Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-03-02
The Reported Death of DIR. Living
stone


can explorer, which was reported a few days
ago, is not believed by the most competent
authorities in England. Sir. Roderick Muir
Gibson publishes the following letter on the
subject
In his letter TO Mr.. Doherty from the west
coast of Africa of the 9th of January, 1870,
captain Cochrane states that Portuguese
trader had brought Ito what place is not
said,) the information that when Living
stone was on the lakes at the head of Congo,
ninety days journey from 1.-THE mouth OFF,
that river, he was killed and burned by the
natives
Now, let US compare this statement with
the facts and dates in our possession regard
Ing the movements of our great traveller
Livingstone wrote from UIji on the Both of
May 1869, to Zanzibar, requesting TO be sup
piled with a number of boatmen and goods
to enable him TO proceed to the north of Lake
Tanganyika, and, as he expressed 1t, " TO con-
meet the sources have discovered with the
/ Nile of Spoke and Baker Dr. Kirk, IN his
despatch to Lord Clarendon of the I'd of Oc-
tober, 1869, states that he would lose no
time in procuring and sending the supplies
demanded. Granted that these requirements
were forwarded in q week or two from that
/ date, they could not have reached Living
stone before the middle of December, as 1t
/ takes two months TO communicate between
/ Zanzibar and Ujiji. How, then. can Living
stone have had time to organize his expedl-
ton to proceed to the northern end of Tan
| ganyiki, and then round 1t to the as yet IN
| known lakes at the head of the Cong by
! the date required to verify this new rumor
! Of his death For the death as will be per-
ceived, must have happened ninety days be-
/ fore the news reached the Portuguese settle
1 nents on the west coast.
! Even on the incredible supp0sitiOn that
| Livingstone started alone and destitute as he
| then was at Ujiji, without waiting for the
men and supplies he had written for, there
would not have been time for him to have
penetrated the totally unexplored and ex-
tensiye region lying between UJJI and the
| headwaters of the Congo
Not but that | think it quite possible, as |
have expressed it already to the Geographi-
| cal Society, that if fOilet in connecting Tan
| y4nvika with the Nile, he might eventually
return By way of the Congo and the West
/ Coast of Africa. | may be permitted TO re-
| ter TO the report OF meeting of the society
| contained in the Times of the 18th of Deem
her, 1863, where it Will be seen that | stated
that in this case we should have before u
d long and anxious period Of suspense regard
| ing cur traveller.
! Mr. Horace Waller also writes, pointing
| Captain COeurane. Messrs. Grant, Brodit
i Co, of g East India avenue, Leadenhal
street, publish a translation of a Portuguese
letter which has been IN their possession
some weeks, and which they believe to con-
tain the story which was told TO Captain
kCochrane. TIE . Portuguese trader, = saws
/ - Amer a tedious journey crossed the
i Congo, near the town of the Chief Katende
on bridge of trees, and three DAYS after.
wards | took the direction SIS. E. calculating
by the sun, until | reached the town of the
Chief Manguangua, in twelve days march
from the Congo, and ninety-fye DAYS from
Malange Tin Angola.)
Two months after my arrival-the 18th of
June, lS6S-I received intelligence of the
| arrival at the town of the Chief Chinde on
the other side of the Lambesi Of a great en-
bassy from Musta Cazembe, who were going
/ with tribute to Musta Janso. Curiosity i'm
PEELED me to send for the ambassador who
came with all his follOwing-abOut five hun
dred persons Entering into conversation
with him as to the routes 70 Mozambique
the idea occurred TO me TO inquire about DR..
| Livingstone. He replied that Il was not
right TO speak about such a =, fetish man :
| feigned alarm at his answer. and allowed
some days to pass without touching on the
subject again. As we daily became more
friendly. 1 decided one night on inviting him
70 nv tent. and there | had ready for him
two lars of cacOllo a drink made from honey
and then, after causing the servant to re
tire, he told me, with every appearance of
secrecy, the following story The - Calun-
ga or DR.. Livingstone, was a great fetish
mamie spoke every day with the sun-he
never slept in a house-he did not fear the
wild beasts-he always travelled with an an
imal in box who never ate anything, and
he was always talking with it, and asking
the way from it, as he never asked it from
any person Occasionally he opened papers
and talked aloud to them he passed rivers
without a canoe, and did many other won
derful things. On his return from Loanda
he had already the reputation of being wiz
ard, and no one carci to meet him. Some
years after he passed on that Journey there
died a son OF chief residing at twenty days
march from the place where they were then
cOnversing. Believing that Livingstone had
bewitched his son, tae chief pursued him
but failed to overtake him. After some
time had elapsed, learning that Livingstone
was approaching his territory, he sent out
TO meet him, and gave him muange, OF drink
for testing fetish workers, and as soon as its
deadly effects manifested themselves, they
quartered and burnt his body.
1, Such is the information which Fumo Aicl-
ca, Ambassador of the Chief of Cazembe
communicated TO me when l met him on the
banks of the ZambeZi from the 18th TO tn,
25th of June, lS6S.