Speke

Speke, JAMES HANNING (1827-64), African explorer, was born in Somersetshire, and became a soldier, serving in India for some years. He joined the 1854 expedition led by Captain Burton into the Harar and Somali regions, and three years later accompanied Burton in the attempt to discover the sources of the Nile. Burton discovered Lake Tanganyika, and, whilst he was detained by illness, Speke proceeded and found the Victoria Nyanza, the undoubted source. He published a description of his discovery in 1863, and died the year after from the accidental discharge of his gun.