Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Note: Italics are enclosed in _underscores_. Additional notes will be found near the end of this ebook.

THE STORY OF EXPLORATION

EDITED BY

J. SCOTT KELTIE, LL.D., SEC. R.G.S.

THE NILE QUEST

BY

SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.

[_Frontispiece_

SPEKE (from a Drawing by the Author).]

THE NILE QUEST

A RECORD OF
THE EXPLORATION OF THE
NILE AND ITS BASIN

BY
SIR HARRY JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G., K.C.B.
(PRESIDENT OF THE AFRICAN SOCIETY)

_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM DRAWINGS AND
PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR AND OTHERS_

WITH MAPS BY J. G. BARTHOLOMEW

LONDON
ALSTON RIVERS, LIMITED
ARUNDEL STREET, W.C.
1906

THE STORY OF EXPLORATION

Probably few of the stories that tell of the achievements due to the curiosity of humanity have a wider or more lasting interest than that which is concerned with the exploration of the lands and seas, which give feature to the face of the earth. It is a long story, and would be longer still, if the men in the remote past had left any record of their wanderings. Even as it is, in the scanty and perplexing records left behind them by ancient Egyptians, Phœnicians, Carthaginians, Hebrews, and even Chinese, the story begins more than three thousand years ago and, so far as the pioneer work of exploration is concerned, may be taken to have practically concluded with the end of the nineteenth century. It seems, therefore, an opportune time to recount the leading episodes in this long record of incessant human effort, in a manner which will appeal to, and interest, all intelligent readers.

In the series of volumes, which will be issued under the general title “The Story of Exploration,” it will be sought to make the narrative circle round the personality of the men who had the leading share in carrying on the adventurous work.

Beginning with the earliest journeys of which we have any record, the story will be carried down stage by stage to the present day, and it is believed that, when complete, it will form what may be called a biographical history of exploration. While the work of geographical research in all parts of the globe will be seriously and adequately treated, the adventures incident to such research, which add human interest to it, will have due prominence given to them. In all cases it will be sought to obtain the co-operation of men who are recognized as authorities on the particular subjects with which they deal. Each volume will be profusely illustrated, the illustrations being selected for their appropriateness to the text, while every assistance will be given to the reader by means of carefully executed maps.

J. SCOTT KELTIE.

PREFATORY NOTE

When the author of this book was composing his recent work on the Uganda Protectorate, he was led through the history of its discovery into the general consideration of Nile exploration, since it was in the search for the Nile sources that the territories now forming the Uganda Protectorate were laid bare to the gaze of the civilised world. But as anything like a detailed review of the exploration of the Nile basin by the Caucasian race would have unduly extended a book dealing more particularly with Uganda, he gladly took advantage of the suggestion made by Dr. Scott Keltie (Editor of this series) that these studies should be applied to the present volume, which is one of a series on the history of great geographical discoveries.

It is not for the author to say that his book on the Nile Quest will prove interesting; but he has striven to make it as accurate as possible, and he hopes it may be permanently useful as a faithful record of the names and achievements of those who solved the greatest geographical secret, after the discovery of America, which remained for the Caucasian’s consideration.

H. H. JOHNSTON.

LONDON, 1903.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Editor and the Author desire to acknowledge, with thanks, the loan of photographs, letters, or maps for the illustration of this book, from Sir John Kirk, G.C.M.G., Mrs. Murdoch (_née_ Speke), Mr. J. F. Cunningham, Mr. W. G. Doggett, Mr. Theodore Tinne, Mr. T. Douglas Murray, Lady Baker, Mr. Oscar Neumann, Mr. J. E. S. Moore, Major Gwynn, Major Austin, Mr. J. Thomson, The African Society, Mr. S. Crispin, and Mr. Warry.

CONTENTS

Chapter Page
I. The Dawn of Nile Exploration 1

II. The Greeks interest Europe in the Nile Question 14

III. Abyssinians and Jews 30

IV. Islamites and Italians 37

V. A Summary of the Ancients’ Knowledge of the Nile 42

VI. Portugal and Abyssinia 45

VII. French Inquiries and D’Anville’s Maps 65

VIII. Bruce and the Nile: Sonnini, Browne, and Bonaparte 73

IX. Muhammad Ali opens up the White Nile 91

X. Missionaries and Snow-Mountains 111

XI. Burton and Speke 115

XII. Speke and the Nile Quest 125

XIII. Speke in Uganda 150

XIV. From the Victoria Nyanza to Alexandria 160

XV. Samuel Baker and the Albert Nyanza 174

XVI. Alexandrine Tinne and Theodor von Heuglin 192

XVII. Schweinfurth and the Basin of the Bahr-al-Ghazal 201

XVIII. Schweinfurth’s Achievements and Descriptions 216

XIX. Stanley confirms Speke 223

XX. Gordon and his Lieutenants.--Junker and the Nile-Congo
Water-parting 230

XXI. Joseph Thomson, Mt. Elgon, and Kavirondo Bay 246

XXII. Emin Pasha 250

XXIII. Stanley discovers the Mountains of the Moon and Lake
Albert Edward.--The End of Emin 259

XXIV. German Explorers determine the Southern Limits of the
Nile Basin 265

XXV. Geographical Work in the Uganda Protectorate 269

XXVI. The Eastern Basin of the Nile 276

XXVII. Conclusion 293

XXVIII. The Geography of the Nile Basin 299

APPENDIX I. The Roll of Fame of those who started on the Nile
Quest 319