MR STANLEYS MISSION.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2614, 25 May 1877, Page 3

MR STANLEYS MISSION.

Discovery of a New Nyanza.

Tho Alexandra Nile.

TJjitt/Aug. 13,-187.6. I must leave off writing letters, and must hurry away, for times are sad, very sad, in Ujiji. A malignant epidemic, is raging here, devouring the population at the rate of from 40 to 75 persons daily. It is a small-pox of the most fatal kind. Few attacked by it have escaped. , The same evil influences which nourish this pest cause other ailments, to prevail-— " namely, dysentery, chest diseases, typhoid fevers, agues. You may perceive by the dates of my letters to you how many days I have required to write off a couple of lettersv and make up two surveys. I returned from my circumnavigating voyage oir Tanganika August 1; this is now the 13th. Thirteen days to write two letters I It is true; but the time has been mostly spent fretting in bed, from repeated attacks of fevers. ■%■'■' • j When Ilanded from my boat I received a budget of bad news only. Five deaths had"already occurred in the Expedition duririg'my absence of 51 flays ; six more men were down with amall-pox; the feariul disease wis running like wildare through the/houses of Ujiji, Arab as well as native. Frank Pocock had suffered severe UlneftAree times while I had. been absent; an<lluential Arab trader died the daj Of my return;; the Governor of Ujm and Livmgstone's;ol*;friend. Mohammedbin Gharib had lost several children, and were losing slaves .each day, though their hills of mortality had been already severe. Slaves and pagazis, or porters, were last deserting their masters-for fear ot this scourge; finally, my messengers, fiva in number, had not yet appeared from Unyanyembe, and as they have not returned to this day, I have given up all hope of them. You may imagirie, then, the leeling which? prevailr in all minds' 5 at the present time in: rjvji-^it is" that of dismay afid terror; and, as the inhabitants look forward t&two months more of the fatal experience -they are how undergoing, thoWwho.are able,to quit the horrible spot should 6ack ur at once. . When I first heard these, depressing particulars I was impressed with .the necessity of .'■ immediate departure if I valued the welfare "of the Expedition; bat I had also my duty to do towards you. The two letters I have herewith written may, perhaps, be considered, if you have any inclination to be very exacting, as mere sops, butcthey are the best and the utmost that can be dope under such aggravating circumstances. The condition df my people is really deplorable-; besides being thinned in numbers many favorite and faithful attendants among those still, living are in a bad state, and some no doubt will be taken off. The only thing it appears to me that has saved the Expedition from total wreck is vaccination. But 1 find whentoo late that many of the people lost the benefit of this precaution from sheer laziness-—when summoned they would riot appear. My vaccine matter is all dried away now, and not a particle of it can be scraped up_ to be of use. Frank Pocoek has done his best fo* his Arab neighbours and friends, arid it was very gratifying to me to hear how excellently and nobly he had behaved. He is certainly the best attendant a traveller ever had. I would not part with him for a hundred Shaws and Farquhars. He has become a most ardent geographer, too; and, having no other companion with me, I frequently exchange; my inmost views and hopes with him. He did not look very promising at first; I thought him rather slow. He has, however, a host of virtues and not the shadow of a vice. He isa brave, honest, manly, patient young Englishman. : ■ ; ... ■ I had a great many more things to write about my journey round the Tanganika, it has been bo yer^ interesting. I may _. say" it has been replete with rich discoveries of,magnificent waterfalls, unrivalled scenery, " water hyaenas ; " exquisitely fragrant berries; caverns, and •übterraneah dwellings; not to mention the copper mines of Katata and the mode of working them. I have heard much about the famous .underground houses of Eva, and have found what may be called a new religion among the tribes round the Tanganika, any of which discoveries, with abundant; leisure, would furnish matter for a graphic letter. But the necessity of immediate departure is too urgent, since if I delayed it would entail the sacrifice of many valuable lives in this Expedition. It will take some days to prepare, to assort, and rearrange the goods after such a long stay here, and. various minor matters must be attended to. I may be able, nevertheless, to write you a small note on the day of departure in order to acquaint you ivith. our position and our prospects. . "■'.'; , ""

Hbket M. StaktjET,

The subjoihei letters from Frank Pbcock,: addressed to members of his family; will complete Mr Stanley's narratives j and be read with all the more interest on account of the well-deserved praise which pur Joint Commissioner on this excellent young Englishman :— ■. ; ; •.-.;■.•■ ■ ;..•: :■■/,-. :; - TJjiji, Lake Tanganika, Central Africa, July 21,1876, My dear Uncle—l should like to have <jßgn you before leaving home, but there were, so many to see that I'hardly know who I did see. But I hope to see you on my return, and' I hope that will not be long. We have expended nearly all our j goods; also, we ourselves are getting rather worn out, from- hard marching under the burning sun, and fever and other sicknesses. We have made a good round. We struck off from Ugogo, and marched north-west of the road of all former travellers to the Victoria Nyanza, and reached it in a journey of. 103 days from the coast—a stout march. You would like to have seen the caravan when it came to the top of a hill, and we caught sight of the lake. I, thought the black veterans would go mad with joy, running, shouting, rolling on the ground, beating their bullock - hide drums, dancing, singing, firing guns, &c. We had a rest for"» few days, tben put the sections of the boat together,, and in eight days Mr Stanley left; us to explore the lake. Me and the other white man, Fred. Barker, was left in charge of the goods and men; But before Mr Stanley returned poor Barker died from chills. Then I was left alone, I may say—for then I knew nothing of the language — end during the absence of Mr Stanley three chiefs combined together to drive us away, and steal our goods. But, said I, they shan't drive us away for nothing, so I served out ammunition to the people

