The morning call., 1890-10-22
THE LATE RICHARD BURTON.

llCililu 4)u4 lO'l, W l1O uICu btl ~ih'iludy III
London, was a born traveller, like Humboldt
Stanley. Waterton, Livingstone and Bruce.
He possessed the three qualities which go to
make up the ideal traveler-an iron frame,
capable Of enduring any hardship; an extra
ordinary aptitude for the acquisition of Ian
guages, and that peculiar tact which en-
abled him to make friends where other men
make enemies After the usual schooling
he completed his education by serving sew
eral years on the staff of Sir Charles Napier
in India. Tie rfaders of Ruiyard Kipling
need not be ld that for young officer who
is ambitious there is no better training in
tue world than on the staff OF an enterprising
Iniian General,
When Ri hard Burton was 90 he re-
solved to accomplish that which had only
once before been accomplished by Christ
ian-tO visit Mecca al the annual festival.
The Mohammedans are SO JEALOUS of their
religion that it is death for L" an infidel - TO
witness their deYoiionS at the shrine of the
prophet. To accomplish his purpose Bur
ton had not only to acquire the language of
the race of which he proposed to perSunate as
member 50 perfectly that his pronunciation de-
ned cTi; ic sm, but likewise to master the
habits and manners of the oriental and to
familiaTize himself with the many subtle OBJ
serv tnceS which often escape general notice.
but which, when neglected, betray the for
egner to a native eye. Burton so COM
pletely Invested himself of his English
identity that he passed muster among the
worshiperS as one Of themselves, witnessed
the ceremonies aJ Mecca and Medina without
molestation ard gave 4 full account OF them
to the world. For nearly year lie carried
Ills life in his hand
Il was in 1886 that he achieved the great
work Of his life by discovering Lake Tan
glnyika. Livingstone had then been six
ten years in Africa, had discovered tie
Zambesi River and WAS accommodating mate
rial for a map Of the watershed of Equato-
rial Africa. He resolved at once to supple
ment the discoveries of Burton and Spoke,
but over ten years elapsed before he was en-
abed to do SO. Meanwhile Burton had
paved the way for the expeditions of 1912,
and had returned from Africa laden with
information about races and regions OF
which the world knew absolutely nothing.
His areer for the next twenty years was
one of incessant and aIduous travel-in
Africa. Asia. North ana South America and
even Iceland. He was a conscientious OBJ
server, and what he saw he was competent to
describe clearly and accurately, rs his thirty
volumes of travels prove. For years to come
his works must remain textbooks for the
geOgraphPr During a brief period lie was
invested 10y his Government with the govern
ment OF an African province, but admins
tration was not his forte. In middle life
he was 60 when he died-he was appointed
British Consul at Trieste. 1t is believed
that he still held that post, and WAS absent
on leave in England when he started on that
last journey from which no traveller returns.
The lives of great travellers teach the lesson
that prudent explorer of strange countries
will couple with his devotion to science
some little forethOught for himself. Living
stone died, as he had lived, a pauper Bar
ton was dependent on the within of officials
in Downing street for minor consulate,
whose income barely betrayed his expenses.
Stanley has been more wise in his day and
generation. 1t is understood that he has
saved considerable sums out Of the salary ne
received from Congo State and from the COM
mittee which sent him TO rescue Emin Pasha.
His new book-which, curiOusly enough
costs 81 30 more in San Francisco than in
New York-will probably yield him a round
sum of money. But it takes long time to
accumulate, by savings from salary or by
writing books, a sum of which the interest
will support family in comfort; and few
modern travellers have the opportunities of
enriching themselves which Warren Hast
ings enioyed. 1t is hardly probable that
Stanley is rich. Travel and discovery are,
it seems, the appanage of him whose means
enable him to disr gard considerations of
bread and butter. The enterprlsing voyager
who is destined to discover the North Pole,
TO map out Central Australia and to tri-
angulate the Antarctic continent must be
man of assured fortune. Otherwise, in his
old age he may present an example of unre-
Quilted glory and Pennies luster.