The New York herald., 1877-03-20
Mr.. Stanlsy's Explorations His
--latest Letters.
What he Has Accomplished and the
Work Before Him.
The New Fields Opened for Trade and
Civilization.

5th. 10th and 18th OF August last, quite
imparted the pleasure Of good TO all readers
Interested In the progress OF science, commerce.,
civilization and Christianity. We are Of this,
because Of the universal public interest which has
been drawn to all these explorations in the savage
wds Of Africa since The thrilling discoveries in the
Nile basin Of speke and Grant, and Of Baker In 1851
1862 and 1854, and particularly from Stanleys
tive Of his successful expedition search Of Dr. Liv
1pgstone, with the accompanying letters from that la
mented chief OF Christian pioneers in the previously
unknown countries Of that oenighted continent. Be-
levng that the readers of the HERALD have received
the intelligence of Mr. stanleys SAFE arrival at Uji
news from friend gagged In good work and bcset
with constant dangers from deadly climate and saw
age tribes think that brief review Of his latest
reported adventures and Of tho general field Of tho
great Nile basin may here for the public information
be prontably given
ON srAxLEY's LINE OF TRAvEL PROM THE VICTORIA
THE TANGANyiKA LAKE
we have stretch OF country equal to that between
Long Island Sound and Lake Erie, with moro of the
perils to the white than those Of the Yellowstone
Mountains In tested by the of Sitting ull aud
Crazy Horse. From tho telegraphc outline Of STAN
lcys report OF his journey to tho Tanganyka Lake. It
appears that tho Kagecra River. flowing into VIC
t0rta Lake on the west side, Is much larger stream
than the Shmeeyu, which Is discharged into the lako
at It's southern extremity. These two rvers-the
rising tho third and the other the fth do.
gree OF south latitude--arc far known the ut
most sources of the mighty Nile From It's beginning
In the Shimseyu It flows through thirty degrees
OF latitude, equal, the nes to tho distance
from Bogota, In South America, to the city of Now
York. Between the head springs OF the Mississippi
and tho Cult Of Mexico there are twenty degrees OF lat
ttude. Thus, in length, the "Fatber OF Waters" s
fad nd ho from ita in Ton.
tana to the Gulf is surpassed by tho grand old Nile
This fact is established from Staney's explorations
THE LENGTH OF THE KAGEERA RIVER
Mr.. Stanley has not ascertaned; hut the dividing
ridge between the waters OF the Tanganyika Lake aud
tho limits Of the basins Of the Albert and Victoria
lakes, southward. are well known tho Kagcera cannot
be long river Its great volume OF water 10 due
doubt, to some group of mountains its head, on
which the equatorial rainfall Is very heavy II must
be short river, because 1t flows into Victoria Lake
from the west and less than two hundred miles from
the lake, west. lies tho basin of tho Albert Lake.
THE EQUATORIAL DRAINAGE NILE
comes from three great basins-the basin of the Vic
tora Lake, that Of the Albert Lake, ana that OF the
great Nile tributary, tho Bahrei-GazaI, which has
been only partially explored and OF the true sources
Of which nothing is The basin OF tho Victoria
Lake extends over an area twice that of New York,
chiefly to the and south The peninsula between
bhe two lakes mostly drained into the Victoria the
"dvtde" being close to Lake Albert Tho basin Of
this lake is limited tho mountains and cliffs encrcng
being close its shores The lake is nearly one
hundred and fifty miles long and from twenty to fifty
miles wide, and 1t lies somo eight hundred ana fifty
feet below the surface OF the Victoria Lake.
