STANLEY'S EXPLORATIONS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4873, 3 November 1876, Page 3

STANLEY'S EXPLORATIONS.

(From The Timet.) The most recent accounts received from Mr. Henry M. Stanley, the great African explorer, arc exceedingly interesting. They do not, perhaps come up to->the 1 absorbing interest occasioned by his account of his cruise on the Victoria Niyanza, and of bis intercourse with King M’tesa, which created such a sensation in England, and evoked such an outburstrpf missionary zeal and munificent liberality as to fmm quite an era in- the annals of missionary effort; They - arc, r however, contributions, of the greatest -Value, arid importance to geographical science, and will be of great use to the many who wilt follow with anxiety and hope and prayer the’expedition which has gone forth in the service of, our great Master to carry the glad tidings of redeeming love to thenations of Central Airica, The last tyro pori'ous id the despatches published in this country by the Daily Telegraph, which we have gratefully transferred to our own columns, contain the sscbrid chapter of Mr.,iStanley’s explorations. In 'the foriner accountswe heard of ids adventurous and painful' advance to the - Victoria’; Niyanza, of , his delightful ; ciuise fn tho t Lady Alice on the waters of this inland sea," and of. his momentous; intrrvii w «Uh the powerful monarch, M'tesa. Wo now .ht-ir of exploration in another direction; <if the gl rapse which he caught of-the other great inland*-sea,, the .-Albert Niyanza; and of his travels iu the lake district to the south of it. '! he chief interest cf the fu’ler narrative tvh.ch maybe expected regarding this period, if Mr. Stanley is’permitted. to complete Ids fi ll teiin (f African travel, will centre! around the figure of . the “gentle;.sweet-tem-pered Ifiimaniko.'*; Karagus, to whc~e doodidons..the expedition despatched by- the Cl nridi Missionary.. Society propones first to direct its steps as the most fitting scerie’for the commencement of missionary operations. 'J In; previous accounts left Mr. Stanley at the south-east corner of the Victoria Niyanza. Thence he returned to the'nortli.west ohores of,

