Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky in East Africa. The meaning of Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky in the short biographical encyclopedia E p Kovalevsky study of Africa

home » Middle Ages Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky in East Africa. The meaning of Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky in the short biographical encyclopedia E p Kovalevsky study of Africa

This was in 1848.

“...A fair wind carried our small flotilla quickly along the waves of the Blue Nile, on which the Russian flag fluttered for the first time,” wrote Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky (1811–1868) in his book “Journey to Inner Africa.”

The Russian geologist was invited by the Egyptian ruler Megmet Ali, an Albanian by origin, to search for minerals in the regions of Africa newly annexed to Egypt. Kovalevsky wrote that the conqueror of Arabia, Syria, Senaar and Kordofan spent time in conversations with Russian guests, asking them about the life of Russia and its northern regions.

Together with Kovalevsky, Siberian and Ural foreman and miners arrived in Egypt.

Preparing his expedition to Africa, Kovalevsky trained two young Egyptians assigned to him in the Urals in the art of searching and mining gold. One of these students, named Ali, accompanied Kovalevsky on his routes across Africa.

In Nubia, Yegor Kovalevsky climbed the Libyan Mountains and then went deeper into the Great Nubian Desert.

Russian geologists arrived in Khartoum, the capital of Senaar and all of Eastern Sudan. Here Yegor Kovalevsky began studying the history of Senaar. Senaar - an area with a city of the same name - occupied the watershed space between the White and Blue Nile before their confluence at Khartoum, forming a huge triangle. Kovalevsky called this triangle the “Senaar Peninsula”. Meadows with herbs as tall as a man, luxurious steppes, virgin forests - this was Senaar.

Kovalevsky was the first European to explore in detail the entire interfluve and, by the way, corrected the famous French traveler F. Callo, who incorrectly determined the position of the city of Senaar. In the Senaar forests, a Russian researcher discovered a new type of palm tree - duleb. From the very beginning of the hike, the traveler was collecting seeds and roots of useful plants.

Leaving the Blue Nile, the Russian detachment headed to the tributary of this river - Tumat.

Before Kovalevsky, not a single Egyptian had been on the banks of the Tumat, not to mention Europeans. For the entire educated world, the Upper Nile region was known only from the maps of the cosmographers of the ancient world - Ptolemy (2nd century AD) and al-Idrisi (1154), but these maps, of course, did not in any way correspond to the needs of the geography of the 19th century. Kovalevsky opened this area to European science.

Tumat turned out to be a real goldmine. The river basin in its geological structure and conditions of occurrence of gold-bearing rocks resembled Pyshma and Miass in the Urals. Russian geologists unerringly found gold in greenstones, in ravines on the left tributaries of an African river. The Ural experience, applied in distant Africa, was crowned with complete success. The Yekaterinburg foreman soon discovered a deposit containing 25 pounds of gold. In the very heart of Africa, a gold processing plant was built following the model of Ural and Altai enterprises.

In the upper reaches of Tumat, Yegor Kovalevsky discovered a deposit of magnetic iron ore and ocher clays.

Our traveler needed to explore the sources of Gumat. Kovalevsky moved along the river bank on foot, through dense thickets of laurels and lemon trees. Often the Russians on this campaign had to eat only the fruits of the baobab tree.

This is how the Ural miners reached the country of the Galla Negroes - excellent iron masters, whom the Europeans, without bothering to study, declared in absentia cannibals.

Soon the travelers saw that the Tumat was divided into two rivers - the Degezi and the Tumat itself. Along the main channel of the Tumat, Yegor Kovalevsky reached the source of this river.

“...No one has penetrated so far into Africa from this side,” he wrote in his diary.

To the south of the sources of Tumat lay a new, unexplored country. From the east it was limited by the peak of Fadasi, behind which the Abyssinian Highlands rose. The Moon Mountains of the Ancients rose at the southern border of the new country. How many legends have been written about the Moon Mountains, at the foot of which the sources of the Nile have been sought since the time of Ptolemy! Kovalevsky, not agreeing with the instructions of the ancients, believed that the sources of the Nile should not be sought here. Subsequently, the validity of his assumptions was confirmed.

The Moon Mountains turned out to be the main mountain system of Inner Africa. The Tumatsky ridge discovered by Kovalevsky was part of these mountains. Russian geologists crossed it in all directions. The gold deposits of Inner Africa were concentrated here!

The new country south of the Moon Mountains was called “Nikolaevsky” by Kovalevsky (on modern maps it would be more appropriate to call it “Egor Kovalevsky’s Country”).

