TOPICS OF THe DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7738, 18 December 1890, Page 4

TOPICS OF THe DAY.

Nkct to the credulity of mankind, the incredulity of the publio is one of the strangest phenomena of modern life. Anything about the virtues of patent medicines, the appearance of wraiths, and so forth, is swallowed with avidity. Let a plain, honest man narrate in straightforward language something he has seen or done, and people at once become suspicious or distrustful. It is the story of the old lady and her sailor grandson repeated. As long as he told her of mountains of gold, and trees of bread and cheese, she believed him, but directly he mentioned flying fish she reprimanded him for lying. We believe there are some people who still stoutly deny that the Bey. W.S.Green ever ascended Mount Cook, or went through one quarter of the adventures he described. They can give no reason for their scepticism, and they do not attempt to explain why a clergyman who has achieved considerable distinction ia alpine work elsewhere, should come ont to New Zealand with Swiss guides, at great expense, for the sole purpose of romancing about our glaciers instead of exploring them. For our part we are quite unable to understand how anyone could read Mr Green's sober yet graphic narrative without feeling convinced that it was a very, close and accurate record of what he had actually seen and done. We fear the unbelievers are unbelievers from ingrained prejudice, and are not open to conviction. It may interest them to know, however, that Messrs Mannering and Dixon went over the same route aa Mr Green, and were enabled by hia sketches and descriptions to follow hini every foot of the way. They saw the famous ledge where be and his companions passed tbe awful night sa vividly described in his book, but found it rather larger than they expected. No doubt; however, if they had had to remain standing oa it through eight hours' darkness and rain its apparent dimensions would have shrunk, and they would- have found it far too narrow to be at all oomfortable. .

,Ift estimating the value of the feat accomplished by the New Zealand Alpine climbers, as compared with the ascents made every season in the Swiss Alps, there are several considerations to be borne in mind. One is the absence of [professional guides in New Zealand, to which we have already referred. Another is that, in comparing a New Zealand mountain with a Swiss alp, abont 2000 ft should be added to the height of the former, owing. to the fact . that the snowline is to that extent lower in New Zealand than in Switzerland. In other ways there ie much more hard work connected with mountaineering out here. There is not nearly ao muoh moraine to be traversed in ascending a Swiss glacier, and. this is terribly exhausting work. Again, mountain climbing in Switzerland, although not quite so much reducedto a system as Tarfcarin imagined, is still immensely facilitated by the catting of traoko/ the erection of huts, and so forth. Here the adventurous- climbar- has to pick out his own track, and bivouac on the ice or the rooks, Alpine work in New Zealand ie m> child's plar, and for many to como the aacent of a fiwidass peat; will be. a very rare feat, because there are only a very few men in the colony ftfcUd by nature, training and inclination to accomplish it. Wβ Jwe now heard 2n> Stanley's version of the expedition business* and lie has had all the advantage of a long start of everybody else, Wβ have heard something at any rate of what is to be said on behalf of. those left in charge of the rear-guard, and most people have come to the conclusion that there ia a good' deal f» be paid on the" , side of th§ matter. The'one man who has remained silent all through has been Emm Pacha, who is fflaafiy reppeeta has most " call" to speak; an* whom certainly the public would be eager to listen to. Why wasnerawillingto!»« rescued" f> What was the real explanation of the extraordinary changes e# front which he exhibited , time after time in hie dealings with Stanley, if wo are to accept the lattor'd version of what took place f A Uttte light is now beginning to. break in upon vthp.fi, was the darkest mystery of all connected with what took piece "In Darkest Africa." ' ' Prasrof ai! Mr Moonteney who was left with Bmin for several month* while Stanley went back to pick wp Ijbe rear-guard, has published hU book, He describes Emin'a settlements in glowing terms aa "real Jifetle Arcadia where one might p?a«|uUy dre*m away one'e We," so that one ia not; euxprised Eesia was eorry to leave the cwe»|iiy, however, ire t*e tcM, vvgf w*\f ia the I

