large river, the Lu-
laIubl, running north from the tenth de-
crocoi south latitude 10 Lake Tanganyika.
lie assumed that TO be part OF the Nile
system, and OF course that Tanganyika was
a reservoir basin Oh the way. 1t is now
shown that this is impossible on account
OF IT. level being lower than that OF Niyan-
"a. There is a watershed between them
and the conclusion is that Tanganyika is
the head lake of one Of the great rivers
flowing TO the Atlantic, the Congo. Liv.
ingstone was working upon the wessein
watershed OF the continent. The Nile
rises Oh the east
To illustrate from a familiar region oi
home geography. We will suppose the
LAX Oi the Gods 10 be Tanganyika, Su'
Ieriy- 10 be Victoria, the Lower Lakes tc
he Niyanza, the St. La Srence TO re the Nile
and the Lulalaba tie Mississippi The
comparative locations are sufficiently alike
the distances much less on our continent
than ia Africa, but the arrangement Of the
watersheds is almost identical in their ply
seal geography. Suppose an explorer t.
know OF the existence of Lake Superior anC
Of its connection with the st. Lawrence sys
TEN. He is seeking still further source o
that great river, and wishes to define tn.
area Of the watershed He reaches tn,
Lake OF the Woods from the south or south
west, imIeFiectly explores it and believes i
and it, ailuents to be the true source of tn,
ST. Lawrence. Striking to the sou beast hs
discovered noble stream flowing alonI
the line OF his course, and follows it dow
straight or its course toward Lake SuperiO
until near 81. Paul, he is driven back b.
the natives or perishes from hardship. Hi
natural and unavoidable conclusion woulo
he, knowing how short distance he wa.
from Lake Superior, that the Mississippi
was an outlet OF the Lake Of the Wood
and an afiiuent OF Superior. He could no
conceive that the Mississippi, just beyon,
his terminus, swept 10 the south and emp
tied into the Gulf of Mexico, 5000 mile
away, instead Of into Superior, 100 mile
away. The Lulaluba cheated Livingston
the same way. lie was on the wrong sid
Of a low and hardly perceptible watershed
which was really the dividing line betweel
the waters OF the South Atlantic and tn
Indian Ocean. The streams running on
al Ianganyika would have carried hin
down the Congo and not down the Nile
though analogy would teach that there
probably in Equatorial Africa, west of IN
route OF the Nile discoveries, chain Of in
land seas, ike our great lakes, or the chail
o. the Black Sea and Mediterranean.
ca Poa0r What is TO become of all thi
distant ard dangerous exploration, an
would il not be wiser for the Livingstone
and >tanleys TO stay at home, one 10 preac
and the other 10 report for the newspapers
They are neither of them brilliant in thei
re-pcct,ye-!ines. Livingstone was dull il
the pulpit and not well vereed in theology
Siarlcy .- accused OF imperfect gramma
and 2 'gryerse spelling, while as traveller
their names ring throughout civilization
But what . the use Ui all their discoyerie
IN the juUc'cs Of Eastern Africa, or Is il a
AL necessary that We should ever know tn
sources OF the Nile? We might as well al
what is the Use Of anything out of the com
mon and the humdrum OF a bread and but
ter lie IN our bOas:ed civilization, wher
men cut pockets instead OF throats. VI
might "a well wonder what insanity pos
sesscd Father. Marquette and Hennepin
the heroic priests who explored our grea
continental lakes, and crossing TO the Mis-
sissippi sent 20 the world of Europe an &C
count Of q noble land, which rapidly result
ca in the sending out Of numerous colonie
and the building up Of an empire on thi
continent. But, it is said, these jGngles O
Africa are SO dense, so deadly, 80 sub
merged, that they can never be inhabited
So the first observers oil the Mississippi
would have said, had they been landet
near H. mouth TO trace il up As Stanley di,
Shimeeyu, by following il as best he coul,
through the Increases and bayous which