The Nevka River flowing through the “Country of Nikolaev” appeared on the map of the Russian explorer. “This name,” wrote Yegor Kovalevsky, “can serve as an indication of what places the European traveler reached and what nation he belongs to.”

The banks of the Nevka were the extreme southern border of Kovalevsky’s routes along the “Senaar Peninsula”, the land of the Galla blacks and the Nikolaev country. He reached the edge of the Abyssinian Highlands. No one had made such daring journeys at that time.

But this is not the end of the wanderings and discoveries of the Russian geologist and the Ural ore miners. In the same year, 1848, they were seen between the Blue and White Nile, in the mountains, among thickets of ebony and wild bananas. Near the high mountain Dul, Kovalevsky visited the only fortress in the Senaar region, the Egyptian garrison of which consisted of Albanians, Tatars and Balkan Slavs. Whitewashed huts stood on the soil of the Black Continent, and the sounds of Slavic harp were heard in them under the African sky.

In the vastness of the Lesser Nubian Desert, Yegor Kovalevsky discovered the Abudom River, the left tributary of the Nile.

Accompanied by Albanian horsemen and devoted black guides, a detachment of Russian explorers rode to Alexandria. Kovalevsky carried bags of high-grade Tumat gold, scientific collections and stone tools of ancient African miners who mined gold for the pharaohs.

During his travels through Egypt, Nubia, Sudan, Abyssinia and Inner Africa, reaching 8° northern latitude, Kovalevsky conducted diverse scientific research. He determined the latitude and longitude of various areas, conducted meteorological observations, studied the composition of the water and sediments of the Nile, and collected rich data on the geology of the Nile Delta. Soon after returning from the campaign, he wrote the work “The Nile Basin in Geological Relation and Gold Placers of Inner Africa.” And only much later - in 1872 - Kovalevsky’s book “Journey to Inner Africa” was published. Written in excellent Russian, this book contains a lot of wonderful information about the people and nature of countries unknown to Europeans. She is all imbued with sympathy for the black inhabitants of Africa.

“...I defended a person from whom they want to take away his human dignity,” declared the Russian “wanderer on land and seas,” as Kovalevsky called himself more than once. He was worried about the fate of 10 million blacks in Inner Africa, whom the press of Western Europe placed “on a level close to monkeys.” He exposed tales of human sacrifice and cannibalism among blacks. With noble emotion, Kovalevsky wrote, for example, about how the brave and independent blacks of Bert preferred death to surrender and, consequently, slavery to the Egyptians and Europeans. The Russian scientist castigated the hypocrisy of the Jesuit missionaries and revealed the connection between religion and commerce in the affairs of the holy fathers on the Black Continent.

During his life, Yegor Kovalevsky wrote more than one book about his campaigns - he knew the world from the Adriatic to the deserts of Central Asia, from the Moon Mountains to Northern China.

He was a leading man for his time. Petrashevites gathered at his apartment in St. Petersburg. Belinsky’s famous letter to Gogol was read here. Chernyshevsky, Turgenev, Ostrovsky, Pisemsky visited Kovalevsky’s house. The famous traveler was one of the founders of the Literary Fund. The death of Kovalevsky was mourned by Fyodor Tyutchev:

...And Rus' is not the only one who will be sad for him,
He was dear even there, in a foreign land,
And where the blood flows so bleakly,
They will honor him with a grateful tear...

In this article we will remember what contributions African researchers made to the development of geography. And their discoveries completely changed the idea of the Dark Continent.

First explorations of Africa

The first known trip around was made back in 600 BC. e. explorers of Ancient Egypt on the orders of Pharaoh Necho. The pioneers of Africa circumnavigated the continent and discovered previously unexplored lands.

And in the Middle Ages, this part of the world began to attract serious interest from Europe, which conducted active trade with the Turks, who resold Chinese and Indian goods at huge prices. This prompted European sailors to try to find their own route to India and China in order to eliminate the mediation of the Turks.

African explorers appeared, and their discoveries significantly influenced world history. The first expedition was organized by the Portuguese Prince Henry. During the first voyages, sailors discovered Cape Boyador, which is located on the west coast of Africa. The researchers decided that this was the southern point of the mainland. Modern scientists believe that the Portuguese were simply afraid of the dark-skinned aborigines. Europeans believed that the sun hung so low over the new land that the locals were burned black.

