Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-02-05
DAVID LIVINGSTONE.
Biographical Sketch Of the Great An
can Traveller.

DAVID LIVINGSTONE.
Bi0Rra phicni Sketch Of the Great Ami.
can Traveller.
Rev. David Livingston was born at
Blantyre, near Glasgow, about the year
1917, and was the descendant OF High
land ancestors. His parents were in
humble circumstances, his father, who
died IN 1853, being a small tea dealer
in Hamilton, who was, according to his
sons statement, too honest and consci.
entious to become wealthy. David
Livingstone, the con, was sent, when a
boz, to earn his living in the cotton
mills ut Blantyre. Even that early in
life he was possessed by hunger
for learning, and by the results OF
his summer labor in the mills he was
enabled to study at Glasgow during
the winter months. It was after this
fashion that he obtained KNOWLEDGE
of the classics. As he approached man.
hood he vowed himself to the mission.
airy cause with purpose of laboring
either in China or Africa.
He studied medicine for q few years,
was admitted u Licentiate Of the Fac.
ulty OF Physicians and Surgeons in
1888, and then offered himself to the
London Missionary Society as laborer
for religious work in Africa. In 1910,
soon after being ordained to the pas
toral Office, he left England for Port
Natal. At that place he became nc.
quainted with and married the daugh
ter of tho Rev. Robert Moffet, one of
the English missionaries in Africa, and
his wife thereafter accompanied him
in his travels until her death, in 1862
From 1910 till the close of 1856,
when he returned to England, DR..
Livingstone worked indetatigably as q
missionary at various stations in South.
ern Africa, and made several journeys
into the interior, in this way becoming
acquainted with the language, habits,
and religions Of many of the tribes.
Twice he crossed the entire continent,
frora the shores OF the Indian Ocean to
those of the Atlantic. The Royal Geo
graphical Society honored him, in May,
| 1856. with the Victoria, or Patrons
gold metal. for having traversed
South Africa from the Cape of Good
Hope, by Lake Ngami, to Ginganti,
and thence to the western coast, in ten
degrees south latitude" In 1856, DR..
Livingstone retraced his steps east
ward, and followed the Zambesi to its
mouth upon the shore of the Indian
Ocean, thus making an entire Journey
across Southern Africa.
In 1856, after an absence of sixteen
years, DR.. Livingstone returned to
England, aud was welcomed Decem.
Der Is by the Royal Geographical So
ciety. Upon this occasion the Presi.
dent, the late Sir r. Murchison, re-
ferring to the services of DR.. Living
stone as u missionary, stated that he
had traversed lands never before
trodden by the foot of a white man,
and made geographical discoveries
of incaicuiable Importance. That be
had journeyed over not less than H.
600 miles Of African territory, and by
his astronomical observations had 10
Gated hitherto unknown mountains,
rivers and lakes, and secured knowl-
edge Of the country which would prove
| of the utmost value to England.
In March, 1858, DR.. Livingstone re-
turned to Africa, with small number
of assistants furnished by the English
Government. In 1851, Sept. 2, he en-
tered Lake Nyassa, for the purpose of
making further explorations. During
this, the Zambesi expedition, Mrs. Liv-
ingston, who had been a constant and
faithful companion of her husband in
his journeyings, died of fever at
Shupanga, April 81, 1862 The Fam
best expedition was recalled in July,
1868, and the Doctor returned to Eng.
land, arriving there in July, 1864. A.
ter giving a narrative of his work and
discoveries, the unwearied traveller
again returned to Africa in 1865, on his
final journey, from which he never re-
turned.
In. 1867, early in March, a ru1nor
reached England that DR.. livingstone
had been killed near Lake Nyassa, in q
fight with the natives. On the 9th of
June, of the same year, an expedition
started from England to solve the
doubt which existed whether the great
traveller was dead, and in January,
1868, the information reached England
from this party that DR.. Livingstone
was undoubtedly alive, which letters
from the explorer himself soon con-
firmel. Under date of July, 1868, he
wrote that he had, without doubt, dis
covered the chief sources of the Nile,
and they were nearly in the position
assigned them by Ptolemy. A commu.
nication was afterwards received from
Dr.. Livingstone, dated Ujiji, May -,
1869, in which was given history Of
further discoveries. After that date
nothing was heard from him directly,
but rumors of his death pre-
vailed, and were generally believed.
While in this state of uncertainty con-
corning the fate of DR.. Livingstone,
an American newspaper, the New York
Herald, fitted out al expedition in 1871
to search for The explorer. It started
from Zanzibar and Bangamoya under
the leadership of correspondent
named Henry NJ. Stanley, found Liv
i"gstone at Ujiji, in November, 1871,
remained with him four months. and
journey as far as Unyanyembe. The
result of this enterprise showed that
DR.. Livingtone had be- p,aking an
extensive Journey to the west of Lake
Tangany;ka, and had been unable to
communicate with the world.
It was while engaged in other expe-
ditions and explorations that death
which had attended every step of is
journeys, finally overcame and wrestet,
from b,m the enjoyment of his tri.
umphs as the great explorer and mis-.
sionary Of modern times.
The substance of his discoveries dur.
ing the last six years may be summed
up in 6riet as follows: He found that
| T,ako Tanoanvika xvoa mt ono ~ ~
sources of the Nile; he discovered five
lakes west, southwest and south ii
Tanganyika, ard an unknown lake,
which he had approached but did moi
visit. These are the lakes VIII Oh he
believed to be the sources of the Nile,
but which DIR. Peterman, the distin.
guished geographer of Germany, has
ventured to deny.
As far as published, the results oil
DR.. Livingstone's labors may be found
in his "Travels and Researches in
South Africa" published in 1857; and
Expedition to the Zambesi and Trlb.
utaries," published in 1865.
The papers relating to his later la.
bors are probably in the hands Of
some person who will, in due time,
give them to the world.
| Cremation.
An eccentric Englishman has be.
queathed $3.50 to the London Gas Com.
pany, on condition that it shall burn
his body in one of its retorts. The
bequest has revived the old discussion
about bury ing vs.. burning, and in the
| nick of time Sir Henry THOMPSON