The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-02-03 00:00:00

THE LIVINGSTONE EXPEDITION.

On Tuesday afternoon a public meeting was held in
the Egyptian Hall, at the Moosi2p-house, London,
with a view o co-operate with the Royal Geographical
Society in fitting out the expedition which is to be
despatched in search of Dr. Livingstone, and to raise
subscriptions in aid of the necessary funds. The chair
was taken by the Lord Mayor; and among the gentle-
men present were Sir H. Rawlinson (Presideat of the
Geographical Society), Sir it. Entre, Colonel Grant,
and many other members of that society; Sir W. H.
Hall, K.C.B. ; Lieutenant L. Daw ' son R.N. : Mr.
Gatti:in ; Mr. R. N. Fowler, M.P. ; and Mr. Bevan.
The Lord Mayor, in opening the proceedings, ex-
pressed his warmest sympathy with the objects of the
meeting, and, amid general expressions of approval,
reflected severely upon the Government because they
had not only refused any assistance to the expedition,
but had couched their refusal in uncourteons terms.
His lordship announced that he had received from
Lord Houghton and several other noblemen and
gentlemen, letters expressing their entire approval of
the object of the meeting, and their regret that they
could not be present.
In the absence of the Earl of Derby,
Sir It Rawlinson moved the first resolution affirming
the necessity and duty of sending out an expedition to
the relief of Dr. Livingstone, and took occasion to
announce that he had that (lay received from the
Foreign-office a despatch which was to be presented by
Lieutenant Llewellyn Dawson to the Government
agent at Zanzibar, in which Dr. Kirke was instructed
to give to Lieutenant Dawson all the advice and
assistance in his power, and was authorised to advance
any sum which might be required for the purposes of
the expedition within the limit of the balance of the
Government grant of £l,OOO, which remained in his
hands, and which, according to the last account,
amounted to MO. (Cheers.) He also stated that
the subscriptions already received reached £2,700 or
£2,800. _
. . _ .

i'olonel Grant, the African traveller, in seconding
the resolution, dwelt upon the diffictlty of forwarding
supplies to Livingstone by native agency, and the con-
sequent necessity for an European expedition ; and
expressed his hope that the rescue of the great ex-
plorer would not be left to an American gentleman,
but would be effected by Englishmen.
The resolution having been carried unanimously,
Sir Bartle Frere moved another, declaring that the
expedition organised by the Royal Geographical
Society deserved public support, in order to ensure the
attainment of its objects; and took occasion to dwell
at ACIDIC len!-fth upon the services which Dr. Livingstone
had. rendered not only to geography, but to commerce,
by the investigations which he had made both on the
coast and in the interior of Africa, and which had
demonstrated that the else first and most important
measure which was necessary to develop the commerce
of Africa was the suppression of the slave trade,
Mr. Bevan, in seconding the motion, reminded the
meeting that Dr. Livingstone always made the propa-
gation of Christianity his first object, and maintained
that it was only by that means that the people of
Africa could be civilized and commerce promoted,
Mr. Thomas Leveridge, in supporting the resolu-
tion, said that it was enough to command the subscrip-
tions of the citizens of London that Dr. Livingstone
was a citizen and in danger. (('heers.)
The motion, like the last, was carried unanimously.
At the instance of Mr. Calton and the Rev. I lora.,
Waller, it was revolved that a subscription should be
raised to promote the ii jests of the expedition. The
latter gentleman expressed not a thoughtless, but a
carefully considered opinion that it was not improbable
that at this moment Dr. Livingstone was carrying out
his explorations with even more success than he bad
himself anticipated, and that this was the reason we
did not hear from him. He had taken the bulk of his
letters to Ujiji, where the Arab traders hated him,
and whence they had refused to take any despatches
for him, but through which place all letters that he
might send from the interior must pus.
Lieutenant Llewellyn Dawson, R.N., who was intro-
duced to the meeting by the Lord Mayor, made a few
remarks upon the subject of the expedition, and
The proceedinge closed with a cordial vote of thanks
to the Chairman.
The subscriptions received in the room amounted to
upwards of £250.

THE NATIONAL THANKSGIVNG. -
writes tek The Times:—

." Loyalty"

In view of the National Thanksgiving service appointed to
he heft in St. Paul's cathedral next month, at which Her
31ajesty the Queen has singitled her intention to he present,
may I be permitted to suggest that, in consideration of the
exceptional character of the occasion and the joy with
which the restoration of our future King to health has been
welcomed by the nation, the event should be marked as one
of those inieeial days alluded to in clause 4 of the Bank
llolyilays hill, by which It shall be lawful for her Majesty,
from time to time, as to tier Majesty may seem fit, by pro-
clamation, in the manner in which solemn fasts or days of
public thanksgiving may be appointed, to appoint a special
day to be observed as a Bank Holydayi" The feeling's of
deep gratitude which have prompted the celebration of this
service are shared inky all, anti I know of no occasion when
the Royal Prerogative might more fittingly be exercised.