The Wilmingtonian., 1885-08-01
STANLEY AND HIS CRITICS.

Those who have made careful perusal,
who have even read Henry NJ. Stanley's new
book upon the subject of the Congo basin,
will be very slow indeed to give ready Gre
dence to the adverse criticisms which are
daily seen in the press.
Secretary Bayard deputed Mr. W. P. Tis-
Portugal, to investigate the matter in re-
gard to the trade possibilities of the Congo
basin.
Of course we are not aware of the exact
instructions sent from the Department of
State to Mr.. Tisdel, but logically we may
exactly infer that from the commissioned
agent of the United States government was
expected such data as would meet the COM
mercial inquiries Of our merchants and peo-
pie, who are at this moment filled with a
very proper spirit of mercantile inquiry,
prompted by commercial enterprise, upon
reading Henry NJ. Stanley's volumirous
books just published on the riches of Central
Africa.
What is the result of the efforts of our
Department of State-there is handed to
the American people half dozen pages of
the most meagre report that ever was issued
from any State Department in connection
with a matter of such great commercial
and national Importance.
Is the question of extending our markets,
"a question which the ex-senator from
Delaware, now head of the Department of
State, clattered about so noisily in his re-
cent presidential stumping of the country
is that question deserving of such slight,
trifing attention as twelve months ab-
sence from the Lisbon Consulate would af-
ford?
| Is the Secretary of State aware that it
would take almost all that time to journey
back and forth from Lisbon to Stanley
| Pool! With such superficial opportunities,
flying visit such as that of Mir. Tisdel's
could not possibly afford time for any i'll
vestigation of the Congo basin.-,It took
| Henry NJ. Stanley seventeen years to accu-
mulate his notes, to gain exact data. Yet,
here, the man deputed by the United States
government takes flying visit, stops and
turns back before he has reached half way
| (Stanley PooD, and has journeyed only to
the limit Of modern travel-gets scared at
the difficulties in his pathway, and then has
the amusing audacity to make 'report
upon the Congo BASIN"
Henry M. Stanley sacrificed seventeen
years of the exactest personal investigation
Of these matters. We have before us the
most complete tabular statement, topo-
graphical, meteorological, geographical,
hygienic, commercial, and chronological,
industrially gathered through ali those
years Of herculean labor by Henry NJ. STAN
ley-in fine, as thoroughly an exhaustive
scientific explorers notes. as can be found
on the shelves of any library in any land or
Of any time, quite on par with those of
the Challenger expedition and Darwin's
Beagle notes.
Against these voluminous reports the
State Department. issues the most trihing,
incomplete and superficial report, as worth
less a state document as ever was given to
the American people. Is this proper ser
vice on The part of the Department of State ?
Is this pamphlet of Tisdel's of any use to
American commercial interests? Mr.. Tisdel
has not'compassed his duties, his meagre
report gives no new light upon the Congo
question, lie has entirely avoided the Upper
Congo where all the rich products are to be
foundl OF what use is his report then
Has the Secretary read Mr.. Staney's books
Surely if he had one result would be thai
Mr.. Tisdel's trashy little pamphlet, (trashy
in the sense of containing nothing new af-
ter all the outlay of expense for that pur.
pose) would have been sent back to Lisbor
accompanied by some plain talk, impaired tc
that public officer upon its worthlessness al
State document!
In the light Of Stanley's book which the
American people have in hand, Mr.. Tisdel't
report as a criticism is simply farce. 1t Il
endorsed by men who have not made the
subject study. Admiral Englsh's ami
madversions are only quotations from Tis
dei's notes aud that is the exact extent O
their value
American commercial interests requir,
more substantial service from the State De
partment.