The Portuguese king Juan II equipped a new expedition, led by Bartolomeo Diaz, and in 1487 the Cape of Good Hope was discovered - the real southern point of the mainland. This discovery helped Europeans pave the way to the eastern countries. In 1497-1499 Vasco Da Gama was the first to reach India and return to Portugal.

The “African Researchers” table below will help you systematize your knowledge.

After this discovery, Europeans poured into Africa. In the 16th century, the slave trade began, and by the 17th, most of the territories of the black continent were captured and colonized. Only Liberia and Ethiopia retained their freedom. In the 19th century, active exploration of Africa began.

David Livingston

The scientist also explored Lake Ngami, described the Bushmen, Bakalahari and Makololo tribes, and also discovered Lake Dilolo, the western drain of which feeds the Congo, and the eastern drain feeds the Zambezi. In 1855, a huge waterfall was discovered, which was named after the British Queen Victoria. Livingston became very ill and disappeared for some time. He was discovered by explorer Henry Morton Stanley, and together they explored Lake Tanganyika.

The researcher devoted most of his life to Africa, was a missionary and humanist, and tried to stop the slave trade. The scientist died during one of the expeditions.

Mungo Park

Mungo Park undertook two expeditions to the Dark Continent. His goal was to explore western Africa, mainly its interior, its origins and Sinegal. Also a desirable goal was to establish the exact location of the city of Timbuktu, which Europeans had only heard about from local residents until that moment.

The expedition was sponsored by Joseph Banks, who participated in James Cook's first voyage. The budget was quite modest - only 200 pounds.

The first expedition was undertaken in 1795. It began at the mouth of the Gambia, where there were already English settlements. From one of them, the researcher and three assistants went up the Gambia. In Pisania he was forced to stop for 2 months because he fell ill with malaria.

He later traveled further up the Gambia and its tributary, the Neriko, along the southern border of the Sahara, where he was captured. A few months later, the scientist managed to escape and reach the Niger River. Here he made a discovery - Niger is not the source of Gambia and Senegal, although before this the Europeans believed that it was divided. The researcher travels around Niger for some time, but falls ill again and returns to the mouth of the Gambia.

The second expedition was better equipped and involved 40 people. The goal was to explore the Niger River. However, the trip was unsuccessful. Due to illness and clashes with local residents, only 11 people were able to reach Bamako alive. Park continued the expedition, but before sailing he sent all his notes with an assistant. African explorers are not always able to return home from dangerous places. Park died near the city of Busa while fleeing from local residents.

Henry Morton Stanley

English explorer of Africa Henry Morton Stanley is a famous traveler and journalist. He went in search of the missing Livingstone, accompanied by a detachment of natives, and found him seriously ill at Ujiji. Stanley brought medicine with him, and Livingston soon began to recover. Together they explored the northern coast of Tanganyika. In 1872 he returned to Zanzibar and wrote the famous book How I Found Livingstone. In 1875, accompanied by a large group, the scientist reached Lake Ukerewe.

In 1876, with a force of 2,000 men, equipped by the king of Uganda, Henry Morton Stanley made a great journey, corrected the map of Lake Tanganyika, discovered Lake Albert-Edouard, reached Nyangwe, explored the Lualabe River and completed the expedition at the mouth of the river. Thus, he crossed the mainland with east to west. The scientist described the journey in the book “Across the Dark Continent.”

Vasily Junker

Russian explorers of Africa made a great contribution to the study of the Black Continent. Vasily Junker is considered one of the largest explorers of the Upper Nile and the northern part of the Congo Basin. He began his journey in Tunisia, where he studied Arabic. The scientist chose equatorial and eastern Africa as the object of the study. Traveled along the rivers Baraka, Sobat, Rol, Jut, Tonji. Visited the countries of Mitta and Kalika.

Junker not only collected a rare collection of flora and fauna. His cartographic research was accurate, he compiled the first map of the upper Nile, the scientist also described the flora and fauna, especially great apes, and discovered an unknown animal - the six-winged bird. The ethnographic data collected by Juncker is also valuable. He compiled dictionaries of black tribes and collected a rich ethnographic collection.

Egor Kovalevsky

African explorers arrived on the continent at the invitation of local authorities. Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky was asked to come to Egypt by the local viceroy. The scientist conducted various geological studies in northeast Africa and discovered alluvial gold deposits. He was one of the first to indicate the position of the source of the White Nile, explored in detail and compiled a map of the large territory of Sudan and Abyssinia, and described the life of the peoples of Africa.

