Inland Seas of Africa. 415 
aries might have been somewhat misled, the summits of these 
mountains must have an altitude of upwards of 18,000 feet. At 
all events it is granted that they are the highest points of this 
= range. Now, whilst streams descending from the western 
. 
by M. -Rollet, 
ian, who had ine ers a eading post at Belenia in latitude 4° 
50’ ‘north, on the White Nile in 1851. The north and south 
direction of the Nyanza, which Speke believes to reach from 
south latitude 24° to 8° 80’ north latitude, brings us in fact be- 
yond the Garbo of Ulivi and Brun-Rollet. * 
“The variations which occur in the height of the waters at 
different seasons, in the interior plateau- country surrounding the 
great lake, were strikingly described to Captain Speke by the 
pa when they assured him that at one season of the year the 
water lilies were so abundant as to enable the traveller to pass 
over a wide river by treading on their broad and thick floating 
leaves, ——- how flat the country must be, and how sluggish 
are the streams. 
“Let us hope that when re-invigorated by a year’s rest, the 
undaunted Speke may receive every encouragement to p 
from Zanzibar to his old station, and thence carry out to demon- 
stration the view which he now maintains, that the Lake Nyanza 
is the main source of the Nile. Considering the vast difficulties 
which beset the traveller who attempts to penetrate southwards 
by eins the Nile, it seems to be preferable that the effort 
should be made from Zanzibar, where Captain Speke is sure of 
being heartily supported by t the Sulta n, and whence, taking men 
whom he cou nd rely, he can caer calculate on reachin 
the Lake Nyanza in good plight, for that zone of Africa whic 
he has passed through is now ascertained to be occupied by a 
south of 4 ard ee people than those of the countries north and 
sout. ‘ 
“On rn ormer occasions I contended that the periodical overflow 
of the ating from the internal fresh-water lakes was explicable 
by the fact, that at certain periods of the year, differing of course 
in different latitudes, the rain-fall of several months would at last 
So supersaturate the interior plateau-lands and lakes as to pro- 
duce periodical annual discharges. That the ie mountains of 
.* M. Jonard has analyzed and the discoveries of M. Bran-Rollet, who 
gives some information derived from Shige who ee ae 
which is _—- attention. —— founded on such 
