The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-07
MIR. sTANLEY'S CONGO STATE
Interesting Excerpts Made in Advance
from the Explorers New Book.
Means BY Which the First Copy Was Obtained
Sketches of the Life and Habits of
the Natives on the Congo.

Special Correspondence of the Indisn apOs Journal
LONDON, May 28-"You ask special favor
do you notl' said Mr. Marston, the popular mem
Der of the great publishing house of Sampson
Low, Marston & Co.
1.-The first copy of Mr.. Stanley's book for the
purpose of my American letter, the privilege Of
making the fret extracts to 60 by mail-yes, l
ask special favor
I'VE are not the American publishers; Messrs
Harper Brothers will produce the work in Amer
lea Anything like heavy draft upon it's inter
est in the way of extracts might hurt it and
might not be agreeable to them
but every American editor would like to give
his readers an idea of the contents of the work.
and I viii take care that neither Messrs. Harper
nor Mr.. Stanley shall suffer by too lavish fore
cast of It"
1.-THE book will go out to the press on the 2lst
Instant To day is the 10th. If you will under
take not to cable any portions of the book. nor
to send by mail any portion of IT, to America
before that date"
''Cne mail will make little or no difference
there is mail on the 18th, and it ia u slow ship
and there is another on the 22d, and it will be
quite the end of this month before the letter can
be printed. urged.
And, by the favor of the English publishers, I
drove home with the first two volumes of "The
Congo and the Founding of the Free State" by
Henry M. Stanley. just roughly stitched and with
the binding hardly complete. felt, for the time
like the Ancient Mariner possessed of a great.
stirring, startling story that was mine alone
realized some of the sensations of Charles Lamb
and his sister when they bought and carried
home that literary treasure they had gazed upon
so fondy during many months in the booksellers
stab; recalled my own boyish feelings of de-
light with my first copies of 1.-THE Arabian
Nights and big illustrated Heather Mythol-
ogy," and 1 was delighted with the prospect of
giving my American readers their first taste of
the great new book of the season. which is to
appear this month simultaneously in eight
languages. The worlds of France Germany,
Russia, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and England and
America will this month at about the same time,
be engaged in reading the modern Arabian
Nights series of stories as interesting as any
In that wonderful book, and all of them true, and
part of that one great story of stories. the ro-
mantle narrative of the discovery and founding
of the Congo State.
suppose it was journalistic sentiment that
made me experience lively sense of the pride
Of possession as my hanson cab dashed
through the London streets with 1.-THE Congo"
volumes lying by my side. Out of all the mill
ions in the vast metropolis I was the only one
who was carrying home the book which in another
week or two will be the talk of all the world And
how strange are the ordinary every day even is
of iifei Before had time to de post my treas
ure upon the table my daughter exclaimed, IA
box from the Congo"
"a box from the Ceneo!" repeated Eyes,
with little gods, and some cloths fine canister
of beetles, some pipes and pottery and two ele-
plants tais!'
Il was true young friend of mine who OBJ
tanned an appointment with the International
Association, through Mr. Stanley. had been as good
as his word. Fancving himself under some trifling
obligation TO me, She had ''reciprocated" in this
pleasant way by box of curos from the very
heart of the region of Stanley's adventures; and
while was driving home with the first great book
of 1.-THE Congo" my daughters were unpackng
a collection of samples of the country-natural
and industrial wonders The odor of the things
was as strong and pungent when first they
had been packed together on the banks Of the
mighty Congo river, which is one and a half
times longer than the Mississippi and from
eight to ten times broader You may indeed,
says Stanley, take your choice eff nearly a dozen
channels and you will see more beautiful vege-
tation on the Congo than on the American river
The latter lacks the palm and the caiamus,
while the former has dozen varieties Of the
palm. Besides. it possesses herds of hippopot-
ami. crocodiles innumerable; monkeys are glee.
fully romping on the islands and the main; ele-
plants are standing. sentry like, in the twilight
of the dark forests by the riverside buffaloes,
red and black grazing on the rich grass
plains; there are aocks of ibis, black and
white parrots, paroauets and guinea
wl- AID kn~
In its most picturesque parts microscopic mlnia
ture of the Congo" that q creek is the Thames,
then, to eithera But Thames and Rhine have
their human associations, their histories, their
villages and castles their ancient taverns and it
Is not impossible that their beauties will have
passed into mere tradition before the Congo can
begin to compete with the Mississippi, the Della
ware the Rhine, the Danube and the Thames in
the matter or human interest. Meanwhile it is
like q miracle of creation, fresh from the hand of
God; mystery, q newly discovered food upon
whose banks there is room enough and to spare
to stow the half of Europe comfortably and to
spare" My package OF gods and pines of pottery
and beetles suggest an intelligent cropping in the
strange and distant land to my very door; and
such are the marvels of modern transit the hands
that packed them were grasped in mine here in
London only few months ago.
PICTURES AND INCIDENTS OF THE RIVER.
But let US to the magnus opus. Here it is, in
two volumes, bound in tawny cloth the color of
the native skin bronzed under the tropical sun,
with the effiey of dusky maiden browning with
laurel wreaths the bust of the King OF the Bel
gians, the sovereign OF the Congo State. The
Swo volumes are of about 500 pages each. They
have several fine maps packed into pockets in
the covers. and they are illustrated with many
pictures none of them we'll engraved but all of
them of exciting interest Mr. Stanley has done
his work with the conscientiousness of the his
torian and sense of responsibility to the reader
aud the world at large that utterly sets aside
book-making THE Congo does not rattle
along as did How I Found Livingstone and the
"Dark Continent nit pauses to include in its story
Diplomatic correspondence, financial calculations
statesman like reflections, abstracts of the
laws laid down for local governments.
schemes of trade. and explanations OF the