Dr. Beke on the Sources of the Nile. 105 



How far the high table-land of Eastern Africa extends 

 southwards it is impossible to determine in the existing im- 

 perfect state of our knowledge on the subject. But it would 

 seem that we may safely trace its continuation beyond the 

 Equator. The country of Mono-Moezi, which lies to the 

 south of 2° S. lat., is described as an elevated plain, the ascent to 

 which lies chiefly in the territories of the M'sagara and Wohaha 

 tribes occupying the low lands to the north-west of Zanzibar, 

 which elevated plain may be regarded as a continuation of the 

 Abessinian plateau. And, indeed, what knowledge we possess 

 of the geography of Southern Africa leads to the inference 

 that the same high land extends along the entire eastern side 

 of the Continent as far as its southern extremity ; its higher 

 eastern edge and waterparting being distant from the Indian 

 Ocean much less than from the South Atlantic, whereby the 

 rivers all along the eastern coast are far less considerable than 

 those of the western coast. 



We have not the means of deciding how far this great 

 waterparting of Southern Africa continues to form the boun- 

 dary of the basin of the Nile. It is manifest, however, that in 

 proceeding along it from north to south, we must at length 

 reach a point where the waters on its western side, instead of 

 continuing to flow northwards into the Nile, take their course 

 westwards across the Continent. Consequently, beyond this 

 point the waterparting of Southern Africa is between the hy- 

 drographical systems of the Indian Ocean and the Southern 

 Atlantic ; while at the same time a new waterparting comes 

 into existence between the hydrographical system of the 

 Southern Atlantic, as represented by the river Congo, and 

 that of the Mediterranean, as represented by the Nile; which 

 latter waterparting may, in a general way, be considered to run 

 from east to west, or perhaps rather from south-east to north- 

 west. 



In the ordinary maps of Africa we find a chain of mountains 

 laid down as stretching across the Continent from west to east, 

 between the 7th and 8th parallels of north latitude. This 

 chain bears the name of the " Mountains of the Moon ;" it 

 is supposed to be a continuation of the Kong Mountains of 

 Western Africa, in which the rivers Senegal, Gambia, and 

 Joliba or Niger, have their sources; and on its northern flank 

 the sources of the Nile are also supposed to be situated. 



The recent Egyptian expeditions to explore the Nile have, 

 however, demonstrated that such a mountain-chain does not 

 exist; for they have sailed over the alleged site of these "Moun- 

 tains of the Moon," and have advanced as far as the country of 

 Bari, in the 4th parallel of north latitude, without meeting with 



