The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-01-13
MONDAY MORNING. JANUARY s, 1856
African Exploration.

African Exploration.
A correspondent of Her Majesty's ship Pluto
writes to the Athcn1um, under date Fernando,
July % ave have had most exciting cruise.
After leaving this place and communication
with the senior officer at Loando, were sent
up the river Congo TO settle dispute between
the master of an English merchant brig and
some Portuguese. After this was arranged,we
we returned to Loando for our letters, but the
Polyphemus not arriving in time, the ship sail
ed again for the Congo, and was left behind
in one of our gigs, with four Kroomen, for the
mail. During our stay met, at the house of
one of the commissioners, one Of the most eX-
traordnary men have ever seen--Dr. Livings-
ton he was just arrived from the Cape over
land most arduOus undertaking, and one
never accomplished before, although often at
tempted. His plan of proceeding differed ma
terially from any of his predecessors. Instead
of setting out with halfa hundred attendants
horses, bulleck-wagons, &C., he commenced his
journey, carrying with him only a sextant, gun,
chrOnomoter, tent, four servants, and as many
days provisions, relying on Providence and
his gun for supply when these were gone
After leaving the Cape colony, he was obliged
to travel q long way to the northeast, in order
to avoid the deserts and hostile tribes in their
vicinity that lay on the left crossing in this
route great many branches of the river Fam
begi, and others, the names of which l have
forgotten, till he arrived at a large town.
There, as the chief was very hospitable, he re-
manned a short time to recruit his health, hav-
dozen times during the nine months it took
him to perform this part of his journey, and
his arm badly broken in two places by a lion
1t appeared he had wandered one evening from
his attendants, after they had pitched their
tent in quest Of game, when he suddenly came
on large lion, crouching down, ready for a
spring at him. Without waiting second, he
fired, and must have been knocked down at
the same moment and stunned, as he rcmem-
bers nothing from the time he fired till he was
found by his servants next morning. When
they came up they found the doctor insensible
and the lion lying dead along side him. When
he left, the chief, who was very DESTROYS of find
ing route to the eastward for the transmission
of his ivory, gave him twenty-four of his peO-
lie, to assist him on his journey. After leaving
he again travelled to the northeast unil he ar
rived in the parallel of LoandO. Now came the
tug ofwar. He had upwards of one thousand
miles to travel across the UNEMPLOYED countries
of our charts, q tract never hitherto trodden by
any white man, and wholly unknown even to
the blacks he had seen yet However, this
part of their journey proved to be the easiest );
and it was not till he arrived near Cassanga,
on the Portuguese frontier, that he met with
any molestation. The country he found to be
thickly populated, and the inhabitants very
peaceably disposed From their never having
seen white man before, you may fancy what
an object of curiosity he became to them.
Wherever he stopped, the people from far and
near hocked around him with The utmost aston
ishment pictured on their countenances AS
the doctor was very much sunburnt, his color
did not so much surprise them as his hair, which
was very long this was the great object of at
traction wherever he went, and highly favored
did those fancy themselves who became the
possessors of a lock of it. Every tribe he met
with had some idea of one Supreme Being and
a future state of existence though they all
worship, in addition, various animals which
they hold sacred. At every place he stopped
they supplied him literally with provisions ;
and it was not, as l mentioned before, till he
arrived near the Portuguese territories that he
met with any trouble. There. the inhabitants
have been in the habit of kidnapping the peo-
pie further inland, to sell to the Portuguese for
slaves, and, fearing, should road be opened
that way, it would spoil their traffic, they be-
came very troublesome, and wanted the doc
tor to pay toll nearly every stephe took how
ever, by putting on a bold front, he managed
to make his way through, and arrived at Loan
do safely in the beginning of June, making it
exactly two years since he left the Cape The
doctor is very much emaciated from the
hardships he has undergone, and has not
recovered the use Of his arm perfectly yet :;
return, trying this time to find shorter road
than the one he came by. We had the whole of
his attendants on board, and showed them over
the ship. Having never seen salt water before
or anything afoat larger than canoe, they
were very much surprised and delighted
though they told the doctor they would never
be able to get any of their people to believe
them on their return, so perfectly astonishing
did everything appear to them"
INsrALLATIoN.-OnT Thursday, January 4th
the Rev. II. NJ. Nichols was received from the
Minnesota Association, and installed by the