The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-22 00:00:00

liveA have been sacrificed in hitherto fruit'esq
researches—in endeavours to penetrate into Cen-
tral Africa, such as have proved utterly futile,

time after time, until the fortunate advent upon

the scene of those great labours of the Rev. Dr.
LITINGSTON. H 6 has at last accomplished in
regard to Central Africa, what has recently been
effected by Captain Sir ROBERT MACLURE, in re-
ference to the North- West Passage. He has proved

its penetrability ! And he has not only done
this, but he has demonstrated the still more im-
portant fact in regard to the interior of the
African continent, that when penetrated, it is
really found to be worth penetrating. He afforded
to his hearers yesterday new and most entertain-

ing illustrations of this most important truth, in

reference to the results of his Fifteen Years toil-

some journeying over eleven thousand miles of the
African Continent. He observed for example,

upon this point, that the tribes in the interior of
the country are "totally different from those on

the coast." And, furthermore, b• described the
former as always evincing eagerness to have inter-
course with Europeans. Adding-Lwas it in bitterest

satire, Dr. LIVINGSTON ?—that they had scarcely
any knowledge whatever of anything relating to
the Europeans. Supposing them to have known
something about the Europeans, supposing them
to have known, for example, that time was,
as Sir JOHN KEY remarked yesterday in the
course of his eloquent harangue, when " every
year some 150,000 of Africa's sons were trans-
ported with ruthless violence to other climes t,)
furnish victims for fraud and cupidity !"—would
they then evince the same anxiety to have inter-

course with the Europeans ? Nay, but supposing
that they knew something in addition, supposing
they knew, for instance, that among those
white men there is a nation which has ex-
pended, as it were, at a single opening of
its hand, 20,000,0001. sterling, on the abolition
of the slave trade throughout its own vast domi-
nions, and that yet further dedicates annually
since then a quarter of a million, year after year,
in the suppression elsewhere of that odious traffic
in human blood and human lives ! Supposing
them to know THAT, perhaps, after all, those
central tribes of Africa might not evince any
abatement in their anxiety to have intercourse
with the Europeans ! At present—however this
may be—they have that anxiety Dr. LIVINGSTON
tells us : so that there is " welcome" for the
white men in Central Africa, when Central Africa
has at last been reached ! And as to its fertility
—mark what Dr. LIVINGS'TON said yesterday about
travelling there through grass " so high
that when sitting upon an ox it quite covers
the head of the person so sitting !" Among the
hitherto unknown vegetation of those unexplored
regions being, for example, a substitute for flsx
mentioned yesterday iu the Guildhall by the
Great African Traveller as worth, upon a reason-
' able calculation, from 501. to 601. per ton. To
say nothing of various kinds of fruits totally un-
known in England, in reference to which fruits
(said Dr. LIVINGSTON naively), " I cannot be a
very good judge of what they are,, because gene-
rally I was very hungry when I got them
—but certainly they were very much better
than the crab-apple, from which we suppose our
own apple to have come, or the sloes, from which
have come our plums." Speaking of the merely
commercial importance of the Discoveries brought
to light by this adventurous Englishman, Sir J•HN
KEY had previously exclaimed :—" What, sir,
has been elicited in the course of your laborious
journey of 11,000 miles, through the damp
morass and arid desert, across roaring torrents
and under scorching suns, in feverish sickness and
with wasted frame 7 Why, that instead of a
waste and howling wilderness, there is in the
heart of that unexplored continent a mine of ma-
terial wealth ; that nature has scattered there
with lavish hand the choicest of her products ;
that roots are embedded in that soil of highest
value to the healing art ; that the indigo plant
throws out its spreading leaf in wild and
useless luxuriance ; and that tusks of ivory
which would be well bartered for the best
commodities of European merchandise lie rot-
ting in the rain or bleaching under a torrid
sun." Important results—these alone—of a
daring and brilliantly successful enterprise. But
not by any means the sole results—not even the
most important ! For penetrating into those
fruitful regions by the broad current of the Zam-
besi River, the white races may now hope to
carry not merely the " benefits of knowledge,"
but with those benefits the " blessings of reli-
gion"—not merely Civilisation, but with Civilisa-
tion, Christianity !