We have something of this difference of altitude of
two neighborng lakes of the system, Erie and
Ontario the surface Lowell Of the former being over
300 icet above that of the latter natural terrace
which, from the Ontario looks like mountain RIDGE
rises between the two lakes You ascend this terrace
from Lewiston, and instead Of mountain ridge, you
find that you are a higher Lowell OF the continent,
which impercoptbly has ascending grade westward
to the head OF the St Lawrence BASIN 1t is tho cut.
ting through this terrace by the outnowing stream
from Erie which givos the rapids and the falls OF
Niagara By the samo processes the Nile, from the
Victoria Lake and its higher basin, has cut Its way
down through the rocks to Lake Albert And hero we
daro say tnat in making this descent Of $50 feet from
the lake into the other, there are In the Victoria
Nie main river, IN addition to the Murchison and
ono or two other falls mentioned by explorers
OTHER sPLENDiD FALLS AND RAPIDS,
and which no whte man has yet because Of
the mpossibiity of ascending foot or
by boat the rocky gorge canyon OF the roaring
speke Baker and others IN exploring this section Of
the Nile struck in here and there At opening, but
had to leave tho river from point point to get round
Its projecting rocks and cliffs At all events they have
two lakes.
rnE FINED FACTS OF THESE EQUATORIAL LAKES
are these:-The Victoria drains region extending
southwark to .sdvde nea- the nth degree OF south
latitude. This Is the utmost southern ascertained
limit of the Nile. The Victoria lies a terrace from
$50 to 900 feet above Lake Albert and drains nearly
the whole peninsula between the two lakes. The ''d-
vide" between the Albert and Tansanyika lakos Is
near the third degree south latitude and The flanagan.
yka, some three hundred miles south. lies over a
hundred below the level Of the Albert. This fact
settles the that Lawn great system Of
In narn nk knl n Tn nvtI
belongs, has no connection with Lake Albert. But
still is not an established fact that Livingstone's
great river, Luaaba. Is the Congo
LIVINGSTONE CAMERON.
Livingstone died IN the belief that his river Luaaba,
rivers, Is the main stream Of the Nile At the point
where he was compelled to halt, over hundred miles
beyond Nyangwe, the stream was heading north. II
there valley running northward and lying west Of
tho mountains on the west side OF Lake Albert,
and lower level than that lake, then
Livingstone's river may be the Bahr-e-GaxaI,
which comes into the Nile in numerous branches
hundreds OF miles below the outlet Of Lake Al
bert schweinturth, however, has settled u that for
flowing northward but that the general OF the
streams from that dividing lake ridge is westward
stones great river may further than schwein.
turths line OF travel and yet In valley tributary 70
the Nile.
Il Is tho Congo But he lett the river al that point 10
hundred mios and short OF the point reached by
Livingstone on the same stream) aud, In southwest
direction, he crossed the country to the Atlantic coast
Cameron, therefore, has not settled II thas Living.
stones Lualaba is The Congo.
WE ExrEcr STANLEY TO SETTLE THE QUESTION
whether the LuaIaba Is the Milo or the Congo, or
IN independent river discharged into the Atlantic
north Of the Congo, into great interior salt
lake. tho fresh drainage into which passes on by
evaporation. In letters from Mr. Stanley We
expect the settlement OF this problem, not from alt-
tudcs and calculations but from actual observation,
ior In such questions TO see Is TO know.
LIvINGsToNg's PLATEAU
Of lakes ana rivers, though mucn grander scale,
may be compared with the plateau OF Minnesota. On
this elevated Hat we have thousand lakes and streams
lnterappng, some tho head waters OF the Red River
Of the North flowing into Hudsons Bay; some the
sources OF the Mississippi, and some tho extreme
western sources OF the st. Lawrence On
great Interior African plateau OF lakes and rivers in
cludng the splendid Lake Tanganyika, wo have the
sources OF the Wild and rushing Zambcz flowing
the Indian Ocean, nerappng with tho tribu,a OF
the LuaIaba which s tho Congo or some other river,
flowing into tho Atlantic or into dcsort; or II Is the
grand old Nile.
North OF tho TanganyikA Lake have tho two coua-
toral reservoirs and basins OF tho Nle the ono from
800 TO 900 feet above the other, and draining vast