The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-26 00:00:00

inst. :

" Zanzibar, Sept. 28.

" My dear Sir Roderick,—You know that a ru-
mour has been current on the coast that a white
man bad been seen near Ujiji. Such a story came
to us at a time when it was luite impossible that
Livingstone could be the man. Now, however,
another narrative has reached us, and, if we believe
it, it is I think difficult to avoid the conclusion that
our distinguished traveller may even yet succeed
and disprove the story given us of his death by the
Johanna men.

" A Banian trader at Bagamoyo told me three
days ago that he had heard a rumour that some
white man had been seen at Wemba ; of this he
seemed to have doubt. To-day he brought a na-
tive, whom he introduced, and left alone with me.
I entered into conversation, and led him on in an
irregular way to give an account of his journey,
without guiding his imagination by any leading
questions, determining to meet him again and fill
in the details. When I dismissed him, after my
first conversation, it appeared that a ship would
sail for Bombay immediately ; and, not to lose a
chance, Mr. Churchill, the consul, to whom I gave
the notes, at once sent all to Bombay, with a re-
quest that the substance might be telegraphed to
the Foreign-office—viz., that we had now some
grounds for believing that a white ',man resembling
Livingstone had been seen to the south of the Sea
of [Li iii•
" This native, with the rest of the caravan, left
Bagamoyo and passed along the usual trade route
to Wernba and ,Marunga, where they remained
trading for some time, and again returned to the
coast. When in one of the villages under Ma-
runga,:which is a region governed by several
chiefs, more or less dependent on one paramount, a
white man arrived with a party of 13 blacks, who
spoke Suaheli. All had firearms, and six carried
double-barrelled guns. The white man was of
moderate height, not stout, dressed in white, and
wore a cloth wrapped round his head. He gave
the chief a looking-glass, and was offered ivory,
which he declined, stating that he was not a trader.
Be then went northwards. Ido not know that this
man can tell much more. He is a simple carrier,
who formed part of a caravan ; but if we find the
bead man of the party, it will be possible, no doubt,
then to identify the stranger, who seems, to our
imagination, so like our long-lost friend ; and then
only think of the revelations he will have to reveal
to us.

"It is decided that we go to Bagamoyo in two
days to make inquiry, but we must do so quietly.
" The story of a white man having been seen at
Uruna, to the west of the lake, is a distinct thing
from the more definite narrative we now have. But
the one adds confirmation to the other, and shows
us, if it be Livingstone on whose track we now are,
that he has more than half finished his work, and is
about to go to the Albert Nyanza. I may mention
that there is now no doubt that the white man of
whom I wrote formerly long ago as having been
seen on one of the lakes by an Arab, who remained
on the coast, vias a Turk, one of the traders from
Gondokoro, having been met with in ➢lyanda by
Zanzibar merchants. The description fully satis=
fled me of this, and nothing is more probable. Thus
the traders of Egypt and Zanzibar have now met in
the interior of Africa. Speke's route has been
quickly followed. How far this has been for the
immediate benefit of Africa others may judge. In
the end Africa will be overrun with traders in all
directions, and then the vast resources of this conti-
nent will be shown.

" P.S.—Since writing the above I have again
seen my informant, and placed before him my hooks
of photographic portraits. In the first he did not
recognize the likeness of the man he saw in the in-
terior, although it contained a fine side view of
Livingstone. In the second he at once pointed to a
staring likeness of Livingstone, which I kept as
a caricature, and said,
,' That is the man. But,' he
added, ' come on to Bagamoyo, and see my master
and the other men ; they have seen him also, and
will tell you all they know.'
" Suspend your opinion for a little. Mr. Churchill
and I go in two days to Bagamoyo to make inquiry.
Please communicate this news to Mr Webb, Miss
Livingstone, and other friends ; but until my next
maintain some caution. " JOHN KIRK."

Sir R. Murchison also read the follov►ing commu-
nication from the Foreign-office :
" Foreign-office, Nov. 23.

" Sir,—l am directed by the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs to transmit to you, for the infor-
mation of the Royal Geographical Society, the ac-
companying despatch, which has been received from
her Majesty's Consul at Zanzibar, reporting that in-
formation has been received calculated to induce the
belief that Dr. Livingstone was living seven months
before the date of Mr. Churchill's despatch.—l am,
Sir, your obedient servant, " J. MURRAY.
" Sir R. I. Murchison, K.C.8."

" Zanzibar, Sept. 28.

