The Lyttelton Times. THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1892.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 9622, 14 January 1892, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1892.

The appearance lure of the African traveller, H. M. Stmley, is of considerably more importance than the fate of a lecture tour through New Zealand. The lectures may bo what you like; from the business point of view they probably will be good, That is to say, when a nan who has succeeded in getting through so many difficulties as H.'ft. Stanley has got through, it is fair t* suppose that he is a sufficiently gool business man to keepbiseye steadily ixed upon the commercial partof his undertaking. Stanley is the very man to hsve a set of lectures properly put together, and he is the man one would expect to know something of the manna' in which these lectures ought to he delivered for popularity’s sake as well as for the sake of the teller of the great stories which make up thoir staple. As a matter of fact the people who have heard him lecture have declared that this expectation has been fully realised. His lectures have certainly drawn good houses wherever they have been delivered. Hut that after all represents a minor interest. A lecture is a thing whose fate, when it is part of a professional tour, does not interest the world. If the people make money, well and good; if they do not, also well and good—that is the public view of the matter, neither more nor loss. The interest in H. M. Stanley is of a very much higher order. He is the man who

has let more daylight into Africa than any other man, living or dead, of whom we can learn anything in the pages of recorded history. His first feat, deemed impossible at the time —that of finding Livingstoneis nothing at all in comparison to his geographical achievements, and the enormous probable possibility of their results. But taken by themselves, the geographical achievements are amazing, For these he was merely preparing himself when he went through the dangers of the Livingstone expedition, which otherwise had no geographical results, except one. That was the opening of his clear intellect to the greatness of the African field of exploration. When ho communicated that knowledge to some enterprising people, the money was at once forthcoming to enable him to occupy the field. That he did to such purpose that not another creature dared to attempt any work in the same direction. He solved the mystery of the Congo, and opened to civilisation a vast fertile country with 8000 miles of navigable water. His discovery of the sources of the Nile in Mount Ruwengori settled a question open since the days of Herodotus. His treaties with the kings reigning over millions of men in the great Lacustrine region made possible the Anglo-German agreement of 1890, so advantageous to civilisation in general and Great Britain in particular. To the profession of journalism the success of this most striking career is especially a source of pride. What was Stanley’s first service of repute ? A remarkable service: it was performed in the crucial moment of the Abyssinian campaign. Lord Napier, after the capture of Theodore’s stronghold, sent off his despatches in the usual manner; which was considered certain to take precedence of all other manners. How could anyone compete with the Commander-in-Chief in a wild, strange country, of which he had complete control, so far as the means of communication were concerned ? The correspondents, therefore, followed in the wake of Lord Napier, contentedly. But, lo ! a strange thing happened, as the very greatly overrated E-ider Haggard has sickened us all by so frequently remarking. When the lordiy despatches reached the Minister for War, that statesman had no interest in them ; their contents had been anticipated a whole week before by the New York Herald, whose correspondent was H. M. Stanley. Mr Stanley had left the other correspondents in procession behind the commander, and riding hard, had got his despatches to theright quarter exactly a week before. The world has talked since of Forbes’ “ Eide to Ulnndi,” whereby his despatches got ahead of the official records. Bat that, though a wonderful performance, was, if measured by the number of days gained, much eclipsed by Stanley’s Abyssinian exploit. The newspaper proprietor who appreciated that feat as a fine product of journalistic training, sent his correspondent to find Livingstone. The country was besot by wars; a predatory chief had tens of thousands of warriors well armed on every road; nobody could make any headway. All the experts declared it to be impossible to reach Ujiji, where news might be heard of Livingstone. But Stanley made a detour; fell among blackmailers, and made another flank movement; and eventually reached Ujiji, where he found Livingstone, Most men would have turned back from Tabora when they heard of the war. Most would have recoiled from the expedition altogether when they found themselves in Zanzibar as Stanley did, with eighty dollars in his pocket and no advices from the New York Herald,, and no credit in the locality. Bat he raised the money, and he outflanked the wars. When in his next expedition he got to the Congo, he made sure that Cameron, who was before him, better armed and better supplied with means of all kinds, would have taken to the river and settled the important question of “Nile, Niger or Congo?” But, to his surprise, Cameron went on past the river, and walked across the continent. He bad no boats; ho heard all the stories of rapids and cannibals in front of Him ; he knew that the Arab expeditions had always met with disaster. Nevertheless, he went and traced the river. After that he agitated in Europe until he founded the Congo Free State, under Belgian auspices. Then he found Emin Pasha; how, we all know. The world contemned him with unbelief when ho said he had found Livingstone ; Manchester, to whom he appealed after his return from his Congo expedition, called him a dreamer; and because he had let the long-desired daylight into the Dark Continent the newspapers called him a “murderer” and a “pirate.” When he went out and founded the Congo Free State there was a howl or indignation; just as it was when he had performed his chivalrous feat of rescuing Emin, a feat as great as anything recounted in the mythical records of knight-errantry. What are the results? They may h& summed up iu the words Christianity and civilisation. .Ho has opened to the world a continent sunk iu the grasp of the slavo trade, festering iu the most hideous barbarism, deep in moral sloth. He bus made it possible for the slave trade to bo killed, ho has brought iu his hand law and order, Christianity, civilisation, domestic peace, the advancement of vast nations; that is what he has offered to Africa and made possible. To Europe and America lie has offered a vast development of commerce, by which all this can be doao for Africa. There is a scornful idea that such things cannot be done. “ Whore has civilisation,” it is asked, “ever done any good for the inferior races ?” Well, if it has not —wo do not admit that it has not —how can that derogate from the grandeur of the achievements which have given the opportunity for the improvement. The neglect of that opportunity will be Africa s misfortune, but not Stanley’s fault.