MR STANLEY'S MiSSION.

Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 877, 2 February 1878, Page 4

MR STANLEY'S MiSSION.

' THE GKEAT LIVINaSTONE A LA^D OF IVORY. THE FUTURE COMMERCE OF AFRICA. (FROy THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, ' *NOV. 12.) My e^peciencf* of * the river, saysMr Stanley m ihe last of ai interestihg series .of leUers, dates f.om the; Ist bfc'NbVenibir, 1876, v the Till) 1 Apgtisi,, 13,77,, a^ peiid v over nine nit'nthai ~Ih». highest, hrn lasted ft om iUIS h6s Alay to tin 23nrt-~of-r M»y, and was caused b\ the periodical r.iuf» knoW/a to us oi the EaHt CoMbt aa the AJas k . \Yhile thisflootllis ot great advaiitag. to ihe navigation above 'hecataf>iCi.-> of the maiitftue region, wiier"e iht river assumes a lacu-muo bred h. ii.'v.Ht'y ihore'ses is errors i:t tli catuiac^, became, o ti.e ir. ble«i li.i;. Wi h wh eh the t wuLen water swte, down the -teep iuciii:e ot us i>< tht'cugh U ; e. lncky iiam/Wi* to d < sea. Tht 1 dept h "of i he rise vai it •• uaturally, owing to.ilie giea d^pi> I ot t en i.t th« bieail h ol ilu sneuu V[ ...fivtr it is » bbiu 8 utt, but i the ii«rrowß below it is ln.m 20 i 50 i«n... In bpn..e* p^>q«B « f .. clUaiact districi dene was as uiuti as 15 inclub |er diem, (>ui theu >■■ river was at dial j.oi i only 50 jHi''ts w de. V\ bait V( r tffi>t is m leiiadely >he ixpior i n lut>w« m .he eiDiiiiC'iiia. di. vt-lopn em c this ii*er, 1.0 uiie meu if) to asce* « through any part oi tlie cutar. c. region by mtana of auy ki..». ol floating ve»sel. It might pti chauce be done, since very ieu things, are impossibilities ; bu the ascent maimy must be oveiland, bb nothing flpating* could V/eh climb 6, 10, 20; and 25 teet fallb. J^ebides, even where thete an neither catai-acts i<or ibanmig rap.dfc the rush ot water through th. narrows is so g iat that it would be a Sisyphean iabor altogether. Iht Livingstone river isthe Amazon ol Africa, the Dile is the Mississipp . "Whii© the latter has great length, the Living!*tone could turnieh watei to thre eNiles. . It requii ea enormouh breadth 0v great depth to resirmi. all this impetuosity. T' igh th* IS lie is a most Valuabl " iver Jo: commerce, ihe Livingsi . utj is stiJ bttter. Ihe forme/ 1 has its cpura^ frequently interrupted, bnt th« latter fortunately has all its obstructions m two aeries. The upj.ei, between E. long 25 deg and 26 deg, consisting of six- great fallb, tei roinates all navigation that migh be establiahed above the lowe. series, which consists of sixty. two important lalla and rapids- thong I there are many minor impediment of the came kind 1 do not tbiiik necessary ,to iuolu c iv the list. J rememlrer when about starting froi,Nyaiigwe I told iVantf th 1 1 hopeu 1 shc^uld „iiud -the : cataracct. in ■. a 'lump.', Ouce abovethe low rfaib we have indeed the half of Africa before us Vilh hp interruption, am. not. like ihe^llower JN i c regions, deserts of sand, but one vast, (.opi.lons plain,' So tuetaiug with lite, in l dyed, , that, .excepting Ugogo, . know uo "part of Afiica so thick ) inhabited. The usual term village is a rnisnoniej for. Aiost of these dollections of dvxe'llirigs; they art towns m some; pr aces two miles louj; with one or more broad streets between rows df-'neat well-built liouse? supei ior to.ainy thing m East Cei.tiu, Ati!ica. Tne natives are uiffeivn also.- Every thought seems engrossed wiih tn'de, and fan and markets are thtablislico everywhere. TCheie has been asi spicioti gradually eulertaiind thai ivory n ust tocni t»econie a curiosiiy ; but 1 can vouch that at least it wilt not, be so'for three or fiiurgeneriiti< ns. '1 his is the land of ■ ivor« " U mplesj" oi idol enclosures, wheie the commonest utensils for dorm s ie use are made of ivory. The peopltdo not seem able to coniprehend wh\ anyone should take the trouble to pay for it when it is so pleutiiul ii each village. '1 he entire p aiu its also distinguish* d for its gVoves ol the oil paint. In Ukusu there are huge forests of tis tree. Almost cv« r> thing i hat , Africa pr- .duces is to be obtained m the Livingstone basin— cotton, india-robber, ground nuts, sesamum, copal (red and white), 1 palm^ kernels and palm oil, ivory, Ac. By means of its broad and glorious waters a journey to the gold and copper district of Katanga is rendered very e»sy. The Great River gives 110 miles below and 8*34 miles above the cataracts of navigable water, while the large affluents north and sout, traversing the basin, will afford over 12000 miles, and perhaps much more, . The greatest affluent, the Ikelemba, must be more than a thousand miles m length ; the Nkutu Itiver is over 700, the Aruwimi mus* exceed 500, while theie ure four or five othe^* which, by their breadth, I should judge to be navigable for great diatances. I would not advise uny solitary explorer to venture near the cannibal land, unless he wishes troube; buc the influence of commerce, once it is established, on an equitably; basi«, will soon reduce those natives to reason. A trader ascending the river has a better chance of ingratiating 1 himself with the inhabitants than an explorer descending from a region whither no enterprising native, has dared to venture, As he must halt a considerable time for business at spb capita mmfyw % \>uu%

