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The top three images are some of the disguises Sir Richard Burton used to mingle with crowds anonymously. The bottom image is Burton is his natural appearance.
Roger M McCoy
Search for the Source of the Nile River
As shown in an earlier blog, the lower stretches of the Nile River held great importance for Egyptian life and agriculture. In mid-nineteenth century an interest arose among several English men in finding the source of the Nile River. This endeavor was part of the exploration of African areas unknown to all but the indigenous people. Two men in particular, Sir Richard F. Burton (1821-1890) and John H. Speke (1827-1864) decided separately that their adventure would be to find the source of this important river. In the course of time they became competitors, each criticizing and belittling the other’s efforts.
Sir Richard Burton had so many accomplishments to his credit that it is hard to condense his life into a single essay. For example: Burton was well known for his fluency in twenty-nine languages and thorough knowledge of cultures. Burton once disguised himself and attended the annual Hajj to Mecca, during which only Muslims are allowed to visit the Kaaba, the holiest monument of Islam. Burton also was a prolific writer and translator of books. His translations into English included the One Thousand and One Nights and the Kama Sutra. He wrote numerous books and academic articles on a wide range of subjects: human behavior, travel, falconry, fencing, and ethnography. This essay will focus on his quest for the source of the Nile River.
In 1854 Sir Richard Burton, already famous for his African exploration in Somalia in east Africa, was assigned by the Royal Geographical Society of London to find the source of the Nile River. John Speke was assigned to accompany Burton. The two personalities were each very competitive and had huge egos. This made them each uninterested in sharing the prestige of a successful discovery. Such a relationship naturally led to conflicts. Burton regarded Speke as inferior because he lacked knowledge of Arabic and African languages. On the other hand Burton was convinced of the superiority of white people. Speke appears to have been kinder toward toward the Africans and eventually married an African woman.
After a battle with an indigenous African tribe Burton accused Speke of being cowardly. During that encounter Burton was wounded by a javelin passing through his mouth piercing both cheeks, and Speke was wounded in the thigh and captured. Speke managed to punch his captor in the face and both explorers ran for their lives under a hail of spears. Speke and Burton managed to make it to the coast where they were picked up by a passing boat. That expedition suffered a huge loss of all their equipment and provisions. Burton felt crushed that his one chance to fulfill his ambition of reaching the interior of Africa was a failure.
In 1856 luck and good fortune returned when Speke and Burton received funds to begin another expedition to find the large lakes rumored to lie somewhere in the center of the continent. On this expedition they also hoped to find the source of the Nile River. During this strenuous expedition both Speke and Burton became ill from tropical diseases. Fortunately they had a large party of porters, guides, and cooks, and they continued their journey despite their illnesses.
They traveled over 600 miles on foot and by donkey before reaching an Arab settlement where they rested for several days. As they moved forward Burton was still ill and Speke became temporarily blind, but they managed to continue on their journey. The strenuous trip finally made them the first Europeans to reach Lake Tanganyika. Unfortunately Speke was still partially blind and could not see their discovery.
Fortunately for Burton the Royal Geographical Society funded Burton and Speke for yet another attempt to find the source of the Nile River in 1857. From the beginning Burton and Speke suffered malaria and other maladies and had to be carried on stretchers part of the time. Other troubles included the death of some pack animals and the desertion of their native porters who also took many of the supplies with them. Yet Burton and Speke pushed ahead. Again Burton became ill and Speke continued without him. Speke found the source of the Nile in an immense lake that became known as Lake Victoria. Unfortunately they no longer had any surveying equipment, making it impossible for Speke to map his route and to know the exact location.
Then they began the journey back to England. As soon as they reached Aden, in present-day Yemen at the south end of the Arabian Peninsula, Speke immediately took a ship to London where he began giving lectures and was awarded another expedition by the Royal Society. Burton reached London about a month later and found he had been upstaged by his travel companion…”My companion now stood forth in his new colors, an angry rival.” To make matters worse Speke, rather than collaborate, separately published a book on the expedition (1863) nine years before Burton’s book (1872).
Their quarrel continued long after they reached England. Historians differ on the cause of the problem between Burton and Speke. Some contend that Speke resented Burton’s leadership role while others say it was the other way around, and that Burton was resentful of Speke’s successes.
In September 1864 the two were scheduled to debate the source of the Nile River at the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The day before their debate Speke stood up and abruptly left the meeting hall and joined a friend for an afternoon of hunting. He was discovered lying near a stone wall, felled by a fatal gunshot wound from his hunting shotgun. Burton learned of Speke's death the following day while waiting for their debate to begin.
A jury ruled Speke's death an accident. An obituary concluded that Speke, while climbing over the wall, had carelessly pulled the gun after himself with the muzzle pointing at his chest and shot himself.
Sir Richard Burton died in October 1890 of a heart attack. Unfortunately his wife Isabel burned many of Burton’s papers, which she felt had lewd content. Despite her mistaken actions much of Burton’s written material has survived. Twenty-one boxes of manuscripts and twenty-four boxes of correspondence are held by the Huntington Library in California. Burton and Isabel are buried in London in a tomb the shape of a Bedouin tent
Time has been kind to Sir Richard Burton by many historians. Depending on the the source one reads, he is often remembered as the man who found the source of the Nile River. Speke has a somewhat negative image for seeking recognition for himself and failing to be a real collaborator with Burton.
