New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-21
Nkm9lork DAILY Geibm,re
NEW PUBLICATION
DISCOVERIES IN CENTRAL AFRICA

DISCOVERIES IN CENTRAL AFRICA.
-, wis AND DISCOVERIES IN NORTH AND CEN
TRIAL AFRICA: BEING JOURNAL or Az Ekpkoirios
gsDssIs vsDIs ysF s sSsrss' 3, d ask.r M B S
Ph d. D. C. L. Vols. 1, IL and I'LL
The main geographical results Of the Central
African Expedition Of Richardson, Overweg snd
Barth have been familiar to the reading world foe
many months, and an extended and lucid account
thereof appeared in our columns nearly two ysas
ago. Such hiatus as then existed in our knowledge
occurred in the closing period of the expedition.
when DIR. Bartb, deprived BY death OF bis two
companions, was carrying out the objects Of tho
Expedtion single handed in and around Timbuctoo.
The three volumes now under review only carry
the narrative down to the death of Overweg on the
shores of Lake Tsad, on Sunday, Sept. ~, 1864.
and can hardly equal in the novelty Of their con-
tributions to Geographical Science, the twosue-
ceeding volumes, which, when published, will com,
plete the seriee The chief value of these volumes
to tie scholar is in the flesh and-blood details Of
men and manners and creeds which they impat to
the bard skeleton of routes names and dates which
We already knew. Such being the state Of the
csse our readers will pardon us If We lmpart u
dota cast, and lees Of a geographical and topo-
graphical interest. On their passage across the
desert between Trpoli aud Mourzuk our travellers
were struck with admiration at the frequency Of
well.preseryed Roman monuments, Roman sep
ulchres, and Roman gateways with Latin inscrip-
tsns which are to DO met with almost to the gates
of Mourzuk, and Of which beautiful illustrations
are given in these volumes. With reference 10 one
set of remains DIR. Barth writes:
These monuments serve to show that the dominion
Of the Romans in these regions was not of momentsry
DURATION but continued for length OF time, a. the
different styles of remains clearly prove. IL may be
pre- umed that no soldier could pretend the
honor Of such tomb; and it is probable that these
sepulcbres destined to contain the earthly re-
mains Of some of the consecutive Governors officers
stationed at the neghboripg place. Like SOLITARY
beacon of civilization, the monument rises over this
sea like level of desolation which, stretching out 10
an immense distance south and west appears not 70
have appalled, the cOnquerors Of the ancient word,
who even here have left behind them a "reminiscences
of elevated order Of life than exists at present
in these regions.
And again. when within two days journey Of
MOurzuk:
found it Roman monument in tolerably good pres-
ervatiOn, and without delay made sketch Of it, -
seemed to me to be object Of special interest the
sOuthernmOet relic Of the Roman dominion. II is q
remarkable fact that several years before the begin
ming Of our era the Romans should have penetrated
far this place and that their dominion here
not Of merely transory nature this monument seems
clearly TO show.
The religious difficulty meets ono at every hands
rn. The two great problems, the struggle b.
tween Islamism and Paganism, and the position off
Christian traveller in MOhammedan countries, sre
thus touched upon in the preface:
II may be possible to travel without arms in some
pas of Southern Africa; but there Is this wide differ
ence that the natives Of the latter exclusively
G9g6ns, while all aloag those tracts which have
&C exploring Islamism and PaganisI constantly
ed against each other in open or secret warfare.
The traveller in such countries must
carry arms In the regions Of
Central Africa there exists not ole and the same
stock, in South Africa; but the greatest diversity Of
tribes, rather nations, with dions entirely distincs.
The great and m0mentous struggle between Islanism
and Psganism is here continually gosg on, causing
every day the most painful and affecting results,
while the miseries arising from Slavery and the Slave
Trade are here revealed in their most repulsive fec
lures. We find Mohammedan learning ingrafted o.
the igrorance and simplicity Of the Black races, saA
the gaudy enifcence and strict ceremonial Of large
empires, side by side with the barbarOus implicitly Il
naked and halfnsked tribes.
And on the second problem:
shall have frequent occasion to refer in my journal
to conversations which had with the natives on ~
ayowed my religion and defended the pure prncipl0
of Christianity against those OF Islam only once W.
obliged, for about MONTH in order to carry out NY
project of reaching assume the charscs
Of a Mosiep. Had not resorted to this expedientK
would have been absolutely impossible to achieve
such project, since was then under the protsctoa
of no chief whatever, and had to pass through the
country of the fanatic and ban barous hordes Of tho
Tuaricks. But though with this sole exception I
have never denied my character OF Christian,
thought it prudent to conform to the innocent prc
dices Of the people around me- adopting dress ~hcs
is at once better adapted to the climate and more
detOrOus in the of the natives.
In addition to the MOhammedan costume, Dr..
Barth thought it prudent" to adopt Mohamme-
dan name also; he went by the alias, AIDE
Keiim, which means "Servant of the MercifaL"
Neither does be scruple to mako to the Shoik Omar
Of Borun present Of " q nice little copy Of W
KoraD," which he had bought in Egypt for fvs
pounds sterling and was then carrying for his on
use. Putting aside all moral considerations, il B
certain that Central African travellers whose Coz.
sciences would GLOW them to become rencg.dcs y
Christianity, like Gen. Bems and Guyon's d.
would fare much better than uncompromisiag
Christians. The three travellers were pIandcre4
and amost murdered BY some Tuarick freeboste"
on the frontiers Of A,ben, their escort refasias y
protect them because the Europeans refused " ~
cone converts to Islam. 1t turns out now thas sss
chief reason of Barth's expulsion from Adsns"s
was not the unpolte expressions in tne 'e''ee
the Sultan Of Agadez to the Sultan OF Adama~A
but his own refusal to comply with ceremonial y
now deems innocent. We quote: -.
l felt tolerably well in the morning, but aHer1S
became very i'll, and unfortunately tooA VOC 49,
dOse OF medicine. In tbis slate hsa vins ~
very handsome and smabls young Fube lor ~!
tsh a.A,