and from that point to its debouchure, in the Mediterranean, in latitude thirty-one degrees north, the Nile traverses a distance of over 3,000 geographical miles, or nearly one-tenth of the circumference of the earth. When he discovered the Nyanza lake in 1858, he found it to be a large sheet of sweet water, lying about 3,500 feet above the level of the sea, and he at once felt certain that it could only be the source of some vast river, such as the Nile. The natives had traditions, too, of its great extent, and certain Arab merchants of Zanzibar, who penetrated those regions in search of ivory, assured him that Nyanza was the source of some great river. Other traditions heard from the natives, confirmed him in this opinion; and he believes he would have settled the question of the source of the Nile in 1859, by traveling to Uganda with an Indian merchant, had not the chief of the expedition fallen ill.

On his return to England he found Sir Roderick I. Murchison deeply imbued with the necessity of at once completing the work he had left undone. He himself could not rest satisfied until the world had accepted his views, now happily confirmed by actual inspection and observation. On returning with his brave companion, Capt. Grant, to Unyanyembe, five degrees south of the lake, in 1861, he hit upon a new route, which he supposed, from the accounts of the ivory merchants, would lead to a creek in the western flank of the lake;. but owing to the confusion existing in the language of the country with regard to the terms river and lake, it turned out to be a new lake, the Luero-lo-Urigi, which once contained large quantities of water, but is now fast drying up. It is to the west and north of Karagwe that the great lake receives its largest supply of terrestrial water, through the medium of the Kitangule river, which drains off the Luero-lo-Urigi and many minor lakes. These lakes are all mere puddles compared to the Nyanza; but the Kitangule is a noble river, sunk low in the earth like a huge canal, and measuring eighty yards across. The question now arises, What forms these lakes without number?

The Mountains of the Moon, from whence they derive their water, are in the middle of the rainy zone, where he observed in 1862, that no less than 233 days out of the year were more or less wet days. The first place from which he obtained a view of Lake Nyanza during the second expedition was from the town of Mashonde, in the Uddu portion of the country of Uganda, on the western side of the lake. Pursuing his way northward along the shore to the valley of Katonga, which is situated on the Equator, the land above the lake becomes very beautiful, being composed of low sandstone hills, deeply scored and seamed by the heavy rains, covered with gigantic grass of unsurpassed verdure, and by dells of trees as tall and straight as the blue gums of Australia. Traveling, however, is most irksome in this part of the country, for owing to the gradual subsistence of all the streams, the moorlands surrounding them are mere net works of rushes, covering unfathomable soft bogs. Cross

that no maps older than three hundred years gave any trace of this great lake; but he had since learned that it was not only clearly marked in an Arabian map of Africa, over one thousand years old, but that Ptolomy was the first geographer who gave an account of these sub-equatorial lakes. Many travelers, in all ages, had tried to ascend the Nile, but none of them reached beyond the third parallel of northern latitude, or within four or five hundred miles of Lake Nyanza. It would please them all to know that their chief patron (the Queen) took the greatest possible interest in this marvellous achievement of human enterprise. Her Majesty had specially congratulated him most graciously on the subject during her visit to the International Exhibition building, a few days since.

The Prince of Wales, their vice-patron, evinced no less interest in the discovery than her Majesty, and it was only through a most pressing engagement that his Royal Highness was not present that evening.

The King of Italy had sent through the Marquis d'Azeglio two gold medals specially struck in honor of the occasion for presentation to Captains Speke and Grant, accompanied by a most flattering letter, which he would read to them. The French Geographical Society having given Capt. Speke their gold medal for his discoveries in the Lake Nyanza district in 1858, Capt. Speke had shown his sense of the honor done to him by naming the principal channel leading from the Lake after the Emperor Napoleon. He would take up their time no longer, but at once introduce to them Capt. Speke, who would, on behalf of himself and his companion, Capt. Grant, read to them a paper on the "Nile and its Tributaries."

