TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION E. 845 
both traverse thinly inhabited districts until the lake is reached. The German 
route, as origiually proposed, would be the shorter of the two; but there is some 
reason to think that the British line will open up more country east of the lake, 
which will be suitable for prolonged residence by white men. Sir John Kirk, in 
discussing the question of the possible colonisation of tropical Africa by Europeans, 
said: ‘These uplands vary from 5,000 to 7,000 feet in height, the climate is cool, 
and, as far as known, very healthy for Europeans, This district is separated from 
the coast by the usual unhealthy zone, which, however, is narrower than elsewhere 
on the African littoral. Between the coast zone and the highlands stretches a 
barren belt of country, which attains a maximum width of nearly 200 miles, The 
rise is gradual, and throughout the whole area to be crossed the climate is drier 
and the malarial diseases are certainly much less frequent and less severe than in 
the regions further south.’ These very advantages, however, may have to be 
paid for by the greater difficulty of railway construction. Putting aside future 
prospects, the map shows that the populous region to the west of the lake makes 
either of these proposed lines well worthy of consideration, though it would 
perhaps be rash to predict how soon the commerce along them would pay for the 
interest on the capital expended. What will be the fate of the German project I 
do not know, but we may prophecy with some confidence that the British line, the 
construction of which has been commenced, will be completed sooner or later. 
The two lines of communication we have discussed—the Suakin and the Victoria 
Nyanza routes—are intended to supply the wants of widely separated districts ; but, 
looking to a more distant future, they must sooner or later come into competition 
one with the other, in attracting trade from the Central Sudan, Before this can 
occur, communication by steamboat and by railway must be opened up between the 
coast and the navigable Nile by both routes. This will necessitate a railway being 
constructed, not only to the Victoria Nyanza, but also from that lake, or round it, to 
the Albert Nyanza ; and, as the Nile is rendered unnavigable by cataracts about Du- 
file, and as the navigation is difficult between Dufile and Lado, here also a railway 
would be necessary in order to complete the chain of steam communication with 
the coast. If goods were brought across the Victoria Nyanza by steamer, and taken 
down the Nile in the same manner from the Albert Nyanza to Dufile, this route 
would necessitate bulk being broken six times before the merchandise was under way 
on the Nile; by the Suakin route, on the other hand, bulk would only have to be 
broken twice, provided the sixth cataract were rendered navigable. Thus, if this 
latter difficulty can be overcome, and if the sudd on the Nile is not found to 
impede navigation very much, this Nyanza route will certainly not compete with 
the Suakin route for any trade on the banks of the navigable Nile until a railway 
is made from the coast to Lado, a distance of over 800 miles as the crow flies, and 
certainly over 1,000 miles by rail. It must be remembered also that the Nyanza 
route passes over mountains 8,700 feet above the sea; that the train will have to 
mount, in all, nearly 13,000 feet in the course of its journey from the coast; and 
that a diffieult gorge has to be crossed to the eastward of the Victoria Nyanza. 
From these facts we may conclude that it will be a very long time before the 
Nyanza route will draw any trade from the Central Sudan. 
The line through the British sphere of influence runs to the northern end of 
Victoria Nyanza, but from Mr. Vandeleur’s recent expedition into these regions we 
learn that a shorter route, striking the eastern shore of the lake, is under considera- 
tion. To lessen the expense of construction would be a great boon, but if we look 
to the more ambitious schemes for the future, something may be said in favour of 
the original proposal as being better adapted to form part of a line of railway 
reaching the navigable Nile. 
With regard to the comparison between the German and British routes to the 
Victoria Nyanza, the latest accounts seem to imply that the Germans have prac- 
tically decided on a line from the coast to Ujjiji, with a branch from Tabora to the 
Victoria Nyanza. ‘his would be a most valuable line of communication ; but it 
seems a pity that capital should be expended in compctitive routes when there are 
so many other directions in which it is desirable to open up the continent. If the 
Germans wish to launch out on great railway projects in Africa, let them make a 
