The Russellville Democrat., 1883-03-15
STANLEY.
His Recent work In Africa,

that W ulIc toldulSyy III tut beIflCS Vi iuo
African International Society, was
slowly working his way up the Congo,
building commercial stations on the
right or north bank, Signor De Brazza,
an Italian by birth, but Frenchman
by adoption, pushed across the country
north of the river from the coast, and.
arriving first at Stanley Pool, procured
from the native Chief, Makoko, The
cession to France of the territory on
the north side of the pool. The south
side still remained free, and on it STAN
ley built his fourth station, called Leo
poldville, and in his further progress
kept ON the same side of the river. It
is dou. tful whether De Brazza's treaty
will be recognized by France, though
there is popular clamor in its behalf. If
it is accepted, it cannot control the nav
igation of the pool, which is an expan-
sion of the river into the lake. The ma
tives themselves regard it of little con-
sequence, for they have driven off Pere
Augouard, French priest, claiming
that their arrangement was with De
Brazza alone. The great river will re-
main free to the navigation of the
world.
The organization under whioh Stan
ley has been working, and which has for
its head the King of Belgium, is philan-
thropic in its designs. It's purpose is TO
carry civilization into the far interior of
Africa and develop legitimate COM
merce. 1t aims to be self-supporting,
and to this end permanent stations have
been built at Vivi, just below the yell
lala Falls, as the cataract nearest the
mouth of the river is called; at 1sangila,
the second cataract, where the boat
Lady Alice was left on Stanley's trans
continental journey; at Manyanga,
seventy-four miles farther up, where the
river again becomes impossible; at
Leopoldyille, on the south side of the
pool; and at Malebu, whence the river
is navigable for nine hundred miles
above. There are now seven Belgian
steamers on the river-four on the lower
part of the stream, and three above
Stanley Pool. Already trade has been
greatly developed. When Viva was es-
tablished, in 1879, there were no COM
mercial houses for fifteen miles around.
Now there is station-Dutch. English.
French, Belgian, or Portuguese-eyery
mile
Stanley has returnedto Europe by the
advice of his physicians. who declare
that removal from Africa is necessary
to save his life. He has accomplished
what he was sent to perform, and has
done a wonderful work, as is fully
shown in very detailed account in the
New York Herald, the paper which sent
him on his first expedition.
He was sent back to Africa in 1879
by King Leopold, of Belgium. He took
with him some whites and large num-
Der of the Zanzibar men who had
crossed the continent with him. On ar
irving on the coast he found the white
merchants and the natives who traded
with them opposed to possible inva-
sion of the monopoly they enjoyed.
Having determined to plant his first sta
ton at Vivi, the only site obtain able for
a station was hill three hundred and
fifty feet high, about seven hundred feet
in length, and two hundred wide-iust
room enough to make broad street
with line of houses on either side, and
headquarters at the end. The task was
terrible one; the tools were wretched;
the men we're new to tho work; the
sun shone on the road-party from the
west, and the reflection from the face Of
the hill exhausted the half baked mei
The Europeans were quickly exhaust. d,
and the natives suffered greatly. The
crown OF the hill was soft rock. which
was excsvated to a depth of about two
feet. Two thousand tons of rich earth
were carried to the summit and gar
den, now full of flourishing fr,nt-trees,
was constructed. From Vivi to Isan-
gila the mountains were steep and ra-
vines and torrents very frequent We
quote SANKEY'S own account:
"Finally at one place large mount
ain seemed to bar all further progress.
1t presented sn almost vertical fracture
on one side, though the ascent from this
side was easy and gentle. II was
mountain toppled over. as Il were; it
was about ten miles in length, and at
the extreme corner of II was river to
which it sloped rapidly down to the
furious cataract, presenting face of
bare rock. Across this corner we had
TO cut our way, making a road OF fifteen
feet wide, since the descent of the other
slope would have been matter of sheer
impossibility. In several places we had
to make rude bridges sufficiently strong
to bear six tons rolling over them.
Farther on the mountains were at times
80 steep that it took $50 men to haul
one of the wagons from the valley TO
the top. We had no animals Moth
ing but men would have done, for if We
had had animals we should have had
TO carry large additional stores of food,
and this extra burden would have
rendered our progress still more hazard
Gus and difficult.
While making this road we passed
through wilderness fifty miles long,
with scarcely village worthy of the
name, having to supply the men all the
time from provisions brought from
Europe. The weight and labor of our
transport may be Imagined when say
that we had no less than 2. 1928 loads or
packages. each weighing from sixty
five to seventy pounds. We had seven
large store-tents; and besides this we
had seven enormous wagons, built on
purpose in Belgium for us, wherein to
transport the two steamers and two
large steel boats, with boilers and ma
which we had brought with us
TO be put together on the Upper-Congo.
To do all the hauling we had only sixty
eight Zanzibaris and a few west-coast
natives 81 that our WORKING nuunhara