SPEKE, JOHN HANNING (1827-1864), English explorer, discoverer of the source of the Nile, was born on May 4, 1827, at Jordans, Somersetshire. He entered the Indian Army in He served under Sir Colin Campbell's division in the Punjab. When on furlough Captain Speke explored the Himalayas, and crossed into Tibet. In 1854 he joined Richard Burton in Somali land, as narrated in What led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile (London, 1864). In April 1854 Speke was wounded by Somalis. Invalided home, he volunteered for the Crimea and served with a regiment of Turks.
In 1856 Speke joined Burton in exploration of the African lakes, especially Nyassa. The route to Nyassa was closed by the Arabs, and the travellers left Zanzibar in June 1857 by a more northerly route. They learnt from an Arab trader that further inland were three great lakes—and Speke assumed that the most northerly would be the source of the Nile. In January 1858 the travellers reached Lake Tanganyika. By June they were back at Kaze, and here Speke induced his chief, who was ill, to allow him to attempt to reach the northern lake. Marching north for 25 days, on July 3o Speke reached a creek, along which he trav elled till, on Aug. 3, he saw it open up into the waters of a lake extending northward to the horizon. He no longer doubted that this lake—the Victoria Nyanza—was the source of the Nile. Returning to Kaze (Aug. 25) he made known his discovery to Burton, who did not believe Speke's theories.
Speke had the support of Sir Roderick Murchison, president of the Royal Geographical Society, under whose direction a new expedition was fitted out. Of this expedition Speke had the com mand, his only European companion being Captain (afterwards Colonel) J. A. Grant (q.v.). The expedition, over 200 men all told, started from Zanzibar in Oct. 186o and reached Kaze on
Jan. 24, 1861. The Victoria Nyanza was again reached, at its south-west corner, in Oct. 1861. Following the western shores of the lake Speke crossed the Kagera Jan. 16, 1862, and arrived at the capital of Uganda on Feb. 19 following. Here he was detained by the king Mtesa, for some months, but at last prevailed on the chief to furnish him with guides, and on July 28 Speke stood where the Nile issped from the lake. The travellers were not permitted to visit another large lake (the Albert Nyanza) of whose existence and connection with the Nile they learned. As far as possible Speke and Grant followed the course of the Nile, and on Dec. 3 came in touch with the outside world once more. On Feb. 15, 1863, they arrived at Gondokoro. At Gondokoro they met Sir Samuel (then Mr.) Baker, generously giving him the information which enabled him to discover the Albert Nyanza.
In the same year (1863) Speke published his Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile, a work written in a frank, attractive style. His conclusions were disputed by Burton and McQueen in The Nile Basin (1864), it being argued in this work that Tanganyika was the true Nile source. Speke was to discuss the question with Burton at the geographical section of the British Association at Bath on Sept. 16, but he accidentally shot himself while out after partridge on Sept. 15.