The Monticellonian., 1906-04-05

tne Nile. 1t i5 these mountain fa- nous explorer Of to-day is now mak- ing ready to assail, with the inten- ton to reach the summit, measure the altitude, and study the upper re gions.
 This explorer is the duke of the Abruz- zi, who, though son of an eX- king, is best known for his success in the field of exploration. The duke attracted much attention in 1897 by making the first ascent Of Mount St Elias. His north pole expedition, which set forth in 1899, attained the northernmost lati- tude as yet reached It is long dis tance from Alaska and the arctic re- gons to equatorial Africa and the Ruwenzori range, for which he is soon to set forth.
 No little of the hazard of this new enterprise lies Tn the extremes of tem- perature through which the party must pass. But let is take the journey i'll successive trips, accompany the duke on the various stages of the trip to the top of the Mountains of the Moon The base of the Ruwenzori range may now be reached without difficulty, a journey by rail from M0mbaza to Port Florence on Albert-Nyanza, then a steamer in a days time brings one to Entebbe, OF Mengo, on the north shore of the lake. Here a caravan will be got together. and in a ten-days' march the party will be able to reach the mountains. An interesting article in the New York Times commenting on lhe expedition, says: Tt is expect ed that not less than 200 we'll dtsci- plined men, such as may be procured in neishboring Uganda. under the SUI peryision of score of white superin- tendents, will be required for the ar duous task The work will cost more than te climb one of the higher Him alayas, and unless the explorer leaves much for his successors to discover, the bill will foot up q total that would exhaust any bat a princely purse. "
 Before the snows are reached the party must push its way in tropical heat and amid tropical luXuriance of vegetation, and this portion of the journey may prove the most trying. A way must De hewn through the bamboo forest for the porters with their loads, and the advance made in a steaming atmosphere, rainfall here being very heavy. A former explorer founG his thermometer registered 115 degrees at an altitude of 1000 feet Deap bog lands lie between 5000 feet and the snow line, bogs in which a man sinks to his knees at every step. Then just before the snows are reached their uprise a rocky wall; to get be- yond this line long detours must be made. Now the men enter into the frigiQ zone, and here will probably spends several weeks in their endeavor to scale the chiet peek and procure map of the upper regions. The duke of the Abruzzi will not be at the disadvantage of early explorers whc were not experts in snow ascents.
 The highest ascent at any point in Africa Is Kilimanja~o. 19, ,200 feet; the peaks of Ruwenzori have been va riously estimated; Stanley held to be tween 17,0o0 and 1S.000 feet; Johnson put the figures considerably above, at 20.000 or 22.000.
 Six early explorers tried in vain to do what the Italian is now attempting: Lieut.. Stairs, Scott Elliot, Sir Harry Johnson. pr. Suhlman, the mission ary Fisher, and Dayids, the naturalist. In about three months the Duke of Abru2M expects to be in Central Af- rica and begin the ambitious under taking.