Alexander Eliseev

Alexander Vasilyevich Eliseev spent several years on the continent, from 1881 to 1893. He explored northern and northeastern Africa. He described in detail the population and nature of Tunisia, the Red Sea coast and the lower Nile.

Nikolay Vavilov

Soviet explorers of Africa often visited the Dark Continent, but Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov stands out most among them. In 1926, he made a most important expedition for science. He explored Algeria, the Biskra oasis in the Sahara desert, the mountainous region of Kabylia, Morocco, Tunisia, Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The botanist was primarily interested in the centers of origin of cultivated plants. He devoted a lot of time to Ethiopia, where he collected more than six thousand specimens of cultivated plants and found about 250 species of wheat. In addition, a lot of information was obtained about wild flora.

Nikolai Vavilov traveled all over the world, researching and collecting plants. He wrote the book “Five Continents” about his travels.

Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky (1811 - 1868)

In 1847, E.P. Kovalevsky was sent by the Russian government to Egypt at the request of the Egyptian side to send an experienced mining engineer to continue the search for gold.

The route of Kovalevsky’s expedition followed the Nile, the Blue Nile and the Tumat River flowing into the Blue Nile (Fig. 2.3). From the city of Berbera to Khartoum, the expedition moved along the river, then along the Blue Nile to the village of Rosseros (Roseires). From here the walking route along the Tumat River began. The expedition of the Russian traveler ended with travels along the upper reaches of this river and to the west of them. On the way back, the route was almost completely repeated, with the exception of the section passing through the Great Nubian Desert (Fig. 2. .).

In the Tumat River basin, E.P. Kovalevsky discovered numerous placer gold deposits. The researcher did not limit himself to the task of gold exploration given to him. He sought to find out the location of the sources of the Nile. According to the prevailing opinion at that time, the Nile had to originate at the foot of the mountains located south of the Tumat River. But Kovalevsky, while exploring this area, did not discover the sources of the Nile. Moreover, he concluded that “this is physically impossible: from the northern slope of these mountains originate rivers flowing directly to the north, such as Yabus and even Tumat itself, which would certainly meet on the way with the White Nile if he was here, and would have merged with it, but meanwhile they safely reach their goal after a long journey to the north, i.e. flow into the Blue Nile..." Based on his personal observations, Kovalevsky concluded that the main river is not the Blue Nile, but the White Nile.

On the territory of Eastern Sudan, as in many other places along the route, E.P. Kovalevsky determined the latitude and made barometric measurements of altitudes. The indicators he presented were in many points much more accurate than the indicators given by earlier researchers. Based on his measurements, Kovalevsky compiled a map of the territory he studied (appendix). Analyzing this map, we can conclude that the researcher depicted river valleys in great detail, as well as many orographic objects, especially in the territory of modern Sudan and Ethiopia. The map also shows the main tribes inhabiting the area (eg Tuklawi, Futi). The type of activity of the population is also noted to some extent (for example, blacks processing iron ores). The settlements in the Nile Valley are shown in great detail.

Kovalevsky also carried out botanical observations. They were few in number, but the most important thing is that Yegor Petrovich made a detailed description of the Duleb palm tree, and also noted that thickets of tamarisks and acacias are typical for the Blue Nile Valley.

His ethnographic observations were of great value. The researcher opposed racism, as well as the enslavement of the indigenous population of Africa, considering blacks no less worthy people than representatives of other races.

The result of Kovalevsky's expedition was that it significantly clarified the geography of the Nile Valley. His geological observations were of great importance, representing the first attempt to give a summary of the geological structure of the Nile Valley. Having studied the geological structure of the river valley and its tributaries, Kovalevsky proved the gold content of the rocks in this area and organized gold mining at several industrial factories. Having established the construction of the factory, the traveler set off along the dry riverbed to the sources of Tumat in search of gold and the sources of the Nile. He found three gold-bearing placers, but plans to search for the sources of the Nile had to be abandoned because the traveler was overcome by an acute fever. Having recovered, Kovalevsky set off on the return journey and in 1848 arrived in Alexandria.

Yegor Petrovich's expedition was short-lived (late 1847 - first half of 1848), but its geographical results were significant. The materials collected during this expedition were presented by the researcher in the work “Travels to Inner Africa” (1849). This work contains geographical, ethnographic, historical and other information.

If you dig into the history of the Kharkov region in the early 19th century, you will find amazing stories, which, of course, are associated with amazing people. I dug and discovered a story whose geography begins in the village of Yaroshevka and covers Central and East Asia, Africa and Southern Europe.