On coming forward, Capt. Speke met with a most flattering reception, the whole meeting rising and cheering loudly. When silence was at last restored, Capt. Speke said that before reading his paper, he begged to introduce to them a little boy belonging to one of the most intelligent of the equatorial tribes. It was through the friendliness and fidelity of a man of this tribe that he was able to complete his great work, and he thought it only just that the Government should educate some of the most intellectual of this race, and send them back to their native country as consuls, to assist in spreading our commerce and civilization throughout Eastern Africa. The little fellow, a fine boy of about fourteen, is an excellent specimen of the intellectual black type, his nose being as straight and his forehead as high as those of a European, although his woolly head and dark skin were thoroughly characteristic of his African blood. He seemed in no way disconcerted at his reception, and was as cool and collected as if he had attended the meetings of the Society all his life.

Capt. Grant had a similar companion with him.

Capt. Speke commenced his paper, "The Nile and its Tributaries Compared," by describing the Lake Nyanza the principal head of the Nile. This lake is situated in latitude three degrees south,

and from that point to its debouchure, in the Mediterranean, in latitude thirty-one degrees north, the Nile traverses a distance of over 3,000 geographical miles, or nearly one-tenth of the circumference of the earth. When he discovered the Nyanza lake in 1858, he found it to be a large sheet of sweet water, lying about 3,500 feet above the level of the sea, and he at once felt certain that it could only be the source of some vast river, such as the Nile. The natives had traditions, too, of its great extent, and certain Arab merchants of Zanzibar, who penetrated those regions in search of ivory, assured him that Nyanza was the source of some great river. Other traditions heard from the natives, confirmed him in this opinion; and he believes he would have settled the question of the source of the Nile in 1859, by traveling to Uganda with an Indian merchant, had not the chief of the expedition fallen ill.

On his return to England he found Sir Roderick I. Murchison deeply imbued with the necessity of at once completing the work he had left undone. He himself could not rest satisfied until the world had accepted his views, now happily confirmed by actual inspection and observation. On returning with his brave companion, Capt. Grant, to Unyanyembe, five degrees south of the lake, in 1861, he hit upon a new route, which he supposed, from the accounts of the ivory merchants, would lead to a creek in the western flank of the lake;. but owing to the confusion existing in the language of the country with regard to the terms river and lake, it turned out to be a new lake, the Luero-lo-Urigi, which once contained large quantities of water, but is now fast drying up. It is to the west and north of Karagwe that the great lake receives its largest supply of terrestrial water, through the medium of the Kitangule river, which drains off the Luero-lo-Urigi and many minor lakes. These lakes are all mere puddles compared to the Nyanza; but the Kitangule is a noble river, sunk low in the earth like a huge canal, and measuring eighty yards across. The question now arises, What forms these lakes without number?

The Mountains of the Moon, from whence they derive their water, are in the middle of the rainy zone, where he observed in 1862, that no less than 233 days out of the year were more or less wet days. The first place from which he obtained a view of Lake Nyanza during the second expedition was from the town of Mashonde, in the Uddu portion of the country of Uganda, on the western side of the lake. Pursuing his way northward along the shore to the valley of Katonga, which is situated on the Equator, the land above the lake becomes very beautiful, being composed of low sandstone hills, deeply scored and seamed by the heavy rains, covered with gigantic grass of unsurpassed verdure, and by dells of trees as tall and straight as the blue gums of Australia. Traveling, however, is most irksome in this part of the country, for owing to the gradual subsistence of all the streams, the moorlands surrounding them are mere net works of rushes, covering unfathomable soft bogs. Cross

rus, though he would have preferred using them as mechanics and tradesmen for his own purposes. They have a difficult position, in the midst of Christianity that has died away, and under a whimsical despot. Notwithstanding, the Lord has allowed, them to see some fruits of their work, not merely among the young whom they teach, but also among the adults; of the latter is Chancellor Debtera Sauab, described as an intellectual man, who holds prayer meetings with his soldiers, and bears witness to Christ everywhere.