Search for the Source of the Nile River
As shown in an earlier blog, the lower stretches of the Nile River held great importance for Egyptian life and agriculture. In mid-nineteenth century an interest arose among several English men in finding the source of the Nile River. This endeavor was part of the exploration of African areas unknown to all but the indigenous people. Two men in particular, Sir Richard F. Burton (1821-1890) and John H. Speke (1827-1864) decided separately that their adventure would be to find the source of this important river. In the course of time they became competitors, each criticizing and belittling the other’s efforts.
Sir Richard Burton had so many accomplishments to his credit that it is hard to condense his life into a single essay. For example: Burton was well known for his fluency in twenty-nine languages and thorough knowledge of cultures. Burton once disguised himself and attended the annual Hajj to Mecca, during which only Muslims are allowed to visit the Kaaba, the holiest monument of Islam. Burton also was a prolific writer and translator of books. His translations into English included the One Thousand and One Nights and the Kama Sutra. He wrote numerous books and academic articles on a wide range of subjects: human behavior, travel, falconry, fencing, and ethnography. This essay will focus on his quest for the source of the Nile River.
In 1854 Sir Richard Burton, already famous for his African exploration in Somalia in east Africa, was assigned by the Royal Geographical Society of London to find the source of the Nile River. John Speke was assigned to accompany Burton. The two personalities were each very competitive and had huge egos. This made them each uninterested in sharing the prestige of a successful discovery. Such a relationship naturally led to conflicts. Burton regarded Speke as inferior because he lacked knowledge of Arabic and African languages. On the other hand Burton was convinced of the superiority of white people. Speke appears to have been kinder toward toward the Africans and eventually married an African woman.
After a battle with an indigenous African tribe Burton accused Speke of being cowardly. During that encounter Burton was wounded by a javelin passing through his mouth piercing both cheeks, and Speke was wounded in the thigh and captured. Speke managed to punch his captor in the face and both explorers ran for their lives under a hail of spears. Speke and Burton managed to make it to the coast where they were picked up by a passing boat. That expedition suffered a huge loss of all their equipment and provisions. Burton felt crushed that his one chance to fulfill his ambition of reaching the interior of Africa was a failure.
In 1856 luck and good fortune returned when Speke and Burton received funds to begin another expedition to find the large lakes rumored to lie somewhere in the center of the continent. On this expedition they also hoped to find the source of the Nile River. During this strenuous expedition both Speke and Burton became ill from tropical diseases. Fortunately they had a large party of porters, guides, and cooks, and they continued their journey despite their illnesses.
They traveled over 600 miles on foot and by donkey before reaching an Arab settlement where they rested for several days. As they moved forward Burton was still ill and Speke became temporarily blind, but they managed to continue on their journey. The strenuous trip finally made them the first Europeans to reach Lake Tanganyika. Unfortunately Speke was still partially blind and could not see their discovery.
Fortunately for Burton the Royal Geographical Society funded Burton and Speke for yet another attempt to find the source of the Nile River in 1857. From the beginning Burton and Speke suffered malaria and other maladies and had to be carried on stretchers part of the time. Other troubles included the death of some pack animals and the desertion of their native porters who also took many of the supplies with them. Yet Burton and Speke pushed ahead. Again Burton became ill and Speke continued without him. Speke found the source of the Nile in an immense lake that became known as Lake Victoria. Unfortunately they no longer had any surveying equipment, making it impossible for Speke to map his route and to know the exact location.
Then they began the journey back to England. As soon as they reached Aden, in present-day Yemen at the south end of the Arabian Peninsula, Speke immediately took a ship to London where he began giving lectures and was awarded another expedition by the Royal Society. Burton reached London about a month later and found he had been upstaged by his travel companion…”My companion now stood forth in his new colors, an angry rival.” To make matters worse Speke, rather than collaborate, separately published a book on the expedition (1863) nine years before Burton’s book (1872).
Their quarrel continued long after they reached England. Historians differ on the cause of the problem between Burton and Speke. Some contend that Speke resented Burton’s leadership role while others say it was the other way around, and that Burton was resentful of Speke’s successes.
In September 1864 the two were scheduled to debate the source of the Nile River at the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The day before their debate Speke stood up and abruptly left the meeting hall and joined a friend for an afternoon of hunting. He was discovered lying near a stone wall, felled by a fatal gunshot wound from his hunting shotgun. Burton learned of Speke's death the following day while waiting for their debate to begin.
A jury ruled Speke's death an accident. An obituary concluded that Speke, while climbing over the wall, had carelessly pulled the gun after himself with the muzzle pointing at his chest and shot himself.
Sir Richard Burton died in October 1890 of a heart attack. Unfortunately his wife Isabel burned many of Burton’s papers, which she felt had lewd content. Despite her mistaken actions much of Burton’s written material has survived. Twenty-one boxes of manuscripts and twenty-four boxes of correspondence are held by the Huntington Library in California. Burton and Isabel are buried in London in a tomb the shape of a Bedouin tent
Time has been kind to Sir Richard Burton by many historians. Depending on the the source one reads, he is often remembered as the man who found the source of the Nile River. Speke has a somewhat negative image for seeking recognition for himself and failing to be a real collaborator with Burton.
