Mexico weekly ledger., 1883-09-13


. NO. %.
STANLEY IN AFRICA. -
s;S- - = ls.ssszss -,
Interssfine Dss9ipttsA Sef Esne u
The Rxvlsrer's Stations.
J Correspondence Of London Telegraph.
Leopoldyille, like most Of Mr..
Stanley's stations, is placed on rising
ground, but it does not occupy for
site the exact summit Of the hin, be-
ing built on what may be called q
semic,rculaf ledge round the slope
facing the expanding pool. The prin-
cipal ediiice Of the station is q large
two-storied house, made Of wood,
bricks and a sort OF mud plaster.
The root Is Of thatch, for the sake Of
coolncss. and all the framework Of
the house is composed OF huge beams
OF wood, apparently Of great strength,
but really source Of weakness, as
the wood Is being constantly eaten
through by the white ants and other
insect pests, 30 that frequently beam
gives way, and is renewed only just
in time to save the structure. This
house contains = large dining room.
store and three bedrooms on the
ground floor; and on the first story is
q long, lowpitched chamber, which is
generally Mr.. Stanley's private sit
ting-room when he comes to Leopold
vile. In his absence Il is occupied
by the chief of the station. Behind
the house and apart from it are the
kitchens and domestic offices, and In
front spreads 4 fine open porch, as I
may call II, for want Of 4 better
word, which is really a large open
apartment, in addition to- the dining
room, projecting on the esplanade
and forming delightfully."- airy spo,
in which to sit during the day time.
From this promenade views OF great
beauty may be obtained over the dis.
liant Pool and the neighboring forest
and in the cool evening time It forms
. pleasant walk TO stroll on while
waiting for dinner. Here, too, In tht
feariy morning, the chief of the sta
Ition passes all the Zanzibaris in re.
tyiew. ss.s9 ssszsz ! ias
/ THE FOOD QUEsrIoN. 81 9fll
| There is no reason why many food
tshould not be produced on the spot
The sugar cane is largely grown b.
the natives, and I myself, when yer.
much in need of = saccharine addi
tion to my diet, have boiled an
strained the pulp down to a thick
tany-ike sugar. Then, as we a
know, coffee isiindigenous to all tror
! iicaf Africa, and would certainly yiel
ION these golden slopes around tn
Pool the finest results under cultivs
, tion. 1t is the food question that i
the real difficulty OF Congo explors
!, ton. Though the soili is richly pre-
e ductive, the natives grow only jus
e enough to live upon in plenty then
! selves, but are not equal to q sudde
: drain on their resources. Esast5 s.s-.. 81
/ 8sss STANLEY POOL. d
Before / proceed to further d.
scription Of Stanley Pool and its ii
/. habitants, I might mention, for thos
sswho like statistics, that this great ex
panse Of the Congo is about twenty
. five miles long by sixteen broad, an
that its depth varies from two to thre
feet to thirty fathoms. There ar
!, about seventeen islands OF note, th
largest being thirteen miles long
Many sandbanks also strew the water
OF the Pool, and floating islets AZ
ioften seen, masses Of reed, papyru
and aquatic vegetation. which ha,
become SO solidly knit together th.
q man can stand on them. These n
ioften Of some extent, and may B
taken FOR real islands until their mr.
tion with the current is observe'
White egrets and many water tird
frequent them, and the hippopotar
piay round their edges. Onthe lars
islands are many elephants and buff
: Hoes, which creatures swim backwa,
= and forward from the mainland wi
ease. Innumerabie water bird
" storks, pehcans. cormorants, heron
!. egrets, sacred ibises. spur win g
and Egyptian geese, terms and ''sci
sorbills" frequent the thick tangies
high grass and the many sand-baui
J, where they form strange groups wi
the crocodiles, who are wont to
" basking in the sun with fixed gr
playing about their closed jaws.
u The people inhabiting the shores
'e Stanley Pool belong to the Bate
~ race, but they would seem to be !
8 cent arrivals and to have eiispossess
u the older inhabitants and driven thu
Us Unto the interior. Where the Bate
have settled on the south or cast
~ bank of the Congo they form mer'
he riverine colonies, and never exte
nc their settlements many miles from
~" banks.
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