Particular interest has been excited by the result of a mission, which has been sent to the Jews of Abyssinia, the Falaschas (in 1860,) and not only occasioned a general search into the Holy Scriptures, but led to a number of conversions of these lost children of Israel. The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah has there shown its ancient power. It is unfortunate that they must be received by baptism into the paganized church of Abyssinia, which is certainly not superior in moral conduct to these remains of Israel. But perhaps new vigor is to be engrafted into it by this fresh element. Much else is being done in Africa tending to the gathering of the true Israel out of the worldly.

In Algiers, (at Oran and Constantine,) the Bible finds more and more an entrance among the Jews, and reaches the Mohammedans as well as the Kabylie people of Cabes, whose traditions say that they have once been Christians, and must in course of time become Christians again; while the Jews of Sahara, on account of their dislike of traditions, are not so much opposed to the Gospel as those who have had a pharisaical training. In Tunis, also, the young at least are fond of reading the Gospel. Finally, in Egypt, the missionaries are laboring with diligence in several places. The Copts, formerly as dead as the people of Abyssinia, seem to awaken to new life by the use of the Holy Scriptures; and the mission of the American Presbyterians finds free entrance into many of their churches. The tolerant Pasha (now dead, 1863,) also afforded his aid; he gave an impressive lesson to the fanatic Mussulman who wished to prevent a Copt by rude force from leaving Islamism, which he had been forced to adopt.

Last year he made over buildings to the value of 100,000 florins to the mission, and afterwards, to give a proof of his impartiality he conferred a similar favor on the French priests.

Thus we may be permitted to glance up the Nile with hopeful prayer. Along its shores, side by side with travelers in quest of discoveries, and hosts of Franciscan monks, the messengers of the Gospel advance with undiminished zeal into the interior of this vast continent, to make the nations of Ham acquainted with that Name, in which alone there is salvation for the black man as well as the white. Work of the Christian Church.

case of accident until the coronation, after which one is pensioned off, and the other banished to Unyoro. Untidiness in dress is a capital crime, except the offender possesses sufficient riches to pay an enormous fine. Ingratitude, or even neglecting to thank a person for a benefit conferred, is punishable. The court customs are also curious. No one is allowed to stand before the king, and to touch him or look at one of his women is death. They believe implicitly in magic and the evil eye, and the kings are always attended by a certain number of women, crowned with dead lizards, and bearing bowls of plaintain wine in their hands.

The King of Karagwe is the most civilized of all these native chiefs; before entering Uganda, Capt. Speke spent many days with him. In manners, civility, and enlightenment, he might be compared with many Europeans. He owes much of this to the influence of an Indian merchant, named Moussa Mzouri, who helped him by his advice to conquer his brother, with whom he was at war. Capt. Speke was much entertained with many of his questions as to what became of the old suns, and why the moon made faces at the earth. He also wanted to know whether England, of which he had heard from the ivory traders, could blow up the whole of Africa with gun powder. The moment the king heard that he was desirons of going north, he sent messengers to the King of Uganda to prepare the way for him. The king was most anxious to afford him every possible information about the country.

While at the palace, the king took him yachting, on Murchison creek, for several days, and he frequently went shooting with the princess of the court, who, when he had shot anything, would rush up to and shake him heartily by the hand-a custom little known in that part of Africa. Before leaving, they heard from the King Kamrasi that a body of white men had been seen to the north, who had killed numbers of the natives with a wonderful gun.

This made Capt. Speke most anxious to push on, as he supposed the party of white men to be that of Mr. Petherick, who had appointed to meet him. He then started for Uganda, with a numerous retinue. Before leaving King Rumanika's at Karagwe, he had noticed on several occasions three or four lofty mountain peaks, more than 10,000 feet high. The King of Uganda sent an armed body of men to meet him, who conducted him through the kingdom. Everywhere they went the people left their huts, leaving their provisions behind them. The fertility of this part is very great, and the scenery on the shores of the lake most beautiful.

On arriving at the King of Uganda's capital, Capt. Speke found it necessary to wrap up all his presents in chintz, before sending them to the King, as nothing bare or naked could be looked at by his Majesty. He found the palace to consist of hundreds of conical tents, spread over the spur of a hill. Thousands of courtiers and attendants were to be seen engaged in every conceivable occupation, from playing on musical instruments to feeding the royal chickens.