DOCTOR LIVINGSTONE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 241, 12 September 1872, Page 6

DOCTOR LIVINGSTONE.

Mr Stanley's despatches were received in London on July 2, and, through the courtesy of the English representative of the New York Herald the Time* of the following day contained a summary of them. They were forwarded by Mr Stanley from Kwetara by trusty and swift Arab couriers, who were expected to arrive at the sea coast a month or so before the main body of the Herald expedition. That expedition left Zanzibar on January 23, 1871, and entered Ujiji on November 3. Mr Stanley was anxious to enter the African town with much eclat ; he disposed his little band im such a manner as to form a somewhat imposing procession. At the head was borne the American flag ; next came the armed escort, who. were*'directed to discharge their firearms with as much rapidity as possible ; following these were the baggagemen, the horses, and asses ; and in the rear of all came Mr Stanley himself. The din of the firing aroused the inhabitants of TTjiji to the fact that strangers were approaching, and they flocked out in great crowds, filling the air with deafening shouts, and beating violently on their rude musical instruments.

As the procession entered the town Mr Stanley observed a group of Arabs on the tight, in the centre of whom was a pale-look-ing, grey-bearded, white man, whose fair skin contrasted with the sunburnt visages of those by whom ha was surrounded. Passing fcom the rear of the procession to the front, the American traveller noticed the white man ■was dad in a red woollen jacket, and wore upon his head a naval cap with faded gilt band round it. In an instant he recognised the European as none otherjbhan Dr Livingstone himself ; and he was about to rush forward and embrace him, when the thought occurred that he was in the presence of Arabs, who, being accustomed to conceal their feelings, were -very likely to found their estimate of a man upon the manner in which he conceals his own.. A dignified Arab chieftain, moreover, stood by, and this confirmed Mr , 6taol#y in his molgtioi to show no »ymp.

torn of rejoicing or excitement. Slowly advancing towards the great traveller, he bowed and said, 'Dr Livingstone, I presume!' to which address' the latter, who was fully equal to the occasion, simply smiled, and replied, ' Yes.' It was not till some hours 'afterwards, when alone together, seated en a goat's skin, that the two white men exchanged those congratulations which both were eager to express, and recounted their respective difficulties and adventures.

Mr Stanley's statement is that Dr Livingstone appeared to be in remarkably goed health, stout, aud strong, quite undismayed by all that he had gone through, and eagerly only to finish the task he had imposed upon himself. The doctor having been shut out from the civilised world for bo m»ny years, Mr Stanley found himself act«ng as a kind of newspaper to hhn> and the details of' what had occurred in Europe and America interested him exceedingly.

The diary then proceeds to narrate the Doctor's discoveries, which may be summarised thus. Prom 1567 to March, 1869. he was satisfying himself as to the rise and falling of the Chambt zL So constantly did he remain at this work, and so frequent were the inquiries which he made in every direction, that the nat'ves, in astonishment at his persistence, supposed him to be insane ; and their frequent remark was, • The mania mad, he must have water on the brain.' Their ridicule had, however, no effect upon him ; for he continuel his work in spite of every opposition, and as the result of his labors in this region, coupled with his further researches, he has established (Ist) that the Portuguese Zambesi and the Chambezi are totally distinct streams ; aud (2) that the Chambezi is the head waters of the Nile He found that, starting from 11 deg. south, the river Nile rolled on until it attained the extraordinary length of 2, 600 miles. He next came upon Lake Liemba, which he discovered to be fed by Lake Tanganyika. This lake he found to be 325 miles in length, or 73 miles longer than was supposed by Captain Burton aud Captain Speke He next made preparations for what he then hoped would be a final journey of exploration. Leaving Ujiji in June, 1869 he pushed through the Uguhba country and after 15 days march he came to Main>;tina, which he found to be a virgin country, the interior of which seemed utterly unknown to anybody. As he was about to proceed, however, he was seized with an illness which at one time almost threatened to put an end to his explorations. Ulcers formed in his feet, and for six weary months he was obliged to rest and wait. As soon as he had recovered, he started off in a northerly direction. He followed the course of the Chambezi for several hundred miles, and had come within 180 miles of that part of the Nile which has already been traced, when the men he had with him mutinied, and deserted him. Having now neither stores nor followers, he was obliged to retire to Ujiji, weary avid destitute. It was soon after tbis that Mr Stanley found him. In fact, the English explorer arrived at fTjiji on the 16th of October, 1871, and it was as already stated, no later than the 3 r d of November when the American searcher ma -c his entry into UjijL Stanley and the Doctor spent 28 days to gether inspecting Lake Tanganyika, and on March 14i entrusted with letters from Dr Livingstone, started for the coast, leaving the explorer to continue his search.