MARCH OF CIVILISATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2182, 3 July 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

MARCH OF CIVILISATION.

]\lanv times within the las-t five years (.vrites a correspondent of the New York Times) lar^e caravans have travelled along the paths tlvit *cad far into Africa, carrying strips of iron or steel, boxes of rivets and bol's, and sections of boilers, paddle-wheels, and smokestacks. After many weeks, thess expe litions have heaped their loads uionthe shore of some great lake or nvgntv river, where white meu and then- native asbistants have welded the hundreds of pieces together, and liually launched complete aid perfect steamboats upou the waters of inner Africa/, Eleven steamboats ami one sailing vessel are, now plying upon these greatlak.es and rivers.* It is only 28 years Biuco Burton aftl Speke were the first white men to visit Lakes Victoria and Tan^aiiyika. Only within the past ten years have they and the ithir.l great lake, Nyassa, been carefully explored, the upper waters of the Congo, visited, and the Alima River traced on the maps. Oa all these inland water, and also on the Tipper Nigev, the whi-ble of the steamboat is now ueird, and many natives have leaniP'l to welcome the puffy little craft aa offering them a chance to trt'le. It was a ostly undertaking to transport these vessels hundreds of miles overland far into the depths, of Afiica S-nall as these steamboats are compared with our river boata\ they weigh from 2">,000.ba to 50,U001bs apiece. From 800 to 1,53) porters were required to transport each boat to its destination. A few of the Upper, Congo st«,imers, however, were mounted in Sections on steel waggons with broad tires, and Mr Stanley tells of •the awful .toil of drigging these heavy steamers overUud before they were set afloat over the cat.iraets ' These steamers were ueirls all built in England, and they puffed up Alu ' 'luvvn LJuglish rivers on trial, trips before they were taken to pieces and shipped to Africa. Serious delay was caus-1 if a single ; important piece wa* lost. A missionary • steamer launched list summer on Lake Nyasvsa i* manned, from engineer to cook, by a crew of native Africans, who were taken to England to learu their duties By means of this little craft and its predecessor, the Ilala, regular communication is maintained among the mission stations along Nyassa'd 700 miles of coasts. In another steamer named Peace, which 800 blacks carried on their heads to Stanley Pool two years ago, the 'missionary Grenfell travelled last year about 5,500 miles, making many interesting discoveries in wholly unknown and densely-populated regions along the Congo tributaries. ;

Three nights ago Mr Israel Switzhetmer, a South Clerk-street pawnbroker, was awakened by the smell of smoke. He and his wife and three children sleep in the rear of his store. In an instant he was out of bed, dragging his wife after him. " Der house is burning <»op, Rachel !" he shouted. u Der schildreu. dec schildren ! Priug der schildien oudt quick I" screamed Mrs Switzheimer. "Der schildren!" yelled Switzheimer, aghast. " Der buiuldren can valk. Get quick der vaches ondt of der show-eases, iiaehel. " Sir Aktiidb Sullivan and Mr W. S. Gilbert are naturally anxious to adopt some plan by which they can prevent their works from beiug pirated in America, and a scheme has been hit upon which, it is thought, may be efficacious. It is to associate an Arne dean, author in the next opera to- sufficient an extent to let him copyright the work. The new ci ec e_the successor to the " Mikado "— which, by contract, is to be ready for production next October, is to present the story of an Egyptian girl, who learns thitsheis a descendant of an ancient princess, and tries to "live up to her illustrious auccstiy." The fun is to arise from the mixture of bygone Egyptian and present English dress, customs, and usages; the satiro is to be upon the commercial instincts of Englishmen in extending England's influences ; and the plot is so far developed that the New York co-labourer has received his assignment of several brief passages of dialogue and music to write.