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1202 H1_M AI)ER - rNo.352.SATTnvn>v
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DE. LIVINGSTONE'S AFRICAN DISCOVERIES . ...
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rrtories and . Switzerland , permission to lead an army across ; he lias procured in Switzerzerland the strenuous remonstrances of Austria , Bayaria , and Baden ; but now he has obtained a much more powerful support . The Moniteur of this week contains a paper , recording how the Emperor of the Freneh had advised , the
republic to surrender the prisoners xmconcfiti'Otially , and . trust to the magnanitlious concessions of King Fuederick 'I ^' tllia ' liereafter ; * d * the republic has not accepted that advice ; and" now , therefore , Switzerland must ivot be astonished ^ if , 4 t in the course of events , " she should fiiil to find any " good svill" on the part of France . That ineans tlat France will not assist to maintain order in
Central Europe , but "will perhaps side with . the despotic German Powers against Switzerland- — against the very principles which , are now at stake in Italy , and against all that Englishmen profess to hold dear . So much for the alliance ¦ which was to be so productive of moderate reforms In Europe !
Athoihe , the Income-tax agitation is rising . It 5 s decidedly becoming popular . Unlike some other agitations , good in themselves , it is engaging the active interest of the people ; This appears in meetings like that at Stroud or that at Birmingham ; for many of the provincial towns are accompanying London and Manchester . The Birmingham meeting ivas a thorough success . An attempt " was made , in pursuance of the suggestion of ah
association , to mingle the question with one of property tax ; but it is , probably , a good rule to leave the suggestion of taxes for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the objection to the people . The suggestion of a tax necessarily requires a central position ; the objections may le viewed almost from any side ; and unless they can be contradicted from , the centre , they ought to prevail . The
Incometax was imposed for a temporary purpose , it was provisionally kept up for a continuance of that temporary purpose—that is 3 the amendment of our tariff ; it was kept up again for the temporary purpose of war , and augmented for that purpose . . But the tax is not sound ; in principle it is a delusion—it does not effectually or fairly reach the means of the citizen ; and in . working , it is the most oppressive , unjust , inquisitorial , and '
un-English' of any that could be invented , except , perhaps , tb at tax for which Wat Tyler killed the collector . We are not at present exactly subjected to an inquisition of the tax-collector into the evidence of our daughters age ; but the Surveyor of Taxes and the Commissioners thereof do make inquisitions into the Englishman ' s daily life and into the most sacred recesses of his home . The meetings at Birmingham and other places
have not been unanimous ; they have been better . Attempts have been made by intelligent persona to raiee exceptions , and the result has been that * he exceptions ha-ve been listened to , only to prove the rule , and to be brushed aside—recognized to fcc negatived . The people are right ; it is not an acquiescence in the Gi-aostone lease of a partial Income-tax that we ought to permit , "What ive stand for is total and immediate repeal .
Another popular movement tliat moves well is education . The meetings at Manchester have been fruitful in a very simple and clear scheme for raising a general rate , and applying it to all schools , without distinction of sect , on the simple condition that any distinctive religious teaching should
be limited to special times of day , with poweT for patents to withdraw their children , and that , m any rate-supported school , no child shnll be excluded by reason of the religious faith of his parents . The Board of Works li a 3 at last fallen upon an agreement with Sir Benjamin IlAr . r , . It lias adopted the plan of B * , that is , it will carry what ought to be earned out of London just enouoh beyond the metropolitan boundary so that it
cannot convft back again . The question of its further transport to the German Ocean , as Sir Morton Peto proposes , ' with a comparatively small increase to toe cost , a probable reimbursement , and a certain completeness , appears to stand over . In the meanwhile the Board of Works is amusing itself l > y naming so » e 60 O '¦ street * of Xjcndon which the Post-oifico finds inconvenient Awn'the perpetual reduplicatitftt « f tlie same name—seven teen names between 564 streets . We are fcenceforiWrd » H to live hi places named afljfcr peopfe great sttid good— -as good , fbirexample , Hi 'Eugene Aram , ' and as great as Mr . ' Rooker . '
But one of the most interesting events of the week has been the reception of a man yvho is really great and good—Dr . Xiivingstoxe , the African traveller . This man is a missionary , who considered it his duty to carry the blessings of Christianity to the heathen . lie has employed sixteen , years for the purpose , or rather , as he says , he has employed sixteen years in discovering what would be the right path for carrying that , mission to the African in the midst of his own
continent . To accomplish this mission he studied surgery ; and his travels have been a school of languages . At the meeting of the Geographical Society , or of the Missionary Society , on Monday and Tuesday , the public might have seen that strange spectacle— -an Englishman darkened to an African tint , a . ' missionary , wearing a large moustache , and very " . ' practically explaining how the heathen is unfit to receive ' the
tidings until , his mind shall be opened by better instruction in worldly matters ; his very belief being in the need of training . And yet , in that centre of Africa , Dr . Livingstone found an unconscious instinctive savcasm , which reads like a passage in Voltaire ' s moral tales . One chief ; Sicueli , took greatly to the excellent missionary ; and seeing how anxious Litingstonb was that the Africans should believe , he offered' to
accomplish the effect by a summary process , and to beat his subjects into conviction . Livingstons : objected . Imagine a priest objectin g ! On which , SicHEM asked , " But how do you expect they will believe , if I don ' t beat them ? " It strikes us that _ the Africans have something to teach to Christians ; for let its remember that in spirit the Inquisition is not an institution limited to Home or Madrid .
