The Ottawa free trader., 1881-04-02
LITERATURE.


m. Personal Life Of David Livingstone, Lib
Del. Chiefly from his unpublished 1ournA!
sud correspondence ID the possession o. ~. ~
family. BY William Garden BlaEie, ~
DrOthcvs. New York; Jansen. McClurg &Co'
Chicsgo; Osmsu Il Hapeman, Ottawa. Free
$50.
The travels OF DR.. Livingstone inaugurated
pex era 10 African exploration. Up TO his I'm
geographical research in the dark continent
had been confined to venturous voyages mp tn
Nns. but never beyond, II even extending t.
poluts reached two thousand years ago oy IN
P,Olemiee; or few hundred miles inward iron
tho east, west, or southern coast, but TO point
far beyond which the honest explorer nae
been preceded two hundred years by the Portu
s,,ese man thief. Inward from what WAS littl'
more than the coast range. except on the north
Africa was absolutely q terra i.cognS1, but sup
nosed TO be a vast, barren, tree!ess, waterless
sssdy waste, like the great Sahara on the north
It remained for Dr. Livingstone to dissipate thee'
,dess. and 70 unlock the secrets OF region eX
tending from the equator to the 3oth souliefi
psrslIel and east and west from the 10Th 70 4Ott
deg OF longitude-a territory as large rs all Eu
rope, aud permested by as large ana aoundan'
water courses, BY as gigantic forests. iruiuu
plains, lovely hillsides, and teeming ana III
many cases intelligent and thrifty population
Starting from the southern cape. he pushed
poxthward through the very center OF the cont
neot 70 within degrees Of the equator ana here
turning westward reached the coat at Loanda
Then retracing his steps to the center OF the con
unent, he followed the great riverZa besi across
TO the eastern coast, discovering on his way the
Victoria Falls, compared to which even Niagara
becomes small Thence working his way into Tie
vast ,acustrne region Of Central Africa he wres
ues With the great upsolved problem OF the cen
t,al watershed and the sources OF the Nile; and
though In fact solving the problem DC nad mol
reduced IL to q demonstration, and 1t was In his
doYged dcterninat alton to achieve this triumph
that he finally sacrificed his life. Is the Luaaba
the Nile or the Congo! This was the c0nnndrum.
II tie Nile, then L. Bang gweolo is It's head; II the
Congo, then the sources Of the Nile are the tribu-
taries to the Victoria and Albert Nyanza. He
was satisfied that the Lualaba was the Congo,
but by combination Of narrowing fatalities was
unable to make the needed voyage ON lite waters
70 settle the fact and II was left for Staneys dar
Sog TO reduce Livingstone's theory to demo l.
stratiou. And thus all the Important gcograph'-
cal secrets Of the darK continent stand revealed
It's great watersheds are accurately traced out,
its gre It lakes and rivers dennitely dotted down
on the map, and the traveller OF today, advised
OF the nature Of the ground, the character OF the
people, tho difficulties In his way, can equip him
se}f accordingly and taking his bearings can
reach the point aimed at With the certainty Of Q
chip on the wide main.
But II is not mainly, or even largely, with Liv.
isgtOue rs an African explorer that the book be.
fore Us has 10 do. Livingstone wen. TO Africa orig
nslly as an humble employe Of the London Mis-
sionery Society, at a modest salary Of less than
$50 year, and It was not In the interest OF
trade, commerce or mere geographical discovery
that he began his wonderful ex explorations. Find
iUg himself at the outstart stationed on the Dor.
ders OF the Transyaal, he found the minds Of the
tribes poisoned against the Christian missionary
BY those greatly oyer.praised "heroc Boers," "f
whom we hear so much IN these days, and who,
themselves enslaviBg the natives, were sunk as
deeply as the Portuguese themselves In the In.
hmous slave trade. against which, as the crown.
Nag crime Of Africa, Livingstone had set his face
as fiint It was TO find tribes untainted by this
poison that he first set his face inward, aud his
discoveries were so far beyond his anticipa,ione,
that his zeal to prosecute them further took com
plete possession Of him. But IL was the zeal Of u
Paul end not OF Give. II was not for trade
and commerce, but for CHRIsr that he would win
the continent. Hitherto the books published In
relation 10 Livingstone Q travels we're written by
himself rather in . periunctory way as reports TO
the London Missionary or Geographical Society
under whose patronage 10 large extent he had
Travelled. Of course In such record the authors
own raodcsty would keep In the aCkground the
iatense religious devotion and earnestness aud
the lofty Christian zeal and faith which really
snderlay aud animated and gave strength to the
man In his wonderful lourneyings. II is to pre-,
cent this phase Of his character and his work
tina. the book before US is written; and nobly
A SUMNER IN NORWAY. BY John p. Cation,
LID, ex.Chief Justice Of the Supreme Court
OF the state OF Illinois. Second edition, with
map. Jansen, MeClurg 81 Co, Chicago; "a.
man & uapeman, Ottawa. Price, SLID.
Most OF our readers are 30 well acquainted with
Judge Caton's book on Norway tina. no outline
or Characterization OF It's contents is necessary.
It Is sufficient to say OF its merit that though ten
thousand copies were originally issued u second
edition has already been demanded and ap-
pears In the volume before US. Besides each
other corrections and Improvements rs would
naturally suggest themselves since the frst edi.
ton, the Judge has added to the present Il very
handsome and satisfactory map Of Norway and
Sweden, In which 10 carefully marked out In
faint red lines the route Of his travels While the
Judge IN his writings makes no pretensions to
great literary elegance, his style has the grace Of
charming simplicity and naturalness that
are quite satisfying, while throughout he shews
q niuuteness and accuracy Of observation and
felicity Of description that enable the reader 10
zee almost as with the Judges own eyes. "Itis
wonderful" said an enthusiastic Norwegian to