The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-24 00:00:00

CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION.

A very large and respectably attended public
meeting was held yesterday afternoon at Manchester, in
the Free-trade Hall, in promotion of the mission to Central
Africa. The chair wee taken by the Hon. A. EMERTON,
M.P., and on the platform were Lord Brougham, the
Bishop of Oxford, Archdeacon Mackenzie, and Mr. Easley,
P.

he CitAIILMAN briefly addressed the meeting, and called

The Rev. Archdeacon Macesemt to move the first
resolution : " That the continent of Africa is,
and ought to be, an object of great interest and
importance to the inhabitants of Manchester." He
bad made a calculation of the probable cost of the expe-
dition, in consultation with a gentleman who had a great
experience of travel in southern Africa, and who, he believed,
was tbeperson most of all fitted toadvise Wilton the sullen.
For their first oufit, their paassge-money, and conveyance to
their station, the estimate wee between 4,000 f. and 5,000 i.
The party would include about thirty persons from this
country, and nearly ten from Capetown, the latter being
Christian Caffrce who had been trained in schools'. After-
wards the cost of carrying on the whole work would be
about 2,500/. a year, including 1,100/. in payments to dif-
ferent persons, and about 1,4001. in expenses of
maintenance, food, and shelter, and everything else that
was required. After the tint few years the annual cost
might probably be reduced, but it had been thought ad-
visable to aim at raising a capital of 20,000(. at the outset,
out of which would be provided the first cost of the mission,
the remainder being invested in aid of the annual sum to be
required afterwards. He entered into some interesting de-
tails relative to the mode of life of the native Africans and
the objects of the mission, which were listened to with
peat attention.
The Rev. R. ORE: WILL, of Worcester College, Oxford,
seconded the resolution, which was passed unanimously.
Lord Intouonam, on rising to propose the second nee-
' luli, was received with a prolonged barn of cheering.
In addressing this, which he said wee by very much the
largest meeting lie ever yet saw assembled within doors, and
his experience of public meetings had not been short—
L, hear)—he trusted that in proportion to its size would
its patience in hearing him. (Cheers.) The rev. gentle-
man who preceded him bad dwelt on the defective exertions
of civilised Europe to reclaim unenlightened Africa
from her barbarous date, and justly observed,
in comparing our great cities, such as Manchester,
Liverpool, and Leeds, with ancient Carthage, that it was to
be hoped we should not imitate the neglect of that prede-
cessor of ours as a commercial community, but should ex-
tend to the interior of that continent the benefits of the
higher civilisation and religion with which we were
blessed. He hoped we should furnish this other contrast
to Carthsge—that we should not be subdued by any other
nation. (Maus.) Of this he had no manner of apprehen-
sion, because we were doing what Carthage never
Eby preparing ourselves, in all ranks and
to bear a hand in the defence of the
country. (Loud cheers.) The venerable Archdeacon of
Natal had described the character of the natives of Africa
on that part of the coast with which be was acquainted ;
but to the northward, on the Zambesi River, where Dr.
Livingstone had extended his labours and discoveries, the
people were both industrious and peaceful, and had they
been let alone by the infernal slave-trader—(cheers)—en-
couraged by our ancient allies, the Portuguese,
there would have been everything to hope for
on their prospects of amelioration. His lord-
ship eloquently denounced the atrocities recorded as inci-
dental to the slave-trade as carried on by the Spaniards
of Cuba and the Portuguese authorities. Of the United
States law on the subject no complaint could be made for
any want of stringency, if it were only carried out. ("Hear,
hem," and la4hter.) It was especially in the hope that it
would be fouM a powerful agency in aid of the termination
of that guilty traffic that he gave and encouraged support to
this mission, trusting that the native chiefs of Africa
would be led by increased knowledge to the pro-
motion of civilised industry, instead of lending
themselves to the purposes of the slave-dealer. He
therefore proposed the following resolution :—" That the
manufacturers and merchants of Manchester are in an espe-
cial manner bound to assist in any scheme the result of
which is likely to be the extinction of the slave trade, and
the establishment of legimate commerce over the extensive
table-land of intertropical Africa." (laud cheers.)
Mr. BALLET, M.P., seconded the motion, which was
passed unanimously.
The Bishop of Oman, who was loudly cheered, moved
the third resolution—" That Christians of every commu-
nion, and more particularly all memben of the church of
England, may be expected to co-operate zealously and ge-
nerously in such a work as that of the direct evangelisation
of eastern central Africa." He said Lord Brougham had
spoken of the hopes to be founded on the Nand of civili-
mition and liberty ; but this resolution drew attention
to the religious aspect of the question. It was the deeper,
more enduring, and transforming love of souls for Christ's
sake, that alone was sufficient to draw men away from the
comfort. of civilised life to reclaim their heathen
brethren. (Cheers.) Our possession of the Cape of Good
Hope, as a half-way house or natural citadel on the way to
In, was not only essential to our continued establish-
ment in Asia, but it gave us such an intimate connexion
with the people of Africa as to constitute an especial charge
from the Almighty to the people of Britain to lend their aid
to the spiritual regeneration of that continent. (Cheers.)
to the
The Rev. Canon CLIFTON seconded the resolution, which
was carried unanimously
The .
Lord Brougham and the Bishop of Oxford are to 'darns
ani nesting
rman.and a
collectioniboth a
half vefotetheamtistots
meetings on the sae subject at Liverpool this day (Thurs.
day) and at Leeds to-morrow.

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