The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-12-02
ST4SLETS LATEST DISCOTERIES IN
GENITAL AFRICA.

The three great objects of modern geo.
graphical exploration have been the North
Pole, o course for q canal across the 18th hmus
of Panama and the explanation of the mys-
terry which envefops the great continent Of
Africa, the second of the world's divisions.
Millions of money and thousands of lives
have been wasted upon all these projects,
and as 9 result of this costly expenditure
there has been no small Increase of the
worlds knowledge The most important
of the recent explorations probably has
been that which has been directed TO solv
ing the great problem of the geographical
conformation of Africa and the source of
that marvel of waters, the river Nile. Africa
is the nokpown quantity in the worlds
make up; the Nile the mysterious stream
whose recorded f1ow is as old as history,
bat whose source and origin are wrapped
in almost as lRpenetrable a mystery as the
ruins of an ancient civilization which line
its banks. Of all the explorers aud enthu-
siaets who have tried to cut the Gordian
knot of podern geography there is no doubt
| that the dashing newspaper correspondent,
Henry N. Stanley, who headed an expidi-
tion fitted ont at the sole expense of the
New York Herald and the London Telegraph,
has made the most valuable contributions.
The heroic labors of the Jealous and deyout
Livingstone, who WAS as much missionary
| as an explorer, are not, of course, to be dis
counted, but Stanley's experience as q
journalist, and his fighting qualities, which
| have made him discard the Bible whore DR..
Livingstone used it for the Martini Henry
rife, have added wonderfully to the value
of his discoveries. The rife in our day il
turning out to be as valuable weapon OF
civilization as the pen.
In q IT cent letter to the Herald Stanley
who has Just reached thesend of his journey
having crossed Africa from east to west
Gays:
Our journeys length from NyaDgwe il
nearly one thousand eight hundred miles
our Losses in men are one European anC
thirty-fou WanguanA. Captain TuckeI
iost eighteen Europeans and eleven coloreC
men in about three months Mungo Parl
lost his own life and the lives of all hi
people, and out of Peddie's Niger expedi
ton the commander and all the pripcipa
, officers lost their lives and the expedition
was broken mp. When forced by farin
to rick al encounter with the ferociou
, savages l made for the right bank, an
: opportunities were then given me to ex
! plore. Bat the interests of humanity an
j the interests of geography were ever 8
Y variance in tbis region. The natives Eai
: never heard of white men they had neve
5 seen sttapgers boldly penetrating thei
q region, neither could they possibly under
: stand what advantage white men or b!ac
> men could gain by attempting to begin q
7 acquaintance. The Congo river is th
= Amazon of Africa, the Nile is the Missis
sippi. While the latter has greater lengt
4 the Congo could furnish water to thre
: Niles. Ii requires enormous bresdth Q
!, great depth TO restrain all this impetuositS
; Though the Nile is q most valuable rive
: for commerce the Congo is still better. Th
3 former has its course frequently interrupt
!, ed by cataracts, bot the Congo, fortunately
!; has all its falls aud rapids in two series
!. the upper, between east longitude 25 de
! grees and 90 degrees, consisting of 81
o E-tE- .all he
t might be established above the lowe
, series, which consist of sixty-two impoI
3 taut falls aud rapids, though there at
}, mauy minor rapids do not think necee
: cary to include in the list. remembe
). when about starting from Nysngwe 1 tOl
: Frank that hoped should find the cats
racts in "lumP."