We are talking about Yegor Petrovich Kovalevsky - a man who made many discoveries in Africa and made a huge contribution to the solution of the “Nile problem”.

Kovalevsky was born, raised and educated in the Kharkov region. His homeland is the small picturesque village of Yaroshevka, located 30 km from Kharkov. Here, in the poor large family of court councilor Pyotr Ivanovich Kovalevsky, the youngest son Yegor was born on February 6, 1809.

In 1825, Yegor Kovalevsky was admitted to the department of moral and political sciences of the philological faculty of Kharkov University, founded in 1805 his uncle Vasily Nazarovich Karazin(worthy kinship) with the active assistance of the father of the future traveler - P.I. Kovalevsky.

The course on geography and history was taught by Professor P.P. Gulak-Artemovsky. His lectures strengthened Yegor Petrovich’s desire to devote his life to travel, studying the nature and population of different countries. E.P. Kovalevsky attends many lectures at the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. In the form list of student Kovalevsky, among other courses he passed, mathematics, physics, chemistry, physical geography, meteorology, botany, zoology, etc. are indicated.

In 1829 E.P. Kovalevsky graduated from Kharkov University and moved to St. Petersburg. His older brother Evgraf Petrovich, a famous geologist at that time, worked in the department of mining and salt affairs. Egor also became interested in geology and began attending lectures at the Mining Cadet Corps. Hard work and innate abilities allowed him to acquire the specialty of a mining engineer in a relatively short time.

Kovalevsky, an outstanding explorer of Inner Africa.

In the 40s of the 19th century Russia ranked first in the world in gold mining. From 1841 to 1850, over 225 thousand kg were produced in the country, and in all other countries of the world - only about 55 thousand kg. i.e. almost five times less. Therefore, it is not surprising that many countries of the world have repeatedly turned to the Russian government with a request to provide assistance in searching for gold and in organizing enterprises for washing it. Muhammad Ali, Pasha of Egypt, who had long been interested in developing gold deposits in Eastern Sudan, also made such a request to the Russian government. In 1847, after Muhammad Ali’s repeated request to send several mining engineers to Egypt, the Russian government agreed to send Kovalevsky to Egypt, who had long sought to get to Africa. The journey continued until mid-1848. Having sailed up the Nile almost to the city of Khartoum, Kovalevsky headed further along the Blue Nile. They moved partly on river barges, partly by land on camels.

Then the journey continued with the left tributary of the Blue Nile - Tumat. Road observations made it possible to map and describe the Nubian Desert, Eastern Sudan and part of Western Ethiopia. Together with his companion, botanist L.S. Tsenkovsky Kovalevsky eliminated a large white spot on the map of Inner Africa. The results of the trip are presented in a book published in 1849. two-volume work “Journey to Inner Africa”(about 20 printed sheets), to which is attached a map of the explored territory.

Kovalevsky made a great contribution to solving the Nile problem. Long before Stanley, he correctly determined the location of the sources of the White Nile, clarified the position of the mouth of the Atbari River, explored and mapped the Blue Nile and its numerous tributaries, one of which was named Nevka.

The traveler described the regime of the rivers. He discovered the left tributary of the Nile - the river. Abud. Kovalevsky’s map shows the ridges, spurs, and plateaus he discovered. The mythical equatorial mountains have disappeared. Of great scientific interest are geological and meteorological observations, descriptions of vegetation, including several varieties of palm trees: duleb, date, doum, etc. Observing the seasonal changes in the desert during the rainy season, Kovalevsky wrote: “This means that this desert is not doomed to eternal death! If nature can so quickly snatch it from the hands of death, then man, through the power of labor and time, can achieve the same.” From Africa he brought rich geological, botanical and zoological collections.

In his books, Yegor Petrovich described the life and customs of the black tribes he met during his travels. Kovalevsky is angry and indignant at racists and slave traders who place blacks at the lowest level of the human race. Observing the blacks shackled, he involuntarily compares their situation with the share of serfs in Russia. The thoughts he expressed on this matter almost caused severe reprisals from Nicholas I.

Here are some excerpts from Kovalevsky's reports, in which he talks about Muhammad Ali, his discoveries, people, morals, customs:

“At the end of December 1847 I arrived in Cairo.

