Suppressed story of Richard Burton's rival explorer surfaces

Secret edition of John Hanning Speke’s What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile contains stinging accusations against his fellow adventurer

A secret addendum to John Hanning Speke’s account of his discovery of the source of the Nile, which details his long-running feud with fellow explorer Richard Burton and which was considered too provocative for publication, has been acquired by the National Library of Scotland.

The eight-page supplement to Speke’s 1864 book, What Led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile, was referred to by the explorer as “the Tail” – possibly because, like a scorpion’s tail, it included the “sting” of the book. It laid out his grievances against Burton, which included anger over Burton’s failure to pay his African caravaneers, as well as further details of his adventures.

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