Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-01-26
a NOTABLE JOURNEY IN
AFRICA.

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journeys in Central Africa was discrib
ed in paper lately read in London be
fore the Royal Geographical Society
We may well doubt whether there
will hereafter be any famous explorer;
of Africa The great mountains, lakes
and rivers of continent can be dis
covered only once. There is no reason
to believe that any important natural
feature of Africa now remains wholly
unknown to the outside world We
probably have much to learn in Afri
can geography which will be interest,
ing, but hardly much that will seem
wonderful Heroes as many of them
were, it is nevertheless true that the
long line of explorers extending from
the time of Bruce to the time of Liv-
ingstone owe no small part of their dis
tinction to the fact that when they
travelled in Africa there was still some
thing important left to be discovered.
Although present and future explor-
ers of Africa. therefore. are not likely
to acquire permanent distinction. the
Royal Geographical Society recent
East African expedition has shown
that there is still much valuable and
important work left for them to do.
This expedition set out from Zanzibar
in May, 1879, under command of Mr..
Keith Johnston, scientific geographer
of high qualifications for the work, to
explore the unknown route from the
coast to the north end of Lake Nyassa,
and also the equally unexplored coun-
try lying between the north end of
Lake Nysssa and the southern extremi-
ty of the Tanganyika Lake. Mr. Keith
Johnston died almost at the outset of
the journey. The command devolved
upon his only European companion,
Mr.. Joseph Thomson, young Scotch
geologist only twenty-five years old
This yout'' did not falter where many
an older man would have turned back
disheartened. "For the first time in
my life," he says, "and in the heart of
Africa, looked upon death )" and yet
he bravely resolved to carry out the
purpose of his lost leader He went
on, with his one hundred and fifty
dusky followers, through heat and
cold, often prostrated by disease, and
always exposed to danger he accom-
plished the task assigned to the expe-
dition by the Royal Geographical So
ciety and he brought all his men back
to the coast from which they started
without the loss of a life and without
firing q gun to attack others or defend
themselves.
In courage. in tenacity Of purpose,
in wisdom of dealing with the natives,
and in the successful attainment of the
objects of his journey, this young
Scotchman has not been surpassed
among African explorers. The only
reason why he will not rank among
the foremost is that the expedition
was in it's nature comparatively a
minor undertaking, as must now be
the case with all explorations in Africa.
But in one respect, and without regard
to the difficulties and dangers over
come, the results of his journey are ex-
ceptionally important. They enable
us to form an accurate and trustworthy
idea of the material resources of Gen.
trail Africa.
For many years, and especially in
recent years, the lake regions of that
continent have been described by trav-
eIlers as one of the most promising
fields in the world for European COM
merce and industry. Reports of this
kind, extolling the potential wealth of
the interior, have been so common
that, as Mr.. Thomson says, people
have come to believe that Central Af-
rica is extremely rich, and look upon it
as the Ell Dorrdo of the future He
looked upon it, however, with the eye
of a trained scientific observer. The
principle characteristic of the consider
able area which he explored was sits
utter barrenness and the absence of
worth trading for He tells
US that nov here did he see single
metal which a white man would for
moment look at profitable specula-
ton; that there is little more than iron
enough to supply the simple wants of
the natives and that he saw no coal
nor any indications of coal in the wide
extent of country embraced by the
routes of the expedition.
The truth is that the supposed natu-
raj wealth of Central Africa has no ac-
tual existence. The East African ex-
pedition has done great good by bring
ing this fact to the knowledge of the
civilized world The clear and posi-
tive evidence which it affords on the
subject will tend to prevent waste of
money, waste of effort, and waste of
life in enterprises which would certain
ly prove futile in such field