The Earl and Countess of Abergavenny and Lady
Caroline Nevill have arrived at their house in Portland-
place, from Billing Manor, rent.
Lord and Lady Kingsale and family have arrived at
the Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn-street, for the season.
Lady de Lisle and Dudley will arrive in town to-day,
for the season.

Colonel and Lady Laura Meyrick entertained at din-
ner, on Wednesday, at their house in Curzon-street, the
Marquis and Marchioness of Downshire, Lord and Li.dy
Rivers, Lord Castlerosse, Lord and Lady Alvanley,
Lord Ravensworth, the Hon. G. Heathcote, &c.
_ We understand that a marriage is arranged to take
take place between the Right Hon. Frederick Peel and
Miss Shelley, only daughter of Mr. John Shelley, of
Avington, and niece of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
The Right Hon. W. G. Hay ter, M.P., entertained at
dinner, on Wednesday evening, at his house in Hyde
Park-terrace, the following member 3 of the House of
Commons, viz. :—the Earl of Mulgrave, Lord Alfred
Paget, the Attorney-General for Ireland, Mr. Knatch-
bull-Hugessen, Mr. Baxter, Mr. Hatchet', Mr. Kirk,
Mr. Black, Mr. Dodson, Mr. Beamish, Mr. Thorn ely,
Mr. Puller, Mr. Steel, Mr. Hardcastle, and Captain
Gosset.

The Right Hon. T. W. Fitzpatrick, Mrs. Fitzpatrick,
and suite, have arrived at their residence 'in Grosvenor.
place, from Ireland, for the season.
Sir Richard Bulkeley's eldest son has married Miss
Baring in Paris.
THE LAMBETH ELECTION.—In the Southwark County
Court, yesterday, a cabman sued a Mr. Gray, one of
the agents for Mr. Williams, M.P., for the amount of
his cab hire for the day of the electiOn. Tee cabman
said he had applied several times, and could get no set-
tlement. The judge said he had no remedy ; he should
have applied within seven days, and then gone before
a magistrate. The plaintiff said he thought it a very
hard case ; ha had been told to ge to the County Court,
and now he was tcld he had no remedy. The judge
said he would orcla him back his hearing fees ; that
was all he could do.
HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The Queen's box was
occupied by Lady Elizabeth de Ros, Captain the Hon.
Dudley de Ras, Col. and Lady Macdonald, Capt. Peel,
&c. Amongst the distinguished company honouring
the theatre with their presence, we observed the Duke of
Wellington, Vacountess Palmerston, Frances Countess
of Waldegrave, the Marqui. of Affesbury, the Mar-
quis of Kildare, Lord Ward, the Marquis of Clanri-
carde, the Countess Granville, the Countess of Bec
tire, the Countess of Shaftesbury, the Countess of
Cork and Orrery, the Countess of Wilton. the
Earl Granville, the Earl of Sueiburne, the Earl of Bee-
tive, Viscount Doneraile, Viscount Powerscourt, Vie-
Sidney, Viscount Villiers, Sir Henry and Lady Oxen-
den, Lady Harry Vane and Miss Southwell, Lady
Moleswortb, Lady Dormer, Lady o.way, and Lady
Loc Lurd James Stuart, Colueel the Hon. James
M'Donald, C. 8., Lord Charles Bruce, Lard Robert
Clinton. Sir George Wombwell, Mr. and Lady
George Balfour, Mrs. Petre, the Hon. Mrs. Norton,
Lady James Stuart, Lady C. Egerton, Lady Nichol-
son, Sir A. and Lady Weodford, and Miss Wood-
ford, General Monteith Douglas and the Misses Doug-
the Hon. Mrs. Ca.t, 110 i). Mrs. Osberne,
Dgby, Colonel Cliallaner, Major Fowler, Mips Trafford
seuthwell, Mr. John Toweeley, Mr. Croonibie, Mr.
Bebb, Mrs. Adolphus, Mr. R. Dick, Mr. Trrlawn
Captain Bateson, Mr. and Mrs. B-s=-, Mr. and Mr,.
D ummond, Captain and Mrs. Macdonald, Captain
Winders, Mr. Pugh, Captain Thellusion, Mrs. and Mrs.
Campbell Wyodhsan, Captain Lyon Mrs. and Mau
'inner, Mr. Lucas, Hon. Mr. Grey, Lyon, Alfred Mout..
goniery, Mr. ManuiLg, Mrs, Vivrtu, &c. .