The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-18
DIR. LIVINGSTONE.
prom the London standard. July o.


Closely following upon the feeling Of profound
satisfaction and thankfulness which will have
stirred the public mind on reading the good news
about Livingstone, there will have risen the wish
that the life OF brave old Sir Roderick Murchis0n
could have been preserved till now. 1t Is with no
common regret that we have to add that closely
following upon the burst OF enthusiastic congratu-
lation which Mr.. Stanleys letters published few
days since, elected suspicion az to the nature OF
the evidence which they constitute will necessarily
suggest itself to the public mind In the first
place. the geographical portion OF Mr.. Stanley's
narrative seems inaccurate In more respects
than one; in the second place, why did
not DR.. Livingstone take the opportunity OF his
meeting with Mr. Stanley 70 despatch private let
ters to the friends and relatives at home who have
80 profound ana personal an interest In his well
fare 1t Is possible that the former OF these sus-
picions may be removed by citing the obscurlty
ana uncertainty in which the entire question of the
geography OF Central Africa is involved, and that
the latter may be disposed of on the hypothesis
that private correspondence may yet be forth
coming when the edge has been in some degree
taken Off the welcome novelty OF It's contents by
the communications OF the acute and enterprising
American who has been fortunate enough to find
DR.. Livingstone. Meanwhile we may hope there is
no expectation held out to US by the narrative
Of Mr.. Stanley which events will not verify.
Deeply interesting this narrative unquestfonably
is and striking testimony 1t constitutes In each
minute artlcu1ar to the marvellous accuracy Of
deneS wS the
Of whom they were all lovingly proud as COM
patriot had been oyertaken b5 death in the midst
disease or equally malignant treachery. But not
for moment did Sir ROderick Murchlson allow
to d the Influences q The
whom the story OF DR.. Iiv1ngstOnes death was first
set in circulation had He'd Nothing more or less.
side BY imminent leril-peril which they dared
not nice, they had 6aseIy ned and then then
had persisted. sucn was the thesis which Sir Rode
rick Murchis0n proposed, and which, nOtwithstand
rienced as Sir Samuel Baker, he resolutely main
tanned. Such, too, are the facts-as we now hope
70 To % r. was "a sSe
Doctor, with dangers and difficulties of every kind
confronting him, determined to complete his ex-
plOratiOns at the 'heel" Of the Nyassa Lake, that
he was abandoned by the greater portion Of his
retinue and escort, and that the Johanna men,
to their Seoae with ii
falseho0d on their lips that Livingstone was no
more
The entire account OF rivingstones dongs and
OF his discovery by Mr. stanley, the special COM
missioner OF the New YORK HERALD whom the pro.
pret0rs OF that journal had despatched In quest of
tho gallant Englishman, seems, as we read It, more
like an extract from the narrative OF some bygone
period-.-a scrap, as It were, from the journal OF
some Marco Polo, between whom and ourselves
there lies long interval Of time-than the record
of severe nineteenth century fact All honor to the
enterprising spirit which induced the managers of
Stanley on his adventurous mission; oil con-
gratulations to Mr.. Stanley himself on the
success by which, as he assures us, his mis-
sion has been attended Yet while these will be
the sentiments animating every English breast, Is
first white man that met Livingstone might have
been English too, and that the first friendly hand
from distant shore which 'wrung his might have
been, at least, that OF q fellow cOuntryman We
do not grudge. America her trumph-and a
triumph 1t really isyet we cannot but wish that 1T
our government did not long since do, as all Eng
lishmen desired they should do, organize for the
purpose Of discovering, or, 1t might have been. Of
America private enterprise readily sufliced to
equip. It Is rather more than year ago that Mr..
HERALD, arrived from Zanzibar at Unyanycmbe. To
his disappointment he was prevented from proceed
ing, as he had purp0sed, Immediately to Ujili, In
consequence of q feud between Miranda. King
UJowa, and the Arabs, the result Of which was that
the monarch declined to allow any kind of caravan
to pass through his territory except over his dead
body. Mr.. Stanley at once made up his mind to
make league offensive and defensive with the
Arabs, the result Of which arrangement was so far
successful that after few vicissitudes King MI
ramb0 beat sudden retreat and Mr.. Stanley got
of in the direction Of Ulili by rather more
taking On the Sd of November-or rather
more than four months after his arrival at I'm
lying houses Of Ujiji, which he determined to
enter with as much ectdt as possible, "dis-
posing his little band In such q manner as
to form somewhat imposing procession. At the
head was borne the American nag; next came the
armed escort, who were directed to discharge their
firearms with as much rapidity as possible; follow
ing these were the baggagenen, the horses and the
asses, and In the rear OF all came Mr.. Stanley HIM
SELF" This unaccustOmed spectacle seems to have
been viewed In light comcal rather than formida-
BILE by the inhabitants OF Ujii, who rushed out to
meet 1t with sundry drol gestculations, and at
tomn bod IN dr0v IN Of r Gfanl fro
arms In the noise OF their own "unearthly musical
Instruments" A moments inspection satisfied
Mr.. Stanley that he lad gained the object OF his
quest In the midst of the native procession was "a
white man, clad In red woOllen Jacket and wearing
on his head naval cap, with faded gold band"
This was Livingstone, and q more dramatic meeting,
or In the midst Of Accomplishments more fantasti-
cay picturesque, 1t would certainly be dincult to
''in remarkably good health, stout and strong,
quite undismayed by all that lie had gone through,
and eager only to ansh the task he had imposed
which Mr.. Stanley gives OF DIR. Livingstone. How
much Of this task has been accomplished, and how
much does there yet remain to do The narrative
Of the brave explorers adventures and discoveries,
his reverses and his triumphs, will be read with
almost GREATNESS interest aud excitement. More
than six long years have passed since Livingstone
left u.s. bound on his great African tour. With some
Of his experiences we are already acquainted,
which have ave from time to time reached
u.s. Directly Livingstone left Zanzibar, in March,
1856, he determined to push his way as far inland in
u
solve what there still remained to solve of the great
problem which had baffied so many centuries of
effort-the exact spot whence the River Nile took
Its 0rigin-and also to investigate to what extent
the lakes OF the African continent might be con-
nccted with each other by means OF rivers, and
might thus offer continuous passage for naviga-
ton. We now know what we did not know before,
the series OF difficulties all but Overwhelming, and
of dangers which would have discouraged any
heart less stout that Livingstone had to en-.
counter. AS he travelled up the left bank Of the
ROvuma River his men commenced to grow disaf.
fccted and frightened. BY degrees they left
him, and on their return to their homes
spread the first reports OF his death. Then the
Sepoys who were with him mutined. Afterwards
the Johanna men, their courage falling them, took
to their heels, till Livingstone was left, for all prac-
teal purposes, alone. The first great point to
which he directed his attention was the course OF
the Chambez River. Portuguese explorers had de-
scribed 1t rs tributary of the Zambesi, but the de-
scription was dscredited by Livingstone, who long
had cherished the conviction that this stream aud
thinr elsn he the cradle of the mighty Nill