The Discovery Of The Source Of The Nile
By John Hanning Speke
John Hanning Speke, Born 1827.
Served in the Punjab but left
in 1854 to explore Somaliland.
Discovered Lake Tanganyika with
Burton, and Lake Victoria independently. Was, with Grant,
the first European to cross equatorial africa. Died 1864.
Editor's Note
John Hanning Speke was a man of thirty-six, when his Nile Journal
appeared. He had entered the army in 1844, and completed ten
years of service in India, serving through the Punjab Campaign.
Already he had conceived the idea of exploring Africa, before his
ten years were up, and on their conclusion he was appointed a
member of the expedition preparing to start under Sir Richard
(then Lieutenant Burton) for the Somali country. He was wounded
by the Somalis, and returned to England on sick leave; the
Crimean War then breaking out, be served through it, and later,
December 1856, joined another expedition under Burton. Then it
was that the possibility of the source of the Nile being traced
to one of the inland lakes seems to have struck him.
Burton's illness prevented him accompanying Speke on the latter's
visit to the lake now known as Victoria Nyanza. During this
expedition Speke reached the most southerly point of the lake,
and gave it its present name. Speke arrived back in England in
the spring of 1859, Burton being left behind on account of his
illness. The relations between the two had become strained, and
this was accentuated by Speke's hast to publish the account of
his explorations. He was given the command of another expedition
which left England in April 1860, in company with Captain James
Augustus Grant, to ascertain still further if the Victoria Nyanza
were indeed the source of the Nile. He met Sir Samuel Baker, to
whom he gave valuable assistance, and who with his clue
discovered the third lake, Albert Nyanza.
Speke telegraphed early in 1863, that the Nile source was traced.
Returning to England that year he met with an ovation, and
addressed a special meeting of the Geographical Society, and the
same year, 1863, published his "Journal of the Discovery of the
Nile." Opposed in his statements by Burton and M'Queen (The Nile
Basin, 1864"), it was arranged that he and Burton should meet for
a debate, when on the very day fixed, Speke accidentally shot
himself while out partridge-shooting.
Sir R. Murchison, addressing the Royal Geographical Society that
year, speaks of Speke's discovery of the source of the Nile as
solving the "problem of all ages."
Only two books were published by Speke - the "Journal" of 1863,
which follows, and its sequel - "What Led to the Discovery of the
Source of the Nile," which appeared in the year of his death,
1864.
Introduction.
In the following pages I have endeavoured to describe all that
appeared to me most important and interesting among the events
and the scenes that came under my notice during my sojourn in the
interior of Africa. If my account should not entirely harmonise
with preconceived notions as to primitive races, I cannot help
it. I profess accurately to describe native Africa - Africa in
those places where it has not received the slightest impulse,
whether for good or evil, from European civilisation. If the
picture be a dark one, we should, when contemplating these sons
of Noah, try and carry our mind back to that time when our poor
elder brother Ham was cursed by his father, and condemned to be
the slave of both Shem and Japheth; for as they were then, so
they appear to be now - a strikingly existing proof of the Holy
Scriptures. But one thing must be remembered: Whilst the people
of Europe and Asia were blessed by communion with God through the
medium of His prophets, and obtained divine laws to regulate
their ways and keep them in mind of Him who made them, the
Africans were excluded from this dispensation, and consequently
have no idea of an overruling Providence or a future state; they
therefore trust to luck and to charms, and think only of self-
preservation in this world. Whatever, then, may be said against
them for being too avaricious or too destitute of fellow-feeling,
should rather reflect on ourselves, who have been so much better
favoured, yet have neglected to teach them, than on those who,
whilst they are sinning, know not what they are doing. To say a
negro is incapable of instruction, is a mere absurdity; for those
few boys who have been educated in our schools have proved
themselves even quicker than our own at learning; whilst, amongst
themselves, the deepness of their cunning and their power of
repartee are quite surprising, and are especially shown in their
proficiency for telling lies most appropriately in preference to
truth, and with an off-handed manner that makes them most
amusing.
With these remarks, I now give, as an appropriate introduction to
my narrative - (1.) An account of the general geographical
features of the countries we are about to travel in, leaving the
details to be treated under each as we successively pass through
them; (2.) A general view of the atmospheric agents which wear
down and so continually help to reduce the continent, yet at the
same time assist to clothe it with vegetation; (3.) A general
view of the Flora; and, lastly, that which consumes it, (4.) Its
Fauna; ending with a few special remarks on the Wanguana, or men
freed from slavery.
Geography
The continent of Africa is something like a dish turned upside
down, having a high and flat central plateau, with a higher rim
of hills surrounding it; from below which, exterially, it
suddenly slopes down to the flat strip of land bordering on the
sea. A dish, however, is generally uniform in shape - Africa is
not. For instance, we find in its centre a high group of hills
surrounding the head of the Tanganyika Lake, composed chiefly of
argillaceous sandstones which I suppose to be the Lunae Montes of
Ptolemy, or the Soma Giri of the ancient Hindus.
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