DEATH OF DR. LIVINGSTONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1120, 17 June 1867, Page 4

DEATH OF DR. LIVINGSTONE.

At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, the Secretary read the documents relating to the death of the great traveller, of which there were five. The fullest and most important of these was Dr. Seward's despatch to the Foreign Office. It was dated December 10, 1866, and the following are extracts: — If the story of some fugitives from Dr. Livingstone's party he true, he was slain during a sudden and unprovoked encounter with the very Zulus of whom, in the last despatch received from him, dated Nigomana, May 18, he said that they had laid waste the country round about him. With an escort reduced to twenty by desertions, deaths, and dismissals, he had traversed, as I believe terra incognita between the confluence of the Leonda "and Eovuna Hivers at Nigomana and the eastern or north- j eastern shore of Lake Nyassa, had crossed the lake at some points not yet ascertained, had reached a stationnamedKampunda.onits western or north-western shore, and was pushing westward or north-westward into dangerous ground, when between Marenga and Maklisoora a band of implacable savages stopped the way, a mixed band of Zulus or Mafite and Nyassa folk. The Nyassa folk were armed with, bow and arrow, the Zulus with the traditional shield, broadbladed spears and axes. With Livingstone there were nine or ten musketeers; his Johanna men were resting with their loads far in the - rear. The Mafite instantly came on to fight. There was no parley, no avoidance of the combat. They came on with a rush, with war cries, rattling their shields with their spears. As Livingstone and his party raised their pieces the onset was for a moment checked. Livingstone fired, and two Zulus were shot dead. His boys fired, but their fire was harmless. He was in the act of re-loading, when three Mafites leaped upon, him through the smoke. There was no resistance; there could be none ; one cruel axe-cut from behind put him out of life. He fell, and his terrorstricken escort fled. One of the fugitives escaped; and he it is who tells the tale— Ali Mossa, chief of his escort of porters. The party had left the western shore of Nyassa about five days. They started from Kampunda, on the lake's borders, and left there the havildar of Sepoys dying of dysentery. Livingstone had dismissed the other Sepoys at Mataka, and had rested at Marenga, where he was cautioned not to advance. The next station was Maklisoora. They were traversing a flat country, broken by small hills, and abundantly wooded. Indeed, the scene of the tragedy would appear to have been an open forest glade. Livingstone as usual, led the way, his nine or ten unpractised musketeers at his heels. Ali Moosa had nearly come up with them, having left his own Johanna men resting with their loads far in the rear. Suddenly he heard Livingstone warn the boys that the Mafite were coming. The boys in turn beckoned Moosa to press forward. Moosa had just gained the p«rty and sank down behind a tree to deliver his own fire when his leader fell. Moosa fled for his life along the path he had come. His Johanna men threw down their loads and with him fled into the deeper forest. If the Mafite really passed Moosa, his escape and that of his people really verges on the marvellous. However, at sunset they, in great fear, left their forest refuge and got back to the place -vhere they hoped to find their baggage. It was gone, and then with increasing dread they crept to where their slain ready lay. Near him, in front, lay the grim Zulus who were killed under his sure aim. Here and there lay scattered some four dead members of the expedition. One blow had killed Dr. Livingstone outright. He had no other wound but this terrible gash. From their description it must have gone through the neck and spine up to the throat in front. It had nearly decapitated him. Death came mercifully in its suadenness, for David Livingstone was "ever ready." The Mafite had respected him when dead, for he was stripped only of his outer clothing. A grave was dug with sticks, and the body buried. "Ten, whose names are given, stood before the Mafite with Livingstone; of these four were j seen dead, and the rest, save Ali Moosa, are missing. The Johanna men made their way back to Kampunda. The journey occupied fourteen days, for, not venturing near a village or station, they lost their way in a jungle. At I Kampunda they were deprived of their weapons by the chief, who also kept those of the deceased havildar of Sepoys. The Johanna men found an Arab slave caravan, recrossed Nyassa, and, making for Keetwa, a great slave outlet on the coast, theyagain encountered Zulus, whoscattered the caravan. The Arabs abandoned the ivory and slaves, which constituted their all, and thought only of saving their lives. The Johanna men escaped, reached Keetwa, and were sent on to Zanzibar, which they reached on the 6th of December. When their story was known, the flags were lowered by the foreign vessels in the harbor, andandattheEnglish, French, American, Hanseatic, and the Sultan's Consulates. ' The date of Livingstone's death,' observed Mr. Seward, 'is left to conjecture.' He infers that Livingstone left Mataka about the middle of July last, and that the fatal encounter took place during September. The Johanna men name six weeks as about the probable time of their journey, but their statements are vague and untrustworthy."

