Appendix A. 



latitudes arc very closely those of the northern shores of Lakes Victoria Xyaiiza 

 and Albert Edward. 



I come now to the longitudes. That of the western lake (57) differs 

 scarcely 3° from the longitude of Alexandria (60° according to Ptolemy), 

 hence actually only 2 30' l»y the aUovo-mcntioned reduction. We have, there- 

 fore, a result little inferior to the reality, since the longitudes of Alexandria and 

 of the west side of Lake Albert Edward are relatively to the meridian of 

 Greenwich 30° and 29° 30' (both E.) respectively, according to Stanley's map. 

 The longitude of the eastern lake is 65° in Ptolemy, as above stated. It would 

 consequently lie to the east of the meridian of Alexandria, and at a distance 

 of 5° (4' 10) according to the reduction. Now the mean longitude of 

 Lake Victoria is 33 15' E., so that the difference is only minus 0' 55'. Thus 

 in respect of the longitudes also there is nothing to prevent the identification of 

 the two Ptolemaic lakes with Lakes AUtert Edward and Victoria. 



The confluence of the two effluents is placed by Ptolemy under the 

 meridian of Alexandria Q-), and in the north latitude of 2°. Hence it 

 may fairly be placed where the river called the Somerset Nile by Speke 

 enters Lake Albert, from which it soon again issues. Its latitude is little more 

 than 2° N., while its longitude does not greatly exceed 30° E. Everything 

 might therefore l)e reconciled l)y accepting Ptolemy's figures without any 

 serious modification. On the other hand, liy the process of reduction we get 

 for the point of confluence G' 45' north latitude. It is, however, to be noted 

 that somewhere aboiit this latitude the main stream of the Nile begins to 

 traverse a marshy region watered by several rivers nearly parallel to it. 

 amongst them the Bahr el-Zaraf, the Nam Eoi, and others, and that further 

 on, towards latitude 9° N., the Bahr el-Abiad (White Nile) is joined l)Oth l>y 

 the Bahr el-Ghazal coming from the west, and the Sobat from the east. To 

 me the hypothesis does not seem at all too daring that precisely in this region 

 the Alexandrian Geographer placed the confluence of the two upper branches, 

 on the mistaken assumption that one of those rivers trending north was in fact 

 the emissary of the eastern lake, just as for some years after Speke's memorable 

 expedition Lake Baringo was supposed to be a north-eastern feeder of Lake 

 Victoria, and had for its emissar^^ the Asua, which is now known to flow, not 

 to the lake biit straight to the Nile at Dufile. (^^) 



The almost perfect agreement of the results of modern researcli with the 

 Ptolemaic data regarding the geographical features of the two lakes, sources of 

 the Nile, is, I repeat, to be considered as a mere coincidence. Still the idea 

 enteitained by the great geographer on the general disposition of the upper 

 basin of tlie Eg3'ptian liver was, broadly speaking, correct. And this might 



292 



