Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-09-14
KING MTESA.
Death OF Friendly African kIug--N
Ruler Who Sent His Watches To Uurop.
to he Mendcd.

The death of King Mtesa Of Ugar
da removes an African potentate n
whom the record Of trsvclers in th
Dark Continent gives rather a bic
turesque glimpse than complei,
and satisfying description. The mos
striking account of this parsonage il
certainly that given by NJ. Linant.
Lieutenant of Gordon Pashn, b,
whom he was sent to that Prince,
| capital on the shores OF Lake Victo
ria. Mtesa's chair used to be placed
on leopard's skin in the hall OF
audience, so that the hind claws
served as a kind Of footstool, while
the tail stretched along the floor in
front OF him. A nulaber Of charms
and large tusk were piled up in a
heap beside him, and his Grand
Nizier and other courtiers were con
stantiy employed in smoothing down
the creases i'll his trousers" auniaue
AMI perhaps. the strangest mode of
expressing complete seryility over
devised by barbarous despot
Another traveller, Col. Long Of the
hhedivial army, brought hack srch
favorable description Of Mtess, nj
although he only saw him once. tina,
lsmall wished 10 send him n,agnifi
cent carriage, which Gen. Gordon.
with his usual good sense, intercept'
ed en- route. The late Khediye also
sent two sheikhs TO convert Mtcsn 10
Mohammedanism; but they do not
seem to have had much success. as
he was strongly opposed 10 the doc
trines OF Islam. He described him.
sell In letter to Gordon Pasha ms
the son OF Suna. King Of Uganda
and he also said he wanted 10 be
good friends with the English" Al
ter this letter, introducing himself
as 1t were, he showed every desire
to keep on amicable terms with
Egypt, and those travellers and mis-.
slonaries who reached his State were
generally well treated by him. His
later correspondence consisted prip.
clpally OF requests for the articles
OF Europe which had either eaupbt
his fancy or seemed most suitable 10 |
his wants.
A looking glass gold and silver |
lace, a stamp with his name on II.
and some gold and silver coins, such |
as soversigns, napoleons, and dollars,
he asked for repeatedly, and gener.
ally managed to obtain. He even
sent some OF the watches he had re-
ceived as presents to Europe 10 be
mended, and showed in many other
little ways his desire to learn more
OF the great world hN had heard OF
in regions milder THAN his torrid
round Lakes Albert and
Victoria, and to establish some
friendly relations with the Europeans
who had reached his territory In
lheir search for the sources of the
Nile. One incident in connection
with his Government has been pre-
served, and as it throws some light
On the mode Of waeing war in that
part OF Africa. it may DO qaoted. An
island called Sasse was the particular
object Of his ambition; but it's in
habitants preferred their liberty, and,
being expert divers, whenever Mtesa's
war canoes approached, they dived
them, and, cutting the
withes, sank boats and crews to.
yether. AS Mtesa was "corpulent
and consumptive" ten years ago, his
death is not surprising, and the ces
'ation Of Egyptian activity in the
equatorial region will leave his peo-
pie free to arrange the questions Of
succession without any foreign inter.
ference London Times.