Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-10-21
Stanley in Africa.


st After a long and unbroken silence
d characteristic of the vast and unbroken
e solitudes through which Mr.. Stanley and
T his followers have been making their wav
Z dispatches have again reached us from
this resolute and successful explorer, and
q we were yesterday enabled to indicate the
,, heads OF the extremely interesting tidings
! which have arrived. Good news, indeed
P II Is to know that one of the most advent.
" urous and perilous journeys undertaken
upon the surface of the dark continent has
t reached Its first stage OF triumph in the
u SAFE transit through a totally unknown
I line OF country and the careful survey of
5 the shores OF that magnificent lake upon
! me waters OF which Mr. Stanley has.
after all been the first to launch an En-.
slish-ouilt vessel. 1t is too true that we
m ust qualify these epithets good" and
sale" so far as to acknowledge that.
: with. all his courage, skill, caution and
! foreth oughs-qualities now no longer de-
MED in any quarter to this gallant gentle
man--our commissioner has paid dear
for the splendid results which he has
achieved
/ We mentioned yesterday that two of
the Europeans accompanying him had
sucsumbed to the deaaIy breath of the
jungle; and tri butte of honor and respect
is due, In the first place, to those Young
Engilshmen, Peacock and Barker, who
| have added their names 10 the fist of the
many unpretending martyrs who have
! persisted for the sake Of Africa. More
over, in the swift and resente march
| which MIR. Stanley has made since omit
ting Mpapwa, on the Unyanyembe road.
last December, his force of soldiers and
porters will be found to have diminished
| terribly.
We shall go far anticipate the particu-
lars OF that march rs TO state that by deser
| ton, dysentery, fever and fierce fighting
AS many as bsl OF the followers were found
| missing trons the muster-roll read by the
shores OF Lake Victoria at the beginning
of March. There stood around the brave
| leader only i66 men when he campe,i at
| kagehyi, in UChambi; but these were well
seasoned by the swift progress which
Stanley had nade, and his letters, public
and private, xeathe the spirit Of un-
| swerylng resolution and of n lust satisiac-
| ton Mt what HAL been achieved He re-
ports himself amply provided with men,
| guns and supplies of all kinds, even at
the close of this remarkable march. for
| that it is most remarkable will be allowed
| by all who know the conditions of African
| travel.
| From Bagamoyo TO the Victoria Lake il
distance OF nearly $50 miles, following
Stanley's route, and this was accomplished
in lo3 days. The last expedition which
proceeded to Unyanyembe took seven
months to cover that OBS miles of we'll
known road, while the larger portion of
SANKEY'S lay through perfectly unknown
! district
Through matted jungles and waterless
| mains tlFDnHh MAINTAIN 81
swamps, over rivers and wildernesses, and
with or without the leave of fierce tribes
new 10 the sight of the white man and his
wonderful goods, our commissioner, dur,
ing those first months of this year, led his
| men Increasingly carrying with him all
| The way his little vessel, the Lady Alice,
which was at last uiumphantly put to,
gethcr and launched on the broad bosom
of the Victoria Nyan2a.
| Spite of all losses and difficulties he
stood there on the LIST of March last-as
he writes-well equipped for two wears
more OF good work, with men whom he
could perfectly trust, and one of the most
dangerous portions Of his toll accom-
plished.
His first letter describes the Journey
from the Unyanyembe road 10 the
| N'yanzai his second comprises descrip-
'ibii w hfA5 NDiCubiu iulhIu N.i, NTIltEn
after voyage Of upward of 1000 miles
made round its shores and upon its sur.
face. Spoke, the discoverer, with Grant,
OF the Victoria always held the water TO
be one and undivided. He saw an i'm.
mcnsc extent Of 1t from Muarina, and
caught once and again different prospects
OF Its western glitter rs he journeyed to-
ward Uganda, while at the Ripon Falls he
| once more behcld what he took 10 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 IL was made up of separate
lakelets, and could not be compared with
the other inland seas of Central Africa for
size or depth, has Of late gained much
! ground, especially ~ smaller sheets have
been recently found near it to the north.
Stanley makes the Victoria N'yanza
much higher above the sea level than
| Spoke, just as Cameron corrected Burton
and Spoke about the latitude of Tan
ganyika. IL is, at least, evident from
| these differences that no theory can be
securely founded upon isolated observa-
ti0ns 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 de
scrihing the passage of the Lady Alice
round and across the Victor an waters we
have also received IA sketch map Of her
voyage, which included in its "periplusr
a visit 10 King Mtesa's capital in Uganda,
| close 10 the Victoria Nile.
| And here il appears our very successful
commissioner met and spent some time
with Col. Linant de Bellefonds, Of Cor
don's staff, but the communication de-
scribing this happy encounter and por-
| traying the northern shore Of the lake has
not arrived along with the others 1t il
| probable that the manuscript was com
mittcd to Col Gordon's officer, and is now
| on It's way % us by the Upper Nile and
| Soudan, and it will, no doubt, arrive to
complete one Of the most profoundly in
teresting chapters Of African discovery.
| Meanwhile the revelation made by the
narrative in the two letters is sufficiently
plain TO remove all doubts ~ to the char
acter Of the Victoria Lake, and the public
and the geOgraphers will see how gener-
ously King Mtesa supplied our explorer
with men and boats and how lac returned