ANOTHER GREAT AFRICAN LAKE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1641, 11 January 1883, Page 3

ANOTHER GREAT AFRICAN LAKE.

Tun existence of another equatorial, lake in Central Africa, far to the West, ofAlbert N3 - anza, rumours of which have reached Europe from time to time since Sir Samuel Baker's first journey, is again reported, ;this timer "in 1 a much • more definite for^i. Mr"T? 'Lupton. Governor I ot the Province of fcahr el Ghazal; writes from his station, Dehm Siber, on | July '27, to the eifect that Rafai Aga, an employe under his .command, on his retain from an expedition towards the Uelle, told him that he and some of* the members of the expedition had seen a great lake in the country of the Barboa,> a powerful coppercolomed tribe, clothed with a peculiar gi ass-cloth (of which Mr Lupton, sends a specimen in his lettpr). Mr Lupton gathered that the position of the lake was in about 3deg 40mm north , hit, and 23 deg east long, and that it was (jiute as la-rue ab Victoria Nyanza. When' the weather permits, the Barboas cross the lake in large open boats made out of at single tiee, the voyage taking three days, and they obtain from the people living on the western side (their own country being east of the lake), articles of Emopcan manufactuie, such as blue bead"* and brass wne. Mr Lupton adds Itafai Aga's own account of his loute to the lake : — Started from Dehm Bekcer. matched .six days south-west to Zenba el Donlel), then four days south-south-west to Bonnier ; tour days south-west to Zcriba Waiendf'ina ; six d.ijs south -west by west to the Ba-hr el Makwar, which t he crossed after visiting several very large islands inhabited by a people who call themselves Bassango. The Makwar is called by the A tabs Bahr •1 "War&lial, and joins the Uelle, but is a much larger stieam; botli How in a west s,outh-w estdirection. Alter crossing the Mak war, Jtafai marched ten days south-south-west, and leached the residence of the " Sultan"' of Barboa, by whom he was well loceivcd ;tho lake is situated four flays' march to the feouthwest of the Sultan's l evidence. Mr Lupton concludes by sn J'ing : " I feel I should not be doin^ right in keeping dark tins infoi ination, which, when looked into by competent persons, may tlnow light on the; famous Congo and Uelle livei. I bt-lifive that the Uelle flows into the lake discovered by Ratai Age, and that the stream which is said to flow out oi tho lake piobably joins the Congo." Mr Lupton further infonus us that he is engaged in preparing a map of his piovinco, and that he was about to start in a few days journey to a country called Umbungu, .some fittecn days' match to the wc&t of Dehm Siber.