New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-05
STANLEY AFRICANUS.
HIS WORK ON THE CONGO AND HIS ANSWER
TO DE BRAZZA.
TFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or rnE TRBUsE.i
I,oNnoN OctOher 90.


event IL 10 worth noting that The Times devotes to
1t no less than three columns, and prints The
speech in its largest type. an honor due
perhaps in part to the fact that 1t comes
10y telegraph from Paris. but mono the less signal
distinction 1t is n speech Of extreme ability, and
far the merits of the case are concerned may
be said to Justify Mr. Stanleys remark to NJ dc
Brazza an hour before he made it, that he was
going to give him the coup morteE For 1t Is to he
borne in mind that NJ. de Brazza has already laid
his case and his claims before the public. What
ever ne had to urge his own behalf has been
urged. He chose his own time and has not lacked
supporters OF advocates Mr.. Stanley's speech
is not an attack but a reply, and what reply !
Full of facts the irsC sufficient statement OF his
oWr work and radiant with goodhumored con-
tempt of the puny opponent who has hoisted hm-
self into notoriety rs Staney's rival. NJ lie
Brazza, must say, strikes one as Dragging char
latan; which is a mach harder phrase than any
which Mr.. Stanley about him. The great ex-
plorer speaks with the quiet confidence OF man
sure of himself ah of his work. It is "my friend
DE Brazza" all through; but " the tone in which,
both in France and England, these words are used
to an inferior.
The facts. however, are hard. if the words are
not. Mr. Stanley's comment upon the De Brazza
claim if it cannot be answered, is destructive not
only OF the claim but Of Do Brazza. his Italian
gentleman i'm the service of France" pretends to
have obtained a cession of territory on the right
bank of the Congo from regning chief named
MakOko. and h. have taken possession OF it In The
name of France. On the strength of a treaty
signed by Makoko lie summons France to ratfy
tins bargain, and to establish her sovereignty in
Central Africa. Mr.. Stanley points out that the
territory us strip of land nine miles long by live
broad; that the treaty" was not treaty OF
cessOn. but permission to De Bra2za to build on
the land in que ton that neither Makoko nor
any other African chief was ever known to cede
enc inch of land and that he denies cediug any to
De Brazza that the value OF the goods given by
De Brazza in exchange was about two dollars ana
half; and that the French flags, OF which we nave
heard so much, were at first accepted by the
Africans as bIeech cloths, but finally rejected as
not large enough for the purpose.
The monstrous impudence of NJ. de Brazza's
claims will be still etter understood by comparing
what he did with the magnificent work achieved by
Mr. Stanley. NJ do Brazza's performances may be
summed up by saying that he found short cut
across bend Of tho river. and established French
sergeant and two natives on the site of AN i'm
aginary village. OF any permanent or really bene-
fetal work done by him, whether in exploring or
in cviizing, there is no trace. He has spent
$4,000 at the rate as Mr. Stanley quantity puts
it, Of about S1Sa mile-three times as much as
Livingstone for example, found needful.
Mr. Stanley has left a mark on the Congo and
the country adjacent tC it of widely different
kind from the feeble scratch of his rival 1t is
three years since he arrived at the mouth of the
Congo with force of fifteen Europeans sixty
eight Zanzibarls and some kabudas 1t .is now
clear that the object Of the King OF the Belgians.
for whom Mr. Stanley has been acting was to
open up this region Of Africa to European trade
and civilization. The Congo. noble river as it is,
was unnaVigabe because of It's cataracts. by
nagOt alton with the chiefs as he advanced, no
secured the right to establish stations at suitable
points and to make a road round these cataracts;
paying monthly rent for the ground he built on,
and literally for everything else. He has built live
stations each consisting OF large central build
ing, with huts and magazines about them lt
took five months to finish the first. Then began
the work of road making; through forests, over
rugged country. and in one case across the flank
of quartz mOuntain-twenty-slx days to 400
wards of road This last exploit ii was which gave
Stanley the name he now goes by all through
that part of the Dark Continent. The native word
won't venture 10 repeat. bat in English it is the
Breaker of Rocks. The second station was not
reached TIL December 81 1sS0-33i days of un-
iuteImittcd toll Steam launches, boats maChln-
erv boilers tools provisions. materials, all had to
be dragged overland The boAes and parcels NUM-
bered altogether 1925. The whole length OF
wagon road constructed by Stanley is more than
200 miles fifteen feet wide an average; and it
rms through the heart of the most savage part of
Central Africa. BY the end of 1881 a steamer was
launched Oh the waters OF the Upper Congo. By
February that year the last station but one was
competed-a house ninety-seven feet by twenty
four feet two stories high, the walls three feet
thick The fifth and last station was established
100 miles further up, and from that point to the
ocean there is now an open highway ~ III er and
hank. available for the transport OF merchandise
in any quantity. 1t is safe from one end to the
other. and was regularly trayersed by monthly
couriers with mails TO and flom Europe. From
beginning to end of the work, said Mr. Stanley to
me- had rot fired shot"
Or the energy. the courage, the tact in dealing
with savages, the immense patience and ability OF
many kinds required to bring task OF that kind
to successful ISSUE it is impossible to speak too
highly. Disease had to be faced well as
danger; ouce at least the intrepid leader lay at
the point of death for a month. sixth station
was TO have been founded. but q fresh attack OF
fever compelled him to postpone it, and he came to
Europe to recruit. But Mr.. Stauley's is u constitu-
ton which seems only to get harder and harder by
course of African fevers. lie pulled through, and
today there is not q trace OF his illness to be seen
Tie direct and immediate object OF all this
expenditure and toll has been mystery. ! don't
know that the mystery is even yet wholly cleared
up but this is Mr. Stanley's account of the matter
so far as he feels at liberty to give che. 1t il to be
borne in mind that he considers himself still in tie
service of the King of the Belgians,his coniiden-
tial agcnt-and bound to say no more than tie
King desires should be said
am ambitious only to leave permanent traces
of my work Oh the cast side of the Dark Conti-
uent Expedition after expedition has followed
nv track. On the shores OF the Victoria Nyanza
and on the shore of the Tanganyila communities
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