90 DR. LIVINGSTONE ON LAKES NYINYESI AND SHIRWA. [Mar. 26, 1860. 



Europeans, but to men of their own colour, and there were even subdivisions 

 of tribes which made war upon each other. 



During his peregrinations, the necessity of having a large number of servants 

 armed, who were thereby unqualified for carrying any of the provisions, or 

 even necessaries for themselves, naturally imposed upon him the duty of em- 

 ploying a still larger number of men to carry provisions for the party, and also 

 the merchandise wherewith to purchase necessaries in the interior. 



This difficulty was further increased by the impatience of the tribes to 

 obtain glass beads and other ornaments, for, instead of waiting to obtain them 

 in the legitimate way of trade, they made frequent and sometimes rather awk- 

 ward attempts to get possession of them in an illegitimate manner, and he had 

 been frequently compelled to prove to them that powder and ball were more 

 persuasive than bow and arrow, or lance and club. This being the case, he 

 felt sure Captain Speke would have considerable difficulty in making his way 

 through these tribes. There was something more than bravery required — a 

 knowledge of the people, of their habits, and of their language, was essentially 

 necessary ; these Captain Speke unfortunately did not possess. Therefore, 

 having these advantages himself, he believed that were he to meet him, he 

 should be of considerable assistance in bringing him from the Equator to the 

 Nile. And although he was engaged in trade, and had five or six establish- 

 ments to look after, yet he would not allow his friend to remain in the lurch 

 while it was in his power to assist him. He was also firmly persuaded that 

 unless Captain Speke were met by himself, or by boats duly armed and pro- 

 visioned, he would not be able to bring his party down the Nile, owing to the 

 absence of food and conveyance. For only two months in the year did boats 

 remain at Gondokoro, and unless he arrived within these two months, December 

 and January, he would find no boats there to bring him down to Khartum. 

 He would also find himself among the Bari, a most savage tribe, who would 

 not give themselves the trouble to cultivate grain, and for the last five or six 

 years had been so unable to sustain themselves, that they had been .compelled 

 to barter ivory for grain. 



In assisting Captain Speke, the only thing he required of the Government 

 was, that they should allow him sufficient money to enable him to place a 

 couple of well-armed and provisioned boats at the service of Captain Speke, 

 and to retain them at Gondokoro until his arrival. If these suggestions of his 

 met with favourable consideration, he believed that then everything which 

 human foresight could devise would have been attended to, and that they 

 might hopefully and cheerfully look forward to the triumphant success of 

 Captain Speke's expedition. 



The Chairman said it was exceedingly desirable that Government should 

 grant that additional power to Mr. Petherick which would enable him to lend 

 real assistance to Captain Speke at the time of need, or rather permission to act 

 as an exploring and roving Consul beyond the limits of Sudan should be 

 granted to him. If this should be granted, and the Expeditions should be 

 successful, then to British enterprise would be due the glory of having made 

 a discovery which the Komans, in the plenitude of their power, failed in 

 accomplishing. 



