476 AFFL UFNTS OF THE WHITE NILE. [chap, xviii. 
Nile below the Ripon Falls as the Somerset river. As 
I have made a point of adhering to all native names 
as given by him upon that map, I also adhere to the 
name Somerset river for that portion of the Nile be¬ 
tween the Victoria and the Albert Lakes; this must 
be understood as Speke's Victoria Nile source; bearing 
the name of Somerset, no confusion will arise in speaking 
of the Nile, which would otherwise be ambiguous, as 
the same name would apply to two distinct rivers, the 
one emanating from the Victoria and flowing into the 
Albert; the other the entire river Nile as it leaves 
the Albert lake. The White Nile, fed as described by 
the great reservoirs supplied by the rains of equatorial 
districts, receives the following tributaries.:— 
From the East bank—The Asua, important from 
15th April till 15th November : dry after that date. 
From West bank—-The Ye, third class; full from 
15tli April till 15th November. 
Ditto—Another small river, third class ; full from 
15th April till 15th November. 
Ditto—The Bahr el Gazal; little or no water 
supplied by this river. 
From East bank—The Sobat, first class ; full from 
June to December. 
The Bahr Giraffe I omit, as it is admitted by the 
natives to be a branch of the White Nile that leaves 
the main river at the Aliab country and re-unites in 
lat. 9° 25' between the Bahr el Gazal and the Sobat. 
The latter river (Sobat) is the most powerful affluent of 
the White Nile, and is probaby fed by many tributaries 
from the Galla country about Kaffa, in addition to re¬ 
ceiving the rivers from the Berri and Latooka countries. 
I consider that the Sobat must be supplied by con¬ 
siderable streams from totally distinct countries east 
and south, having a rainfall at different seasons, as it is 
bank-full at the end of December, when the southern 
rivers (the Asua, &c.) are extremely low. North from 
the Sobat, the White Nile has no other tributaries until 
it is joined by the Blue Nile at Khartoum, and by its 
