The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-09-18
STANLEY AND THE DARK CONT
NEAT.

Mr.. James X. Clark, special agent, has laid
on our table Henry NJ. SANKEY'S great work,
entitled Through the Dark Continent" in
two volumes, illustrated with maps and dia
grams and two pictures of the author, one
taken before he entered upon his explora-
tons and another after his travels were over.
The work IS copyrighted and published and
sold only by Harper Il Brothers. Ordinarily
we might be content with this brief notice
of the volume before us, but the almost
superhuman exploits of Stanley, the vast
additions of information which his
work affords of the dark CONT
'nent," warrants Q more extended review,
and the task is all the more pleasurasle from
he fact that SANKEY'S wonderful achieve
ments were accomplished under the auspices
Of two great newspapers-the New York
Herald and the London Telegraph. Imme
diately preceding Stanley in African explo-
rations, Livingstone's discoveries had con-
tributed to awaken an intense desire to know
more, and the final solution of certain great
problems relating to the source OF the Nile
and the Congo devolved upon Stanley. As
he sequel shows, he was the man for the
occasion. Bold, discreet and indefati-
gable, he started from Zanzibar isl
md, on the east coast of Africa,
November II, 1874. The account given of
the preparations for the explorations is brief;
10 fact, throughout the entire work there is
40 waste of words, but the description of the
natives, of lake and river, as well as Of all
the perils encountered during a period of
swo years seven months and twenty-eight
days. are in the highest degree graphic, and
the interest in the work is not only main
tanned but steadily increased to the end.
Stanley, after being shut out from the civil
lied world for the time mentioned, arrived
at the mouth of the Congo August
IL, 1877. The world now knows or
may know ali about Central Africa
1t is no longer a terra ilcOgfitd. Its lakes and
rivers have been accurately mapped, and the
sources of the Nile and the Congo are no
longer unsolved problems. The character
and habits of the natives of central Africa
are known, and those who take an interest
IN such matters have reliable data upon
which to base their hopes and calculations
'or civilizing and ChristianiziDg of the saw
ages. though it must be confessed that cen
raj Africa was never designed for the
Oabitation OF white men, and if the
country is ever redeemed from the grasp
of savage superstition, the work will have 10
be accomplished by negroes, whom it seems
the Creator designed for equatorial regions,
SANKEY'S experience being conclusive that
white men under any circumstances can not
nope to Withstand the deadly assaults'of the
chills and fever of the dark continent"
The explorer entered upon his travels the
picture of robust health-hair untinged with
gray, brow unwrinkled and eyes bright and
clear-but when he emerged from the wilder
ness his hair was white as snow, and the
wrinkles on his face told of the fearful in
roads of the African climate upon a consti-
tuition exceptionally robust. OF this the
pictures of the explorer bear ample testi-
mony. The work is destined to have large
sale, and will find its way to the libraries,
public and private of the country.