266 Dr. Beke's Summary of recent Nilotic Discovery. 



Kilimandjfiro and Kenia form parts, other snowy peaks of at 

 least equal altitude will be discovered. And even if it should be 

 ascertained that one of the head-streams of the Nile has its 

 origin on the northern flank of Kenia (as Dr. Krapf conjectures), 

 we may be satisfied that others of those head-streams take their 

 rise in other mountains further to the west. At all events, having 

 reached this Alpine region, we have every reason to conclude 

 that we sliall here find the southern limits of the basin of the 

 Nile ; and we shall consequently have arrived at the solution, in 

 general accordance with the statements of Ptolemy as now eluci- 

 dated and explained, of the greatest problem of geography — the 

 discoveiy of the mysterious sources of the giant stream of the 

 African continent, the largest river of the Old World, perhaps 

 even of the entire globe. One important consideration must 

 however be constantly borne in mind, namely, that it is not by 

 arbitrarily fixing on this or that particular head-stream that the 

 question will be finally set at rest. As I have already observed 

 in a communication made to the Syro-Egyptian Society of London 

 on the 9th of January 1849*, ^'^our object must be in the first 

 place to determine the entire limits of the basin of the river ; 

 we have next to ascertain what principal arms unite to form 

 the main stream ; we must then trace to their heads the several 

 smaller branches which form those arms ; and when we have suc- 

 ceeded in all these points, we shall then — but not before — be 

 competent to decide which of these numerous ramifications has 

 the fairest claim to be regarded as the true Source of the Nile." 

 London, May 6th, 1851. 



Appendix to the foregoing Paper. 



The rise of the Nile in 4° 9' N. lat., observed by Dr. Knob- 

 lecher on Januaiy 16th, 1850, cannot have been caused by the 

 setting in of the regular rainy season, either north or south of 

 the Equator. 



It is well known that on the Abessinian plateau, north of the 

 ninth parallel of north latitude, the rains begin about the middle 

 of June and last till the middle of September : — ^' cominciando 

 il vcrno gencrale nelP Ethiopia alia metk di Giugno fino a mezzo 

 Settembre," as was recorded by Alvarez t three centuries ago. 



"Within five degrees north of the Line the rains set in nearly 

 three months earlier than in Abessinia. M. Werne, who was in 

 the country of Bari, in about 4° 4<y N. lat., at the end of Janu- 



* " On the Sources of the Nile, being an attempt to assign the limits of 

 the Basin of that River," printed in the Philosopliical Magazine for August 

 1849, vol. XXXV. p. 98 et seq, 



t Viaggio, &c. cap. 169. 



