The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1899-06-28
SANKEY'S NEW ANECDOTES
The Noted Explorer Illustrates the
Ignorance About Africa Twenty
Years Ago.
It is 81 years since Henry NJ. stanley's

II is 81 years since Henry NJ. stanley
celebrated book, Through the Dark
Continent" was printed. " told tbs
thrilling story of his journey through
Africa, in which he made his boat sur
vey of Victoria Nyanza and followed Size
Congo from its upper waters to the sea.
\ new edition of the book is about to
appear and Stanley has written Il long
preface for it, in which he tells of the
remarkable changes that have taken
place in the regions described in the
book. He has sent the preface to the
geographer, Wauters, of Brussels. and
the first installmeHt of il has appeared
in lie Movement Geographique in adj.
vance of the appearance of the book. n
few extracts from this part of the pre-
face are reproduced here. Obviously,
Mr.. Stanley's exact language cannot be
given, as the extracts are translated
from the French:
AS a striking instance of the general
indifference in Great Britain to all
had written about Africa in the year 1875
(when his book appeared) ! remember
an interview between two members oil
the council of the Royal Geographical
society and myself. The gentlemen
were calling on me, and one of them, OBJ
serving my manuscript map of the
Congo hanging on the wall and the an
notation | had made along the rivers
course, turned to me with the remark;
"'How long do you think it will bc
before white man sees Stanley falls
again?'
perhaps two or three years re-
piled.
1.-Two or three years. he exclaimed
WHY, ! expected to hear you say 81
years at least
Fifty years. said !. 4 am ready tC
wager that within 90 years there will
be no part of the continent hundred
miles square that will not have been ex
plored.'
IL accept the wager and will make
the sum $50, if agreeable to you sait
my caller.
The bet was made, the 20 years hav,
at last expired. and though do not pre-
tend to say that | have won the bet,
do assert that my prediction has beer
completely confirmed by the facts.
THE same year Sir Rutherford Al
cock, president of the Royal Geographic
cal society, remarked in his annual adj,
dress that | had expressed the opinion
to him that if sufficient money were eN-
pended Africa would not only be eN,
H. lint oil Ea1
| did not think there was anything sur
priSing in the statement. but Sir Ruther.
ford must have thought il worthy Of
reproduction or he would not have men.
toned it. | speak of the matter only tc
show the prevailing ignorance in al
circles at that time of matters relating
to Africa.
Seven wears later | was introduced
by a canon of Westminster to Il we'll
known bishop. and as | was talking tc
him about the Congo he smilingly re
marked
This is all very interesting, but. tC
tell the truth. ! 60 not know that
should be able to find the Congo en- the
map
you may imagine my surprise. Al
the newspapers of the country had beer
printing every day for year news Of
one sort or another about the Berlin
conference and its results. and | Ger
tainly supposed that prince of the
church would know something about it
But his Indifference to the large event,
that were passing in Africa was so grea
that he did not even know the name O.
the Congo!'-N. Y. Sun,