The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-08-03
Doctor Livingstone's Dcspatches-Earl
Granvillc's and Young MIR. Living
stones Letters OF Thanks to Mr.
stanley.

SsV.OD AetscHb " ~ >-'
stanley.
In the HERALD of this morning will be
found some most interesting documents rela-
tive to the HERALD Livingstone Search Ex-
petition. There are three letters-one from
Viscount Enfield, one from Earl Granville
and third from the son of DR.. Livingstone
In the name of Earl Granville Lord Enfield
acknowledges the receipt of letters and docu-
ments from Dr. Livingstone delivered by Mr..
Stanley to Her Majesty Ambassador at Paris
for transmission to the Foreign Department,
and thanks Mr. Stanley for taking charge Of
these interesting papers AS We have said,
the second letter is from Earl Granville
himself to Mr.. Stanley. In this letter,
as our readers will perceive, Earl Granville
removes all doubt as to the authenticity of the
letters and documents which, purporting to
come from Dr. Livingstone, Mr.. Stanley had
delivered to Lord Lyons at Paris on the 3lst
of July. Earl Granville had never had doubts,
but having been informed by Mr.. Stanley that
doubts had been expressed he had made full
and dilgent inquiry into the facts OF the case.
His Lordships answer is worthy of his clear
head and his sound heart. Mr.. Hammond,
the Under Secretary of the Foreign Office, and
Mr.. Wyld, the Chief of the Consular and Slave
Trade Department, had not the slightest doubt
as to the eenuineness and authenticity Of the
documents received from Mr.. Stanley through
Lord Lyons In addition, His Lordship is
proud to take advantage of the opportunity
afforded him to express his admiration Of the
qualities which had enabled our correspondent
to achieve the object of his mission and to
attain a result which had been hailed with so
much enthusiasm both in the United States
and in Great Britain. The third letter
is from DR.. Livingstone's son. ~
have no doubt" he says, 'that this is
my fathers Journal and 1 certify that
these letters which Mr.. Stanley has brought
home are my fathers letters, and no other"
And while we write Mr.. Stanley is the lion of
London society, the honored and much
courted guest of the best families in England.
Such, then, are the facts. Human nature
being rs it is it was no surprise to us to learn
that even at the last moment, and in spite of
proof which ought to have been irresistible
doubts were expressed regarding the success of
the HERALD Livingstone Search Expedition.
In view of great undertakings, it seems to be
more natural for human nature to doubt than
to believe, to discredit than to honor. The
discovery of DR.. Livingstone was no doubt o
great undertaking. The man had long been
lost to civilization. The presumption was
that The man was no more If living, he was
in country UNEMPLOYED, and among people
who were absolutely unknown. To reach him,
while it implied time, necessitated vast ex-
pense and fearful risk of human life. If DR..
Livingstone was tobe sought and found, it was
surely business that devolved on the Royal
Geographical Society of London, which sent him
out-a society VIGOROUSLY rich and quite equal
to undertake the work. Failing the Geo
graphical Society, it was surely the duty of the
British government to equip and send forth an
expedition in quest of the long-lost traveller.
The supposed mpossibility of the I'M
dertaking or the apparent certainty
Of failure, was so far as we can
Judge. the reason which hindered the action
of the Geographical Society, and We can con-
ceive of no other reason which could hinder
the action of the British government. No one
can charge that government with being in
different to the interests of science or to the
safety of its subjects We have not yet for
gotten the Abyssinian expedition, its objects
and its results. That expedition will remain
a lasting glory to the British government and
people; and when we remember that expedi-
ton it is impossible to come to any other
conclusion than this: that it was Judged i'm
possible to find the man if alive, and unneces-
sary to seek for him, if dead.
Englishmen are not wanting in courage and
perseverance. There could no doubt have
been found hundreds of men on the other side
of the Atlantic who would have been willing
to undertake the toll and hazard Of u
journey into the interior OF Africa
to search for their missing countryman.
The love of adventure would probably have
been sufficient in some instances to produce
Stanley on the other side of the
Atlantic, but the account of DR.. Liv-
ingstone's death had been so circumstantially
given that it does not appear to have
occurred 10 our British cousins to doubt its
authenticity. In this We discover the differ
ence between Americans and Englishmen.
The latter are more apt than the former to
accept story such as was told Of Living
stones fate and to let the matter drop as
settled thing An American would doubt and
question and reason as to the probability of
the tale, and end with discrediting it
altogether An Englishman would be apt
to let the subject pass out of his men,
DRY, while an American would think
of it with characteristic restlessness and
- A. L. L