ALBERT N'YAN'ZA (the Little Luta Nzige of Speke), a large lake of e. central Africa, one of the reservoirs of the Nile, situated in a deep rock-basin, 80 m. w. of the Victoria Nyanza. The A. N. is of an oblong shape, and, as proved by M. Gessi, one of colonel Gordon's party in 1876, is 140 m. long from n. to s., and 40 rn. broad. It is crossed by the equator near its center. On the e., it is fringed by precipitous cliffs, having a mean alt. of 1500 ft., with isolated peaks, rising from 5000 to 10,000 ft. The surface of the lake is 2720 ft. above the sea, and 1470 ft. below the general level of the country ; its water is fresh and sweet, and it is of great depth towards the center. The n. and w. shores of the lake are bordered by a massive range of hills, called the Blue mountains, which have all elevation of about 7000 ft, The existence of this vast lake first became known to Europeans through Spoke and Grant, who, in 1862, heard of the Luta. Nzige as forming narrow reservoir formin a shallow back-water of the Nile. See map to article When Speke and Grant, after the discovery of the Victoria N'yanza, were, in 1863, descending the Nile on their return to Europe, they met, at Gondokoro, Mr. (now Sir) Samuel White Baker (q.v.), who was ascending the river in the hope of meeting with and aiding these travelers. As soon as they informed him of the reputed great lake, Baker agreed to undertake its exploration. Joining a trading party, he traveled south-eastwards to Latooka, which he describes as the finest country he had seen in Africa. His course was now s. and s.w., through the countries of Obbo and Madi, crossing the Asua, a tribu tary of the Nile, on 9th Jan. 1864. Journeying next in a s. and south-eastward direction over uninhabited prairies and swampy hollows, he came upon the Nile at the Karuma falls, lat. 2° 17' n., at the identical spot where it had been crossed by Speke and Grant. Being prevented, by the jealousy of king Kamrasi, from following the course of the stream to the westward, he was forced to proceed, by slow marches southward on the w. side of the Somerset or Nile, to 3Prooli, leaving which, his course lay s.w. on the s. side of the Kafoor river. After a toilsome march of 18 days from Drrooli, the party came in sight of the glorious expanse of water. Baker says : " Weakand exhausted with more
than 12 months' anxiety, toil, and sickness, I tottered down the steep and zigzag path, and in about 2 hours reached the shore. The waves were rolling upon a bank of sand ; and as I drank the water, and bathed my face in the welcome flood with a feeling of true gratitude for success, I named this great basin the Albert N'yanza, in memory of a great man who had passed away." The spot where the party first reached the lake, Vacovia, is in lat. 1° 14' n., 30° 40' e. Embarking thence in canoes, the party coasted north-eastward, and in 13 days arrived at Magungo, lat. 2° 16' n., near the mouth of the Somerset river, At this part, the lake was under 20 m. in width, and appeared to stretch away in a n.w. direction. From Magungo, 250 ft. above the lake, the travelers had a view of the Nile valley for 15 or 20 m. northwards. Ascending the Somerset, at a distance of 25 m. from its mouth, the canoe-voyage was interrupted by a grand cataract 120 ft. high, which was named the Murchison falls. The explorers proceeded south-eastwards for about 30 m. to Kisoona, and then a march n.e. for about the same distance brought them to the Karuma falls, where they first entered the lake-region. The name Somerset is adopted from Speke's first map, in order to distinguish that river from the Nile proper. It issues from the Victoria N'yanza at the Ripon falls, and flowing n.w. and w. for about 230 ni., it enters the A. N. within 30 in. of its northern extremity, and soon quits it to form the true Nile. From the Ripon falls for 30 m. n., and from the Karnma to the Murchison falls, 45 m., the Somerset forms a seriesof rapids. The A. N. receives the drainage of a great equatorial mountain range, where rain falls during 10 months of the year. The scenery of the lake is described as extremely beautiful. Salt, which is very abundant in the soil on the eastern shores of the lake, is now the only article of trade to the inhabitants. Formerly,3lagungo was a large t., when the trade from Karague, in lat. 2° s., was conducted in large boats sent by Rumanika, the king of the country, with cowrie shells and brass bracelets from Zanguebar to be exchanged for ivory.