The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-29
STANLEY IN AFRICA.
News from the Intrepid Explorer his
March from the Coast to tbe Victoria
N'yanza-Loss of $50 Wen ON the Road
AdSemfnres and DiseO Eeries.
London Daily TELEGRAPH.

| characteristic OF the NttSJ dIiet
sOlitudes through which Mi. STANLEY
and his followers have been making
their way-dispatches have again reach,
ed us from this resOlute and successful
exDlorer. and we were yesterday enabled
! To indicate the heads of the extremely
interesting tidings which have arrived.
Good news, indeed, it is to know that
one of the most adventurous and per-
lions JOURNEYS undertaken upon the sur
face of the dark continent has reached
it's first stage of triumph in the safe
transit through a totally unknown line
of country and the careful survey of the
shores of that magnificent lake upon
the waters of which Mr. Stanley had
after all, been the first to launch an
! Fnolish-built vessel. 1t is too true
that we must qualify these epithets
"rood" and safe" so far as to ac-
knowledge that, with all his courage,
! skill, caution and fOrethought quail
ties now no longer denied in any quarter
of this gallant gentleman-our commits
sioner has paid dear for the splendid
results which he has achieved
! We mentioned yesterday that two of
! the Europeans accompanying him bad
/ succumbed to the deadly breath of the
| Jungle; and a tribute of honor and re-
| spect is due, in the first place, to those
young Englishmen, Peacock and Barker
who have added their names to the list
| Of many unpretending martyrs who have
persisted for the sake of Africa More
over, in the swift and resOlute march
which Mr.. Stanley has made, since quit
ting Mpapwa, on the Unyanyembe road,
last December, his force of soldiers and
pOrters will be found to have diminished
terribly.
We shall so far anticipate the particu-
| lars Of that march as to state that by de-
sertion, dysentery, fever, and fierce fight
ing, as many as Isl of the followers were
found missing from the muster-roll read
by the shores of Lake Victoria at the be-
| ginning of march. There stood around
the brave leader only 1855 men when he
camped at Kagehyi, in Uchambi; but
these were seasoned by the swift pro
gress which Stanley had made, and his
! letters, public and private, breathe the
spirit of answering resolution and of
| Just satisfaction at what had been
achieved. He reports himself amply
provided with men, guns, and supplies
of all kinds even at the close of this re-
markabIe march, for that it is most re
markablc will be allowed by all who
know the condition of African travel
From BagamOyO to the Victoria lake
is distance of nearly $50 miles, follow
ing SANKEY'S route, and this was accom-
plished in 103 days. The last eXpeCli-
ton which proceeded to Unyanyembe
took seven months to cover that 525
miles of well-knOwn road, while the
larger portion Of Stanley's lay through
perfectly unknown district.
Through matted jungles and water
less plains, through mountains ranges
and swamps, over rivers and wilder
nesses, and with or without the leave
of fierce tribes new to the sight Of the
white man and his wonderful goods,
our commissioner, during those first
months Of this year, led his men I'M
ceasinglv. carving with him all the
way his little vessel the Lady Alice,
which was at last triumphantly put to-
gether and launched on the broad bosom
OF the Victoria N'yanza.
EQUIPPED FOR TWO YEARS MORE WORK.
Spite of all losses and difficulties he
stood there on the LIST of March last-as
he writes-well equipped for two years
more of good work, with men whom he
could perfectly trust, and one of the
most dangerous portions Of his toll &C
complished.
THE GREENLAND SEA.
His first letter describes the journey
from the Unyanyembe road to the
| N'vanza; his second comprises a de-
scription of this splendid inland sea,
written after a voyage Of upward OF
one thousand miles made around its
shores and upon its surface. Spoke, the
discoverer. with Grant OF the Victoria,
always held the waters to be one and.
undivided. He saw an immense extent
of it from MuanzO, and caught once
and again different prospects Of its
western glitter as he jOurneyed toward
Uganda, while at the Ripon Falls he
once more beheld what he took to be
the same great lake from the nOrthward.
| Livingstone, on the other hand, from
! hearsay, Judged the Victoria to consist
of at least five small bodies of water;
and this idea, that Is was made OF
| separate lakelets, and could not be com
pared with the other inland seas OF
Central Africa for size or depth, has OF
late gained much ground, especially as
smaller sheets have been recently found
near ii to the north.
Stanley makes the Victoria N'yanza
much higher above the sea level than
Spoke, Just as Cameron corrected Burr
ton and Spoke about the latitude OF
| Tanganvka. 1t is, at least, evident
from these differences that no theory
can be securely founded upon isolated
observations until verified, and this has
much significance for other regions OF
the map besides those of the N'yanza.
Along with the very important letter
describing the passage of the Lady Alice
round and across the Victorian waters
we have also received sketch map Of
her voyage, which included in its peri
plus 0 visit to King Mtesa's capital in
Uganda, close to the Victoria Nile.
And here it appears that our very sue
cessful commissioner met and spent some
time with Col Tenant de Bellefonds, of
Gordon's staff, but the communication
describing this happy encounter and por-
/ traving the northern shore of the lake
has not arrived along with the others.
1t is probable that the manuscript was
committed to Col. GOrdOn's officer, and
is now on its way to Us by the Upper
| Nile and Soudan, and it will no doubt,
arrive to complete one Of the most pro-
| foundly interesting chapters of African
/ discovery. Meanwhile the revelation
made by the narrative in the two letters
/ is sufficiently plain to remove all doubts
/ as to the character of the Victoria lake,
and the public and the gcographers will
see how generously King Mtesa supplied
! our explorer with men and boats, and
/ how he returned to Jsukuma and his
camp at Uchambi just in time to avert
/ one Of those disastrous panics which an
/ absent commander has always to dread
/ in African travel.
There are, we may safely promise, all
the ingredients of adventure in this
double narrativc-arduous marching,
fierce conflicts, perils by land and water,
novel scenery. marvellous reports Of re-
gions peopled by dwarfs and giants, sup
pcrs made on lions meat, stories of
breed of dogs as big as donkeys-in fact
food for every taste.
He was busiiy preparing for fresh de,
parture into regions whereon every step
must bring him nearer to momentous
discoveries; and though he is left alone
now with only one white companion, We
feel proud certainty that he willjustity
our confidence and reflect honor on those
who coDt him, forth