An Interview With Mr H. M Stanley.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 153, 8 May 1886, Page 4

An Interview With Mr H. M Stanley.

It is impossible to gaze upon the bronzed features of Mr Henry M. Stanley without avivid recollection of the famous picture of his first meeting with Livingstone in the depths of the Dark Continent. " Dr: Livingstone, I presume ?" was the historic phrase in which the second greatest of African explorers greeted the greatest! One of the peculiarities of photography ia that it adds stature ; and I had pictured the founder of the Free State of th 6 Congo as a tall, thin, wiry man, grizzled with hard work— with, in short, all the outward attributes of an old campaigner. But when there presently joined me in the cosy drawing-room in New Bond street, a gentle man somewhat below the average height, with a thickset frame indicative of great powers of endurance, the well-known short moustache, and a face deeply browned by tropical sune aa they Bhone upon forests and plains where no other white man has ever set foot, there was no need for introduction. In course of conversations Mr Stanley said the climate of the Lower Congo, say between Vivi and Leopoldville, the capital, is very trying to Europeans. The Upper Congo, beyond Stanley Pool, on the contrary, is as healthy as any country ia Southern Europe. But caution isofcoursenecessary On the Congo, in short, it is necessary to live like a philosopher." Railways aloud can make Africa really useful and beneficial to civilisation. There is a wonderful continent with 15,000 miles of coast line, and something over 13,000,000 square miles of superficies— nearly five times as large as Europe ; and yet it remains torpirf, inert, lifeless, simply because Europeans have a deadly horror of the climate. And unfortunately they will not use their common sense to conquer the difficulty. I speak from experience, which I have bought dearly in my own person. I have had over 200 fevers in Africa, three-fourths of which were caught because in my ignorance I invited and put a premium upon them. „ I had no one to teach me the peculiarities of the climate : I had to learn them from the fevers; but the Europeans who go out to the Congo now are forewarned, and with prudence and good food they can keep perfectly well." In answer to my question as to wh ther it was not the fact that many Europeans died on the Congo from the effects of, comparatively speaking, moderate drinking, Mr Ptanley gave me some appalling instances of promising young men being suddenly cut off in this way. A young engineer, hot and tired from his day's work, drank at dinner a large quantity of Portuguese wine. A severe attack of dysentery followed, and when convalescent, though still weak, he was sent to the coast on his way home, with the most solemn warnings not to touch strong drink. Yet, while waiting; for the stoamer he sold his coat for a bottle of gin, and twelve hours later he was in his grave. Another engineer somehow obtained possession of a bottle of brandy at lunch, and was shortly afterwards found dead with the bottle of brandy under his head " Strong drink on the Congo," added Mr Stanley, "means death." Leaving this melancholy phase of the subject, I asked, " What do you expect will be the immediate effect of the Congo Railway ?" "It will alter the entire aspect of everything," answered Mr Stanley. "It will give new life to the *tate, and introduce civilisation into the heart of Africa very rapidly indeed. At present there are thousands of native traders at Stanley Pool, and there are European traders at the head of navigation of the Lower Congo,so close to the cataracts that they can hear their roar ; yet the two cannot come together on account of these cataracts, which form a gap 235 miles long. This gip can only be bridged by the native carries, who are all absorbed in the transport of some 1,200 tons of merchandise in a year. While this state of things last progress is impossible " " This, then, is probably one reason of the excessive dearnees of ivory, which threatens soon to become worth nearly its weigh 1. in gold ? " "It is the only reason. Ivory has almost disappeared from all the accessible areas of Africa ; but the areas at present inaccessible are so vast that there is> abundance of ivory, and also of rubber. The produces will be cheapened. Thus you may see how great an impetus commerce will receive from the construction of the railway. As soon as the natives have gathered all the ivory f v om their own resorts, they will be urged by the demand for more to proceed still further into the interior, taking with them the worth of their goods in the produce of English industry. " At Stanley Falls there are some 3,000 Arabs, and between Stanley Falls and Ujiji, on Lake Tanganyika, there are about 15,000 more, all of whom have to be supplied once a year from Zanzibar— a journey of twelve months across Africa, in addition to the month's voyage from Europe. When the railway is made these Arabs could be supplied from England within a month. In addition to these important customers of the Congo Railway, there is the London Missionary Society established on Lake Tanganyika, where also there is a Government station, both of which would be customers. At present, on the Upper Congo, Europeanshave to content themselves with living in wattled huts or mud forts, roofed over with straw and grass, and there is of course great danger from fire. By means of the railway the State could at once transport about a dozen ironstations ; and there would soon be erected houses, churches, and schools, all ot iron Then the native chiefs, seeing what the Europeans were doing, would build iron houses, and would likewise require iron warehouses for their goods. The Chief of ELiutamo, for instance, already keeps all his goods in iron boxes ; while the Chiefs of Old Calabar live in iron houses which have cost from £1,000 to £3, 500 each. Then, again, there would be many steamers to be transported in sections, to be put together on the upper ride of the cataracts. On the Upper Congo there are at present only seven steamers, mostly pteam launches, but to carry on the enormous trade of the 7,000 miles of navigable water-way of the Upper Congo large and swift steamers will be required capable of stowing cargo and carrying passengers in comfort. When the State can better afford it — which will not be long after the railway is finished —it will be able to enlist 3,000 or 4,000 native soldiers for the protection of the country against the slave-traders. Those stations which to-day are so modest and unoffending, and dare not take arms in their hands against the organised slavetraders, will, in a few months only after the opening of the railway, be in a position to take the offensive and absolutely prevent them from ever setting foot in the Congo State."- " Caesell's Magazine. "