The New York herald., 1877-10-22
THE RICHES Or AFRICA.
Her Equatorial Plateau and Its
Three Great Rivers.
The Nile, the Zambesi and
the Congo.
THEIR OBSTRUCTIONS TO NAVIGATION.
THEIR INSTRUCTIONS TO NAVIGATION.
Only the Nile Can Be Made Navl-
gable Into the Interior.
THE NEW WORLD OPENED FOR TRADE.


Wherein of antres vast ana deserts idle.
Rough quarres, rocks. aud hills whose heads touch
Iva. my hin. 70 sDsss..uch was the pr0cess'
Do grow beneath their shoulders-Ot.etio.
Tho finding of Dr.. Livingstone, after the world had
given him up forever lost the wilds OF Central
Africa, marks a epoch in the history OF that
great continent From that interesting the dis
closures brought homo By Stanley OF the brave old
missionary's explorations and wonderful discoveries
OF q vast system OF rivers and lakes In the heart of
the continent all discharged into great river flow
Ing northward, which he believed TO be the main
stream of the Nile, and from Livngstone's and STAN
lay's reports OF the rich countries and populous
tribes OF that extensive Equatorial plateau,
and from tho revelations made of the horrors
OF tho East African slave trade, extending over
thousand miles into the INTERIOR the Christian States
Of both hemspheres were thrilled as with the dis
covery OF world for missionary labors and for
all the enterprises Of modern civilization, and OF new
markets for trade OF boundless resources.
Livngstones great interior and its tributary
lakes and streams its course and its destination be-
came at once the commanding topic Of discussion
among scientists and geographical societies; and
whilo tho abominations Of that remorseess
and destructive East African slave traffic
ampelled the British government 10 immediate and
effective steps toward It's suppression practical phi
lantnropists entered into organizations for enlarged
missionary enterprises and schemes OF colonization.
From THIS general awakening, too, merchants and
manufacturers began to consider the expediency of
entering into African railway enterprises and of
binations for tho opening Of the new markets In
Africa awaiting the introduction of Christian manu-.
actures Of all descriptions, IN exchange for the vau-
able and aboundng tropical products OF q thousand
pagan nations aud tribcs
Taking up this branch Of the general subject,
THE COMMERCIAL RESOURCES AFRICA
which the finding Of Livingstone and the subsequent
explorations Of Stanley the heart Of the continent
have brought prominently before Christendom, we
offered a new aeld which, with its full development
will absorb the surplus stocks OF goods Of England
and the United States beyond the supplies needed for
other markets for hundred years to come. In other
words, in the resources OF Africa there inviting
markets awaiting the surplus products OF Chrstcn-
dom, which, II appropriated, WILL to the extent Of
hundreds OF millions Of money annually employed
In active exchanges, operate, for example, 10
give employment to thousands of in all
the commercial aud manufacturing cities OF England
and this country. Among the results OF Sanleys ex
porations not only have the products OF
Africa previously unknown been brought conspicu-
ously before the world, but the attention OF CONNER
cial mon has been attracted TO her undeveloped
sources that were known to exist before the OF
Stanley with his budget OF thrilling from Ujui,
and this attention has been attracted further TO all
the probable riches OF the continent yet to be discov
cred Our 'hard times" havo had much to do with
this general awakening Of the public mind refer
the riches Of Afrca and hence the new epoch
In her history, which future historian will date
opened with the finding OF Livingstone.
THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
10 1000 miles In length from north south and 500
miles in width in its widest part 1t embraces within
its encircng an area Of nearly twelve millions oi
square miles Hitherto 1t has Deen considered q bar
rem waste, excepting Egypt and the other countries
bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the mountain
Atlantic coast and the white settlements around
the southern end OF the continent Take map Of
Africa published twenty years ago. "irom the latest
authorities" and great OF the continent
from Sahara southwark will be found blank except
soe sou OF ~ a rom
Sahara, on the west side Of the continent southwark
from the 70 and beyond the Atlantic coast range
oi mountains, there is q belt Of the richest country
In the world several hundred miles wide the richest
In all the products Of the tropics including boundess
wood. and including mountains OF gold which have
not yet boon tapped, beng far above those points
Where Afrie's sunny fountains
and including too, the richest Of iron and cop
per. From Stanlcy's first brief report OF tho Congo
we judge that the timbered belt from the Atlantic
river q thousand miles into the interior.
Along the east coast. from Abyssinia southwark to
the lanu's end thero another great range Of
mountains but with margin OF hundred miles
more between It and the sea. Over all this range,
of tho finest timber, including AZ fine as in
the Atlas range, the cedars OF Lebanon. But
still know not one-naf the riches OF these
pored coast ranges Of mountans with their crowning
peaks rising from fourteen 10 twenty thousand feet
above the sea. According TO Livingstone, the general
character of tho continent south Of Lake
from sea to sea, is that Of region saiubrious we'll
watered, productive and Inhabited by industrious
tribes eager Tor trade with the white man, and rich In
materials Tor exchanges with him. Nevertheless,
THE GREAT EQUATORIAL BELT
hitherto LETT q blank the map, has, IRON the
plorations OF Speke and Grant, of Burton, Baker,
Petherick, Schweinfurth and others and particularly
of Iyiucstone and Stanley been developed into tho
richest populous interesting section or
savage Africa, though not Tho most inviting to the
commercial traveller. Here We have the summit
levels general interior table lands OF the conti-
nent, from which, from soping dome, the rivers
how down all sides to the Here We have that
great Equatorial PLATEAU with It's drainage OF
Of 500 600 square miles, discharged into those threo
great rivors,
rHr NILE THE zAxBKsr AND rnH CONGO
each with system Of tributary rivers and lakes
among tho most magnificent III the world-tne Milo,
flowing from ils utmost source Of the shmeeyu oOo
miles In us course 70 the Mediterranean the Zambes
some 500 miles 70 the Indian Ocean, and the Congo
from rs interIocking sources with tho zambes. not
less than z 800 miles to the Atlantic.
Tnc Nile, OF those thrce great rvcrs although the
longest and draining an area equal to that OF the Mis-
slssppi with all les tributaries, discharges tho small
est volume OF the sea- in OF It's
losses through roasting raness desert Tor 500
miIcA
The Zambesi 10 the most wonderful river In tho
world, taking It's great volume, with It's fails rapids
and basatic canyons For about 400 miles from
It's broad aud beautiful navgable stream, for
tile country on both sides densey inhabited by tribes
OF amabie savagcs whose products in indigo cotton,
conec ana sugar may be Increased millions tho
way OF trade
Tho Congo carries down 10 tho ocean the largest
volume Of those three great rivers its whole course
with the drainage OF all Its numerous tributaries,
being In tho hoArt OF the rainy belt OF the Equator
POPULATION AND PRODUCTS THOSE TnREB RIVER
vALLEYa
The total population OF the savage tribes inhabting
the basin OF the Upper Nc including the drainage OF
It's Equatorial akcs cannot DO than ten millions.
II has boen roughly estimated al higher figure.
Those tribes RAISE vast herds OF CATTLE and at no
distant day their trade IN hides beef and taow will
go regulate the price OF those the
London market From the Egyptian soudan southward.
the extensive regions tributary TO the both
sides, with elephants prod the anest ivory
and there are buhaloes, girafcs and antelopes,
together with the lion, The hippopoamus the rhinoc
oros the crocodile and numerous other w,Id animals
most OF which the future trader will turn into cash
According 10 Livingstone, tho countries drained by
tho Zambesi, though occupied by many populous
80