Preparations for the expedition began actively. Muhammad Ali, for whom the discovery of gold placers was the favorite idea of his whole life, who spent about two million rubles for this and himself undertook a dangerous journey to Fazoglo, where complete disappointment in the success of the business, more than the labors and hardships of the journey, plunged him into illness Muhammad Ali now he concentrated all his hopes in me. During my two-week stay in Cairo, I visited the Viceroy very often and, I dare to think, enjoyed his special favor. He talked to me about the Nile barrage, which especially occupied him, the fortification of Alexandria, the establishment of a cadastre, and often asked my advice; often laughed at the intrigues of the British and French, of whom at that time some were busy building a railway, others a canal across the Isthmus of Suez, while Muhammad Ali firmly decided not to allow either one or the other and got rid of the two warring parties with only one promises. He spoke with enthusiastic gratitude about the favors of the sovereign emperor, who sent him his officer to assist him in achieving his favorite goal, and very often proudly told European consuls about his connection with the Russian court.

“Despite his illness, which later took such an unexpected and terrible turn (*he went crazy), Muhammad Ali at that time still retained full mental abilities and energetic activity. Often in his judgments, which sometimes exposed a childish ignorance of quite ordinary subjects, thoughts appeared , striking in their clarity, logical consistency, one might say, genius.He greedily followed the politics of Europe, studied history, and his favorite heroes were Napoleon and Peter the Great.

Muhammad Ali still had his own iron will. Having conceived some business, he strove for it with the energy of a young man, overcame all obstacles, entered into a struggle with people and with nature, and brought into execution the most unrealizable plans. But, having achieved his goal, he left it as if exhausted by extraordinary effort, and therefore his best undertakings often did not bear the desired fruit."

“As we moved away from the Nile, nature became dead and, finally, the desert appeared in all its terrifying lifelessness: no signs of vegetation, not a single living creature, only sandy mounds were transported from place to place, driven by the wind or stopped in rows, like graves on this endless cemetery. The effect of the simoom here is deadly, we saw the remains of a dead caravan, already half-covered by sand. The water is found after five days of travel and is bitterly salty, which after three days in our leather bags turned into stinking mud from the heat, which reached up to 40 ° according to Reaumur in the sun, and from this water our skin became covered with red spots. I determined the altitude of the Nubian Desert barometrically."

“At Rosseiros we left the Blue Nile and on camels went straight into the mountains to Tumat, which falls on the left side into the Blue Nile. Here the actual land of the blacks begins. Each mountain is inhabited by a separate tribe, speaking a special language, having customs and religion that are different from the others, more correctly, having neither morals nor religion, and only crude idolatrous rituals"

“I sought to penetrate further into the depths of Africa; the pasha did not agree to this expedition for a long time; he was afraid not so much for his detachment as for my safety, for which, according to him, he had to answer with his head to Muhammad Ali. But my admonitions, requests, threats, and finally the very success of the discovery of gold influenced him. He entrusted me with about 1,500 people, remaining at the place where I entrusted the construction of the factory to two Russian foreman.

The purpose of this expedition of mine was not vain vanity- penetrate further than others into the middle of Africa. Not long before that, a letter was published to Arno 13 from Abbadi, who assumed almost correctly the sources of the White, that is, the real, Nile [Bahr el-Abiad] not far from the sources of the already known Blue Nile and precisely at 7 ° 49 "48" With. w. and 32°2"39" E. (from Greenwich) and thus completely changed the direction of this river, diverting it from west to east; D'Arnot had previously made this assumption, although more speculatively.

Following upstream of the Tumat, I, for my own reasons, certainly had to run into this place, or at least reach it so close that the local blacks, who could not help but know about the proximity of the river they idolized, could easily point it out. In addition, I would acquire for geography and natural sciences a large area of the most curious part of central Africa, until that time completely unknown, and would determine the direction of Tumat and the gold-bearing placers lying in its basin."
Despite all the obstacles presented by the Negroes and nature, we reached 8° north latitude to the peaks of Tumat. Here stretches a vast, luxurious plain, once inhabited, but now deserted, inhabited by many elephants: I dared to call it Nikolaevskaya, and the river flowing along it and flowing into Tumat, Nevka: this was the extreme point that I reached from this side and which no European has yet reached. I determined the geographical latitude at several points, made measurements of heights by means of a barometer, in addition, we collected curious collections of rocks, birds and plants."