with guns, and spears to them without guns, and they came close to the bouia of our camp. But I would not allow a man inside. We were just about to fire on them when we saw a man coming to speak. He came to make friends. We made friends with hirr, nnd'all went off quiet. But the reason they did not fight was,because they would have lolled some •of- their brothers, for Iho people of our village all held oiir n&y, th refore we got off well. Wo stayed at j Usukuma four months, and I was sent ! to Ukerewo to get canoes to ■ kite the j caravan to Uganda. Ukerowe is an is'and j about 30 miles from the "mainland or from I our camp, the largest island in the lake. ! Igot 52 canoes from'the Sultan Lukongje, I and returned lo camp. I was the first white man ever on this island. It^ is thickly peopled with naked people. JEle- [ phants and leopards abundant. The people brought food for sale to our camp. Beads was the money; cloth was -but very little value. We crossed from there to Uganda, and from there to the Albert Nyanza through Unyoro, but had no place to build our camp, while Mr Stanley explored the lalce, as we had at the Victoria Nyariza, therefore we returned to Uganda, and from there to Karagwe, and from there to Ujiji. We left Karagwe on March 25, and arrived here on May 27. Mr Stanley left on June 11 to explore Tanganika. I have not heard of him yet, so I cannot say where we shall go from here. But I will write again before leaving Ujiji, so for the present I must say good-bye. Hoping soon to see you f> and wishing this may find you well and living in Cookham woods with father, I remain your affectionate nephew, Feancis Pocock. Mr. William Pocock,.Chatham, Kent.

Ujiji, Lake Tanganika, Central Africa, .. : - ' Aug. 23, 1876. , My Dear Parents—lt is now nearly two years since we left the coas.tl I did not expect to see or hear anything before we reached Ujiji, but here; we saw no letters or papers from Europe; not a word of consolement did We find on.our arrival. We found the whole village infected with small-pox and fever, and many other diseases^ This was not\yery good news for us after marching for two,months through .mud and water, and no news from home. We fully expected some letters, but if they were sent from, the coast they must have been lost or stolen. Then again they must have passed here and followed Cameron, because the Arabs know nothing of our; writing ; all they know, it is white roan's writing (Kuzungu), therefore they may •• have passed here. We arrived on the 27th May, 1876. On the road I wrote one letter. It w as, sent to Unyanyembe, only ten days from where I sent; it. ' We had come within tjvo months of the Coast. Then we struck off west to Ujiji. After reaching here I wrote to mother. That was sent to Unyanyembe with Mr S.s letters by five men. It is now three months since they left here, and they have not returned. Their mission was to take our letters and to return to Ujiji with/ home news ; but we haVe heard nothing of them; and it is feared'that they are lost. Mr Stanleywas 51 days on the Tanganika to explore it.: It is very large, fish abundant, and thfe natives are more of a friendly nature than the savages of the Victoria Nyanza. IThey make trade with corn, palm oil, &c, and the Arabs trade with ivory, and slaves,, which, are brought chiefly to Djiji. " ,■ ... My dear -.. parents—We have made a good round, but have not yet finished. We have discovered the sources of the Nile, and now are on the way.to finish Dr Livingstone's great; task. We leave Ujiji to cross Tanganikai" to solve ■the mystery cohcerning the Nile and the Conge. When we reach Nyangwe we shall hear more about it. We have thre4 ways to go, but which one to take we. cannot say. Anyway, if we can get to the iWest Coast from there we can ; get home in good time. But if we have to return by Zanzibar it will be a "long journey; but that will be best known-there. We only hear of the road S.W. of us, but the route we want to follow we hear but little about. I hope that by the time this reaches you we shall be ..d.oij'e pur work and on our road home. - .

There has .been much;iickness here, but. things look brighter ? I have had three severe attacks of Fever, but, thank God, I am in good health now, and if all goas well I hope to, see you again next summer. I often wonder if you are all well, and that is all I can do ; for I seem to be always marching under a burning sun, with thirsty lips and tongue;. but it is* a life I like, there are so many changes, and so many tribes, so: many countries, nearly all different. The slaye r trade is carried on here in a dreadful manner. It would surprise you to see the whips and chains and the way the slaves are treated by their masters, the Arabs. My dear parents—Excuse this short note, for I have much to do to-day, and to-morrow morning we shall go from here five days' journey to Uguha; from there to Nyang.we, 40 days; 1 then along the. great river, about 50 or 60 days ; but I cannot tell you all. Give my love to all and everybody, I cannot mention names. You will forward the notes enclosed. I dare say you think me lost, but I am still in_ good health and happy, for such a climate. Our goods are getting short;, but we have enough to find out the river. Our road ahead by all accounts is good, food plentiful, and nice people. J If we can'get a road to the West Coast:we shall go, and the Wanguana will return to Zanzibar. I can assure you lam longing to see you all, to get some English food and more clothes and shoes and other comforts that cannot be got here. Perhaps Jem or Harry, will say, "Why don't he write to me?" but I cannot write to all. I only wish I had. one word from home ; I would not care who it came from. I have written to George and William, and you must send my news to all the others. But the neighbours, I should think, have quite forgotten me by this time. lamin a hurry,,,therefore I must say good-bye for the present. Give'my love to all, kiss all the children for me, and believe me to be your affectionate and loving spn, : , ; . F. J. Pgcock.