New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-12
HENRY STANLEY IN LONDON.
GOOn.WuL PREnOAuNATING.


THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL soCIErY-S0 Ex-
PLANTATIONS RENDERED BY UNITE SUB
STANCE OF COLONEL YULE's CgAgGEs-sIR
HENRY RAwIIysoN LIBERAL AND SENSIBLE
BOOK BY MR.. STANLEY FORTHCOMING.
IRON THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRBusEl
LONDON, Jar. 31.-A deputauion from the Royal
Geographical Society visited Mr. Stanley last week
to congratulate HIM his safe return and great dis
coveries. Tie President of the society. Sir Ruther-
ford Alcock, at the head of it members OF the
Council assisted and nothing was lacking either in
the composition of the committee or the warm sin
cerity of their greeting to make the ceremony I'M
pIessive. have heard, however, of preliminary
interview which ought to be mentioned to Mr.. STAN
lcy's honor. 1t is customary, III soemnties OF this
kind to notify the person to whom they offered, in
advance, and to ascertain from him that it will be
agreeable to him to receive the INTENDED expression
of respect. This notice duly given to Mr. STAN
ley. La reply, he said il wond give him much pleas
ure to accept the compliment proposed to him, on
one condition. II must not be supposed that he
thought himself In POSITION requiring any apology
OF explanation By way of preface to the civiies oil
the Geographical Society. This referred of conrse
to the charges brought against him in his absence.
Mr.. Stanley gave Sir Rutherford AlcOck to UNDER
stand that the society must take for granted that
he had acted while in Africa honestly and honora-
bly,. II they had any doubt on that point, or any
suspicion that he had been wantony numbering
negroes he would prefer not TO receive the depua-
ton. This frank and manly statement was met in a
similar spirit. Considering what passed in the
council, of which gave you some account in
recent letter. 1t could not well be met otherwise
But Mr. Stanley was at that time quite unaware OF
what had passed in the council.
Some further light is thrown on the matter by
long letter from Colonel Yule. published in to-
nights Pail Sal Gazette. Unanimty in the coun-
Gil was secured, Gays Colonel Yule, by the retire
mcnt from the meeting and from he council of one
member who vas persistent in opposing all recog-
milton Of Mr.. Stanley by the sOciety-the member in
question being Colonel Yue himself. And he pro-
ceeds to reproduce, in his own justification, the cat
aloeue of reprcaches which other less known men
had compiled and published during Mr.. Stanley's
absence. at not fitting" insists Colonel Yule,
"to pay Mr.. Stanley honor without distinctly let
ting him know that he had grave things TO explain"
1t is curious that Mr.. Stanley in entire ignorance
Of this secret effort to bring him to book should
have met it directly shown above with
plumprefusa to SO into the dock. where the Exeter
Hail party would like TO see him standing.
am not going through the long indictment now
once more brought against Mr.. Stanley. l said
something about it at the time when the charges
were first made-now more than two years ago-and
l see no reason to change the opinion l then ex-
pressed viz, that Mr. Stan,ey's letters, on which
alone the charge OF cruelty was based did not SUP
port IT, What now have is the Old Island of
Bambifeh story over again. Colonel Yulc says that
as he rc-reads the narrative his impression is even
stronger than az first that scheme of slaughter
was ever SO astUtely planned or more ruthiessly
carried out" The assage-thc only one | will
quote to which such respectable man as co'"'
Nv ate his arrival sabsdu Its wasanda 10
BaAbireh 10 procure food. The sayoQcs would not give
them any, buj attacked tJeui, vourdng eight anu XIII
ing chief Of Kacawas neighhor OF Anar, when gave
me another stGong ason why saIS Sr co
OF $50 men, 90 muskes with go speagen ana placed
ges OF BInbreh strong or to attack in the
planta grove made Tor the opposite shore Of the bay,
where there were bare slopes covered with short green
grass The enemy, pcrceivng my intention to disem-
bark rose from ther cover,s ana ran along ne nils 20
DO and accordingly ordered my force to paddle
slowly so as to give them time Ia hait an
hour the savages all assembled In knots
and groups; and after approaching within hundred
yards o; tic beach, formed my line Of battle.
Having aacaored each canoe 80 as to tn us biOsde
to the shore. ordered yoey 10 De bred at ono GROUP,
which Numbered about fifty aud the result was several
aim the danger of standing togetIeI, separated
Themselves advanced IL the water edge sngins
stones and snoong arrows hen ordered me canoes
advance within nifty yards OF the shore, and 10 ire at
quarters After an hour the savages saw thar they
cOnid not defend and reeatea up tue scope
where tney continued stu exposed TO 0ur bullets then
them 20 advance in q body 10 the beach, as If
about to dselnbark This caused the enemy 70 make
hrndrc,is down with their spears ready the
launch Wnen they Mere close :nough rod the 6u lie
spearmcn which mad such disastrous effect that they
retired iaf away, AMI oar work OF chastsement was
consunmated. Not many cartridges were fired, but as
the sayaSes were exposed, on Slope covered WITH
directly behnd and Ia their faces the loss was great
ForytSo were counted on the field yg dead ana over
100 we're 10 retire wounded. while on our aide
only two suffered Commissions from stones slunS az
us had now not only the King and one chief OF Bain-
nportant Chief OF Iis also besides hlylng punished the
Bambireh natives most seveiey.
1t remains says Colonel Yule for Mr. Stanley to
give his justification. say not. The Justification
sufficient though not the only one-is supplied by
the passage itself. The men whom the savages Of
Bambireh-the savages who shortly before had been
foiled in an effort to XIII Stanley hnself-had muir
dered even Staney's ailies-a friendly chief among
them. If he had allowed this outrage to pass un-
avenged, what would have been thought of him by
the Africans themselvesi They would have said,
This man is fool he allows his friends to be muir
dered and does not avenge them; it will be safe to
destroy him." His own men would have said also:
master is a fool he does not protect those who
serve him; we shall all be killed if we follow him
further" News of that kind spreads with rapidity.
Fresh foes, embOldened by his apparent timidity,
would have sprung up at every step Ii IS probably
not too much to say that though he had many other
battles before him, he his safe return to that
one act of courage and decision Such, at any rate,
believe to be his own conviction, and must say
think Stanley's judgment of the state Of public
opinion i'll Central Africa better worth taking than
that of sundry dissenting members OF the Royal
Geographical Society thousands of miles away.
Do not suppose l am speaking in Mr. Staniey's
name, or by his authority. have no authority to
any a vyord IN, bia hehan I am simpV stating my
own impressions, derived from some talk with him,
20 hn snre hut for which he cannot be held resnOn-