The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-02-21
STANLEY'S CONVERT.
How King Mtesa was Won Over to Chris
uaDity-An Affecting Parting of the Ex-
plOrer and His Men.

From a Letter to the New York Herald
One of the greatest satisfactiens-I ex-
perienced after reaching Zanzibar was
the information received that the church
mission to Uganda had arrived at its
destination. 1t would not be out of place
here to remind forgetful people that the
church mission TO Uganda is the result
OF an appeal l made to English philan-
thropists through your columns. The
annual volume for 1875 of the Royal
Geographical Society's proceedings will
inform you that $4,000 was subscribed
in one night. | have been told that an
additional $4,000 was afterward sub
scribed TO it. 1t was Col. Linant de
Bellefonds who conveyed this appeal into
the hands of Col. Gordon. 1t is to Col
Gordon's kindness that / am indebted
for its transmission to England.
CONVERTING KING MTEsA.
The appeal was written in April, 1875.
During the brief visit / made to the EN-
peror of Uganda at that time l under
mined his belief and respect in the Mo-
Mammalian religion. The month of Au-
| gust saw me again at the Court of
Mtesa. spent 10 days with him on
this second visit, during which time |
translated, with the aid of Mr. Darling
/ ton, pupil of the London Mission at
Zanzibar, the entire Gospel of st. Luke,
the Lords Prayer, the Apostles Greed,
several chapters of st. Paul's Epistles
and portion of the Book of Revelation,
besides the Ten Commandments. Dur
ing nearly all of this time spent from
two to six hours each and talking with
him about the great love for mankind
which the Savior manifested while on
earth. When we returned to his CAPT
tai, in the latter part of October, l d.
rected how the new church was to be
built, and assisted the chief, Mkwenda,
to plant the pillars and posts of the
building.
Considering the terrible things re-
corded in Col. Longs book" Victoria
Niyanza THE massacres of innocent
men and women simply to do him honor,
fair-minded Englishmen must recognize
the fact that great change must have
taken place in the Emperor. Col. Long
was in Uganda, July, 1873. l arrived
in the beginning of April, 1875, and had
communications with him until March,
1876. When Mtesa was on the point of
executing captives | made him under
stand that if he executed one person
not convicted of murder | would pub
fish the fact to the whole world, and de-
scribe him as no better than the lowest
savage. This was done in the presence
of all his chiefs, numbering about 200.
When he was about to sentence a great
chief of the Wayuma to the stake for
treason and a long course of enmity, |
expoStulated with the Emperor, and the
chief was saved. Considering that Col.
Long but corroborates Capt Spoke in
his descriptions of Mtesa's character,
and considering that DR.. Schultzer or
Emin Bey, who succeeded me in Ugan-
da, reports that the conversion of
Mtesa to Christianity is real, am not
justified in claiming his conversion as
my own work?
sTANLEY'S CONVERT.
Since Capt. Spoke and Col. Long de-
scribe Mtesa as cruel, as sentencing men
and women to death by hundreds, and
that saw before appearing in his pres !
ence the ashes of many victims in the |
place of execution, and since Col. Lii |
nant de Bellefonds, since massacred |
near Gondokora, reports in his journals |
that he heard me begin the conversion
of the cruel despot, and DR.. Schultzer
or Emin Bey reported that what Mr.. |
Stanley stated about Mtesa's conversion |
is correct and the church mission lately |
reported that the boy Darlington, left |.
to me to continue the work in /
- ~ hn
too much for me to claim Mtesa as my |
convert?
TIE HOUR OF PARTING.
On December - the British India |
Steam Navigation Company's steamer
Pachumba sailed from Zanzibar for
Alden My followers through Africa
had left their homes early that they
might be certain to arrive in time to wit
ness my departure. They were arrayed
now in the picturesque dresses Of their
countrymen. The fullness of the snowy
dishdasbeh and the amplitude of the
turoan gave certain dignity to their
forms, and each sported light cane.
Upon inquiring ascertained that sever
al had purchased handsome little prop
erties-houses and gardens-with their
wages, proving that the long journey
had brought, with its pains and rough
experience, a good deal of thrift and
wisdom.
GENERAL HANDSHAKING.
When I was about to step into the
boat the brave faithful fellows rushed
before me and shot the boat into the
sea, and then lifted me up on their
heads and carried me through the surf
into the boat We shook hands twenty
times twenty, | think, and the boat
started. | saw them consult together,
and presently saw them running down
the beach and seize great twenty-ton
lighter, which they soon manned and
rowed after me. They followed me to
the steamer, and deputation of them
came on board, headed by the famous
Uledi, the coxswain; Kacbeche, the
chief detective; Robert, my indispensa-
BILE factotum; Zaidi, the chief, and Ju-
mach the staunch boat-bearer, to inform
me they considered me their master,
aud that they would not leave Zanzibar
until they had received letter from me
announcing my safe arrival in my own
country. | had taken them round all
Africa to take them to their homes, and
they must know that had reached my
own land before they would 60 to seek
new adventures on the continent, and
that if | wanted their help to reach my
country they would help me.
CLAUS DEO!"
They were sweet and sad moments of
parting. What a long, long and true
friendship was here sunderedi Through
what strange vicissitudes of life had they
followed mel What wild and varied
scenes had we not seen together! What
noble fidelity had these untutored souls
exhibited! The chiefs were those who
had followed me to Ujiji in 1871, they
were the witnesses of the joy of Living
stone at the sight of me; they were the
men to whom | intrlsted the safeguard
of Livingstone on his last and fatal jour
ney; they were the braves who had
mourned by his corpse at Muilala; these