Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-09
Book Notices.

MY EARLY TRAVELS AND ADVEN-
TURES IN AMERICA AND ASIA. BY
Henry NJ. Stanley. d. c. L., author OF
"In Darkest Africa" &c. with two
photographers. Two volumes, 2yS and
425 pages. respectively. New York.
Charles scribners Sons. Price, $l.50 pei
volume.
We are so accustomed to associate Stan>
ley with the finding OF Livingstone and
the rescue" OF Emin, who did not WISH
to be rescued" and consequently with
the interior of the Dark Continent that
we are prone to overlook or ignore the
fact that this modern Ulysses served All
apprenticeshlp as a traveller before he
undertook the two great Journeys that
brought him into such prominence. The
volumes before us tell Of this apprentice
ship They have no connection necessarily
the one with the other. and consist OF
letters written by Stanley TO newspapers
while he was on the wing as a specia'
correspondent.
From the standpoint of southern man
Stanley cannot be admired so far as his
early personal history is concerned and
Judged from n strictly literary point or
view. he Is not TO be placed upon high
plane. He lacks literary art, and in no.
thing he las given 10 the public is that
defect more apparent than in MY Early
Travels and Adventures in America ana
Asia"
The careful editing to which the letters
have been subjected have not oblitera'eu
the crudlties that marked them as they
were originally written. Yet, for all this
the collection is entertaining, interesting
and, TO a cetrain degree instructive. SIAN
ley is a keen observer and. although ne
frequently throws the results Of his OBJ
seryations together in a disJointed man
ner. rarely does the attention stray from
his matter. we read and criuelse, ana
continue to read and enjoy.
The first volume embraces narratives Oh
what the author terms, Two lhdldh
Camnalgns." and the first Of these cam
naicns. or. rather, expeditions, was uhder
General Hancock. Stanley expected that
there would be a good deal or nshtlns'
but this was not the purpose or the eA-
petition. as will be seen from tins extract
from one Of the letters from Fort Hayes
when l commenced this rambling cor
respondence | was under the impression
that General Hancock had undertaken
his campaign on the plains Tor the sore
purpose of Furnishing the Indians Tor the
innumerable outrages which they WeIe
alleged to have committed Indeed, IL
was the common belief out West. But
lately the commanding general very
affably favored me with his views, when
learned that his mission had been TO
feel the temper of the Indians-to see
who were guilty and who were MOTTO
convince himself and others whom 1t
might concern which tribe was for war
and which was for peace-to sign
treaty, il necessary, with any tribe or
tribes peacably inclined; 10 separate the
peaceful tribes from those disposed for
war, and, lastly to post more troops on
the Smoky Hill and Santa Fe roads
The author formed very exalted
opinion of General Hancock, and be-
came welded TO the military view OF the
of the Indians. He dis
cusses the whole Indian agency question.
and. though his writings on that sub
ject are of date OF 1861, there is much
in them that is pertinent to the problem
as II stands to-day. In one OF his first
letters he says:
THE Indian-the poor. red man-hes
been used and abused by the military
and civil authorities. Special legislatinS
has been done for him time out OF mind,
and still he is the poor Indian
Treaties have been made repeatedly with
him. and then some unaccountable cause
occurs, and the treaties are broken.
Lately the War Department and the In
dian Department have been exercised
10 Il.
that all control over the Indians has
been handed over by Congress to the
Indian Department We do not imagine
il will mend matters in the least, but,
on the contrary, will only increase the
hostility and impudence OF the Indian.
If the War Department took charge OF
the entire thing we might hope, IL reali-
able and energetic commanders were
placed at the head of a sufficient num-
Der of troops. of hearing less Of the hellish
outrages lately committed OF late years
we have had many treaties with the In
dams. but they have been as often dis
regarded. The butchering, numbering,
and torturing of the frontier settlers
have been continued in a manner that
only savages could conceive. The late
massacre at Phil. Kearny is an instance
OF the horrible way in which Indians
avenge their grievances. The Indians
seem to be regarded as special pro-
teges by the department, which presides
over them; and their unparalleled bar
barities appear to be winked AT. This
causes them to unduly exalt, and many
OF them believe that they will again
be in undisputed possession of the vast
territory over which they ruled before
the whites appeared In their country. To
make war of determination would in
volve vast expense; besides, il is not en-
terprise becoming a great nation. Every
thing points 10 the coming destruction Of
the aboriginals of North America, but we
should not hasten their doom, If it be
possible to avoid II. There ought 20 be
a large tract of land given them. where
they may hunt the buffalo, the antelope.