The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-13 00:00:00

DR. LIVINGSTONE'S EXP.EDITIOA"

(From, the Ceylon. Observer of July 24.)

The long-expected Pearl is at length in our road-
stead, and will, we imagine, speedily visit the
northern and eastern divisions of the island. She
is a fine model of a 'steamer, and some of our readers
may be glad to see reproduced the following de-
scription, which appeared in our columns some
months ago :
The length of the vessel is 145 feet at the keel and 160
feet on the upper deck ; her breadth 24 feet and her depth
113/4 feet. Her tonnage is 448 by the old or builder's rule ;
her gross register tonnage 335, and net register tonnage
267. She has direct acting engines of 70 horse-power ; and
on her trial she accomplished the rate of nine knots an hour.
Her outfit will include 12 sleeping places, bedding, all
appropriate cabin furniture both in Saloon -and in the
state rooms, services for breakfast, dinner, and tea, together
with nautical arid optician's stores, suds as compasses, spy-
glass;_barometer, -and such other articles, the whole to be
included in the price of the vessel. A supply of the compo-
sition for preserving iron—the same.its that whieh is used
in her Majesty's navy—will likewise be secured.

To the courtesy of Capt. Duncan, the commander
of the Pearl, we arc indebted for the following nar-
rative of the proceedings of the great African ex
plorer,. Dr:Livingstone, up to the period at which
the Pearl finally parted from the Ma Robert (the
name of the iron launch) at the mouth of the Zam-
besi :

The Pearl left Simon's Bay on May the Ist, and arrived
off the mouths of the Zambesi on the 13th, waited for fine
weather till the 15th, and then ran in over the bar of West
Luaho river, the doctor having chosen this mouth of the
Zambesi on account of its clear and safe bar passage, and
from the reported safety of its channel. We found the West
Luaho three-quarters of a mile wide at the mouth, and from
the volume of water it sends out, the conclusion was at once
arrived at, it must communicate with the main stream of
the Zambesi, so we set to work, and on the afternoon of the
16th the steam launch (which the Pearl carried on deck)
floated alongside. Three days were employed in getting her
put in working order, and in the meantime the bar was
surveyed by Mr. Skead, Government surveyor for Cape
Colony. The rank and luxuriant vegetation of the banks
was laid under contribution by the botanist ; the geologist
searched in vain for a single stone on which to try his ham-
mer, and the idlers hunted hippopotami with indifferent
success.
On May,2oth we started up the river, leavinc, the fresh
sea breeze of the entrance, with its clean sand banks, covered
with glittering mica scales—to Fish our way. cautiously
between close and heavy mangrove woods, growing on mud
banks; whose filthy, sickening, green slime looked strangely
suggestive of fever.
The woods were noisy with the discordant screaming of
many birds. Alligators stretched on the mud slid lazily into
the water on our approach, and the flocks of geese, cranes,
ducks, &e., would rise from the low islets at no hint less
gentle than a volley of small arms. Now and then a solitary
canoe would be seen escaping hastily under cover of the