“Thus, we explored a fairly large expanse of black lands, completely unknown until that time. We have never met anthropophagi, about whom they talk so much from hearsay, and only two tribes that we have seen bury living old people. No less cruel rites exposing refined debauchery, we found between the Arabs and Bedouins"

"I take the liberty of calculating here the results that we achieved with my expedition, already partially known to your Excellency from my correspondence with Muhammad Ali and Ibrahim Pasha. Three gold-bearing placers were discovered, a gold-washing factory and a fortification were built, the natives were accustomed to this kind of work, as proof of which the gold mined at the factory was brought by me to the ruler of Egypt. For geography, a huge area of the black country has been acquired from the sources of the Blue Nile to the White Nile, where no European has ever penetrated, despite all the efforts of the London Geographical Society. Many altitudes have been measured barometrically and the latitudes of many points have been determined by means of a sextant. A map of hitherto unknown lands was taken, collections were collected in many branches of the natural sciences, and finally, despite all the fears of the Governor-General of Eastern Sudan, who entrusted the detachment to me, I showed, having penetrated with him so far into Africa, what dangers and hardships can be overcome soldiers of Ibrahim Pasha, which he was extremely pleased with"

"Today Sudan has become the subject of new intrigues among people, completely outsiders to him. The spiritual mission of Roman propaganda, consisting under the command of the famous Jesuit Rillo, of a bishop and several hieromonks enjoying large sums of money, in which the Empress of Austria and many noble persons of Italy take part, this mission arrived in November in Kartum - the main city of Sudan, located at the confluence of the White and the Blue Nile, and settled here for now. On the way back from the interior of Africa, I found her right there. More than six months had passed since her arrival, and not only had she not converted a single person to the Christian faith, but she had not celebrated a single mass and allowed the Catholic Church of the fledgling Lazarists to be sold at public auction.

Rillo bought a large house, is building another and is signing up colonists whom he wants to settle along the White and Blue Nile on the lands of blacks. Considering his ambitious nature, it is easy to guess that, like the missionaries of America, he wants to become a little despot in his spiritual colony." But this “more political-commercial than religious enterprise” ended sadly: Rillo died of fever in 1848, and the members of his spiritual mission were killed."

"Here the most important items to be exported from Abyssinia to Sudan and to the ports of the Red Sea: Abyssinian women and boys, eunuchs, coffee." With sadness and indignation, he wrote in his book "Journey to Inner Africa" that in Alexandria "there is another scene in the square: the scene is sad, heavy, outrageous for the soul , although this is not the first time I have seen her. In full view, as if condemned, stood a woman, barely covered with rags. It was easy to guess from her features and complexion that she was an Abyssinian, and from her expression that she was a slave. Not far from her stood her careless seller, indifferent to her fate. I hastened to take refuge in the house of our consul.”

“Items imported into Abyssinia and Sudan through the ports of the Red Sea and especially through Suakin and Massawa: silk and paper fabrics of India, paper and silk scarves, belts and shawls, milan [women’s clothing] used for covering Muslim women, towels used in baths and during prayer; suri and nargile tobacco, various kinds of perfumes, incense, cloves, asafoetita, which women eat to gain fat, which, as we know, constitutes beauty in the East"

“No less important items to be exported from Russia will be (*long list)… Finally, lard and rope; the latter is made in Egypt mostly from palm fibers and of poor quality, because there is little hemp cultivation"Wow! That's why God created hemp - to make ropes!"

The versatility of E.P.’s talent Kovalevsky also manifested itself in his literary activity. He is the author of nine novels and stories, a collection of poems, and a drama in verse. E.P. Kovalevsky is the creator of a new literary genre - short popular science essays about countries and peoples, combining science and popularity, fascination and simplicity.

Four-volume essay "Wanderer over land and seas" written in this genre was highly appreciated by V.G. Belinsky. There is no doubt that this work contributed to the widespread popularization of geographical knowledge.

Yegor Petrovich was a progressive person for his time. He was friends with Chernyshevsky, Turgenev, Shevchenko. Petrashevites gathered in his apartment. Kovalevsky is one of the founders and long-term chairman of the Society for helping needy writers and scientists. With the active participation of Yegor Petrovich, the Society helped free T.G.'s brothers and sister from serfdom. Shevchenko. The society also provided assistance to poor students.

Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky made 10 major trips, published about 100 works, several maps, collected valuable collections, his work contributed to the further development of domestic geography, geology and mining.

E.P. died Kovalevsky September 20, 1868. His contemporary, historian M.M. Stasyulevich wrote: “Such personalities are rare at all times, and therefore respect for them and close acquaintance with their activities can be considered a debt to society.”

Poet F.I. Tyutchev in poem “In Memory of E. P. Kovalevsky” wrote:

"The soul is alive, it is irresistible
I was always true to myself and everywhere,—
Living flame, often not without smoke
Burning in a suffocating environment...,
But he believed in the truth - and was not embarrassed
And I fought against vulgarity all my life,
I fought and never got into a fight,
He was a rare person in Rus'.”

