Hydrography of West Central Africa

Abstract

MR. STANLEY'S second letter in last Thursday's Telegraph contains important information on the district between Tanganyika and the Albert and Victoria Nyanza—information complementary to that given in his former letters, which we embodied in a map, vol. xiv. p. 374. He has, in fact, discovered another “source” of the Nile, and one evidently of great length and volume—the Kagera—which he has gallantly named the Alexandra Nile. This river issues from a large lake, Akanyaru or Alexandra Nyanza, in two branches and flows north, uniting under 1 ° S. lat., and flowing east to the Victoria Nyanza. Mr. Stanley was only able to see the Alexandra Nyanza from a distance, but it is evidently of considerable size, and receives a river at its west end, the Upper Alexandra Nile, which probably comes from a considerable distance. Mr. Stanley believes that the Alexandra Nyanza has a marshy connection with Kivu Lake on the south, from which issues the Rusizi, an affluent of the Tanganyika. If then these various connections are ultimately verified, the problem of African hydrography becomes more complicated than ever. The Rusizi will connect the Nile system with Tanganyika, and very shortly, at least, Mr. Stanley believes, the Lukuga will carry the water of the latter to the west—to the Congo, say some. Meantime Mr. Stanley is probably at or has already left Nyangwe. After deciding this question of the connection of Albert and Tanganyika Lakes from that side, he will probably devote himself to the task of tracing down the Lualaba, which, according to Cameron, should bring him into early communication with Dr. Nachtigal, who is to trace up the Congo.