The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1873-04-26 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 1873.  SIR SAMUEL BAKER.  Those who remember the many apparently truthful reports of the death of Dr. Livingstone will be slow to credit the rumour which was somewhat inconsiderately published by a contemporary last week, detailing the death of Sir Samuel and Lady Baker, with the remainder of the force sent by the Viceroy of Egypt for the suppression of the slave trade in the Nile country. Of course, the dismal information may be only too true ; even though deprived of ite authority by the telegram from the British Consul at Alexandria, we may still cherish a fond and perhaps delusive hope that it had its origin in the mendacious tongue of an African newsmonger or a rascally slaver, to whom the sad disaster would be, welcome and joyful intelligence. There is no doubt Sir Samuel B.lter had rendered himself and the exp. dition be commanded obnoxious to tte inhuman monsters who trade in human flesh by his resolute and determined endeavours to stamp out their unholy traffic ; they had successfully incited the native tribes and their savage rulers against him, and the last reliable news we had concerning mini placed the gallant commander and his little army in a most perilous position, but not suiticiently so as to warrant anything lisee tho wisg•viugs the sinister rumour was cal. , ed to raise. It appears that he was then uifaged in combating a most formidable cuiettain Abu &tut, woo, however, had given ordera to oie troops whom he had left at Fab., in charge of his stores, not to resist Baker if lie demeuded their /mummer. Fabo is hut a few days journey from Ooudokoro, an Egyptian foriified town, awl silppusing the savages as Fabo to have defeated air semuel, he is too good a stretegist not to have secured his lines of retreat to this stronguold open. Besides this what little is known of his character makes it • extreinely unlikely that a leader so .hold, aim teeming aitii resources, should expose hituseit to the Cnauces 0/ starvation, or surrender 'to some petty potentate, whilst lie had a ride, a charge of powilur, anti a bullet at his command.. The enterprise which Sir Samuel Baker , undertook at the request of the Knedive ul Egypt, is censured by many persons who sup• pose, and pereaps rightly, twit under the cloak of extirpating the slave trade, tee Egyptian Panne is really bent upon extending the boundaries of his Empire. This is most pro• bably the ease, and whilst we cannot defend the principle of ,forciabie annexatiun, We euntemi that the cause of civilisation demands that the vile dealings and iniquitous customs which have existed in the Nyman country for centuries should be put an end to. 'this cannot be done, as the opposition to the advance uf Sir Samuel Baker shows without an appeal to arms, and natural though the feeling against conqueet may be, it should be met by the thought tuat thousands of slaved will be treed from a intuit terrible servitude,and theta nowe of cruel and rapacious chiefs will be repiacuu by an enlightened ruler, and one whose European experiences will enatne him to devemp toe trade of a limit portion 01 the African Ltdatinent. But let us not forget that although tne rumour of the murder of our brave countrymen is unconliimed it le also uncontradicted ; slwahl the unhappy news be true, and his bones with those of his faithful, wife are hieachuig beneath the burning sun in the adios of a Suomi, juugie, hug:is/wont way haply boa consolation Ili the thought that not only has British gold been given, but British tiluou been shed twat the Mama of the captive migut be shattered.