MR. STANLEY’S NEW BOOK.

Evening Star, Issue 3120, 18 February 1873, Page 3

MR. STANLEY’S NEW BOOK.

(From the Swiss Times.)

The following is a sketch of the chief features of Mr H. M. Stanley’s book, How I Found Livingstone,” which has just appeared in London.

It is naturally and appropriately divided into three main sections, of which the drat relates to the incidents which led up to the discovery pf Livingstone, the second to thperiod of intercourse between the Doctor and his adventurous benefactor, and the third to Stanley’s travel and experiences whilst homeward bound.” Besides these three grand divisions, there are introductory and valedictory chapters, and an appendix containing abstracts taken from the Boyal Geographical Society’s proceedings. The second chapter of the work, entitled The Organisation of the Expedition, is a narrative of Stanley’s preliminary struggles; how be engaged one William L. Farquhar, “ a capital navigator and excellent mathematician, strong, energetic, and clever, but a hard drinker,” and one John William Shaw ; how he enlisted, armed, and equipped some spore of men as an escort for the road; and bow be purchased at least six tons of material in the shape of cooking utensils, bundles of rope, tents, boats, saddles, and a pile of portmanteaus and boxes, “containPDS every imaginable thing.” Bad and unhealthy as is the African climate, it was apparently more tolerable to Mr Stanley than the thieving and murderous propensities ejt the aboriginal tribes. Himself beipg witness, “ the wilderness of Africa proves to be, in many instances, more friendly than the populated country.” Mr Stanley, it must be confessed, had sufficing experiences botb of the climatic and the human drawbacks comgmu to the land. He was several times prostratrated by fbe fashionable African intermittent fever—denominated the “Mukun guru,” and manifestly, from bis description combining all the advantages of fever proper with those of deliriunt treniem. It was immediately after his recovery from an attack of “ Mukunguru” that Mr Stanley gave vent to the appended soliloquy, pouched in a true lianoibaUc spirit“ i have taken a solemn, enduring oath, an oath to be Jcept whilst tbe least hope of life remans in me, not jbo be tempted to break tberesolntion I haye formed, sever to giye up the search, until 1 find Livingstone alive, or find his dead bpdy j and never to return homo without the strongest possible proofs that be is alive, or tfiat he is dead No liying man, or living m en ? P ha H •top me; only death can prevent jse, But death—not oven this; 1 ahull not die; I will not die; I cannot die/” &o Tfie ajxthpr, spite of his thorough practicality, every now and then in the course of his book, breaks into enthusiastic description. Now it is some eternal and ''illimitable” forest which forms the theme of rapturous comment, and beside which he affirms that all other forests known to him “are but faggots of sticks.” Anon, some athletic tribal race, with graceful port, “ the women as beautiful as the men are handsome”’ attracts his notice, and he dubs them “the Greeks of Africa,” or “the Romans of Africa,” as tbe case may be, Nor is Mr Stanley’s narration devoid of humorous incidents; witness the scene in which he displays tbe glories of his medicinechest to the chief Ma- Manyara and his subordinate chieftains. After giving them a taste all round of “white man’s beer” (brandy), which elicited expressions of wonderment at its strength, Mr Stanley—to quote his words—" produced a bottle of conr eentrated ammonia, which, os I explained, was for snake-bites aud headaches j the Sultan immediately complained he bad a headache, and roust have a little. Telling him to close his eyes, I suddenly uncorked the bottle, and presented it to His Majesty’s nose. The effect was magical, for he fell back as if shot, and such contortions as his features tinderwent are indescribable. His chiefs roared with laughter, snapped their fingers, and committed many other ludicrous things. ” c > A&> the risk of reproducing matter already published* in the newspapers, we cannot remin worn huoilingiMr Stanley’s estimate of IW. Livingstone’s character.- He writes In Livingstone I have seen many amiable triits. 1 His gentleness never forsakes- him; hopefulness neyef-fipseirts him. Np bap aitipg'anicteties, • distraction bf mind, long Separation from homd‘and kindled, can make nim complain. Hdtjrihks all will edme but ht jafltfhehas subh faith in the gbbdness pf Providence. Hig |s ttye Spartan heroism, {hp infiexi|bftity of the Roipan, the enduring resolution of the Anglo-Saxon--never to ielinquisb his work, thpugh his heart yearns for home { never to surrender bis obligations until he can write finis to his work. There j, a pgwtwd ahndan ibwjt

