The times., 1898-11-06
ADVENTUROUS EMIN PASHA
Incidents in the Life of the Grea.
Naturalist.


There has been published life OF
Emin Pasha. who. in his day. was con-
spicuous figure in the checkered histo
of the Soudan and Central Africa du.f
the last twenty-five years. and enables
US better to understand the strange per-
sonality OF Emn Pasha. All who are in
. terested in this part of Africa-and who
! is not at present?-where the competition
among the European powers is keenest.
and where the forces OF darkness are
making their last stand. will welcome
this English translation Certain por-
tions of the German original have been
omitted or condensed, and this process
in some cases might have been carried
further without detriment to the real
value of the work. The German editor.
Mr.. Schweitzer. Is relative of Emn
Pasha on the mothers side. while Dr.
Felkin. who contributes the introduction,
not the least important section of the
book. was one OF Emin's most confiden-
tial friends 1t is piece of rare good
fortune that Emins carefully written and
copious diaries have been so completely
recovered from the hands into which they
slavers IN Central Africa
These diaries and letters shed light on
several matters which were previously
obscure. We have had scraps of Informal
ton about Emin Pasha and samples of
his correspondence at various times and
through various channels, but nothing
SO complete as the collection Just pub
lished- We knew that his name was
Eduard Schnitzer lin full "Eduard Carl
Oscar Th1nd0r'rl md hal ha hnr
In 1910 in Oppein in Silesia, whence his pa
rents removed TO Neisse while he was
yet child. His father is said to have
!. been merchant" 1t has been stated
| that he was of Jewish extraction; as a
matter of fact. 1t was not until 1916 that
! young Schnitzer was baptized. as a Pro-
/ testant
! He was educated for the medical pro-
fession at Breslau, and took his NJ d. at
| the University of Berlin. though. owing.
| II is stated, to some technical difficulty he
was not allowed to go in for his state ex-
animation, which. in Germany, alone
! qualities for practice. This so affected
him that he went OF. in 1864. and settled
down In Turkey, where he at once made
! himself at home. From the somewhat
seanty information given as to SchnitZer's
| student days IL is evident that he did not
7 get on with his fellows-that, in fact. the
ways of civilized Europe and the re-
straints Of civilized society were not con-
genial 10 him.
This is feature of Emin's character
which continually comes out in these
pages and explains much of his eccen-
tric character After various hardships
he entered the Turkish service in 1865
and became medical officer at Antivari, in
Albania The life was essentially east
ern. and he at once took to IL as to his
native element. In 1870 he became attach
! ed to Ismail Hakki Pasha. governor OF
Northern Albania. After this follow indi-
cations of political intrigue, and with the
Pasha Sehnitzer. who had assumed q
Turkish name. wandered into various
parts of Turkey, in Europe and Asia For
a whole year he ceased corresponding with
his family, and afterward begged them to
ask no questions.
We have previously had hints of Emin' 3
relations with the Pashas young wife.
whose protector he became after her
husbands death. Indeed. in ISIS. he
brought her and her children to Neisse to
his fathers home and passed her on as
his wife. But she had become an unbear-
able incubus. and In September 1915.
Schnitzer suddenly disappeared, and not
a word did his family hear Of him until
after he was rescued by Mr.. Stanley
some fourteen years later.
We are assured he never did marry the
Pasha's frail wife, and We are inclined
to believe ii, though after Emin's death
a claim was made on her behalf as his
legitimate heir. 1t is evident, then. that
from the first Schnitzer was ill-adapted
to the ways of western civilization. There
was much that was lovable in his char
acter; he was Loyalty attached to the
mixed rabble among whom he lived in
the Equatorial provinces, and sacrificed
h;S ~ d1rrr- 70 sbsrfl hY5t
for fourteen years he never sought to
communicate with his own people, and
we doubt If he was capable of real friend
i ship with any civilized European
In the end of 1870 Emin had drifted 10
Khartoun, and was soon taken into the
l Egyptian service by Gordon. His career
, from that point is fairly well known
5 though much light is shed upon it by the
interesting details contained in these vol
umes. 1t is unnecessary to follow thai
4 career here. We all know of his Isolation
D in the Equatorial Province. of which h
E was governor, after the triumph of th'
, Mahdi. the death of Gordon. and tbs
I abandonment of the Soudan. II has neve
!, before been clearly explained why he de
cIined to leave, as he certainly nigh
' have done.
I The important communication whici
i DIR. Felkin has contributed to the intro
o duction of this book enable US to a con
. siderable extent to solve the puzzle. l
e must be remembered that first OF al
Emin Pasha was devoted naturalis
d and had been so from his boyhood; tn
t collection of natural history specimen
was his one enduring passion, and 1t va
e that more than anything else that lure
n him to his death in the wilds OF Centra
n Africa. Amid incredibly miserable sur
: roundings he was contentedly examinin
his specimens at Kineni not far fror
Stanley Falls, when Kibonge's emissarie
entered deliberately to cut his throat
This passion was one of the motives tina
d made Emin so reluctant to leave Contra
Il Africa. Again. there IS no doubt that n
/ had n real sense of duty to the Egyptian
: and Soudanese. who regarded MN as thel
!, rAsnonsihle head. But, in addition to a
u this IN is evident from his letters to Di
j Felkin that Emin had the ambition to es
n tablish an independent state on the Uppe
re Nile. of which he should be the suprem
le ruler. Repeatedly he talks OF ''Sarawas
20 ing Eouatoria-of accomplishing in ina
:. rart of Africa what Sir James Brooke al
a In Rorneo. Thus will be understood nj
Of reluctance to leave with Mr.. Stanie!
N Emin did not want to be rescued, ~
,e only relieved" to receive from his FRIEND
- In Europe the means of '.Sarawakins n
,s equatorial province-a perfectly justifian o.
=, ambition.
No two men could have been more ii
ferently constituted than Emin Pasha an
Mr.. Stanley, and Emin's views OF his re-
! cuer and of the motive or those WI
W equipped the expedition will be read VII
ie interest There are some curious reveii
l. tons here. 1t is clear that so long az
ffs leT