The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-04

Stanley, Petermann and the Critics.
1t is the fortune of every successful man
to have captious critics Us well as en-
thusiastic admirers. and Henry NJ Stanley
is no exception to the rule. When he an
nounced the rescue Of Livingstone the news
was greeted with expressions of abusive
incredulity which were not silenced until
the letters Of the man whom he had res
cued from barbarous isolation arrived to
verify his statements. On undertaking TO
clear up the uncertainty that surrounded
the geography of Central Africa. by reason
of the conflicting opinions and statements Of
his predecessors in that field of exploration,
Stanley has not only verified those that were
correct and demonstrated tho incorrectness of
others, but he has given US detail surveys
of the regions in dispute, thus settling for
ever all questions regarding them. 1t
seems, however. that the critics are unsatis-
fed. One party in England abuses him for
not winning the palm of scientific martyr
dom by allowing the Bambirehs to cut his
throat, and another party in America en-
deavors to show that he is unworthy of the
applause his achievements deserve, because
he gave great lake name before seeing it,
and that he insists on differing with certain
falliblo explorers as to what constitute the
sources of the Nile. As to the ultra-human-
itarians we have nothing to say. They are
not worth wasting comment on. Neither do
just criticism founded on perversion of
facts, but we will adhere to the facts upper
yerted.
Stanley discovered the Shimeeyu River
flowing into the Victoria Niyanza with con-
siderable volume 1t therefore represented
water supply from region southwark Of
the lake and indicated a source whence that
great'reservoir Of the Nile derived consid-
cradle share Of it's waters. What was more
reasonable, then, than that Stanley should
call the Shimeeyu one of the sources of the
Nile? Again, he finds river, the Kageera,
also flowing into the Victoria Niyanza with
great force and volume. British explorers
had previously crossed this river, but failed
to recognize it as other than very ordinary
affiuent of the lake. They learn from the ma
tives that lake exists to the westward, Of
which the Kageera or Kitangule is the
drainer. They fail again to appreciate the
size Of this lake from the character Of the
river and set it down alphabetically any
where to the westward, as O small and un-
important body of water, and mark it on
the map with the native name Akanyura.
Stanley follows this river considerable dis
tow tic cd
correctly the nature and extent Of its water
shed, learns from the natives of the existence
of great lake, of which the Kageera is the
outlet concludes at once, and correctly, that
this river and lake are supplied from another
source Of the Nile, and announces the
fact in his letters. He changes the
name of the lake, however. to Alex
andra Niyanza, and that of the river
to the Alexandra Nile, because English ex-
plorers had happened to hear Of the one and
cross the other some time before. And yet
his generous action is characterized as pre-
sumptuous and indecent. The eminent
scientific geographer. DR.. Petermann, re-
CARDS the matter differently, and as his
opinion amounts to great deal, while that
OF the captious critics amounts to nothing at
oil, we feel convinced that SANKEY'S reputa-
ton will not suffer- DR.. Petermann fully
indorses the work of our explorer. and
regards it as completely successful. He
goes further, and dates the commencement
of the scientific exploration of Central
Africa only three years back, the really
useful work being done while Stanley has
been practically alone in the field.