mangroves ; traces of huts were visible anywhere, and
everything looked as if the river had been little visited
before.
The channel was very tortuous and narrowing gradually
till at last I found it by measurement less in width by three
yards than the length of the Pearl, so I declined going any
farther till we were sure that there was a passage through.
The steam launch was sent ahead to examine, and came
back LW-day with the information that "the river ended in
bulrushes some 20 miles further."
Turned next day to come back, the steam launch trying
a branch we had passed in hopes of still finding a channel,
but with no better success.
On May 30 the Pearl crossed the bar again, and ran down
to East Luaho, followed by H.M.S. Hermes, to assist if the
Pearl got into difficulties.
For three days we searched in win for a practicable pas-
sage.over the Bar. Dr. Livingstone and Mr. Skead in the
Hermes cutter, and I in a whale boat, went round in every
direction, sounding as close as we dared, and fining 12 feet
outside the breakers—among them nine.
On June 21, after a consultation, it was determined to
try the branch marked on the charts as Maindo—called by
the natives Congone. Seven miles west of E. Luaho we
found a clear bar and ran in easily, anchoring in 6 fathoms.
The Hermes ran down to W. Luaho, where the launch
still was, and brought her round. She had a severe trial
on the bar, having taken the wrong passage, and got nearly
swamped in the breakers.
A canal or creek was found, leading from the Congone to
E. Luaho, very narrow but deep, and through this creek on
June 10 the Pearl ran, brushing the bulrushes on each side,
and actually running among them as far as the foremast
once before she could be got round a sharp turn. Just at
the junction of the creek and Zambesi and as Dr. Living-
stone was congratulating me on getting through, she ran
ashore in six feet water ; however, she was got off next day
none the worse, and ran a few miles up the Great Zambesi.
I estimate the width of the river as 11 miles at this place,
but so full of islands that the deep channel Was very hard
to find, so I thought it only wise to stop where I was till a
passage was found.
Dr. Livingstone and some of the party went up to Ma-
zeno in the launch, and Mr. Skead and I sounded in boats
for a passage.. We found a bank across from side to side of
the river, deepest water 11 feet. Tried among all the islands
for a way to pass it in vain, so we waited till the doctor came
back, and he agreed that it' would be too much risk to pass
over 11 feet, with a river falling 11 inch a-day.
An island 20 miles further up was chosen, and on it all
the effects of the expedition were landed, and the iron house
partly constructed so as to serve for a store-house, and on
Saturday, June 26th,. I got my congo from Dr. Livingston
and the two steamers took different routes—the Ma Robert
to Expedition Island, and the Pearl down to the creek,
through it, and on the 28th of June crossed the bar and
started for Ceylon.
The expedition does not start under such good auspices
as was expected—they have a long and arduous task before
them in getting their goods up to the settlement they pro-
pose forming above Tete, and then the real work of explor-

