The Express.
London, England, 1867-10-24 00:00:00

THE FATE OF DR LIVINGSTONE.

The following is the full text of the letter written
by Mr. J. S. Moffat respecting his brother4n4sw, Dr.
Livingstone :

o
" Claremont, Sept. 17, 1867.
" Sirs,—People are incessantly asking me whether I
have not given up all hope respecting Dr. Livingstone.
There appears to me no necessity for us to make up our
minds on the subject at present. I put off writing to you
until we should hear once more from England, and as no
further intelligence about Dr. Livingstone has been re-
ceived I shall say once for all what appears to me to be the
state of the case.

" All the evidence to the effect that Dr. Livingstone
was murdered by the Mazite comes through one channel,
namely, the Johanna men, with Monate at their head.
Two or three different accounts have been given by these
men, and no one account is reconcilable with the others.
I will not occupy space or time by going into details, but
anyone may satisfy himself on this point.
Reports have been received through other channels,
not corroborating, but absolutely contradicting the account
given by the Johanna men. Arab traders have come
from the immediate vicinity of the spot where the murder
is alleged to have occurred, and yet have not heard of en
event which could not have failed to cause a good deal of
excitement through an extended region. A message had
been sent to the Sultan of Zanzibar by a chief inland that
Livingstone had passed his territories alive and well at a
point beyond the scene of the supposed murder.
' What has beeoins of the Africans who were with
Livingstone? Be started from the coast with three sorts
of people. The Sepoys soon came back, unable to bear the
hardships of the climate and journey. The Johanna men
came back with the story which has made so much noise
in the world ; but where are the negroes, of whom there
were nine or ten, who had been sent with Livingstone, and
the Sepoys from Bombay? Is is not said that they were
killed. What has become of them

"Great stress is laid on Dr. Kirk's opinion. Granted.
No man is better qualified to judge. But has he made up
his mind! He wrote at the first blush of the affair, and
said he feared it was true. A month later be wrote and
raid it was not well to go spreading reports and putting
things in the papers. We had better wait for more evi-
dence. lam not aware that he has expressed himself very
decidedly since then.
" The continued silence of Dr. Livingstone is said to
look bad. How long has be been silent ° Not much
more than twelve months. He was silent longer than
that when he crossed the continent further south at a
narrower place. I myself have been twelve months with-
out communication with the civilised world, though I have
never been in such secluded regions as those to which
Livingstone was directing his course when the Johanna
men say he was killed. If Livingstone is off the caravan
routes which lead to the coast near Zanzibar, he is not
likely to find any one to carry his letters. If, as I think
quite possible. the negroes are still with him, having got
60 far, he would not be likely to return, but would con-
tinue his journey, and I should not be in the least sur-
prised if be turned up in some moat unexpected quarter.
"Probably the Johanna men, like their neighbours on
the Continent, can tell most circumstantial lies. My
father has been killed and buried, too, before now, with
all the necessary formalities ; and so h.ve I, on ► smaller
scale.

" My own belief is that when the Johanna men found
that Livingstone was going into a region too remote for
their taste, they did what many servants, black and white,
have done before them—took to their heels some fine night
when the explorer was asleep, and made the best of their
way back to Zanzibar,—l am, kc.,
" JOHN SMITH NiOITAT."

CONSERVATIVE DEMONSTRATION AT COLCHESTER.
—The annual dinner of the Colchester Conservative Asso-
ciation took place yesterday (Wednesday) evenine at that
town. The chair was occupied by Ilr. C. H. Hawkins,
and there were also present Mr. E. K. Kerslake, M.P. for
the borough ; Colonel Learmonth, who will offer him-
self sea conservative candidate at the diSsolution ; Mr. J.
Goodson, M.P. for Great Yarmouth ; and Major
Jervis, MP. for Harwich, Mr. Kerslake spoke hope-
fully of the prospects of the oonservative party, although
he remarked there were rocks ahead as the professions,'
agitators threatened renewed efforts. He believed, how-
ever, that old England would still be old England. Colonel
Learmonth was enthusiastically received. Major Jervis,
M.P. and Mr. Goodson, M.P., replied to the toast of the
"Conservative Members of the House of Commons."
Major Jervis with reference to the Reform Bill professed
all much confidenoe in the future as Mr. Kerslake.

LA FEST 1NTE1,1,16 ENCE.