m dtaewewd that^SS^J 9 strongly aW the E^J^?^ * the proving tod | of the policy of the S «ue n ft K>rt of Botany Bay, to IE* 0 * *'* £ Joe showing, there % t*a in the province wh<TZ L? > moment undergoing a mtoji £ ** ment iron, Egypt for JJ murder. JJj » up Emia'e cW," Jepheon givea as pretty muT^ 1 * picture a. Stanley did. He«L ** " Hia natural kindliaew JZi T ! weakness of character, Zms2f*i I the eteongwiU which wTtjLj?***! ! him to act against hie 52? leading him to do things with* I would have done if left I fcLfi*! \ I smuations muat have been »ki• k & I his ears; ungenerous motlL * ; been attributed to all that I? 5! ** I ! poor, quick sensibility mit h S* s > ij played upon by that a™ *g* H ! Emm, etung to xaadnesa by Jγ*.** I and innuendo* of his • frwni »£>•» I fatal step which has from the pedestal etTjLJ?H admiration upon which h e X «*» 1 reading these constant ebulSat * I spite, on Emm's part I tomSf\* I certain amount of indig«£J \s?»i quickly develops into a WE , J* «1 Hut I cannot do otherwisHli fc. I my great surprise and regret at p 5 ? 81 I extraordinary conduct ever eiu^^ l,, I fortunate accident at JiafftmnlT + ''f* P which has deeply dhndJHft*** 1 friends. But the first fodiiw rfV?* , I tion passed, I only feel a protoaad Sff I a man who could sacrifice aUfe-fi? 1 * 1 gratitude and frieudahip to iSg* I resentment" | It is evident that for Emia'a 1 have to go elsewhere. ThitbwJ! I by Dr. Carl Peters, Emtn'e IrhMT? I outspoken yet fair-toned artiole i> £ I Oonfewiporary JRetneto. En,j n( it ,*• 1 told Dr. Peters that the first tlm 9 g2 I arrived at tho Mwata Naige he vukl I almost ruined condition. Aβ a wrtw I the St. James's Gazette saya— 1 "There is considerable irow fathsfo* I that when Mr Jepheoa, the reUoW 1 worn, and ragged, with a few S , I aegroesin hie trftio, arrivad ia ffaiK 1 toty of the man he came to '«W> f found hiuieolf ushered into a : able bodroom, aud provided with a bS and a ohango of clothes j and a quiet «i i dressed servant brought in his lusm* i and put it down respectfully at the fS I of his bed, much as if he had hmui ! lirighton Hotol. Natutally Mate i taited to quit his fertile province, with & i : well-built stations, bis houses, hta b«& I his collections, hia great stores c! ivat 1 (Mr Jephson assures us that the Itauj I was worth more than jglOO.oa)) sad i<, 1 thousands of Egyptian aad 1 followers, with their women and cMltejL 1 revelling , in this land of pleat;, to tims m himself headlong into the anne «! ifi tattered band of European 1 who had crawled through ihe OmS p Foreat with a half-starved attiag of Mfo? 1 porters." 1 Then Stanley's proposal auafe, te 1 seemed staggering to Erain. Pfet I told him that he had ordm ixm tk 1 Khedive that he woe to eraetmte & 1 Equatorial province. As this meant tkofr I ing away the work of years and aHoniisg 1 the district to relapse into barbarfaasscti} I was unintelligible to Emm, "Affet several days," says the Pasha, 'wMiI : was considering Stanley's first proposi< ; tion he (surprised mc with a 1 one t ifc was juefc tho mnm I of the first one, but that d!d p> | vent Stanley from bringing d«f I both of them, in his. pocket," In ib 1 name of the King of tbft Belgians Scanty | requested Emm not to obey the Kaa3iteis .1 orders but to hoist there the flag «t tb« i Congo Free State» Scarcely had A» i puzzled Pasha had time to takft ta I the meaning of this pwportta 1 iyhen Stanley came out «it{t i | third, of course quite iaeoiagstM I with the other two. In the mm ci &« :| Britiea East African Company 1» jw -I posed to Bmiu to go round I Nyauza to its north-easb coraer* I Kaviroudo. There Bmin was to fee «f" I Wished on an island/ and left fe> I bis position. Stanley would thefc -1 to the coast, and go to Mombasa to «*» J ammunition and troops for Smfo Sw I Britieh East African Company wa* b the whole army of JSmw into its **m j every man with the rank and |»f j poeseased whUe under Bgyptfa«-»* ] Emm Paaha waa to be Governs «* the Company of aU to*. * * Upper Nile.. Aa, for J0» wae to be eettied by him «ti&v* Company. Stanley brought t°*«*p. * contract with that Company, sealed in London, and only ■**** Emin'e aignature to mke Finally JeSOOO waa agreed ugo» »« ealary. The troops, which *•* bring back from Mombaea were to fl** to Ugauda under ti^ [W ship of Emm, fight Unyoro, sad «s«» l ocoupy Ernin'e old province? *h;J**, achieved ia the name of the ***** African Comply. BtotaT.-*** 1 ? brought up theee Aießtaiy - | Emm, wae then to withdraw «««»£? I England. This wa» probftW 1 yealp|ftn^ndEmin,w^«ah^» aadetnp Wβ mind to W* *£, another difficulty tttose. * . W e:~«Aa for Stanloy, Uvlmt ."&* | tho south end of the Victoria #y*»- j , TJfiumWo, be could not «F ; to carry out the promise held via.,to bring himwund the the lake to Kavirondo, an* ! there aa agreed. -He ntfwjjr J haeMUwuiWe to do m without»«*V; ,; or 4« of the Q» rf ' underetood then Out he h*4 oufc of his own country under F^ promisee notto U wnlieed # ,- hadloefcwhat forced, againefe his -to*"* 0 * *£?* pany Stanley to the course, cordial relations cotdd ><* feetweenihe two prttat e?^f^ the Nyanza, could not tend to mattere, and certainly doe* ™* **£ ouv W ot for Stanley. Ona Catholic nußsionaries came *«* J* to ITsumbiro to pay their They found the whoJa p«ty •* Stanley at the head of (ho »bottle of mm, and * fashion, but all the o**".* table without wine, and hm oa fare. Such a gUmpse of the conrse among tho membera of »• JO Dr. Peteraseys,"^ W S, The apologia or 'f h piece, concludes in «I am »ot at all surprised ttajMg Poeha The two menwef* * t taffll* Stanley took* the «a*»_ 57,j3s7,j 3

'""""-delatea delicate and_ fwwStive * that of iSmm Fad»» yost as is unable to enjoy r*®*? « cfV field of roses, but the «* sStaNevertheless. To mc Emm at S»rs as a model in the faithful duty, the seriousness of r rf Sntfio°abSrand his moral tact. -fe -fftrf his not caring to go to Europe, JtafaiH and honoredlike others, ta. *° , ~«i_h of genuine modesty and '*■*_■■ oTprindpuTas is also tfie fact ffX «Sed from taking 48000 to *«- the British service, not* however, national feelings, for he bad £*f*Jw*g to take service with the K-.t, butbecause his Innermosir feel- < been hurt by Stanley's behaviour *_afs°r,. *> f#watdi him.