ing commences. •
The country between them and Tete is in a very disturbed
state, the natives being in arms against the Portuguese,
and having driven them out of Mazaro. The very day
after we parted with Dr. Livingston had been pitched upon
as the clay: of the Portuguese grand attack on Mazaro, and
the doctor was rather uneasy about the result.
However, he had communicated-with both the rebels and
their quondam masters, and made friends with both
.rwirtics,
and he has quite tact enough to steer clear of a collision on
cither.side. He has rather a formidable party with him
too.. Seven Europeans and 12 Kroomen, armed with rifle,
bayonet, cutlass, and revolver, cannot fail to impress the
natives with the idea that they can take care of themselves,
and, moreover, 120 of the doctor's old Makololo Mends with.
him at Senna..

We add a copy of a characteristic letter written
by one of the men on board, and which- has been
placed at our disposal

West Luaho River, May 28.
And now I must tell you of our search for the Zambesi.
The Hermes man-of-war steamer was appointed to see us
over the bar, and left Simon's Bay the d.ay before we did,
but as she anchored at night while we pushed on, we
passed her, and arrived off the bar two days before her. It
was, however, blowing a gale of S.E. wind dead on shore,
and we could not attempt to cross. On Saturday, May
while we were heaving up our anchor to go in and have
another look at the place, the Hermes made her appearance
and her captain came on board of us. We stood in for the
river together ; but, the Hermes came to about If mile
from the bar, and as we understood, refused either to
attempt the bar herself or to, risk her boat's crews in
sounding for us, so Captain Duncan ran in without him.
It was very ticklish work, but .we crossed safely at three-
quarter's flood, and it was found at low- water that we had
hit the only safe channel. We saw no more of the Hermes.
She was appointed to see us over the bar, and she certainly
did, but at a very prudent distance, and she might as well
have been in Portsmouth dockyard for all the use she was
to us. Next day was. Sunday, but being a missionary,ship,
we, of course, were not expected to pay the same-respect to
it that a mere merchant ship would, so we were " turned
to" to get out the launch. The fore and aft compartments
were rot out without much difficulty in the forenoon, and
after dinner we began with the centre one ; we had hard
work, and we wrought anxiously, for we had not been pro-
vided with machinery forth° purpose, it having been under-
stood that the heavy spars and large crew of the Hermes were
to have done the work, and we knew that the failure of a single
rope would deprive the doctor of his launch. But all went
well ; we wrought hard for our monkey was up, and we re-
solved not to be beat. The Hermes had left us to our own.
resources, and we were determined to do without her. We
knew also that the responsibility rested with Captain Dun-
can, and we believed that he was taking a risk which other
men had shrunk from. We did not fail him. About four
o'clock she hung clear over our side, and the strain of
lowering began. We watched her eagerly when we heard,
the order " Let go all," and saw the last compartment
drop gently in the water ; we then found our throats
and broke forth into three such hearty cheers as the old
Luaho had never heard. Our work was done, and we saw
the doctor turn to our skipper and heard his emphatic
" That's well done," the only words he had spoken all the
afternoon and we raised one cheer more for him Next
day we had a holiday to make up for the loss of our Sun-
day, but the Kroomen add the members of the expedition
wrought:at the launch, and on Wednesday she was tried
under the charge (I had almost writtten care) of a Captain
Bedingfield, one of the passengers, a naval not. It civil cap-
tain, and she did Pretty fair about seven knots. On -t
Thurs-
day we started up the river, the launch goienngsttyahetaod,geot
sound for us, but having an unhappyPl about ten.
into shallow water, she led us aground about
y the details
we anchored for day. I need
tohne
o'clock, and we did, not get. off for
naobtoigittvtewo,mtours, when
to
hf eachh d arye-
t' lltgo_s_uffil *melepnuels,hered
gro b
still keeping up heart and pking on, rounding impossible
launch was lucky enough too find a ank to
dle.ad u. s on, but
wide as the Clyde at C ar -
corners and avoiding unavoidable. shoals until the river,
which at starting had been as .
ross, had dwindled down to a d.itch,. an. d. on. Sunday, the
23d, we came to a place seven feet les., in width than the
Pearl's length, and she laid her nose comfortably in a green
field. At high water we • got off with the aid of ropes on
shore ; and the Ma Robert, which had been sent ahead to
sound, returned reporting that the river narrowed and
shoaled fes they went up.. Still hoping against hope, we put
two days' provisions in-her and sent her off again with in-
structions to rim to dry land if necessary, but to make sure
that there was no passage even for herself; if there had been
we would have found some other mouth and joined her in
the main stream ; but there was no outlet. She ran till she
was among reeds, and then Came back like Admiral Noah's
dOve. There was no help for it but down stream again,
which we accomplished with much less trouble than going
up, as, for a considerable part of the way we led the
launch, instead of followino• her, and here we are at the
mouth of the River, with the Hermes visible from our
mastheads about three miles outside the bar, and waitinc,
for us. We hear that . she is to take our letters to the'
Cape, so I write this to let you know what is doing so
far. I have not heard what is to be done with the
launch. We cantt take her on board again without machi-
nery, that is certain, and how
v an egg-shell like her is to
get through the surf to any other mouth is a mystery to
me, but I suppose if it has got to be done it will be done
somehow.

We are all in good health and spirits, no signs of fever
among us, and we don't mean to have any ; we work under
awnings and are not exposed to the sun or dew, we get a
glass of quinine every morning, and if it were not for the
insatiable and abhorred musquitcs would have little to growl
at. As it is we hope to see auld Scotland again, I say
Scotland, for it is singular enough, that, even including the
expedition, all on board are Scotch except five, four of whom
are English and one Irish.
If I have time I shall write you again before the Hermes
nabs Yf don't $11.911( whether eke mew tQ lie by us or