488 



NATURE 



lJ 



ON THE BLUE AND WHITE NILES.' 

 'PHE reorganisation of the regions of the Upper 

 A Nile utter the destruction of the Dervish power 

 and the steady growth of prosperity in every district 

 has profoundly impressed all who have travelled in 

 the Sudan. The history of these last twelve years' 

 work has yet to be written, for the account of Mahdi- 

 isni, by Sir Rcf^nnald \Vinjj:ale, the j)resent (Jovernor- 

 Gcneral, only dealt with the events which led up to 

 the re-conquest of the country to the south of Wadi 



Fi( 



i in th« Sudan. 



Haifa. \an)Lil) Pasha Arlin, for many years L'nder- 

 SecreiaiN ot Siau- of the Ministry of Public Instruc- 

 tion in E}4y|)t, tloes not attempt to provide such a 

 survey, for which perhaps the time has not yet 

 arrived, but lias given us instead a series of delig'htful 

 sketches of these lands, which are bein^ more and 

 more visited each year. Written in form of letters 

 setting forth his daily experiences, his conversations 

 with those he met, Europeans, Egyptians, or 

 Sudanese, first impressions noted on the spot when 

 all was fresh and vivid, tliis account of the regions 

 of the Blue and White Niles is not only of 

 interest but has a special value on account 

 of the author's intimate knowledge ot 

 Oriental life and history. 



Starting- early in November, Artin 

 Pasha, accompanied by Prof. Sayce, was 

 able to take advantage of the favourable 

 flood of 1908 and'' reach Roseires, on the 

 Blue Nile, by steamer; thence, returning 

 to Khartoum, he traversed the White Nile 

 as far as Gondokoro, on the northern 

 frontier of Uganda, thus visiting the two 

 main lines of communication and many 

 of the stations on their banks. All attempt 

 at a scientific account of the country is 

 disclaimed, but indications appear fre- 

 quently that the systematic study of the 

 country and its resources is everywhere 

 being- carried on so far as means are 

 available. Mention of the Department of 

 Woods and Forests bears witness to 

 this, for the demand made upon 

 on the banks of both Blue and White Niles for 

 the steamer traffic can only be prudently met by care- 

 ful conservation of the present supply. Inspectors 

 have been appointed, and though difficulty was experi- 

 enced at first in obtaining local labour, this has 

 been overcome, and now funds alone put a limit to 



I "Encland in the SuHan " Bv Yacoub Pasha Artin. Translated from 

 the French of t'le author by G. Robh. Pp. xvi+25t+map. (London: 

 MacmilUn and Co., Ltd., iqii.) Price lav. nt-t. 



NO. 2 1 71, VOL. 861 



the conservation possible. Both here and on Uic W hiic 

 Nile forest fires constitute the greatest danger to the 

 young growth, but even these arc being to some 

 extent controlled. 



Tha efiiciency of the present administration is 

 dwelt upon, though mention is made of cases where 

 the Oriental foot finds the Western shoe to pinch in- 

 conveniently. In the area occupied by Arab tribes 

 the question of slavery outweighs all others. An 

 .Arab sheikh discussed' it frankly with the author, 

 laying down that .Arab landowners were incapable by 

 habit and custom of working their land 

 themselves, that they have always had 

 negro slaves as cultivators, and that 1<.- 

 the .slaves ruin will stare them in the f. < - . 

 .Such changes can but be made slowly, but 

 with the present increasing prosperity ot 

 the country and the suppression of inter- 

 tribal warfare, even the Arab tribes will 

 shortly accommodate, themselves to new 

 conditions. The author is especially 

 qualified to present the local opinion, but 

 he rarely states his own view of the merits 

 of the questions raised. 



On the White Nile a short stay was 

 made at Kodok (formerly Fashoda), where 

 the pastoral tribe of Shilluks has its head- 

 quarters, and descriptions of these in- 

 teresting people are given. Under their 

 own chief, the Mek, they have readily 

 „ fallen in with the new rigime, by which 



their tribal customs are respected, but 

 retain the deepest hatred of those whom they call 

 Turks, the slave merchants and slave-hunters of 

 former days. Between this point and Gondokoro the 

 Nile flows through a narrow valley plain, mainly 

 occupied by marshes and lagoons, which provide the 

 drift marsh vegetation, which at times is carried by 

 wind and current into narrow channels or acute bends 

 of the river, there to form a dense obstruction, the 

 " sadd " proper. Loose application of this term to 

 the region generally, to marsh vegetation, and to drift- 

 ing vegetable matter, is to be deprecated, and even in 



the trees 



Fig. 2.— Stuck in the "Sadd." F 



the present account it is employed with some latitude. 

 These obstructions have often been described, and 

 Marno gave a very full account of them in 1880 and 

 1S81. Though more understood to-day, the condi- 

 tions which determine their formation are not con- 

 trolable, so that during the late summer and autumn 

 months, when rain and stormy weather prevail, con- 

 stant care has to be exercised by the steamers passing 

 up and down to remove any block that m.ny be form- 

 ing before it grows too solid, .\niong the illustra- 



