New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-03
A RETIRED EXPLORER.
COLONEL LONG AND HIS ADVENTURES

n man who ranks among the foremost of African
explorers and whose career has been remarkable 70
romance and adventure. His name is Charles
Chail liz Long, and he is an Egyptian Bey and an ex
colonel in the Khedive's army. native of Mary
land, ho served in the Union army during the Re
bclion. In 1869 he won't to Egypt. and was til,
first American officer to enter the service of tn,
Kbedive. While in that service he carried The
Egyptian flag 1000 miles south Of Cairo lie
visited King Mtcsia year before Stanley and brought
a daughter of tho King back 10 Egypt, where be
placed her in Catholic convent. He explored the
river connecting the Albert and Victoria Nyauzas,
discovered and named Lake Ibrahim, which lies be-
tween those great inland seas. and was the first
white man who ever followed the course of the Nile
from its source in the Victoria Nyanza all the way
to the Medter; ancan. Afterward he twice invaded
the ;oudan with an army and fought with the man
eating tribes. and at the head of a mill
ary and naval expedition bombarded the forts
of tho petty chieftains along the east coast
of Africa until stopped by the Brit sh at Zanzibar
Colonel Long was one of the chief agents in carry
ing forward the magnificent scheme of annexIne
Equatorial Africa, which the late Khedve annexed
while cut the zenith OF his power. Ii is OF his
achievements as an explorer. however rather than
of his military exploits that be speaks with most
pride Those achievements are much better known
and more highly valued in Europe than in this coun-
try There the geographical societies slft the work
of African travellers carefully, and are not carried
away by the newspaper nOtoricty some men nave
been able to gain for themselves into overrating
their ACCOMPLISHMENTS or Understanding those Of
Others. The results of his African journeys were
embodied in a book published about two years ago
by the Harpcrs called Naked Truths about Naked
People, He Is now studing law with the view Of
returning TO Egypt and practising before the inter
national tribunals.
Like most great explorers Colonel Long IL OF
rather small stature and slight physique and of n
highly nervous organization. 1t is nervous strength
and the will power aud courage which go with IT.
that carries men through severe and prolonged ply
steal hardships Big bony. beefy fellows seldom
make good soldiers daring travellers He has
keen hazel eyes, thin brown hairs, sharp promi-
nent nose. and complexion that has suffered from
the heat of African suns He Is vivacious talker
and n capital racOnteuT, and to hear him describe
the lazy luxurious life of Cairo relate bis adven
lures the mud-country of Central Africa is rare
pleasure TO those who succeed IN getting him
launched upon the su iect of his life and travels
abroad. lie does not believe in the possibility of
clyilizing Equatorial Africa anu opening II to the
commerce OF the world. The same causes which
have made IL a sealed Continent IN the past VIII,
he says operate in the future to repel the efforts
of modern enterprise. HE air teens with
deadly malaria. Between Upper Egypt and
the hill country about the great lakes there amud
belt 800 miles wide and even the lake region, high
as il is above the sea- abounds in poisonous iungles
and morasses. The RAINY season lasts SIX months,
during which time the negroes scarcely go out Of
their hints and are thoroughly miserable. 1t would
be impossible to operate railroad into the interior
of Africa because the rust would eat ND the rails
and the ants deyour the ties. A railroad could,
however be built up the Nile Valley far Khar-
to um from which point steamboat navigation is
practicable up to Gondacorl, from whence most
points of the interior can be reached by caravans
in the dry season. Colonel Long does not think
there is enough in the country to make profitable
costly effort TO open il to commerce. Nature has
cursed it, be says, with climate fatal to white
men, and dreadiully uncomfortable 10 the native
blacks.
Ii the heart OF Africa IL reached by civiliz-
ing influences Colonel Long thinks the work must
be done by intelligent colored people from the
United states. They If anybody. could keep COM
munications open. introduce trade aud gradually
train the natives in habits of systematic industry.
Last Spring when pubic attention was attracted
to the exodus of negroes from the Southern States,
Colonel Long wrote n letter to the King OF Belgium.
who PRESIDENT oil lue Principal European society
for exploring and civ liziug Africa In that letter
he proposed that the King should stimulate through
the medium OF ms society, movement TO take "a
large body of the discontinued blacks from our
Southern States and settle them III General Africa,
opening with them a Inc of trading aud missionary
posts from the west coast 10 the lake country.
Colonel Long believed that thousands of the
most industrious and best educated coored
men IN the Guli States could be induced 10 GO.
Their presence III Africa would, he wrote, create no
surprise or hostility among the natives. and they
would soon acquire influence over the native tribes
and start the work of civilization. In this way the
experiment of opening the dark continent would
be tried under the only conditions thai afford the
least promise of success. King Leopold wrote III
reply thar the project deeply interested him. and
that be should give 1t his careful Investigation, but
nothing iurtuei has been heard from hmn. Colonel
Long says 1t would cost great deal of money TO
carry OFT the scheme but the African exploring
societies III Europe could raise II If they trieu He
is not cn husiastc about tue success of MS plan,
but Is confident that Is the only not fOrcdOomed
to failure EquItOnal Africa, he INSISTS. Will never
be civilized ny white men.
COOnei Longs acc0udt of the dongs of the Amer
lean officers VINO followed General SlOtt and Cen
eral Stone 10 Egypt and entered the service of the
hnediye viii be "a surprise 10 people VINO imagined
that ihey did credit To the military fame of their
native country. Most OF them did nothing at all
save TO draw Their pay and Kill time Is best they
coulI IN the Gales OF Cairo and Alexandria OF the
toriy-eight Americans commissioned by the Egyp-
tan Government only ave neld commands or were
assigned 10 duty OF any kind during their eight
years stay In the cOuutiy. They Wore their
forms sported their Titles OF Major Colonel and
BngadierGeneral, spent tner salaries aud that was
all. The exceptions To this rule OF deness and USE
lessness were Generai Some. General Lorng, Colo
mel Dye, Colonel kennon ana Colonel Long. Cen
eral Stones service. however, was cheh, IN SUPER
vlsing the drawing ana printing OF copies of French
maps, anu he received the nIcku.,IIe OF General
Topographic" What the knedive ever intended 10
do with the American officers Is mystery and
whether he kept them egnt years on the pay
rolls from motives OF generosity or from
csTelessness ana extravaganza Is ques-
tlOn about which opinions differ Most of
them incompetent Tor uuty because
tuey did not know French, which il essential for
stan outy or Arabic, which Is tue language OF the
sOldlery. Although "A body Oh intelligent and wor-
thy gentlemen, they soon became Unpopular be-
of their peculiar position, lost caste socially
and were made uncomfortable by their isoiation