"My Lord,—A native boat being on the point of
leaving this for Makulla, near Aden, I hasten to
transmit to your lordship the copy of a despatch of
this day's date, that I have addressed to the Chief
Secretary to the Government of Bombay, acquaint-
ing him Nith the intelligence, gathered within the
last days from people who b►ave come from the inte-
rior of Africa, with reference to a white man having
been seen seven months ago at a place called Ma-
runga, 650 miles due east of Zanzibar. Since writ-
ing the accompanying despatch, the slave on whose
information more particularly the belief of Dr.
Livingstone being alive may be based has, among a
hundred photographs, recognised the portrait of Dr
Livingstone, the man he saw at Marunga. (Cheers.)
This is indeed glorious news (hear, hear), and Dr.
Kirk and I leave this for Bagamoyo as soon as pos-
sible to gather further information from other mem-
bers of the caravan to which this slave in question
is attached.

" I have, &c., " H. A. MARCHILL."
The enclosed statement, made in the luvali lan-
guage, before Dr. Kirk, her Majesty's Vice-Consul,
by a native lately returned from the interior of Africa
in addition to the portion quoted by Dr. Kirk in the
preceding letter, gave the following particulars of
his return route :

" Marunga is a level country ; there are two rivers
in it —one, the Chambezi, is full of hippopotami ;
the other is smaller. In both the water flows gently
to the north. The head chief of Marunga is named
Kitumbua ; there are four others—namely, Chuga,
Kasango, Chunka, and Chanza. From Marunga to
Wemba is seven days' march. The chief of Wemba
is named Clumbananga; there are under him Mtuka,
Inwarowa, Marurani, and komba. From Wemba
to Mambwe is two days, to Ungamwanga seven
days, to Wiva two days. Inika is close to Wiva ;
from Inika to Uragu three days, to Masua three
days, to Utron one day, &c. This statement was
mode only two hours before the departure of the
mail. The Banian who brought the present infor-
mation also states that at Bagamoyo there is a ru-
mour that a white man has been seen alive in the
country of Knrva, to the west of the Sea of Upii.
It will be neees.saq to go to Bagamoyo fur the pur-
pose of obtaining further it.fertuation

" Sept. 28, 1867." " JOHN KIRK.
The President also read a letter from Mr. Price,
chief of the Bombay Mission Church, written shortly
after the news came of Dr. Livingstone's death, the
material portion of which ran as follows :
" There is, moreover, one circumstance to which
no reference seems to have been made, but which,
nevertheless, strongly induces me to disbelieve
the reports which have come to hand, and to
cherish the hope that Livingstone is still alive
and pursuing his useful career of discovery in the
heart of Africa. It will be remembered that the
doctor took with him nine African Christian lads,
who bad been brought up at our institution at

Sharanpur. These were, without exception,
intelligent youths, about 20 years of age, and had
a tolerable knowledge of English. Most of them
possessed strong physical development, and,
being fired with a desire for enterprise, cheerfully
volunteered to accompany Dr. Livingstone. I call
to mind how, when the doctor had them together in
my verandah, after giving them some account of the
kind of life they had to expect and the difficulties
that lay before them, he concluded his remarks by
saying, very impressively, ' Now, my lads, you see
we may have to encounter hardships and dangers ;
but bear in mind, above all things, that whatever
happens, you must stick close to me.' "
In the course of the conversation which followed
the reading of these papers it was remarked that the
number of blacks seen with Dr. Livingstone ac-
corded with that ►mentioned in Mr. Price's letter.
It was objected, however, that " the white man"
had sent nothing by the hands of the trader to
Zanzibar; and in explanation of this it was sug-
gested by the President that the trader, being in all
probability a slaver, would hesitate to become the
white man's messenger, and the white man might
have thought it inexpedient to trust the slaver with
a letter. It was deemed improbable that any white
man, not a trader, save Dr. Livingstone, would be
travelling in the interior, or that any other man
should be accompanied by a party of blacks with
double-barrelled guns. Mr. Wailer, who had been
with Dr. Livingstone and Dr. Kirk in former ex-
peditions, said the information contained in them
was more valuable than any before received ; it
greatly increased his hopes for Dr. Livingstone's
safety; and in reply to Mr. Layard, M.P., he stated
that he believed the Indian youths who accompanied
Dr. Livingstone would in the event of his death seek
first to return to the coast, and give any informa-
tion they might possess to Dr. Kirk. Mr. Sherard
Osborne and Captain Kennelly also concurred in
the hopeful view expressed throughout by Sir
Roderick Murchison; indeed, the only one who
expressed a contrary opinion was Mr. Crawford,
who said he could not bring himself to believe that
Dr. Livingstone was yet living. At the close of
the discussion, Sir Roderick stated that he had re-
ceived a letter from Sir Samuel Baker, who had
hitherto been sceptical as to Dr. Livingstone's
safety, in which he confessed that this fresh
information had caused him to change his mind.
He said in his letter that it would be very desirable
if the Egyptian Government could be induced to
favour an expedition from their end of Lake Tan-
ganyika—in that case he believed Dr. Livingstone
would be met by the exploring party. That, he
added, would be a glorious undertaking, and he
would be very glad to join in it, as his present in.
activity was worse than an African fever.