which .was not lost on me. Every day I heard innumerable jokes and pleasant anecdotes; interesting bunting stories, in which ms friends Oswell, We'd), Vardon, and Gordon Gumming, were almost always the chief actors. I was not sure, at first, but this joviality, humor, and abundant animal spirits were the result of a joyous hysteria ; but as 1 found they continue i while I was with him, I am obliged to think them natural. Another thing which specially attracted my attention was his wonderfully retentive memory. If we remember the many years he has spent in Africa, deprived of books, we may well think it an uncommon memory that can recite whole poems from Byron, Burns. Tennyson, Longfellow, Whittier, and Lowell.” Stanley’s actual experience of the doctor and his doings was very far removed from the ideal which he had previously elaborated. He says— “ • intended to interview him, report in detail what ho said, picture his life and figure, then bow him my au revoir, and march back. That he was specially disagreeable and brusque in his manner, which would make me quarrel withhim immediately, was firmly fixed in my mind. Besides, he was an Englishman—perhaps a man who used an eye-glass, through which he would glare at me ferociously or icily—bothamounting to the same thing, and, like the young cornet of the Scinde Horse in Abyssinia, ask me deliberately, after retreating from me several paces, * Whom have 1 the honor to address ?’ ”

Mr Stanley on several occasions found himself face to face with wild beasts of the larger sort. Once be came plump upon an elephant, but, not being provided with an efficient gun, he deemed discretion the better part of valor, and retired. Again, he undesignedly came across a live African lion, and —but we will let him tell bis own story : “ Looking further away, to where the grass was thin and scant, I saw an animal bound along at a great rate, and that it was a linn ; the noble monarch of the forest was in full fight! From that moment 1 ceased to re gard him as the mightiest among the brutes, or bis roar as anything more fearful, in broad daylight than a sucking dove’s.” Having thus written down the king of beasts a coward. Mr Stanley is induced (led thereto by the manifest disparity between bis shooting exploits and »hose of certain effusive sportsmen who shall be nameless) to make some very pertinent and sensible observations concerning the wonderful deeds—on paper—of the Munchausens of the chase “African travellers—especially those with a taste for the chase—are too fond of relating that which borders on the incredible for ordinary men to believe them. Such stories must be taken with a large grain of salt, for the sake of the amusement they afford to readers at home. In future, whenever I hear a man state how he broke the hack of an antelope at 600 yards, I shall incline to believe that a cypher had been added by a slip of the pen, or attribute it to a typographical error, for this is an almost impossible feat in an African forest. It may be done once, but it never could be' done twice running. An antelope makes a very small target at 600 yards’ distance ; but then all these stories belong by right divine to the chasseur, who travels to Africa for the sake only of sport.” Towards the end of his volume Mr Stanley recounts his meeting with Lieutenants Dawson and Henn, Mr Charles New. and Mr • ‘swald Livingstone. His pen and ink sketches of these celebrities are worth noting here, hit off as they are with epigrammatic terseness and lucidity. LieutUawsonis described as a '‘stalwart young man, splendid figure, handsome appearance, with quick and intelligent features.” Lieutenant Henn is “ volatile, redundant, inconsistent. effervescent, boiling over with uncontrollable vitality, irrepres ibly mercurial, hilarious, and jovial.” Mr Oswald Livingstone, on the other hand, is sketched os “composed, even to a little sternness, nnruffied in his demeanor, demurely staid, with a tranquil, resolute, and fixed face, but with flashing eyes that vivified an otherwise immobile expression.” The last of the quartette, the Rev. Charles New ? is depicted as “a small light man in appearance, who, though he looked meekly, had a fund of enprgy pr nefi yonsnesg in him,” There are twp matters which, in conclusion, claim attention here. The first redounds to the credit of Mr James Gordon Bennett, and will be best communicated in tbe words of his able special correspondent: —“Mr Bennett, who originated and sustained the enterprise, crowned it by one of the most generous acts that could he con* ceived. I had promised Dr 1 ivipgstone that twenty : four hours after 1 had seen his letters published in the London journals, I w»uld post bis letters to his family and friends m England. In order to permit me to keep my plighted word his agent telegraphed the two letters J received from him by cablp, at ap expense of neaplv 1.2,000, * The second matter has reference to Mr Stanley's late entertainment at the bands of the Royal Geographical Society, and is contained in a postscript to the volume under notice. The correspondent of the Herald thus delivers himself on the subject “ The mills of the gods are said to grind slowly but surely; in like manner tbe Royal Spcipty discovered gloyyly but surely 1 w a S no t< a charlatan, and that I nad done what T sa’d I had done, and then they extended to me the right hand of fellowship wjth a warmth of generosity which I shall never forget. I beg now to assure the members of tlje Royal Geographical Society their recogpitipn pf my poor services is pot the less welcome tp me because it comes Somewhat late. Especially do I thank Sir Henry Eawlp son. npfc oply for the kind and generous words he spoke' of myself, hut also for toe poble and handsome manner iti which he qritbdrew a remark he opce hastily jnade before he knew m®» and when hp was unaware of certain facta wbiph have smpe ppm® to light I will only add that nett to the honor which her Majestv the Queen of Eng* land has flone me, I shall eyer treasure the medal of the Royal Geographical Society.’ 1