The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-21
What Is Still Unknown in Africa.

| NOhtlu'hO - SUN ulknOWn, ana presents
| problems OF the utmost interest and i'm.
| portancc.
| To begin on the shore OF the Red Sea, how
| little Is really known of Abyssinia beyond
the mcagre reports of the English expedi.
ton, confined to the route travcrsed by
the column, and beyond the notes of captivcs
| jottcd down from memory. for the most
| part Mt II date subsequent to their release
like the recent work of Mr.. MITCHELL
the American geologst. in the Yiccroy's
service. Few persons understand, how
ever that TO the eastward OF Abys-
sinia and to the northward Of Zanzibar,
lies vast peninsula, eliminating in Cape
Guardafui, between the Gulf Of Alden aud
the Arabian sea, which. with the exception
Of n few short excursions inward from
the eastern coast, has never yet been
penetrated. This region Is inhabited by 4
Mohammedan population. which, II not
purely Arab, has for centuries been COM
pletely fashioned by the Arab element, and
has cvinccd n fierce fanaticism that has
made its place of sojourn rs involablc rs
was Samarcand twenty years ago. Here are
monuments which point to n very ancient
| civilization. and these memorials are con-
ilrmcd by the illusions to the triangular
Somaui tract in Roman and Byzantine his
tory. Here, there Is some reason to believe,
dwelt that Queen Of Shcba Of whose wealth
we read IN the Old Testament, and here was
spoken the lIimyaritc dialect Of the Arabic
language, as distinguished from the
.Ethiopic tongue employed in ancient Ahys-
sinia. The explorers OF this interesting
land would naturally be Englishmcn. who,
as masters OF Alden. and the allies OF the
orthodox Caliph. are in n position to exert
both physical and moral pressure upon the
Somauli Moslems.
Leaving the Indian Ocean and skrtlng
the equator from the Juba River in the
Somaui region 10 the kingdom OF MTs6e on
the Victoria Nyanza, we are concerned In
learning something about the lofty range Of
mountains alleged 10 follow in this quarter
the direction OF the mcridians. Here, too.
We have yet to ascertain the course OF the
White Niles eastern tributaries. Beginning
with the Sobat, and crossing the White Nile
we perceive that as TO the western and
southern shores Of the Albert Nyanza we
possess only conjectural data Following
the equator straight across the continent
we observe next that wide trnct, stretching
across some fifteen degrees OF longitude, and
including the upper waters Of the Ogobai,
remains TO be explored. This work seems to
belong to the French, who have an estab-
lishment at the mouth Of the river, and who
have made some progress toward survey
Of its upper waters; but between their
furthest point and the western shore of the
Albert Nyanza stretches wide terra mcog-
ndd. We already know that the Ogobai is
by no means branch OF the Congo, rs was
once supposed, hut has a system of its own
A To the country south of the equator.
between the basins Of tho Congo and the
Nile and the Zambcsi region. 1t is certain
that the land east Of -. Paul lie Loanda.
and to the east and south of St Felipe dc
Bcnguela are very impcricctly known; and
still further south, between the Ngami and
Orange Rivers. We find tract. known as the
Kalahar Desert. which must still be de-
pictcd as a blank upon our maps. Passing
Ia the north Of the equator We find between
the coast OF Guinea and the Juliba, COM
monty accepted a. the main feeder Of the
upper Niger. an immense space known only
b. the reports Of the rOU-t tribes. mud walled
of against exploration by exceptional diff
cultics and dangers. Eastward of this tract
we find an area stretching across nearly
twenty-five degrees Of longitude, from
Gagho on the Niger to SCHwEINFURTus
discoveries in Darloor, where questions OF
the utmost import await settlement, re-
speeding the eastern feeders of the Niger
and the basin of tho Shary, which feeds
Lake Tchad. We may add that line drawn
between the last mentioned basin and the
Albert Lake, and which would span more
than thousand miles, cuts through moro
than four-tlfths OF its extent an utterly un-
known country
Tho most interesting problem remains, IL
indeed the history of man be OF more con-
sequence than physical geography. Be
tween the waters Of the Senegal, the Niger,
and Lake Tchad on the south, and the Moor
ish peoples OF the Mediterranean, lies the
vast region known as the Sahara and 50
long incorrectly described as an indiscrimi-
nate waste; while to the eastward stretches
another tract vaguely comprchcndcd, with
equal distortion OF the truth, under the term
Libyan Desert. Thanks to NACHTIGAL and
others, we know that this country, possess
ing supcrllcics equal to thrce-fourths of
Europe, does in tact present the greatest
some Of its GASES civilizations of great antia-
uity and OF considerable refinement. SO
far, however, the lines Of inquiry opened hv
these explorers are like the mcagrc results
OF American discovery in the fifteenth cen
tury, before De SorO, CORrE2, and PIzAIRo.
If we sum up the areas of the gaps remain
ing in African exploration, we shall find the
total to exceed one-third OF the African con-
tincnt Allowing that the field of discovery
should be opened with the energy and sue
cess which have marked the last eight years,
n supposition which is hardly tenablc, there
is still matter enough to tax, for several
decades, the yigor and sclf-sacrilicc Of tray
cllcrs, and TO fire the curiosity of the world
Return of the Pilgrims.