The Express. — 1867-03-12 (London, England)

THE REPORTED DEATH OF DR. LIVINGSTONE.  A large number of ladies and gentlemen attended the meeting of the Royal Geographical Society last even. ing, at lturlington•houae, expecting to hear some further tidings of the fate of Dr. Livingstone. Sir Roderick Murchison, the president, was prevented from occupying his usual post by an attack of bronchitis, and the chair was accordingly filled by Sir C. ii. RAY/UNMAN, one of the vice-presidents. This gentleman explained the cause of the president's absence, and stated that Sir Roderick had particularly wished to preside Pat the meeting to make some remarks as to the news from Africa respecting Dr. Livingstone. After stating that the letters that had been referred to in the published communications as coming vii St. Helena had not yet arrived, the chairman read the following communication from Sir R. Murchison :  " Regretting particularly that. owing to indisposition, am unable to attend the meeting this .lay, I beg the fel. lows of the society to recollect that in announcing the reported death of my dear and valued friend, Dr. Livin& stone, I spoke of it as an event which required to be su stantiated by better evidence than that of the nine men el Johanna, in the Comoro Islands, who brought the sail in. telligence. I am informed by travellers who know these people well that they are Mahommedans, who, if they became disgusted with, or intimidated by the ferocious pagan natives on the borders of the 'Ake Nyasa, may have abandoned their chief, and having agreed upon the story they were to tell, would hold test, they thinly in maintaining its truth. There are also several parts of their narrative which seem to me to be dillicult to understand—for instance, their being bidden in a wood, and yet their observation of the attack on Living. stone being so accurately described. Again, if, as the Johanna men stated, they buried their leader, is it likely that they would in such cue not have brought away with them some relic to vouch for the truth of their story! Presuming that if hostile natives had killed Living. stone, they would have cared little for his note books : one of these alone, or even a lock of his hair, would have been good auxiliary evidence. Further, when I recollect that many an African traveller who has returned safely to England has been reported to have been killed (usually by runaway natives who bed deserted him), I shall not shindun all hope until Dr. Kirk, the former devoted companion of Livingstone, and who has gone towards the scene of the alleged disaster, shall have satisfied himself that the calamity really occurred, and that philanthropists and geographers have lost the great traveller who had already won for himself imperishable renown. I have only to add that the name detailed account which Dr. Kirk bad sent to me before the letter which appeared was written will, I apprehend, throw little new light upon the alleged murder, us it can be nothing more than a detailed account of the story as related by the Johanna men. The search into the truthfulness or otherwise of the account received must occupy some time." (Cheers.) Sir H. itawidesnit said be agreed fully with Sir Rode. rick's views upon this anxious subject. The account of Dr. Li ' 's fate certainly did seem a very lame story as it stood at present, and ought not to he accepted with. out further verification. At the Sallie time the wont part of the CAW was that eight or nine months had now passed since the disaster was said to have occurred. If it had been untrue lie could not he thinking that some Wivephis message by the way of pt contradicting the onginal narrative ought to have . received by this time, This might be said to be the dark side of the picture to be placed against the bright side revealed in the president's letter. In the meantime all that could be done was to wait the result with patience. If poor Livingstone had perished, all present would feel that not only had science sustained an irreparable disaster, but that each fellow of the Geographical Society bail lost a personal friend. (Cheers.) The ordinary needed with.  of the society were then pro.