SOURCES OF THE NILE. 933 



must say good-bye for the present. Give my love to all, kiss all the children 

 for me, and believe me to be your affectionate and loving son, 



"F. J. Pocock." 



The " Daily Telegraph " accompanied these most interesting letters by 

 the following able comment: — 



" In the second despatch from Mr. Stanley, which we have the pleasure 

 of laying before the public and the scientific world to-day, the interest turns 

 chiefly on that wonderful and still unexhausted river, the Nile. From the 

 time when Bruce discovered the Abyssinian branch — the Bahr-el-Azrek — of 

 this mysterious stream, a long succession of travellers have added ever new 

 fountains to its upper tributaries, until the majesty of the river became 

 crowned by the announcement of the Victoria and Albert Nyanzas — inland 

 seas worthy indeed to figure as the twin birth-places of such a water Deity. 

 For some time the lake of Speke and Grant, and that of Baker, were looked 

 upon as the ultimate sources of the Nile ; and though for a while it seemed 

 possible that Livingstone's great channel of the Lualaba, with its string of lacus- 

 trine basins, might also contribute to the Egyptian stream — perhaps even Tan- 

 ganyika itself — more careful surveys have since shown this to be altogether 

 improbable. The River of Egypt was traced, therefore, to the southern shore 

 of the Victoria Nyanza in about 2° 35' S. when our Joint Commissioner 

 began his adventurous journey to explore this great unmapped water. Before 

 reaching it, however, he struck and followed from its water-shed in Urimi a 

 new stream, the Shimeeyu, which, as a feeder of the Victoria two hundred 

 and ninety miles in length, and of volume equal to that of the Thames, at 

 once became the highest and truest l source of the Nile.' This took the course 

 of the noble Egyptian river up to 5° S. or farther, and secured the palm of 

 merit to Stanley as the discoverer of what appeared the real cradle of the 

 Nile. 



" But in the present despatch our Joint Commissioner gives reason 

 to believe that he has made a still more important revelation ; and that, 

 although the Shimeeyu may, perhaps, yet retain the distinction of being the 

 most southerly feeder of the Nile, the Kagera, Kitangule, or Ruvuvu — for 

 by all these names has the channel been known since it was crossed by Speke 

 and Grant in 1863 — will really prove the largest and longest of the upper 

 tributaries of that vast Nyanza which, by creating the Victoria Nile, does 

 most to supply the Egyptian river. Speke and Grant crossed the stream 

 spoken of near its outflow into the Victoria Nyanza, and saw the long and 

 narrow lake or marsh which it makes by Rumanika's capital, to which they 

 gave the name of Windermere. Nevertheless, either not knowing its remark- 

 able depth, or bent too warmly on the attractive discovery of the Victoria 

 Nile, they failed to attach to the Kagera or Kitangule the dignity which it 



