The herald. (Big Stone City, Dak. [S.D.]) 1883-1890, 1889-07-19
STANLEY IN RIGA.
His Recent Journeys Have Thrown Much
Light Upon the Map Of That Continent.

Mr.. Stanley's recent journeys be.
tween the Congo and the Nile have
partly filled with geographical details .
one of the largest of the white spaces
still remaining on the maps Of Africa.
Scarcely any journey Of the same
length has been more prolific Of inter-
csting facts. Again we are impressed
with the magnificent distances IN the
dark continent. Stanley travelled on
or along a sccond-clas> tributary of
the Congo almost IN the exact distance
between this city and Detroit, says the
New York SluL He found this Aru-
wimi river, rising within sight Of the
Niles waters, to be as long as the
Rhine Our small scale maps give
only vague notions of tho great water
ways that are merely Congo atHuents,
and perhaps many persons who have
often examined the maps do not real
ize at first that the Mobang, the lar--
est atluont of tle Congo, is ive-slAtus
AS long as the Danube. the second
greatest river in Europe, and thar
other Congo tributaries are as long or
longer than the Rhine.
Mr.. Stanley's report to the Royal
Geographical society enables US TO
I trace the entire course OF the Aruwlnll
from its sources to its mouth, shows
w at least four tributaries Of consider
able Importance, and throws much
light upon the ethnology Of this large
region between the Congo and the
Nile. He has shown that the Nepoko
river instead Of being the upper course
Of the Aruwimi as Junger who discov-
cred it supposed, is only tributary
Unfortunately the Aruwimi, wide and
deep as it is for hundreds of miles. can
never be useful for steam navigation,
though Stanley in his steel boat,
twenty eight feet long, followed its
tortuous course for great distance.
From the slopes where It rises to its
mouth the river fails shout $500
| feet, and particularly in its upper
course it is impeded by many rapids
and cataracts.
, It is evident now that Stanley chose
the most difficult route he could pos
| sibly have taken to reach the Nile
! and vet lie has said nothing Of the al
| most impenetrablc forest with it
/ dense mass OF twisted and matted un
| dergrowth, which leads us to suppose
that this northeastern section OF the
great African woods presents greater
a ditlicutia, than have been found II
1 other parts Of it. In this same forest
. SEE miles south. Stanley Travelled 70
q ten days during his journey down tn
i Congo. above our heads. he wrote
1 twas an everlasting ioof OF foliage
Through the tangle Of serdure lever.
man had to sprawl. crawl, and scram
ble as he best could For ten day
the men endured it and then declare,
y they could go no further and s,anle
t struck for the river. The fores
= crosses the Congo at its great norther
X bend and its southern boundary
e which is formed. by the Sankur
le eastern edge, which Stanley describe
i MS being abruptly succeeded by Lowell
Ct lrairics. II was into this southcr
; edge of the forest, $50 miles sontheas
le of the place where Stanley last entere
Of it, that Wissmann plunged with
,e caravan Of 1000 men IN 1856. He la
id hoped to push through the might
Ms virgin furcs, 10 the Congo. but I'll
81 scarcity nf food and the almost inpcl
h. e,lable character Of the region con
~ PEELED him ~ give up his plan OF c,
he ploriuy new country. In twelve da,
9. lie WAS south nyain on the road lie Ia
trayeEd over The savannas some year
he before.
"a just as the region that dcfcatc
re Wissnaun had been penetrated hu,
n. drrd> nf miles by li'tle Congo steam
&. ers. 50 the Aruwimi helped Stanley
III get through the nortAcrn forest.
r. the Ago milcs Ac Travelled 10 reach Il
IS. Arab settlement Of kilonEa- I.onga, !.
nd but lif,y miles WAS made on the rls'
90 or along its banks. Without his ste
ne boat and fleet uf canoes II l> not like
it he wuuhl ave reached the Me 1T al
" He cluu- to the water rs the on
re.
ed means Of progress and his heart SAL
nd within him rs lie found tie river IA
IT, iur lam far north Of his propos
ch course. He determined not 70 ci'
-as the line nf z degrees north .ati,n
to aud WAS happy. indeed, when 'ar rI'
his turned again toward the so0lAoa
nj and he did not leave il nntll tho Gu
racts became 80 numerous anu !
he current so rapid that t1ie stream j"
I no longer available.
ith The people he met were toHaa
belong 10 the great family II Bat
zen tribes. who. with the awarfs that ].
nd scattered among them iii several III
rad districts, inhan bit the wiTnle II Cent1
len Africa south of the Weile MAXI
ner Though great dialer,ic differences ;
md found they have much in common
nat their speech, anl s,aniey,s party W
it able impcrfcctly to understand
All wild and hostile natives they III
rs Many parts If the river were tl'ci
ion popylated. clusters Of Villages I'M
ave the FLYER banks for miles, ard the !
an nAin.E ~ I la II hnt lx.lA tnIlnu To