New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-31
STANLEY'S LAST REPORT.
ALEXANDRA LAKE.
SOME CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH THROW DOUBT o
LIE VALUE OF srANLEY's LAST Letter.


Alexandra Lake" and future outlet to Lake Tan
ganyika, show tendency on his part to make the
most of his achievements A careful examination of
the statements put forth by him, and accepted with
out question by various journals, considerably
diminishes their value contributions TO geograph-
ica science. The temptation to magnify each sue
eessive result of an undertaking which involves so
| much expense, and which Stanley is carrying out
with equal courage and skill, is perhaps natural;
but each claim TO n new discovery must be judged
without regard to the personal qualities of the ex-
plOrer, or the cost of his journey.
In his first dispatches year ago. Stanley claimed
| to have found in the Shimeeyu River the true ex-
tension of the Nile southwark from the Victoria
Nyanza. He now transfers that claim {" ." ka-
geera-or as Spoke calls it, the Ktahgul6 i.agocfd,
the latter word meaning river which enters the
lake from the west. We have yet 10 detailed
account of Stapey's journey southwark through the
country of Karagw6, but by comparing the few par
ticulars he furnishes with the account given by
Spoke, we cannot find that he saw any more OF the
river than the latter. The king, Rumaniki, sent
5pekc in canoe to make apparently the very same
examination of the upper course Of the kitangule,
Tor Kagecra) as he afterward allowed to Stanley.
We quote from Spekes narratiye:
At daybreah Runanika sent word ne was OF TO
Moca Namirinzi n spur OF a hill beyond the Little
WinerInere" overlooking the nsezi Kagera, or liver
how the Kitangule fed by small lakes ara
Marshes accordance with my xprcssed wish TO nave
better comprehension OF the drainage system Of the
Mountains Oi the Moon. lie LOped we would follow nn
not by inc land route lie iIteHcea 10 aHo' e ~ 1
shortly afterwaTd made for the lake, ana iOnnd the
all ready but small that besides two padders
only SO men could sit down in each After pushing
Through the tall reeds with which the end OF the lake is
fgrther side of the water until a small STRAIT gained
which led into another lake, drained at the northern
end into vast swampy plain. covered entirely with ta
rlscs, excepting only in few places, where bald
patches expose tue surface OF the water or where .ho
main streams Of the lngez and Lnchnio valleys cut
clear drain for themselves. -
geography, ana seemed licHu ambitious OF GAINING
worldwide reputation through the medium Of my pen
At his invitation now crossed over tue spur 10 the
Insez Kaeera side when, to surprise me, the canoes
had up the lake IN appeared before us Ihey mao
gon. out OF the lake at ITS northern emu ana
then up the AaSeri 10 "htic we stoo' snoMiS' Nv w.
tual navigation, the connection Of these highland ikes
tains OF the Moon. The Kaseru was deep and DARK 81
itself very line stream, and, considering 1t was only
when drain the mountain valleys Into the Victoria
Nyanza through the medium of Tie kltanguc River,
Kitanguie a very powerful tributary to the lake
The following is Staney's statement:
From Rumanika-that gentle and most sweet pagan
whom found more easy to eoav,t 10 stoGrphGT
watch was enabled 10 explore thoroughly The singular
BODY OF water called mgez which a shallow lake to
TO- and even II miles Vide through which the Alexandra
ME continues its resistess course with deph VI from
/ was enabled. after continuing my journey from
ROumlnikas to obtain pretty clear view o. -'od uea
vi the uncXplOred course ~ the Alexandra Nile.
But Spoke evidently enjoyed the same view, for he
gives us picture of it in his volume. In his letter
Stanley describes his questioning of four natives
concerning the geography of the unknown region to
the westward of Karagwe Three of them told him
deliberate lies the fourth stated the existence of
large lake-and this il the only basis to Stanley's
claim of discovery! He accepts the lake as once.
calls il " Alexandria and changes the name of
Speke's kitangue River TO Alexandra Nile" lie
sends home a map Of this unseen and exceedingly
probcmatic lake. giving it very imposing dimeu-
siolis and connecting it by another river with the
reported kivoo Lake, which he places as far south
ward as the northern end Of the Tanganyikl. One
cannot but suspect that the name Of Alexandra
had much to do with the assumption of another true
Nile flowing frOm another Nyanza." 1t is not well
to be so hasty for houors.
If Stanlcy's theory were correct il would neces3i-
tate the existence of a river system a much
higher level. between Lakes Tanganyika and Al
bert. divided from each by mountainous water
she'd Now the difference in latitude between these
two lakes is not more tnau 100 miles about 90 of
which are occupied by the breadth which Stanley
gives to his supposed lake. Moreover, a consider
able Rivcr-the Rusizi-hOws into the Tanganyika
M its northern end. We have thus very ttle SPACE
left for the imposing features which Stanley has set
down In his map. A writer in The HCrdid says: " 1t
would be singular feature of SANKEY'S explorations
in the region west of the Tanganyka and Albert
Nyanza il he discovered connection between the
Luaiaba and the Alexandra Nile" Ii would, in
deed, -most singular! Tile only difficulty appaI-
entity existing" he complacenty adds, " lies in the
relative levels of the lakes which form the
of both rivers Wei, when W remember that the
Lualaba, at the point where Livingstone left it, is
l 900 feet above the sea- and that the Alexandra
Nile" in Karagwe, is not less than 1000 feet, We
must admit that there is an "only difficulty in
making the former flow into the latter.
Staney's chief argument in favor of the new lake
ia that the Ktangule iKageera n very deep, clear,
and swift stream But SpekG's observations already
showed Us that it drains wild, mountainous region,
with peaks 10 600 feet in hight. This would give
great accumulation Of water during the rainy sea-
son, and the number of small scattered lakes which
no doubt exist there would arrest the slight deposit
brought down by mountain streams.
In regard to the outlet of the Tanganyika Stan
leys theory also encounters two very important OBJ
stacles He notices the rise in the level of the lake
as Cameron had done before him. In the latter's
remarkably interesting volume, which will be m-
mediately issued by Harper & Brothers, he gives
very minute account of his circumnavigltiOn of the
lake. He is a very keen and accurate observer and
he established the fact that of late years the lake is
rapidly rising He writes in May 1874, and in
July, 1876, Stanley found five feet of water the
spot where Cameron had encamped. This gives US
two feet and half as the annual rise for the pres
ent area OF the lake. But when 1t was SMALLER the
rise must have been much more rapid so that. If
Stanleys theory be correct, the Tanganyika Lake,
400 miles in length, must have been formed some
where from two to four centuries ago. Moreover. il
the'iake has never yet possessed outlet il is re-
markable phenomenon that one is furnished for it,