TAXATION (No. 13.) We have seen with interest, from time to time notices in the Wellington papers of the pro' ceedmgs of the Civil Service Examiners At one time we have heard that they were com?u^ n 5. lr labours m Wellington, at another that they were just starting to begin their ardous labours " in somb other province, and we liave more than once found ourselves speculating as to the probable meaning of this language. It is pleasant to hear of any high official of this colony actually engaged in arduous labours," though we have grown somewhat suspicious of tEis phraseology, and we confess we want to see for ourselves what it is like. This opportunity has been in some degree afforded us. The "Civil Service Examiners have extended their " arduous labours " to Nelson, and we are bound to believe that tliev "have performed their onerous duties here as faithfully as anywhere else., From all we can learn on the subject, the visit of the two Examiners was productive of no consequences whatever. The " arduous labours" of the Examiners in Nelson were simply a farce; and beyond drawing their three guineas each per day, besides travelling expenses, we do not see that the Examiners did anything at all while here. No doubt, being men of standing and position, they did all that they considered their duty, and are personally quite beyond the reach of blame ; but we cannot help thinking that some one or other must bo within reach of blame in this matter.

It is some little time since we took occasion to make a few- comments on the Civil Service Report promised to Mr. Stafford, and made the basis of a very elaborate Act of our Assembly. This report and Act were to do wonders for the Civil Service of the colony,' iand we have more than once found ourselves rebuked by a Wellington contemporary, supposed to be inspired by the Government for our want of faith in them. At tlie same time it was pompously announced that the Civil Service Examiners had begun their "arduous labours," and it was broadly hinted that some vast reform was rapidly approaching. Now the Examiners have been in _Nelson, have performed their task and have gone away again, and we see no signs of anything happening. So far es we can learn they have, to some extent at least, imitated a certain famous general of antiquity—they came, they saw, and if they didn't conquer, at all events they went away quite as well satisfied as if they had. In one»or two cases we believe some pretence of examination was gone through, but in the very great majority of cases the Examiners were fully satisfied by a mere inspection of the officials. This may for aught we can tell have been all that was expected of them by the Government, but we can say with certainty that is is not all that is expected by the public from the Government. We fail to sea how the fact of two elderly gentlemen travelling in a leisurely way round the colony, and giving a languid glance at the post-office and customhouse clerks employed by the General Government, can at all increase the efficiency of those public servants. The colony has begun to suspect that it has quite enough elderly gentle* men taking a languid interest in its various offices already, without the addition of a fewmore receiving three guineas a day out of its oppressive taxation to look at the others not I doing their work. This, we say, so far as external appearances went, was the rea' meaning of | the visit of our Civil Service Examiners. They seem to have been paid for going through a sort of pretence of examination, which, as nothing was to follow upon it, was not required to afford ! a test of anything in particular. The whole question of our Civil Service and its reform is closely connected with this question, : and it is quite necessary that the matter should be brought plainly before the public. We have already pointed out the utter absurdity of our present system'of public offices; we have calculated the number of officials, and endeavoured to expose some of the plans by which an appearance of something for them to do was created. To all j this the Government has had but one reply— i " We are providing for all this as fast as possible by our Civil Service Act and Examiners." We have already pointed out that the Beport, and the Act founded on that Eeport, were mere shams, and we are by no means surprised to. find them followed up by an examination which is, if possible, a greater sham than either of them. It was useless to expect anything else. As yet the Government does not open its eyes to the fact that anything is needed to effect a real change in the mode of conducting our public offices. Nor will it do so until it is absolutely forced upon it. 'There are many things that are pleasant to Ministers in extensive patronage ; they have friends to oblige; and it may be, acquaintances to provide for in some way; and. a place in a public office is the easiest way out of the difficulty. Looked at from the point of view of the public, however, there are two very serious objections to this. The one is, that such a system must, from its very nature, load the public offices with incapable persons, who make far more work for others than they do themselves. The other is the very serious evil that all the incentive to exertion afforded by the hope of promotion according to desert is by this means taken away. If they would believe it every Civil servant of this colony who is of any value whatever, finds in ourselves his truest friends. A reform of these departments mean not only the dismissal of a large number of useless servants who ought never to have obtained a footing there, but also a hope of promotion and a chance of decent salaiy to those servants who are really able and willing to work. To such Civil servants, this farce of an examination is a very painfnl mockery. They feel that the most incompetent of those above them, and the name of these is " legion," we fear, are in a manner white-wished by this pretence of an enquiry into their fitness. If the result of the examination meant anything at all, it meant that, of all the sixteen hundred Civil servants of tho Government, there is not one who is not well fitted for tho office lie holds. Perhaps this is the case, too ; but if so we can only say—so much the worse ? or the office ;it is time it were abolished. If such a farce as this does not open the eyes of :he people of this colony, we do not know what frill do so. The Government that sent round jxaminers to do as the Civil Service Examiners tiave done, meant no reform. Its object was to stereotype the worst features of the present jlan, by confirming in their places those who lave learnt to carry it out. The colonists, then, nust help themselves in the matter. It is worth •emembering that the people here are _ the iupreme power, and that if they are determined ;o have a reform, or to have a cheap Governnent, they will soon find men who will carry >ut their wishes. When this is done, we hope o see a new Board of Examiners, whose duty t will be to ascertain who are the best men, and vho will set themstlves diligently to do tha Luty.—Nelson Examiner.