KOVALEVSKY EGOR PETROVICH

Kovalevsky Egor Petrovich - writer and statesman (1811 - 1868), brother of Evgraf Kovalevsky and uncle of P.M. Kovalevsky. After completing a course at Kharkov University, he served in the mining department, then at Altai and Ural factories. In 1837, Kovalevsky was sent, at the request of Bishop Peter, to Montenegro to find and develop gold-bearing strata. In 1839 he participated in the Khiva expedition of Count Perovsky. In 1847, at the invitation of the Egyptian Viceroy Megmet Ali, he carried out geological surveys in Northeast Africa. Kovalevsky was one of the first to make a correct guess about the position of the sources of the White Nile, which were precisely determined much later. In Kovalevsky's book "Journey to Inner Africa" (St. Petersburg, 1849; 2nd ed., 1872) a description of Abyssinia is given. In 1849, Kovalevsky accompanied a spiritual mission to Beijing and insisted on passing our caravans along a convenient “merchant route”, instead of the almost impassable Argalinsky sands; this provided convenience for trade and enriched geographical information about Mongolia. Through the mediation of Kovalevsky, the Kuldzha Treaty of 1851 was concluded. At the beginning of 1853, during the attack of Omer Pasha on the Montenegrins, Kovalevsky was sent to Montenegro as a commissar. During the Crimean campaign, Kovalevsky remained at the headquarters of Prince M.D. Gorchakov until October 1855 and collected materials for the history of this siege. In 1856, Prince A.M. Gorchakov entrusted Kovalevsky with the management of the Asian department. In 1861, Kovalevsky was appointed senator. In 1856 - 1862, Kovalevsky was assistant to the chairman of the Imperial Geographical Society. In his youth, he wrote “Thoughts about Siberia” (St. Petersburg, 1832) and the tragedy “Martha the Posadnitsa” (ib., 1832), but when he was convinced that poetry was not given to him, he switched to prose. Travels and historical research gave him material for several books: “Four months in Montenegro” (with drawings and map, St. Petersburg, 1841); "Wanderer on land and seas" (ib., 1843 - 1845); "Travel to China" (ib., 1853); "Gr. Bludov and his time. The reign of Emperor Alexander I" (ib., 1866); "The War with Turkey and the Break with the Western Powers in 1853 and 1854" (ib., 1866). These works of Kovalevsky were included in the posthumous edition of his works (St. Petersburg, 1871 - 1872; 5 volumes). In addition, Kovalevsky published a number of fictional works in magazines, mostly under pseudonyms: Neil Bezymyanny and E. Gorev: “Phanariot” (“Library for Reading”, 1844, volume 67); "Petersburg Day and Night" (unfinished novel, ib. , 1845, volumes 72 - 76); "Majorsha" (ib., 1849, volume 93); “To live a century is not to cross a field” (novel, “Notes of the Fatherland”, 1857), etc. In the last years of his life, Kovalevsky decided to write the history of Russia in the 19th century; an excerpt from it, entitled “Eastern Affairs in the Twenties,” is placed in Book III of the “Bulletin of Europe” of 1868. Of all that Kovalevsky wrote, the book about Bludov is of greatest importance. Death prevented Kovalevsky from releasing the second volume of this work, for which he had already collected material. Kovalevsky was one of the founding members of the society for benefits to needy writers and scientists (literary fund) and its first chairman. The society has a capital named after Kovalevsky, the interest from which goes towards scholarships for students. - Wed. P.M. Kovalevsky, “Meetings on the path of life” (“Historical Bulletin”, 1888, ¦ 2); P.M., "E.P.K." ("Bulletin of Europe", 1868, ¦ 10); Baron F. Osten-Sacken, “A Word in Memory of E.P. Kovalevsky, Pronounced at the Geographical Society” (Russian Inv., 1868, ¦ 147); "XXV years" (Collection of the literary fund).

Brief biographical encyclopedia. 2012

First explorations of Africa

David Livingston

Mungo Park

Henry Morton Stanley

Vasily Junker

Egor Kovalevsky

Alexander Eliseev

Nikolay Vavilov

Egor Petrovich Kovalevsky (1811 - 1868)

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what KOVALEVSKY EGOR PETROVICH is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

Ecosystems

Zoology

Biology

The long 19th century

Recent history

Middle Ages

New time

Interwar period