DE LIVINGSTONE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1159, 14 February 1874, Page 5

DE LIVINGSTONE.

The following sketch of the career of Dr Livingstone, whose death is announced in our telegrams to-day, is taken from "Men of the Time":—

Livingstone, the Rev. David, African traveller and missionary, was born at Blantyre, upon the banks of the Clyde, near Glasgow, about 1817. Though descended from a respectable line of Highland ancestors, his parents were in humble circumstances, and his father, who kept a small I tea-dealer's shop at Hamilton, is represented by his son in the autobiographical sketch prefixed to his travels, as having been much too honest and conscientious to become a wealthy man. He died in 1856, having lived to witness the fruits of that love of honest industry, active exertion, and benevolence, which he early instilled into the breast of his son. David Livingstone, sent as a youth to earn his livelihood in the cotton mills of Blantyre, was, even at that time, possessed with a genuine love of learn* ing. Enabled by hard labour to purchase the means of gratifying his thirst for information, he pursued his studies at Glasgow during the winter months, resuming his occupation at the mills during the summer vacation of the classes. In this way he contrived to pick up some acquaintance with the classical writers, and at the age of 17 could repeat portions of Horace and Virgil. As he grew to manhood, he resolved to devote himself to missionary life, cherishing a hope that Africa or China would have been the scene of his labours. His wishes in this respect were realised, for after having studied medicine for a few years, during which period he attended one or two courses of theological lectures by the late Dr Wardlaw, and having been admitted a Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons m 1838, he offered himself to the London Missionary Society for missionary work in Africa, and his offer was accepted. Having been ordained to the pastoral office in 1840, he soon after left England for Port Natal, where he became acquainted with his countryman, the Rev. Robert Moffat, one of the most active and enterprising of African missionaries, whose daughter he eventually married, • and she accompanied him in his travels until her premature death in 1862. From 1840 till his return to England at the close of 1856, he laboured persoveringly as one of the agents of the London Missionary Society, at Kuruinan, Mabodson, and other stations m Southern Africa, and made several expeditions into the interior. He became acquainted with the language, habits, and religious notions of several savage tribes, and twice crossed the entire continent, a little south of the Tropic of Capricorn, from the shores of the Indian Ocean to those of the Atlantic. In May, 1855, the Victoria, or Patron's Gold Medal, was bestowed upon him by the Royal Geographical Society, for having "traversed South Africa from the Cape of Good Hope, by Lake Ngami to Linganti, and thence to the western coast in 10 degrees south latitude." In 1855, Dr. Livingstone retraced his steps eastwards, and haviug again traversed those regions as far as Linganti, followed the Zambesi down to its mouths upon the shore of the Indian Ocean, thus completing the entire journey across Southern Africa. He returned to England at the close of 1856, and was present at a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, December 15, when the President, Sir R. Murchison, reminded his audience that "they were met together for the purpose of welcoming Dr Livingstone, on his return home from South Africa, after an absence of 1G years, during which, whilst endeavouring to spread the blessings of Christianity through lands never before trodden by the foot of any European, he had made geographical discoveries of incalculable importance. In all his various journeys, Dr Livingstone had travelled over no fewer than 11,000 miles of African territory, and he had come back to England as the pioneer of sound cind useful knowledge ; for, by his astronomical observations, he had determined the heights of numerous place*, hills, rivers, and lakes, nearly all of which had been hitherto unknown, while he had seized upon every opportunity of describirg the physical features, climatology, and geological structure of the countries which he had explored, and had pointed out many new sources of commerce as yet unknown to the scope and the enterprise of the British merchant. " It is impossible at present to form a proper estimate of the value of Dr Livingstone's explorations in iSouth Africa, considered merely in a commercial point of view. This distinguished traveller modestly propounded his views on the question of African civilisation, by recommending the growth of cotton upon an extensive scale in the interior of that continent, and the opening up of commercial relations between this country and the South African tribes, as measures likely to contribute to the abolition of the slave trade, and to advance the cause of European civilisation. In March, 185S, he returned to Africa, accompanied by a small band of assistants sent out by Her Majesty's Government. Ho entered Lake Nyassa, Sept. 2, 1861, and mado further explorations. His wife, who had accompanied him in many of his ])erilous journeys, died of fever at Shupanga, April 27, 18(>2, and what was termed tbe Zambesi expedition was recalled in July, ISC3. Dr Livingstone reached London July 20, 1564, and after giving interesting particulars respecting his discoveries, and making arrangements for other explorations, again quitted England in April, 1865. A roport reached England early in March, 1867, to the effect that Dr Livingstone had fallen in a skirmish with the

natives near Lake Nyassa, but the accu* racy of the rumour was questioned. An expedition to the interior of Africa in search of this distinguished traveller, left England, under the command of Mr E. D. Young, June 9, 1867. On January 18, IS6S, intelligence was received in London to the effect that the members of the Search Expedition were satisfied that Dr Livingstone was still alive ; and this conclusion was soon shown to be correct, as on the Bth of April letters were received here from the great traveller himself, dated from a district far beyond the place where he was said to have been murdered, and announcing that he was in good health. In July, 1868, he was near Lake Bangweolo, in South Central Africa, whence he wrote to say he believed he might safely as3ert that the chief sources of the Nile arise between lOdeg. and 12deg. south latitude, or nearly in the position assigned to them by Ptolemy, whose River Rhapta is probably the Rovuma. This letter ia printed in the Times of Nov. 10, 1869. Another communication was received from Dr Livingstone, dated Ujiji, May 13, 1869 ; and on Jan. 24, 1871, news arrived in this coun« try that he had made an extensive journey to the west of Lake Tanganyika. Dr Livingstone has written "Travels and Researches in South Africa," published in 1857 ; and "Expedition to the Zambesi and its Tributaries," in 1865.

[Mr Stanley's finding of Dr Livingstone, and the departure of the latter on an expedition which he expected would end in two years, but which has unhappily terminated his life, will be fresh in the minds of our readers.]