Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-13

he died on Saturday afternoon. Mr.
Baker viii preserve the horsc's hide
and have IL made into mementos.
Another Great African waterway.
London Times.
Since the discovery Of the Congo it
self no more important addition to our
knowledge Of the photography of the
region has been made than that from
which the Rev. G.. Grenfcll has recently
returned. Mr.. Grenfell's colleague,
Mr.. Bentley, briefly announced this
discovery in our columns the other
day. Details are now to hand FROM
Mr.. Grenfell himself, which prove
what an admirable piece Of exploring
work he has done. He has proved
that the MobaDgi, which enters the
right bank Of the Congo, forming a
great delta, between &c and AZ minutes
south latitude, nearly opposite Equa-
tor Station, is probably its greatest
tributary. Certainly, SO far as yet
known, it offers much longer water
way than any affluent that has been ex-
plored. Mr.. Grenfell navigated the
Mobsngi in the little steamer Peace, on
a mean course of north by east, from
the equator to 4 degrees 30 minutes
north latitude, and left it still an open
waterway. At degrees % minutes
north, Just below the second rapids,
he found it 673 yards wide; at no
point lower was it less in width. It's
mean depth is twenty-five feet, and
although the current runs not more
than eighty to one hundred feet per
minute, it means an immense volume of
water to find running south at point,
as Mr.. Grenfell puts it, so near the
supposed sources of the Binue, the
great affluent of the Niger. Where
does it all come from? he asks. The
trumbashes of the Chad basin
(Schweinfurth) are common, while they
are not known on the Congo. The
opinion of Mr.. Grenfell and of
his Congo colleagues, we believe,
is that the Mobangi is probably
the lower part Of the Welle,
river whose course is one Of the I'M
solved problems Of African geography.
This is certainly a more likely solution
than to connect the Welle with the use
less Aruwime, as Stanley is inclined to
do. DR.. Junker, the Russian explorer,
now in refuge at Lado, did not follow
the Welle in his recent journey SO far
west as either to confirm or disprOve
Mr. Grenlell's conjecture. However,
with such enterprising explorers as
these Baptist missionaries in the field,
this and other problems are not likely
to wait much longer for solution.
From the notes sent home by Mr..
Grenfell it would seem that the Mo
bangi is navigable the whole way from
the Congo to ! degrees 3O> north, dis
lance of probably 400 to $50 miles,
taking account Of the bends. a large
map, in ten sheets, of the explored
part of the river has just been received
at the Royal Geographical Society.
This map will appear in an early num-
Der of the Society's proceedings. and
long narrative of Mr.. Grenfell's recent
work will probably be published
in the next number Of the
Baptist Missionary Journal. 1t is
hoped, moreover, that full narrative
of Mr.. Grenfell's explorations will
reach England in time to be read at the
Aberdeen meeting of the British Asso-
citation. The Mobangi, Mr.. Grenlell
writes, is far more populous than any
equal length Of the Congo, and to his
mind the country is more promising.
True the people are wild, but then his
visit was that Of the first white man
they had seen. In ascending the river
land his wife and fifteen months
old baby were on boarb Mr..
Grenfell met with not few diff
culties from the hostility of the
natives, and had it not been for
his energetic action on one occasion he
and his party would probably have
come to grief. His way down the
river was, however, most encouraging
plenty Of food and not a sign of hos
tility. He hopes to make the trip
again, and has no doubt that he will be
able to report peaceable and friendly
receptions everywhere. He may also
be able to penetrate further toward the
valley of the Shari, the great tributary
of Lake Chad. Unfortunately, Mr.. Gren-
fell states, the confluence Of the Mobangi
with the Congo is just within French
territory, though it is not so represent
ed either on the map in Mr.. SANKEY'S
last book or on the latest map Of the
Royal Geographical Society. At all
events, Immediately after Mr.. Gren-
fell's return to Stanley Pool, NJ. de
Brazza left Brazzayille, very probably
to examine for himself the great
waterway discovered by the Eng
lish missionary, and possibly to
follow it further. If so, we are sure
to hear of his great journey Of dis
coyery," with the usual flourish Of
trumpets. The commercial importance
of Mr.. Grenfell's discovery cannot be
exaggerated. Whether the Mobangi is
the Wele or not, it must form an i'm
pOrtant connecting link between the
basin of the Congo and the basins Of
the Niger, the Shari, and the Nile. Mr..
Stanley has always maintained that
the region lying between the Congo
and the Nile is probably the richest
and most promising in Africa, and
his beliefseems likely to be amply con-
frmed. Besides the Mobangi, Nr.
Grenfell has explored 300 miles Of river
courses debouching into the Congo;
and, as he is a trained and careful sur
veyor, he will be able to plot them with
precision. The most northerly point Of
the Congo bend he found to be 2 de-
grees IL north latitude, near the mouth
of tbo ITLaro ~ n,,;op.,,