1877.] Geography and Exploration. 251 
formation in a quarter of the globe where it was of the highest interest 
not only as respects the past physical history of the earth, but to enable 
us to unravel phenomena and obtain a knowledge of physical laws affect- 
ing its present condition which are of high scientific value, or, to express 
it in a popular form, of the greatest practical importance. This object 
has been to a considerable degree advanced by this English expedition. 
The Alert not only attained the highest latitude — 82° 24' — ever 
reached by a vessel, and the sledge expedition, under Commander Mark- 
ham, the furthest northern point reached by man, — 83° 20' 26" N. lat., 
but the expedition, in an unknown region, discovered and traced a line 
of coast extending over nearly fifty degrees of longitude, ascertained to 
a considerable extent the nature of the Polar Sea bordering this newly 
discovered coast, and collected a large amount of scientific information 
in the examination of both land and sea. 
The rivers, coast, and interior of Western Africa have been explored 
by Beaumier, Tissot, Bonnat, Brazza, Marche, Duparquet, Lux, and 
others. The most important event in Africa of the year has been the 
circumnavigation of the Mwutan Nizige (Albert Nyanza), by M. P. 
Gessi, a member of Colonel Gordon’s organization, who estimated the 
lake to be one hundred and forty miles in length by fifty in breadth. Its 
banks were clothed with a dense forest, the western side was mountain- 
ous, and the southern end shallow. This exploration establishes the con- 
nection between this lake and the Nile. From united statements of 
Gessi and Colonel Gordon, very recently received, it appears that the 
White Nile is navigable the whole way from Dufli to the lake, a distance 
of one hundred and sixty-four miles. About twenty miles south of Dufli 
the river widens, the current is less rapid, and from there to Magungo (on 
the lake) the river is nothing more than a part of the Mwutan Nizige. 
This river or expansion of the lake is broad, deep, and filled with islands 
of papyrus which make the banks difficult of approach, About one 
hundred miles from Dufli there is a large branch of the river extending 
north-northwest in the direction of the Nyam-Nyams. 
Mr. Stanley, after exploring the west and southwestern shores of Lake 
Ukerewe (Victoria Nyanza), started from Dumo on its western shore 
and crossed the country of Unyora to the Mwutan Nizige (Albert 
Nyanza), and reached that lake at a point where a deep gulf (Beatrice 
Gulf), formed by a promontory colled Unsongora, runs out for thirty 
miles in a southwesterly direction. In his journey Stanley saw a 
mountain southeast of the Mwutan Nizige, which was reported to be 
from thirteen thousand to fifteen thousand feet high, called Gambora- 
garè, on the peak of which snow is frequently found. The exact posi- 
tion of this camp on the lake, as given by him, is 31° 24' 30” E. long., 
and 0° 25! 6" N. lat. Stanley, when last heard from in July, was on his 
way to Unamyembi, his intention being to proceed to Ujiji to explore 
Lake Tanganyka, and then endeavor to strike north toward the 
