New-York tribune., 1877-09-18
STdyLErs GREIT EXPLORATION

solved. There were good grounds Tor the Deuei
that Mr. Stanley, with the advantage OF his
years of experience as an explorer, MS Vleor-
ous and thoroughly acclmated frame, his COM
bined courage and quickness OF decision IN
situations of peril, and his exceptionally COM
Dlete emipment for the undertaking, would
succeed in reaching the western coast some
,rLere: but that he should have been allowed
by fate to follow the Lualaba of Livingstone
until il became the Congo and TO locate It's
entire course from the Manyuema country TO
the Atlantic Ocean. is one of the most signal
successes in the annals of geographical dlscov-
cry.
Stanley's last letters to The Herald before
setting out on this wonderful journey, were
written from UjIi, on Lake Tanganyika, III
August, 1876, and did not reach their destl-
nation until the 18th of last March. lie an
nounced his speedy departure for Nyangwe, on
the Lualaba, the point beyond which DOth
Livingstone and Cameron found it impossible
to proceed The difficulties encountered by the
tier in his endeavors to reach the river from
points further west gave us, in advance, a clear
conception of the hazardous task which await
ed Stanley. When these last messages arrived
six months of his unknown journey had already
elapsed. and six more have passed before the
news OF his safe arrival at EmbOma, on the
Lower Congo, comes to relieve the general
anxiety I'm regard to his fate, before 1t has
taken the form Of painful suspense. Teach
inc Emb0ma on the Sth of August, his travels
from Lake TaDganyika to the mouth OF the
Congo, must have occupied about eleven
months, nine of which were spent III travers-
ing territory utterly unknown.
The first report which The Herald has just
received, gives "A general and somewhat vague
geographical outline of the route. Stanley
started from Nyangwe, the initial point of ex-
ploration, on the 10Th of last November In
stead Of embarkng on the l.ualaba, he appears
to have pressed forward along the night bank
of the river, carrying his supplies and the see
tons of his boat on the shoulders of men.
His progress was greatly impeded by great
tracts of dense forest, and the attacks Of tine
savage native tribes, with whom he found 1t
impossible to establish any friendly intercourse.
He then crossed the river and continued his
march along the left bank, encOuntering the
same obstacles. Finally the pOrters from Ny
angwe, 40 in number, became so intimdated
by the dangers which beset the party, that
they deserted in body. The march, in fact,
was necessarily made in military order, with
skirmishers in advance, and rear guard.
Many men were struck down by the arrows Of
the natives, shot at them out OF the ambush
of the forests. The desertiOn of the pOrters
was followed by combined attempt to exter-
inmate the rest of the party, and Stanley was
finally compelled to betake himself to the river.
The brief sketch of the voyage will excite a
general impotence for fuller details. The
great stream flowed nOrthward to the Equator,
where Its course was interrupted by a success
sion of cataracts. Stanley, who found that in
spite Of the hostility of the tribes on both
shores, he was better able to protect his men
IN their canoes than in the forests, was obliged
to cut a track thirteen miles in length, in order
to transport his boat and the canoes below the
falls. Then, after period of very necessary
rest, the voyage was resumed. On reaching
the parallel of % north latitude the course of
the river turned westward, and then southwest
ward, in great curve. 1t was from two to
ten miles in breadth, and filed with islands,
between which the little flotilla pushed for
ward with less danger from the attacks of the
sayages All efforts to communicate with the
latter failed the supplies came to an end,
and the party was threatened with starvation.
Finally, when three entire days had been passed
without food, Stanley halted at a village on
the left bank, where, by a providential chance,
the people were friendly, and had some inter
course with the sea-cOast They called the
river "Illuta va Congo" From that point, the
name of Luaaba was replaced by Kwango,
or Zoure" (Zaire? p.
Rested and amply supplied, the expedition
set forth again. But its dangers were not yet
over; in three days Stanley entered the domm-
ions of a powerful tribe, the men of which
were armed with muskets. They put off III
fifty-four large canoes to attack the nineteen
canoes of the intruders, and desperate run
ming fight was kept up for twelve miles down
the river. This was the last but one, of thirty
two separate attacks made upon the expedi-
ton, after leaving Nyangwe. OF the force OF
$50 men with which Stanley left Zanzibar in
November, 1874, 115 survivors, in misera-
bic state of exhaustion, arrived with him ut
Emboma His greatest loss was that of his
only English assistant, Francis Pocock, who
was carried over one of the cataracts of the
Congo on the Sd OF June last. special for
tune seems to have attended the explorer, for
~ own boat the Lady Alice" with himself
and crew, was carried over another cataract,
six weeks LATER all escaping as by miracle.
From EmbOma there is easy communication
with st. Paul de Loanda, and Stanley may,
therefore reach England in another month.
The exploration, it will he seen, beginning at
the point where Livingstone and Cameron were
interrupted, determines the entire course OF
the Congo River. But farther, through the
great curve of that nver beyond the Equator,