to o k notice o f this portion o f Africa, but without
giving us anything important or new.”
I quote from Captain Burton once more certain
passages. “ Edrisi, who was born in Nubia, but
who wrote in E g y p t about A. D. 1400, says, in
that part o f Ethiopia south and south-west o f
Nubia is first seen the separation o f the two Niles.
T h e one flows from south to north into E g yp t,
and the other part o f the Nile flows from east
to west; and upon that branch o f the Nile lie all,
or at least the most celebrated, kingdoms o f the
Negroes. ‘From the Mountains o f the Moon,’
says Scheadeddin, ‘ the Egyptian Nile takes its
rise. It cuts horizontally the equator in its
course north. Many rivers come from this moun-f
tain, and unite in a great lake. From this lake
comes the Nile, the greatest and most beautiful
o f the rivers o f all the earth. Many rivers derived
from this great river water Nubia,’ &c.
“ From the Arabs we may fairly descend to
our own times. T h e early Portuguese discoverers
obtained a great deal o f geographical information
regarding the interior o f Africa, and especially
regarding two lakes near the Equator,
from one o f which, the most northern, the
Egyptian Nile was stated to flow. This information
was la rg e ly used b y the French geographer
(D’Anville), and the Dutch geographers o f that
time. Subsequently Bruce and others told us
about the great disparity in magnitude between
f th e Blue and the White Rivers; the latter, they
■asserted, rose far to the south, near to the
¡¡¡Equator, and amongst mountains covered with
eternal snow. Twenty-five years a g o , Mohammed
A li, the clear-sighted and energetic ruler
|o f E g y p t , sent an expedition, consisting o f
'several barques well provided with everything
necessary, and under able naval officers, to e x plore
the White Nile to its source, if possible.
T h e y did their w o rk so far well, but were forced
to turn back on the 26th January 1840, in lat.
30 22' N., for want o f sufficient depth o f water
for their vessels. A t lat. 30 30' th e y found the
river 1370 feet broad and sa y s ix feet deep. In
every day’s work on the v o y a g e th ey g a v e the
width o f the river, the depth o f the river, the
force o f its current, its temperature, and the
iin ile s (geographical) made g o od daily.”
I These quotations bring us down to our own
■ftimes. A few o f the principal characters, through
■whose agency the problem o f the Sources o f the
»N ile has been solved, still live. T he old African
■Association became merged in 1831 into the
■Royal Geographical Society. T h e change o f
■title seems to have evoked greater energies, and
■the publications o f the new so c ie ty , the position
■of its President, his influence, learning, and tact,
■soon attracted general public attention. In the
■ midst o f this, Messrs. K rap f and Rebmann and
■Erhardt, missionaries located at Mombasa, on
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. VOL. I. C