St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-03
the FALL OF TIrP0o TIn
The Final Overthrow of the King of the
Slave Traders.
LONDON. Nav % 1891

LONDON, May 20. 1884.
The recent battle fought on the shores of
Lake Tanganyika means the complete and
final overthrow of the Arab power in Central
Africa, and the downfall of Tippoo lib, the
king of the slave traders. This remarkable
man, who has long been the richest and most
powerful chief in Central Africa, is now about
fifty years of age, of medium height. and
somewhat corpulent. His short beard and
close-cropped hair are grizzled. Tippoo is a
half-breed, the son of Zanzibar Arab and
a woman of Bagamoyo. The Zanzibar type
comes out in the flattened nose, salient lips.
dark brown skin, and superb teeth. His
physiognomy is described as intelligent, his
Bearing full of dignity, his manners distin-
guished. He speaks with vivacity, his words
being few energetic and decisive. Touch on
the subject of ivory with him and he i'm
mediately becomes animated, his eyes full of
fire. He usually wears the white robe of the
Zanzibaris, with a long gray oyergarment
with spacious sleeves embroidered with
silver lace; on his head an embroidered white
cap. In the Manyuema country, between
Tanganyika and the Lualaba, he has long
been immensely popular. In the neighbor-
hood of Nyangive he has immense. planta-
lions, to which until recently thousands of
slaves were attached. Wealthy as he is, he
is said to affect somewhat Spartan mode of
life, and his character is not altogether ig-
noble.
Since Tippoo lib left his domains two
years ago to visit Zanzibar Arabia and
Europe, troubles have crowded thick and
fast upon him. stroke of paralysis, after
he reached Zanzibar, kept him for MANY
months an invalid at the Sultan's capital
Then his son, Sefu, to whom he had left, his
affairs on the upper Congo, joined his for
tunes with those of the Arabs, who imagined
they could overthrow the Congo State. This
badly advised young man is now a wanderer :
and garrison of the State occupies Kason-.
go, the town his father built, and, until his
own treachery, the most flourishing Arab
settlement in Central Africa. Fortunately for
Tippoo lib, he has a good deal of propertyin !,
Zanzibar, and it is doubtful if he will ever re-
turn to the extensive region on the upper
Congo, which on many maps was designated
as "Tippoo Tbs Domain"
TIppoo lib has now SO far recovered his
health that he is about to pay his, long
deferred visit to Europe. He will seon ar,
rive in France, where he will spend some time
and then go to other countries. The Xing
of the Belgians, long ago, invited Tippoo
lib to come and see him. and he is sure to
be everywhere received with interest and ;
consideration, for he has figured promi-
inently in the story of nearly every explorer
who has helped to reveal the secrets of in
ner Equatorial Africa. Livingstone knew
him WELL He appealed to the, trader to
save the Walungu tribe from the attacks of
their slave-hunting neighbors. Tippoo lib
kept the promise he made to the famous
missionary, and, years later, Captain
Hore told of the prosperous condition Of his
tribe, which, by Tippoo Tbs orders, had
been protected from the molestation, not
only of their neighbors, but also of Arab
slave raiders. All the missionaries of the
Tanganyika region have ever defended Tip
poo Tib against the charge, made by some
conspicuous explorers, that mercenary con-
siderations alone appealed to him. King of
slave dealers as he was, it is not strange
that the missionaries have pleaded his vir-
tues in his defense, for his promise to them
of friendship and protection have always
been faithfully Kept. In fact, he seems for
years to have believed it to be the destiny =
of Central Africa to come under European
denomination; and he was broad enough TO
have faith that the Arab traders, who had
monopolized all sorts of business in the in
terror, by accepting the inevitable and help
ing instead of OPPOSING white enterprises,
would not suffer in their business interests.
At the same time he has always freely criti-
cised those European methods which he
thought were harmful, and has produced I'M
deniable evidence of immoralities and in
DISTINGUISHING around some European en-
terprises, which he thinks are at least as
harmful as the abuses of which the Arabs
are accused.
If Tippoo lib had remained at home. the
Arab instruction in the Congo State prob
ably would not have occurred. As it is, the
Arabs have lost their hold all along the
upper river, and Tippoo lib will never again
be potent in African affairs. So a,l+t
EDWARD HuDANE.
The remarkable Traveller from Altr,riar
papers which Mr.. W. d. Howe!ls has been
writing ror the COSMOPOLITAN are 10 be issued