, 1890-12-24

: hlNAAAAAtIloAl zap w AtllIAlISI PliN>LN-A ~
learned and INTEREST," g book ON that island
and its people. We say preliminary, because
by this time, 1856, burton had something
much more important in view. Livingstone. it
should be remem cred, had been at work IN
Africa for many ears in 1866 he returned 10
England to ii the full story Of his crossing Of
the contineAt. Through Livingstone, through
Krapf and 1%tebmann, and others, rumours haze
been for aslong time coming out Of great lakes
ins the interior, Before DAuvillc, III the end
Of last century, made a clean sweep Of all the
crowded features on the map Of Central Africa
which had accumulated since the end Of tho
sixteenth century, there were lakes in plenty,
scattered over the centre of the continent, and
great rivers and mountain ranges, some Of
them an inheritance from the days of PtoIemS.
But no one knew how these features ever came
there. The photography they indicated was
impossible, ar there was no evidence that
any White traveller had ever seen them. The
probability is that these lakes and rivers We're
put down from the reports of natives who had
COMMUNICATIONS with the interior. Much Of
the existing geography of Africa rests on no
better foundation; but then we know better
how to sift native reports now than our prele-
cessors did 200 years ago. At all events, aS
some of us who We're at school then may re,
member, the map Of Africa, in 1856. had tine
word "Unexplored' spread all over its centre,
As has been said, Kropf and Rehmann, the
missionaries who had seen Kilimqniaro, and
thought they got q glimpse Of Mount kenia
ofar off, had heard Of great lakes in the
heart Of Africa, 1t was to seek these
lakes that Burton accompanied by Cap
tain Speke set out }rom Zanzibar in
june 1857. The expedition was under the all,
spices Of the Government and of the %
Geographical Society. Before leaving Zanzi-
barr Burton wrote home - 10 was about 10
set out in search Of the Great Lake His
eyes were gladdcned by the sight of the
waters OF Tanganyika, at Ujij, ON February
II, 1858. 1t is scarcely possible for us to re-
ize what this meant at the time. The route
50 we'll known, from Zanzibar to Ujiji had
never before been troddtn by the feet of white
men. The difficulties which boset this pioneer
expedition were disReartenings' Before it
set out, there was no Tanganyika, no Victoria
Nyanza, no Albert Nyanza, no BangweoIo on
the map, and only the lower 200 miles Of the
Congo. Burton's discovery of Lake Tanganyika
may be regarded as the centre from which all
succeeding discoveries in Central Africa have
radiated. 1t is the great central lake round
which all others are grouped. Indeed Burton'a
companion, Spoke, rs we know made q run to
the north on the homeward loute and DIS
covered that other great lake, thew -iaNyan-
"a, which he rightly surmised t. &c the source Of
the white Nile. Of the ,-.4nppy relations be-
tive en- Burton an ake this as not the place
to write, even i we I'd any inclination to re-
vive a bitter con oversy that ought to be al
lowed to lie in tAo grave where it was placed
many years ago. That BurtOn's bitterness
against Spoke blinded him to the importance
of his companions discovery all will admit.
That kurt was of a rough type, given, like
other grea and successful mon, to carrying
out his purposes at my Coz 70 themselves
and others, there cal Oe = douF The big
things in the world ; .nera )een ac-
compli shed sucr men. Burton's discovery
gained hIm t medal Of the Royal Geogra-
phical Soc 'ty, b"' hard" ""vthing else. AZ,
ter a run t. -.nerIca, he, IN with his
newly married wife, went as Consul to the
Whiteman's Grave-Fernando Pc. From here
be explored the Cameroons, the Gorilla
country, and Dahomey. A few years later q
consulate in Brazil gave hin the opportunity
of exploring the highlands of that country,
After a short stay at Damascus, Burton was
appointed Consul at Trieste in 1872, and
there he was allowed to vegetate till his
death, with no greater reward for all his valu-
able services to science than a K.C.M.G., given
him four years ago. Visits to Iceland, to Midi
an, andlto the Gold Coast, produced several
volur 8 to add to the many he had already
publisA~ probably no traveller has ever
been so prolific in books. Itsays little for tho
L