The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-05-11
Doctor Livingstonc's Letters.


Doctor Livingstonc's Letters.
The letters addressed by Doctor Livingstone
to friend in Glasgow, reporting his progress
in the path of African exploration to the 1st of
February, 1866, which we have just published,
with the communications from his pen con-
tanned in the report of the proceedings of the
Royal Geographical Society, which we pub
fish to-day, are of most interesting char
acter, and constitute an important corol-
larry to the HERALDs special correspondence
from Abyssinia in enllghtening civilization
as to the interor-an almost forgotten
world-of the most ancient continent on
earth-its people, resources, climate, topo-
graphy and wants. While our correspon-
dent at Lake Ashanghi describes how Napier,
''plunging forward like rhnoceros," as the
Abyssinian chief Welda Yasoos forcibly
describes the English march, substituting
rhinoceros for the ''lion," was opening up
fertile region to British trade and Christian
influences, Doctor Livingstone writes, in his
peculiarly refreshing tone, from the Chipeta
country and other points, to inform us that
where the native African has not been brought
in contact with the foreign slave trader he is
accessible and hospitable to strangers, enjoys
many rude comforts and inhabits territory
studded with villages made up of plastered huts,
and that in many instances the people have
full supply of blankets and food, with articles
of comfort and luxury in plenty. Doctor Living
stone was hopeful in his own persistence, and
evidently, like Napier, believed firmly that
British endurance and ''pluck' would carry
him safely through his work and that much
good will be accomplished, not only for Africa,
but for the world at large, by the Opening of
the country at an early day. Sir Roderick
Marchison, who never dcspaired of Livingstone,
expects the great explorer home in England,
safe and sound, about the month of September.
Doctor Livingstone calls attention to the fact
that, coastwise, Africa is really demoralized by
the presence of numbers of slave traders,
chiefly Arabs. These men fed, unive rsally.
when they heard of his approach, saying 'the
English are on the road" so that he was at one
period completely deserted by the natives. The
conscience stricken traders were seized with
fear and panic and it is highly complimentary
to our American nationalism and literature to
know, from his letters, that the Doctor could
find no English words to convey to his Glasgow
friends, in short space, description of their
trepidation and retreat, so he used one of our
most recent vigorous and healthy engraftments
on the Anglo Saxon mother tongue in the word
''skedaddle." "Eight parties of slave traders
thus skedaddled," says the Doctor. The Afri
can explorer is a man of acute observation-a
philosopher in his simplicity. He must have
only just heard Of the American expression
when in England, or, it may be, had it from his
son, who served in the Union army during the
war but he did not forget it, and away there
in the country of the Chipeta he finds il useful
more useful than any which he had previously
learned for his purpose.
II is thus that great peoples aid each other.
BY means of American boring rods and pumps
Napier found water for his men in Abyssinia,
and the JEFF Davis rebellion soldiers Of the
Union supplied new word to Livingstone in
Africa.