The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-01-04

| noteworthy recent n.
lions In Africa Is the Journey of Mr.. JOSEPH
| THOMSON, whose preliminary .report and
man have lately been rublishcd. He com.
pletcd last Jupenearly 1000 miles OF trnveI.
occupyjng year and n half. in the region
| directly between tho Indian Ocean md Vic
torla Nyanza. Although East African OK
| plorntion began I'm this very region some
forty wears ago when Kn.pF and REnMANN
discovered tho snow.capped equatorial peaks
OF Kena and Kilimnniaro. the country has
been the Inst to Weld no It's geographical
secrets. The Iierco Nasal herdsmen, who
have repeatedly raya;.ci the land from the
great lake to the sea. have c.leclunlly barred
out exploration.
The Royal Geographical, Society selected
this young mau, who is only about twenty
| six years old, to conduct its dangerous and
| costly enterprise. His wandcrings for many
months among the wors, suvagcs in Africa,
| without iniuring a nntive or losing man,
have shown that the society chose its leader
wisely THOMSON had already shown his un-
| common fitness as an explorer. When KEITH
| JOHNSTON, the gcographer died, almost Oh
| tho threshold of tho work intrustcd to him,
| THOMSON. then twcnty -onc years old, who had
| accompanied him as gcologist. took charge
signed to it. and brilliantly completed its
work. He was the first explorer to reach the
head of Lake Nyassa from Zanzibar, and to
cross the region between Nyassa and Tan
ganyika. He and MIR. HoRE settled tho dis
puted question As to Tanganyka's outlet,
and no was the first white man to visit Lake
Hikwa.
THoMsoN's recent explorations correct
nnH ia, IL
| ditional facts about tribes that are un-
| equalled in Africa for their pecuiaritics.
After leaving Mombasa, on the Indian Ocean,
| he and his 140 men had to flee in tho night
from the savagcs, whose hostility lad been
| so intensified by fight in which the ex-
plorcr FISCHER had killed several of them,
| that THOMSON was compelled to await at Kill
| maniar the arrival OF a strong caravan of
| Swahill traders. In whose company he trav-
elcd far into the interior. At Lake Navasha,
| whore FISCHER turned back THOMSON en-
| tered unknown lands He had almost to
| bore his way through the MnsAis, who plum
dcred him at every STEP forcing him to pay
so dearly for his passage that his $4,000 OF
| goods were exhausted some time before he
reached the coast again His resources
were reduced at last to the celebrity he had
acquired as medical man; but. fortunately,
he soon reached friendly natives and left
| danger behind him.
He has given definite place on the maps
| to Mount X ,nia. tho great volcanic cone
| whose uppermost 5000 feet, he says, is char
acterzed by glittcrng facets OF snow. Tho
| equator passes through the mountain, which
Is $4,000 feet high and springs from plain
that Is $500 feet above tho sea. Years ago
learned gcographers proved to their own
satisfaction that the poor missionaries were
lying when they said that Kenia and its giant
brother. Kilimanjaro, had snow-crowned
tops. AS to this question. REBAANN and
kRApF have now been justified by THOMSON.
| He has visited and fixed the location of
Lake Baringo, which excited great interest
when SpEKE brought home runors OF its ex-
istence 1t has had an indefinite place on
tho maps for more than twenty years, and
only last winter the missionaries north of
Victoria Nyanza wrote that they were con-
WINGED from native Information that the lake
did not exist. THOMSON found 1t "a glitter
ing, isle-besprinked y sheet OF water lying
several thousand feet below the many vol
canic hills that border it. He says he has
seen nothing In Africa to equal the wonder
full lake and mountain scenery that here met
his eye. Lake Baringo lies in the great de-
preston or trough that extends for many
hundred miles from the Rcd Sea southwest,
ending IN Iansanyika.
| THOMSON has also rounded of the north
east corner OF Victoria Nyanza, which has
peen represented on the maps as an extcn-
sion OF the main lake. He says his OBSERVE
tons indicate that considerable part of tho
lertiie ana denselY populated country OF
havlronH' lies where Victoria Nyanza Is
placed OIL our maps. According to him.
havlrondo has figured on the maps consid-
erably south OF Its proper position at the
northeast corner OF the lake. Mr.. STANLEY's
survey OF largo part OF tho Nyanza was
necessarily hurried, and Mr.. MACKAY, who
Is supposed to be now mapping the coasts,