Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-07-17
n. DU CHAILLU.

NJ tue rooms OF the travellers
Club in New York. Mr.. Edward E.
Dunbar, the President, stated that NJ.
du Chaillu having engaged to deliver
his first two lectures before them, it
was only by their full consent that be
now would address them as to his AZ
ricau travels. With this introduction,
the distinguished traveller, who may
be said to have buried himself alive in
Equatorial Africa for ten years 10 all,
the only white man, surrounded by
blacks and gorillas, addressed a fash
ionable audience with great success.
When in England a few years ago, at
tending a meeting of the Scientific Asso-
citation, some gentlemen present ven
,ured rather rudely to call in question
bis s,atenents in regard to the African
monkeys-an atfront that he resented
in a style more forcible than logical.
No one since has disputed anything be
said in that way. In truth, he has fully
confirmed all his assertions by sending
home the skins and skeletons Of quite II
number Of the animals whose existence
was disputed. The result is, that a
fact which had remained uncorroborat-
ed more than two thousand years is
now fully proved.
The ancient traveller, Hauno, who
usvigated the western coast Of Africa
from Carthage, mentions o wild, hairy
man. he succeeded in capturing three
females Of the species, and they proved
so wild he was obliged to kill them,
though he preserved their skins. But
from that remote period no more ofthem
seen to have been captured or brought
under scientific observation for twenty
three hundred years that is, until Mr..
du Chaillu made them known to the
scientific world. Pliny, indeed, had
informed US that these skins were in the
temple Of Juno when Carthage was cap
tured by the Romans, and some fifty
years ago a monkey skin bag, most
curiously made from the whole skin,
tanned By the natives, was sent TO Eng
land from Sierra Leone. II was the
skin Of an animal about as large as a
well-grown boy of twelve years old.
But the conversa,ion-as he preferred
to call it, rather than lecture-of du
Chnillu, showed that under the direc.
ton Of his friend, Prof. Owen, he has
succeeded in bringing home the skulls
Of several intermediate races and tribes.
ae says he has visited more than thirty
tribes, the cannibalsand the dwarfs, little
men, hairy men covered with little tufts
Of hair, from four feet three inches to
four feet Eve inches in height, which he
thinks are the pigmies Of Herodotus,
who spoke Of them rs belonging to the
head waters OF the Nile. But be says
they all speak Of their having travelled
from the east TO the west. The %canuibal
tribes he found the most advanced.
Like tigers who have once tasted human
flesh. no other seems as good. Next to
that the flesh Of the gorilla is priced,
but that is very hard TO get in fac,
they cannot get is generally, the gorrillas
being so exceedingly powerful and dan
gerous.
IF gorillas could only talk, so that NJ.
du Chaillu could learn their language,
he might be in danger Of ranking them
about as high or higher IN the scale Of
being than some Of their human breth-
rem around. He thinks they have each
one mate, and that they 60 out in the
morning TO hunt food and come home
with it at night, like good citizens.
But he seems TO have been infinitely dis
gusted with the conduct Of some Of the
tribes, who made the woman carry all
the baggsge-the males being them.
selves the --LATEST mortals conceivable.
He found tribes where they were nearly
always drinking from morning till night,
and constantly drunk. Indeed, they
seemed to express themselves as if the
best proof Of their superiority to the
gorilla was in this very particular
They have four kinds Of intoxicating
drinks, made from the sugar cane and
the plautaiu. One Of them said, al am
not ashamed to get drunk. am no,
like the gorilla, who knows not how to
make drink, and can only drink water
out Of the woods. I am able to make
my drink good; gorilla drink only water.
Man can make whisky, and drink it,"
Thus they imagine the superiority Of the
man over the gorilla proved.
One Of his men by accident let his
gun 20 of and killed a native. The
black men could make no allowance for
accidents, and set to work to revenge
the death, the result being that ". du
Chaillu, with seven companions, had to
fight their way for Ave hundred miles.
Even when ever so friendly, the natives
would rob and steal, but would fairly
divide out q captured monkey when all
were hungry. There are certain tracts
OF country so full Of venomous serpents
that they seem to live by the million,
and drive all before them-birds and
beasts, ven to the gorilla, who is no
match for them. They then travel, and
so do all living things, keeping clear Of
their track.
TIE july ArLASTIc.-Alice Carey,
Whittier and Lowell write the poems in
the order we have given the names;
though no one can well mistake who