the lake, and again .entered M’tesa’s kingdom of Uganda, with''-the intention of. marching-across to the. Albert -Niyanza, an(| carrying into effect his cherished object of exj ploring its waters as well as those; of the sister-; lake. This , desire was frustrated. -;Accompanied by an escort of two, thousand speanne.:, given to him by M’tesa, he succeeded in penetrating to the eilgo of the plateau which ever-, looks.thej eastern sboro of theAlbert.Niyanza,;-' but the inhabitants of that region ,were so hostile that he was, compelled to. return; tq; Uganda without accomplishing.;hw- xiontem-; plated voyage. The principal -rcauJteiojf-this expedition are the description of thepmoun-; taiuous ridge which divides the two seas, and the discovery of a mountain which is thehome ; bf’a peculiar race of white jpeople. ~A deep; gulf of the Albert Niyauza,. near, which;Mr. 1 Stanley and his party encamped, he has called; Golf Beatrice in honqr-qf our Princess of- that, name. Between the two lakes;there. are lines of high mountains, intersected by deep, nsn-rqw; valleys, and the traveller was enabledtq pbaerve the course of the rivers Katong.a'aniJßussqngo, the former flowing towards Lake Victoria, and the latter hastening; noisily towards Lake > Albert. The most extraordinary discovery of all was that of ; the lofty, snow-clad. mountain Gambaragara, which apparently., attains, an altitude about equal to that, of .Mont Blanc., On and around- this*, mysterious,,mountain dwell a race of white meh,‘some oL.whom are scattered among the iieighboring tribes, and two of them accompaniecl klr.-Stanley’s party. He describes this race as handsome. “Their hair is kinky, and inclined to.' brown in color.. Their features are regular, lips thin; but their noses, though well-shaped, are somewhat .thick at the point.” , Mr. Stanley found it impossible to understand who these strange peojde were or whence they came. The" .few be saw were very reticent, and he could gain but little information from them. When invaded,this people retreat to an impregnable fortress at the summit of their mountain, and in the intense cold defy their foes. “The mountain itself,” it is said, “is an extinct volcano. On the top of it is'a crystal clear lake about 500 yards in length, from tko centre of which rises . a column-like rock to a great height. A rim of stone like a wall surrounds the summit, .within which etc several villages, where'' theprincipal * medic: no man’ and his people, reside.” ’ This’ mountain and its inhabitants,' form a curious gbiiogioal and ethnological' problem’ for the scientific world. On his return from this brief expedition . to the Albert Niyanza, Mr. Stanley veniainecl, only a short ti.r.o in the territories of theKing of Uganda, and ; then proceeded tqi Karague, the country of Eumanika. His principal object in going thither was to see whether he could succeed in penetrating to the shores of the lake from that direction. His project, however, was thwarted, for the natives in the intervening country were re-, ported to be most inhospitable, and it was found quite impracticable to reach the' lake.’ fromtheeastside. Rnmauikawas kindness itself. He not only’ gave the traveller leave to explore his country to its furthest limits, but freely gave him everything he required for the purpose—guides, escort, canoes, and supplies Proceeding first to the sheet of .water which Speke had called Lake Windermere, Stanley discovered that this lake formed a portion of a large system of papyrus-covered lakes through which the river Kagera flowed, forming' a deep and rapid channel. • Through its entire length along the western frontier of Karague, about eighty miles in t xtent,it flowed through;seven- ■ teen of: these curious Takes, which are connected ‘with each other - beneath the , wide expanse of and ' by lagoon-like channels meandering . between 1 detached fields of .this reed; and at; the north- , bast limit it contracted into ~ a deep . .and noisy river, dashing, oyer its rocky • course on its way to the Victoria Niyanza. Mr. Stanley considered that it was the principal affluent of that inland seaiahd the real-parent.of the.. Victoria Nile. On his way back to Ruraauika’s capital he visited the hot springs of Mlagata, which were famed Throughout that region for ■ their healing properties. ■ They were, situated :n a deep'wooded gorge, where the vegetation grew with tropical luxuriance. ;The temperature of these waters Varied from 110-to. 129 deg.iFahrenheit, At the time of our. traveller’s visit they- were ,frequented-'by numbers of diseased persons, who . lay in the hot pools half asleep, lazily their bath. s . .*? ■ The concluding.pbrtion of Mb Stanley’s narrative takes him from .the capital of Karagiie tb within fifteen days’ journey of Hjiji. Soon after leaving the former ‘ town, he struck on another lakerlike river .of a similar character .to the Kagera, which is called the Akanyaru. Tt Hewed into the Kagqra.. „ His principal object was;‘to discbyfir'the source of the latter river, .and; alter,reaching' Ujiji, to explore the Tanganyika’in the Lady Ajice 3 aiid theu to penetrate to the Albert Niyanza; upon th’b waters of which it is evidently his’ longing desire to., see Ins graceful-vessel float. From what is stated,' however,. in the short preface which preceded thik.inferesting. narrative in the DaUy>Telwr&A}i}i, appears that letters have .been despatched which may meet him a,t. Ujiji, requesting' u.him to follow up the 1 rfesparchek jpf__ Commander—Cam. eron, ahcT, to endeavor to solve theOquesT tion whether the Lualaba really forms the upper portion; of the Congo, Meanwhile, Mr; Stanley has again, done rightgpod, serviceih the cause of African geographical discovery,’ and has helped to elucidate still further,'.the-mys-teries of the lake region of Central: Africa and the sources of the Nile., ;.For -ourselves we must cemfiess,that The ; chief, result of his narrative has been to show that the .Committee of ’ the'Church Missionary; Society has acted most wisely.in decidihg-Tbat- their missionary efforts should, in .tl\e first instance,'be confined to establishing a station-in-Karague, instead of, proceeding at once , to- Uganda, .as- .the best centre for extending their future operations. That those who have.gpne, forth may. go in-the fulness of the blessiog of tho Gospel of peacb, and may know how best to make, the truths of the Gospel known, to the .natives of that:bdnighte’d land, is our most hearty, deairegand fervent prayer. v-