Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-03-02
AN ADRIAN Utopia.
Result of Explorations by DIR
POgge and Lieutenant
Wissmann.
Berlin Cor. London Telegraph.


readers to hear. a short account of
What has been done by them,
II you take the western half of
Stanley s Map Of Equatorial Africa to
hand you will perceive four large trib-
utaries of the Congo dotted down
the mouths Of which Stanley discov-
ered--ond reported" large lake,
probably Lake Lincoln OF Living
stone, to the west of which vicious
and most murderous dwarfs" named
Walaw are supposed to exist. Now if
Pogge and Wissmann had done moth
ing but confirm the existence of these
whom they call Batus, and
reduce the Lake Mukamba to very
modest proportions, besides placing
ii further to the southeast, under 80
as 25" S. L., they would merit praise.
But we owe far more to them. They
unveil to US the existence of an Utopia
where strangers are gratuitOusly sup>
piled with food, and they reveal that
the Bassonge, subjects of King Kats-
hitsh, a strong and handsome race in
a densely populated country teeming
with natural produce, excel in artistic
of workmanship Of vari
GUS kinds, 10 wood, clay, copper and
iron, weaving stuffs out of the Mabele
plant and showing skill in basket
making. Wissmann declares that no
foreign influence has ever touched
them.
The Utopia has received the homo
rary epithet Of LubUku, i.e., Friend
ship," but its real name is Nasselange;
its inhabitants are called Tusselange,
and their principal chief, Makenge,
resides not far from the confluence of
the Lulua and the Kassai.
Pogge tells us that the inhabitants
of one village, or sometimes of several
villages, can be looked upon as a fam
lily, for each inhabitant is treated by
the rest as a relation, and one member
Of the community stands by another
for better and for worse" The
ling's hospitality went so far that be
accompanied his guests a distance
about as great as from Berlin to
Dantzic-not having received any
present except a brass chain, supple.
mented by the promise OF musical
box in the case DR.. POgge should
reach the Lualaha and return thence
in safety.
The discovery OF the amiable tribe
Of Tusselange and Of the accomplish
ed Bassonge, took place in the follow
ing manner: The "Afrikaniscbe Ges-
ellschaft" had charged DR.. Paul Pogge
and Lieutenant Wissmann to establish
a station at Mussumba (lSo "a 10" S,
L., the capital of the Kingdom OF
Lunda, over which one of the strangest
among swarthy potentates, the mighty
Mwata Yanyo,reigns. Both Pogge, in
1876, and DR.. Max Buchner, in 1879
to 1880, had found it impossible,
though they otherwise met with very
kindly treatment, to penetrate TO the
east. north or south OF MWata Yanvo's
dominious. The latter was thoroughly
that the European travellers
could have no other object than that
OF buying elsewhere ivory and ostrich
feathers cheaper than from him, and
so he thwarted all their endeavors to
penetrate further. On arriving, there
fore, on July 20, 1881, from Loanda ON
the west coast, at Kimbandu between
l0s and 1lo s. l. and 1872 and '200 E.),
they were hardly sorry to hear that
both roads thence to Mussumba were
impossible, on account OF some Kiokos
having qaaErelled with MWata KanvO.
They at onoe determined to push on
to Makenge and thence to Llalabs OF
Upper Congo, and for forty>fouF yards
Of calico per head they found three
pOrters willing to accompany them as
far as the Land Of Friendship. Fo!-
lowing the western bank Of the Chi
kappa up to It's confluence with the
KRssai, and then of the latter river
up to Kikassa, in the Peade country,
they trsversed this deep stream, about
1000 feet broad, and there met Fus
selange chief of the name Of Kingenge,
who insisted upon taking Lieutenant
Wissmann home with him as his
guest. Thus, after sixty-two days
journey from Kimbundu, Pogge ar
rived alone. on October 30, 1881, at
place Of residence, situated
under g. 10y 5, l., rather more than
go 4. of Greenwich He describes
the Tusselenge as capital farmers
Everywhere around he saw broad
fields of the fine mandioca, maize,
millet, earth nuts or beans. Tobacco
and hemp are both grown for smoking.
Their country is a fertile aud we'll
irrigated pndulsti9g plain between
the rivers kassai and Aulqs, covered
in large measure by large forests, in
the midst Of which are pFaiFies, which
the inhabitants cultivate, and where
they build their villages. The climate,
though warm, is salubrious. Trade
chiefly consists in female slaves and
India rubber, aud humiliating as it
may sound to the 6sre Of our lady
readers, the average price for a full
grown female lisa musket, four pounds
of guppovder or eighteen yards Of
calico. In the Grst days Of December
Pogge and Wissmann met again, and
about the middle Of the month they
reached Lake Mukamba. On January
5, 1882, they reached the Luoi, ine
tributary Of the Lubilash, and in the
midst Of splendid tropical vegetation
they saw villages arise, where in
clean and roomy dwellings, with gar /.
dens neatly hedged in, forming streets
straight as an arrow, the Bassonge live
under the shadow Of palm trees and
bapanas.
Thus speaks Lieutenant Wissmann
10 letter from Cairo (Which he has
just left for a visit to Cyprus before
returning to Germany Of country
where, according to the newest man
published, Oapnibals have hitherto
been believed to reside. On January
| 90 1000 ,,.Ia. n