, 1880-11-07

! The New York Herald, which IS so con-
| spicuously devoted to the work Of African
| exploration, In recent issue devotes several
| columns to resume of what is now being done
| in opening up the Dark Continent to ciyi)iza-
| tion. So little Is heard from the interior of
that far-away and mysterious country that
some of its statements will be received with
very general interest It will also occasion
| not little surprise that the interior Of
Africa Is fairly swarmtng with explorers, not
withstandtng the hostility of the natives, the
severity of the climate, and the fatal diseases
that are so likely to attack Europeans. The
area Of exploration lies principally between
the Central African lakes. In this section
the British expedition sent out by the Royal
Geographical Society under the leadership
Of Joseph Thompson is at work. He has
thoroughly traversed the west side Of Lake
Tanganyika, with which Stanley has
made us SO familiar. and discovered
and dffnftly located and mapped the River
Lukuga, the lakes outlet; also Lake Hikwa,
a large body of water sixty miles long and
twenty wide, and very large river called
the Mkafa, which emptles into 1t. The Bel
5gian Government has three expeditions at
work in the same region, the first and second
being on the east shore Of Lake Tanganyika,
The third, however, has come to a sudden
stop through the hostility of the natfyes,-its
leaders. Cadenhead and Carter, having been
cruelty murdered by & native chief called
Urambo, who is noted as the great robber
chief Of Central Africa, and the scourge Of
the Arabs. The expedition sent out by the
African Society In Berlin, under the leader
ship Of Capt. Won Schaller, has just started
FROM Zanzibar for the interior, and is ae-
companied by an eminent astronomer and
naturalist. They left July II, and will fix
their station at the southern end Of Lake
,Tanganyika- A second expedition is on the
way to the west coast. A third Is under
the charge Of Dr.. LEM, who Is en- route
from Morocco to Timbuctoo. A fourth
traveller, Dr.. Max Buchner, sent out by the
same Society, at last accounts had nearly
reached the mysterious Sankorra Lake,
which so many explorers have sought Tho
Society Is also preparing to send out the
famous traveller Gerhard Rohlfs upon his
ninth expedition into Africa. This time he
will again try to reach the River Congo from
the north, in which lie failed last year. Italy
is not behind the rest of Europe in African
Northeastern Africa and the countries I'M
1nediately south Of Abyssinia- It has one
large expedition in Central Africa under
Lieut. AIassari, Of the navy. They left
Cairo in February last, and when last heard
from were at the capital Of Darfour. At
Naples q new society has just been estab~
lished to send out an expedition to Eastern
Central Africa ARussian expedition under
DR.. Junker has penetrated the White Nile
region. A Greek expedition fhnder Dr.
putugos has also explored an extensive
tract Of country west Ut the Upper Nile.
The French are mainly at work In The Sahara
trying to find a suitable route for railway
from AIgiers across the Great Desert to the
Niger, and thence to their colony on the
Senegal. Three of their expeditions are out,
Of ono Of which the Herald says: L
The large expedition of 1c8 men strong, COM
1nanded By Col Flatters, With fifteen horses aud
:.E50 catnels, left Ware!u on March s, and pcne-
Tonarcgs.: i crossed tho snnd-his betwcen
,WnrEa aud Ell biodh, and reports the practica.
Goltah over lcyei plain without sand. The cx- !
pcdiuon was never without water for more tbun |
three days ut time. md also discovered hike |
whole country Is infested with snakes and liz |
ards, and antelOpes also abound IN great NUM-
hcrs. Although the soil consists generally OF |
sandstone and very bard limestone, tho tamarisk |
tree grows luxuriantly In the Sahara. Although |
Col. Flattcrs was met with qreat frteudliness By
the Tonurcgs, want Of supplies and other difh-
culties prevented him from going farther south |
aud crossing the Hogan plateau. as previously
Intended.
America still continues to occupy the most |
important place among all these expeditions,
her representative being Henry II. Stanley.
His expedition Is now in camp at ViyI, on
the Congo, 130 miles from its mouth, and near
the second cataract A large deputation OF
Belgian explorers Is en- route to join him, and
will assist him In building road through
the mountains, over which he can transport
his boats and supplies round the series Of DR..
Liyingstone's thirtytwo waterfalls. Sev-
eral other explorers are also at work In this
Congo region. With so many Governments
and societies bending their energies to this
great work. and SO many scientific and ex-