1202 H1_M Ai)Er - Rno.352.Sattnvn>V
1202 H 1 _ M AI ) ER - rNo . 352 . SATTnvn > v
De. Livingstone's African Discoveries . ...
DE LIVINGSTONE'S AFRICAN DISCOVERIES . The members of the Royal Geographical Society held a special meeting on Monday night to present the Society ' s gold medal to the Rev . i ) r . Livingstone for Iris discoveries in Central Africa . The Society ' s rooms were crowded to excess . The proceedings excited unusual interest , and Dr . Livingstone , on entering the room , was warmly greeted by the distinguished assemblage . The chair was taken at half-past eight o ' clock by Sir Roderick Murchison , President of the Society .
The President , in opening the proceedings , said " they had met to welcome Dr . Livingstone on his return from South Africa to his native country after an absence of sixteen years . What must be their estimate of bis prowess when they knew that he had retraversed the vast regions which he first opened to their knowledge ; nay , more , that , after reaching his old starting point at Linyanti , in the interior , he had followed the Zambesi , or continuation of the Leambyo river , to its mouths on the shores of the Indian Ocean , passing through the Eastern Portuguese settlement of Tete , and thus completing the entire journey across Soutli Africa ? In short , it had been calculated tliat , putting together all his various journeys , Dr . Livingstone had not travelled
over less than XI , 000 miles of African territory ; and he had come back as the pioneer of sound knowledge , who , by his nstronomical observations , had determined the site of numerous places , hills , rivers , and lalics , nearly all hitherto unknown , while he had seized upon every opportunity of describing the physical features , climatology , nnd even the geological structure of the countries he had explored , and pointed out many new sources of commerce ns yet unknown to the scopo and . enterpr ise of the British merchant . " { Cheers . ) 'l'ho President expatiated at considerable length on the importance of
Dr . Livingstones discoveries , nnd tlien , turning to the distinguished traveller , said " it was now his duty and his pleasure to prosent to him their founder ' s medal , as a testimony of their regard and admiration . " { Cheers . ") Dr . Livingstono briefly returned thanks , and , at the commencement of his remarks , said tlmt ho Iiacl been so long timifled to speak Ilia own language , that thoy must excuse hut imperfect Hpenchmaking . A vote of thanks to the Governors of the Portuguese ) settlements in Africa , for thoir kind treatment of Dr . Livingstone , was then unanimously carried , and acknowledged in French by Count Lavradio , the Portuguese Minister .