just and good will precede him, ft"d I bring him hosts of custo era Indeed, the great difficulty will be to! restrain their inordinate love of v barter. The inlands on the river ;\?ill afford him safe camps and'qoiet retreats, and it will be better both fqr the merchant and th<* native to b'tollpy island' depots near the main 'and' until mutual confidence is 'horonghly established. I feel convinced that. the question* of this mighty water-way will bpcome a political one m time. As vet, however, no Europeim P>wer •eems toty»ve put forth the right of c ntrol. Portugal ol'tims it, beuise sh(^ diiscoyerHiJ its mouth ; but he Great Powers— England, Ame- • 3n, and Fra cc refuses to .'eeojjnisp !ier right, and expr»s-» their deter•inuation, m pain terms, to dispute her us unnn«r ; o session of the river. f i> wore not tlint I fear to dnmp my i'lterest y v may have, m Africa or m this magnificent stream by the ength of my letter*,' I could show vHi very i-tro'ig 1 reisons why i' voul'i be a iiolitic de ( »i{ to settl •s uiomcutoo 1 - qu s !on ininie<n ely. I could prove to you th -t 'ie oshegfjo" of the Livingstone, *-|>ite its c.tnr;icts, would absorb «o Imself the tr-ide o»" the whole f c enortii u> Imsm t.-ehiud. which jctends across 13 de^re. h of longi<le mid over 14 degrees of Lititmle. , lie River is, aiul will be, the. grand i.hway of c mmtTce to Wes* » i.'ral Africa. If no, wh s*i. ul l>»> 'eft. to «I 'sputa* as to who shall ii l« (lie lowi r river and its banks'? i '. by should it ho "i-fi to thY | vtv of i he piratical MiißSolangos? U>> •• r that British men-of-l w«r La c ben cas<ig'<ting th s ccUßdrels lat'lj with bombshell.---n a tar more txetnplarj manner than I have been punishing the piratical aunibals on the eastern border of ho Great Basin ; though probably »bout the Baine period. But merely .•uastisiiig these, people is not -riough ; there hould be vessels of war to prevent srch deeds as the Jestruction ot Europejai^hipa : and the question is what Power shall be ieputeu m the name oi humanity to protect this . youth of commerce m this little known worid. An explorer is seldom called upon for the expression, of his view*, nor would I venture on thw ground, or meddle m ihe matter it • did not ted so very, strong an interest m irtca. But 1 will present you with an example of what ... might, come, to pa&s it' the q'UMjtion is not settled, number ot • uropeau' merchants ■ .im crested m African yoimnerce conuuet houses, and stores, and depow on. the Livingstone, say either bank, north or south. ihe natives, troubled with indigestion or bud dre tins, take it m tueir head that it would be a line' thing to rou the wtiite people, arid burn their dwellings and depots, ami murder them. Mho thing is cloue^ pandemohiuui ia luuactea, the tuwspHper* aud public •'pinion bear the uewtj, Hnd t;xpresaiuus of * shame' on all iho powuw .inerested are very loud aud btroiig. ..BriiiDh uieu-ot-.vvtt.r hurry up and ui.iubai'd everybody, or, to use an • xpresßive tlioufcli vulgar , purase, iney • knock tilings iuio a uocned vat, ;' yet pei haps ih'o puuisume ;> exceeds the ottVu'ce, ' because the muoeut WoUid be .uvolved m ttie Ues \ruciion. r, as ihe case uiigUt easily' be,, suppose the European 'aeronauts capable oi defeudirig .hefnßelveS, and that by a little strategy they capture the cons^iraors, aud dpoin tnuin, one and all without mercy, to death, by chaining cnem m gangs, young and old,,antf ou lirowu them oti-haud m the deep watets of ihe Livingstone. Whai would be said of tbi > ? Ido not say it has or has not been done. 1 mere.y s ate what might happen. I put a possible Case betoro the eulighieneu reader. Would you be suip'iued to near that it has been done? What ought, then, to be planned to prevent Mussolangos and unlives, : with bad u reams, and eraiiged digestion, trom strangling uiwlul, legitimate,' aud humane uonuieicer* What ou ht to be iione to prevent piiileas, vengeful merchants trow placing themselves un dei the ban of Christians % Let "iutfiand, 1 say, at, once arrange v/irh Poitugal to proclaim sovereignty over the i.ivingstpne Kiver, to prevent the sensibilities of the worU oeing ahocked sow*: day when least sxpectt-d. I have hinted to you a :few strong reasons why the matter ought to be disposed <»f, but space will not permit me, and. ' a word to the wise is sufficient..' Hisnry M. Stanley.