Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-31
STlNLsY'S BEST SPEECH.
BIS NOTEBOOKS OPENED BEFORE THE
ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
The New Things the Explorer Saw in the
Darkest Recesses of Africa
Wonderful Pigmy Race.
london Times, May 9th.

tory even OF That great society, TO receive
Mr. Stanley on his return from Africa
The hall was filed to the remotest corners
of the galleries, making complete circle
from the organ, and at $50, the hour fixed
for the President, Sir NJ. E. Grant-Duf, tc
take the chair, there were 5000 in the
hall. All that is distinguished in litera-
ture, art, science and travel, with large
sprinkling of social and political celebrities
were represented. On the arrival of the
royal party the organ pealed out the Ma,
tional anthem, and the brilliant assem-.
blage gave lusty cheer as procession, in
which the central figures were the Prince
OF Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh, fol.
lowed Immediately by the President OF the
Royal Geographical Society and Mr.
Stanley, made its way down the center OF
the hall to the platform. As Mr.. Stanley
proceeded to his seat the cheering was re.
newed. On the right OF the Chairman sat
Mr.. Stanley, and on his right the Prince
of Wales. On the left was the Duke Of
Edinburgh. In front of the platform there
was magnificent display of lilies and
ferns and other plants. In the front row
facing this bank Of flowers were gilt arm
chairs, half dozen on the right being for
Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales
and her party, and corresponding num-
Der on the left for the Duchess of Edin-
burgh and her children This was the
only part of the hall, however, in which
We're empty seats.
In few studied and pregnant sentences
the President briefly introduced Mr. Stan
ley, sketehing his services in exploration
from his first meeting with Livingstone
a name, said the President, amidst sub
dued cheering, which could never be men
toned without honor There was some
anxiety as to whether Mr.. SANKEY'S voice
would fill the great rotunda, but the doubt
was resolved, as from his first sentence his
voice sounded clear and sonorous, and was
Distinctly heard in the galleries. Behind
him, half concealing the organ, was large
map, specially prepared for the meeting.
and showing in the center the vast eoua-
torial forest in which the travellers suffered
so much. To this map he occasionally re-
ferred, but it was on such scale that the
audience could follow at glance the mar
rative.
Mr.. Stanley, who was again cheered,
said:
Your Royal Highness, Mr.. President
Ladies and Gentlemen am sure there is
not person present who, if he knew my
feelings at this moment, would wish to be
in my place. Laughter. l stand appa-
rently in very desirable position, in close
proximity to the heir to the throne of Eng
land and to his royal brother the object of
hearty welcome; but l feel inexpressibly
grieved that am able to render so poor a
return for your kindness Matter enough
l possess to fill many hours of interest to
you; but, unfortunately, | have had no
time to prepare anything that l would
call worthy of this great assembly. |
therefore hope that, in addition to the
warm welcome you have given me, you
will be lenient in your Judgment of the
merits of what | am about to tell you this
evening. Loud cheers
THE FOREST.
Our late journey for the relief and
rescue of Emin, the Governor of Edua-
toria, was over 5000 miles in length, and
occupied 9S7 days. Five hundred of those
days were passed in the great Central
African forest, and for 4S7 DAYS we lived or
talk of the forest first.
Its greatest length is from near Kabam-
barre, in South Manyuema, to Bagbomo,
on the Welle-Makua, in West Mann MAN,
62l English miles; its average breadth is
oil miles, which makes compact square
area of 32l,o5 miles. A serpentine line
through the center Of this would represent
our course. This enormous tract iscrammed
with trees varying from 20 feet to 200 feet
high, so close that the branches interlace
one another and form an outrageous
canopy. 1t is absolutely impenetrable to
sunshine. While the sun scorches and
dazzles without, little dust of white ligh,
Pickering here and there only reveals the
fact. Generally it was a mystical twi-
light, but on misty or rainy days the page
of a book became unreliable At night
one fancied that the darkness was palpable
and solid. The moon and stars were of no
avail to US. As there are about one hun
dred and fifty days of rain throughout the
year, and almost every rainfall except a
drizzle is preceded by squalls, storms, tenn
pests or tornadoes with the most startling
thunder crashes, and the most vivid
flashes of lightning, you may imagine that
the houseless traveller in such region
must endure much discomfort.
! have passed far more hours than !
would like to say spellbound with wonder
during various phases of existence within
1t. / have caught myself often uncon-
sciously wondering at the strange resem-
blance to human life visible in the forest
1t was represented here very faithfully in
all its youth, vigor and decrepitude. There
are trees prematurely aged and blanehed
Others were humorous, others organically
weak, Others were bumpbacks, others sui.
fered from poor nutrition, many are pallic
and shrunk from want of air and sunshine
many were supported by their neighbour
because of constitutional infirmity, many
are topping over one another as though
they were the ineurables OF a hos
pital, and you wonder how they exist al
all. Some are already dead, and lie buriet
in reeking composts of humus, some are
bleached white by the palsying thunder.
bots or shivered by the levin brand, OF
quite decapitated, or some old veteran
born long before the siege of Troy, is de-
Gazing in core and vitals; but the majority
have he assurance of insolent youth, Will
all its grace and elegance of form, the
mighty strength Of prime life, and III,
tranquil pride of hoary aristocrats, or tn
placid endurance of ripe old age. AL
characters of humanity are Represented
here except the martyr and the suicide
Sacrifice is not within tree nature, and i
may be that they only heard two divin,
precepts-"0bedience is better than sacri
fce," and Live and multiply"
And as there is nothing so distasteful Il
me as the mob of race day, so there j
nothing so ugly in forest nature as when
am reminded of it by the selfish rush to
ward the sky in clearing the hour it j
abandoned by the human owners. Hark
the bell strikes, the race is about to begin
! seem to hear the uproar of the rush, tn,
fierce, heartless jostling and trampling, tn,
cry, "Self for sell, the devil take The weak
est to see the white hot avciten,nr,t II,