The Secretary-then read extracts from three ~ uT " ttrittenvto the Society * y Dr . Livingstone from rtifr S points iD his travels-the first dated from S * £ - ^ tbe MvcrChobe , in the interior , describing the ol \ ° to the aorth ; the second from the ZambLi ri ™ ^ the thirttftottQuillimane , in the Indian Oce-m ' ff * course ftafeen by Dr . Livingstone was traced bv ' roVlin upon latJge maps which hung upon the walls sY , ? from the western coast of Africa , the red line ' folWo S river Coattza in an easterly direction until it reached « river Kasye , which runs from south to north aii . l » i fcafe * Diloto , a considerable expanse of ' vate ft eentre of the continent . Another river the I Mi
, ,,, continues iliet rrrpitt sOi . iin . nP „ .,. * ' : 't- 'imuye , continues the great chain of wat < rconnmm n « - ' towards Ate south until within a short dbtSSI orS Ngatm , when the river makes a sudden turn to tl , o » , amTtunibles over the fall , of Lakai , tbo „» , & £ ' resque scene in Africa . Uhe river aftenvanls nviP , suddea bend , and flows in a northerl y direction J [ -m 8 wards runs east again , and takes the name of ihc y , ™ besi , passing through the towns of Tete and Sein S it empties itself into the Mozambique Chamul W " town of Qmlhmane , and in the adjacent dclti '
Dr . Livingstone , being failed upoa by the lVesirfput said that south of the -2 O . th degree of south latitude the country is arid and contains very fe , river . * , hut to tho north of that line the country is well watered , and verv unlike what the centre of Africa is popularly represen ted to be . The country which lie had traversed , indeed r covered with a network of waters , many of which ' large and deep , and never dried up . the natives belong to the true negro family , having a good deal of very woolly hair , and being darker than the Beehuanas They hold their women in high estimation , and many of them "become chiefs . If a man were asked to "o ' a '
nvwhere or to agree to any arrangement , he said , " I must go hariie and ask my wife . " If she said "Xo , " there was no possibility of getting ; him to move . Women sit in their councils , and , while a Bechuana- ' swears-liy , his father , these negroes swear by their mother . Xurinii is not a deep lake , but is what is left . of a large lakiTwiiicii existed before the iissure was made near the Lakai Falls . The interior of Africa abbuiids iii fibrous substances of a strong tissue , like flax . Cincona aiul . sarsapavilla are abundant ; indigo grows in profusion ; bees * -wax , coal , iron , and gold are also abundant . The inhabitants of the interior are kind , especially the women .
The meeting , which was of a most interesting character , did not separate until near midnight . The London Missionary Society gave a reception to Dr . Livingstone , on Tuesday , at Freemason ^ ' Hall . Lord Shaftesbury presideil , and among otl ' icr en ) ii ) ent men present were Sir Roderick Murchison . Colonel Rawlinson , and Sir Culling Eardley . On coming forwartl to address the meeting , the great traveller was received with loud applause , all present rising simultaneously . After thanking his friends for their . reception of him , the rev . gentleman proceeded to sav that " the
majority of people have only a faint idea of what Africa is , and less of the nature . of missionary laliour . It is an enthusiastic occupation , certainly ; but ith accompanied by much Lard work , wliich goes some vay towards keeping up the enthusiasm . The Afrkans are a very sceptical people ; they require proof before they evince any disposition to believe ; conscr | iieiilly , much labour and energy are required to nchiere . success The natives of the South Sea Islands are quite a dill'crent kind of people . They liave ditlcrent habits to the Africans , and are easier to convince , lie once remarked to an African chief on the difficulty he . had
in making the natives believe in anything he said to them . ' Believe ! ' exclaimed the chief ; ' they never will believe unless you beat them . Let me Lout it into thern . ' And that is the general opinion of the African nation . ( Laughter . ' ) Bat he had made many believe , nevertheless ; and hoped to do so again . Perseverance and kindness are much better than eudgcls to carry any point . " ( 7 / e « r , hear . ) Dr . Livingstone then proceeded to give a detailed history of'his travels . "He rejoiced to say that the justness of the English name was everywhere recognised in Africa , nnd lho very fact that he was an Englishman induced the natives to treat him in n . most kind and generous manner . ( IFetir , hear . ) hi some respects , Africa is superior to England . There is less disease , there is no consumption , no cancer , no
hydrophobia , and very little madness , while other diseases from wliich people suffer in Engla . nd arc quite unknown in Africa . Ho deprecated the existence of slavery , which , however , he believed would be gradually repressed , owing to the groat falling oft' in the . price of slaves . There is much tlifliculty in getting the hlav < . 's out of the countr }'; thoy are , consc (]( ieiilly , taken into the interior , where they realize- very little money . (/ A r «»' , hear . ) Much money had been obtained by the sale of fdavos ; but it Appeared to ' ! ' S been rich are now poor—poor in purae , ami poor in salvation . " The rev . doctor having advertod to utl ^ r topicsresumed his seatamidst much lmi ^ o .
, , app In the evening , ho ri inert wit li the miinibiM's of the Missionary Society , at the Milton Club , Ludgalc-hill-On Wednesday evening , Dr . Livingstone was presented to the Society of Arts , w 3 iere , after a lecture by Professor Owen on the subject of ivory , the rov . doctor gave some particulars of elephant-hunting i » Africa-
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 20, 1856, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_20121856/page/2/
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