The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-06-26
Uganda's King-His Treatment Of
Missionaries.

APRoPOs of the arrival in this country
of three g ambassadors from Mtesa,
King of Uganda, in Central Africa, the
following details concerning his treat
ment of the Protestant and Roman
Catholic missionaries may not be with
out interest. Our information is con-
tanned in letter recently received from
the Rev. Father Charmetant, Director
of the French Roman Catholic Missions
in Africa, and, therefore, is written
from purely Roman Catholic point of
view. M. Charmetant's information
has been received in letters from Father
Lourdel, in Rubaga, Mtesa's capital,
and Father Livinhac, in Mite we, another
place in Uganda. When the Algerian
missionaries reached Uganda, in the
beginning of last year, they found the
Protestant missionaries there already,
they having gone by the Nile, and their
journey being facilitated, according to
Father Charmetant, by Gordon Pasha's
influence. The English, on learning of
the arrival of the French missionaries,
used every effort with King
Mtesa (this rests on the Kings
own statemenD to persuade him
the King desired to see them and ques-
ton them on their religion, as he has
always done with strangers. Gradually
he ceased to allow the Protestants to
preach and read the Bible at the roval
residence on Sundays, while he fire.
quently invited the French missionaries
to instruct him in the Catholic religion.
He even declined to preside himself on
July s last at a public conference at
which were present the learned Arabs
who had formerly converted Mtesa to
Monotheism. and Protestant catechist,
educated by the English at Zanzibar,
and left by Mr.. Stanley. xviii the
goodwill of the peaceful monarch of
Uganda asks the reverend father,
with good cause, "continuep The fu-
ture alone can tell" This information.
the reverend father tells us, reached
the Church Missionary Society some
time ago, as the English, by the ''enor-
nous subsidies" contributed by En-
gland to their missions, have been able
to organize a regular postal services
from the lakes TO the coast. In fact, a
complete reaction seems to have been
effected with Mtesa, and especially in
his surroundings, against the English,
the latter, as we know, having been
obliged to leave Uganda. The Prot
estant missionaries, however, Father
Charmetant states, admit that this has
not been the work of the Cathoic mis-
sionaries, who remained on the best
terms with the former; they attribute it
to the Arab and Wangwana merchants
from the coast, who were in open hos
tility with the Protestants, especially
with Mr.. Mackay, one of the leaders
of the English mission. Father Lour-
del, one of the Roman Catholic mis-
sionaries, attributes this new state of
things to the susceptibility of the King,
who imagines that the aim of the En-
glish is one day to annex his terrific
ries. A fresh arrival of Roman Catho-
lie missionaries, on disembarking at
Mtewe, on the Victoria Nyanza, were
very cordially received by Mr.. Stokes,
one of the English missionaries, who
told them he intended to leave Uganda
on account of the increasingly cool at
titude of the King toward the English.
-LOntlon Times.