The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-04-28
Stanley In Africa.


ly working his way up the Congo, build
north bank, .Signor De Brazza, an Ital-
ian by birth, but Frenchman by adop-
ton, pushed across the country north Of
the river from the coast, and, arriving
first at Stanley pool, procured from the
native chief, Makollo, the cession to
France of the territory on the north side
of the pool. The south side still remain-
ed free, and on it Stanley built his fourth
station, Le6poldville, and in his further
progress kept on tile same side of the
river. However it is doubtful whether
France will 60 further and insist upon
the treaty Of De Brazza's. Even if it is
accepted, 1t cannot control the naviga-
tion Of the pool, which is an expansion
Of the river into q lake. The natives
themselves regard it of little conse-
quence, for they have driven off the Pere
Angouard, a 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 which Stanley
has been working, and which has for it's
head the King Of Belgium, is philan-
thropic in it's designs. Its purpose is to
carry civilization into the far interior of
Africa and develop legitimate commerce.
1t aims to be self-supporting, and to this
end permanent stations have been built
at Vivi, just below the Yellala falls, as
the cataract nearest the mouth of the
river is called at Isangila, the second
cataract, where the boat Lady Alice was
left Oh Stanley's trans-continental Jour-
ney at Manyanga, seventy four miles
further up; where the river again be-
comes impossible; at Leopoldville, on the
south side Of the pool, and at Malebu,
whence the river. is navigable for 800
milesabOve. There are now seven Belgian
steamers on the river, four OH the lower
part Of the stream and three above STAN
Icy Pool. Already trade has been great
ly developed. When Vivi was establish
ed in 1870 there were no commercial
houses for fifteen miles above. Now
there is statiOn-Dutch, English,
French, Belgian, or Portuguese-eve
mile. Stanley has returned to Europe
by the advice of his physicians, who de-
clare that removal from Africa is neces-
sary to save his life. lie has accom-
plished what he was sent to perform, and
has done wonderful work, as is fully
shown III very detailed account in the
Herald. He was sent back to Africa in
1870 by King Leopold, of Belgium. He
took with him some whites and large
number of the Zanzibar men who had
crossed the continent with him. On
arriving On the coast he found the white
merchants and the natives who traded
with them opposed to possible invasion
Of the monopoly they enjoyed. Having
determined to plant his first station IT
Vivi, the only site obtainable for sta
tion with hill $50 feet high, about 700
feet in length, and 200 feet wide, Just
room enough to make broad street with
a line Of houses on either side, and head
quarters at the end. The task was a
terrible one, the tools were wretehea,
the men were new to the work, and the
sun shone on the road party from the west
and the reflection from the face of the
hill exhausted and half baked the men.
The Europeans were quickly exhausted,
and tho natives suffered greatly. The
crown of the hill was a soft rock, which
was excavated for depth Of about two
feet. Two thousand tons Of rich earth
were carried to the summit, and gar
den, now full Of 'flourishing fruit trees,
was constructed. From Viva to Isan-
gila the mountains were steep and ra-
vines and torrents were frequent. We
quote Stanley's own account:
"Finally at one place a large mount
ain seemed to bar all further progress.
1t presented Oh almost vertical fracture
on one side, though the ascent from this
side was easy and gentle. It was
mountain toppled over, as it were it
was about ten miles in length, and at the
extreme corner Of it was the river, to
which it sloped rapidly down to the fur
ious cataract, presenting face of bare
rock. Across the corner we had to cut
our way, making road of fifteen feet
wide, since the descent of the other slope
would have been a matter of sheer i'm
possibility. In several places we had to
make rude bridges sufficiently strong
enough to bear six tons rolling over them.
Further on the mountains were at times
so steep that it took 1S0 men to haul one
of the wagons from the valley to the top
We had no animals. Nothing 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 hazardous and diff
cult. While making this road we passed
through wilderness fifty miles long,
with scarcely a village worthy Of the
name, having to supply the men all the
time with provisions brought from
Europe. The weight and labor of our
transport may be imagined when | say
we had no less than 2,225 loads or pack
ages, each weighing from sixty-tive to
seventy pounds. We had seven large
store tents, and besides this we had
enormous wagons, built on purpose in
Belgium for us, whereon to transport the
two steamers and two large steel boats,
with boilers and machinery, which we
had brought with us to be put together
on the Upper Congo. TO do all the haul
ing we had only sixty-eight Zanzibaris
and a few west coast natives, so that our
working number ranged from ninety to
one hundred and forty. This number
was never long the same, for the natives
would only work when they pleased, and
only for day or two at time, and
nothing would induce them to assist us
regularly. Wehad togo over the ground
no less than thirty-tlnee times and our
rate of progress, calculating the number
of days we travelled, was only quarter
of mile per day. But there were places
where 1t took us twenty-six days to pass
just 400 yards, all Of the available
strength being put to a single wagon at
time. / never could make the people
of EllrODe understand tha necesaitv of