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TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 125 
Nile on the north, though of their extent, their height, physical features, and the 
functions which they perform in relation to the mighty rivers of the great continent, 
much as we do know, much more is still left to conjecture ; we know that the climate 
of the high lands of Central Africa is not unfavourable to the European constitution 
—that it has, or had a dense population, and has the resources of legitimate com- 
merce and wealth within itself—that slavery, with its concomitant evils, exist in 
their most appalling forms, encouraged and fostered by the traders of nations pro- 
fessing to be civilized or semicivilized ; but the one thing hopeful we do know is, 
that it is undoubtedly within the power of any civilized nation, and especially of 
this great country, which has banished slavery from its own empire and from the 
sea, to adopt measures which at an inconsiderable cost would strike an effectual 
blow at the source of this great evil. I have said that we have gained all this 
knowledge through the enterprise of our own countrymen. No words of mine 
could add anything to their well-earned fame. There will doubtless always be 
such men found who, for honour and renown, and in the search of knowledge and 
the love of science, will be ready to devote their means and their lives to such en- 
terprise. Livingstone was not insensible to any of these high motives, but with 
him they were secondary and entirely subservient to the great dream and aim of 
his life—the blotting out of slavery in Africa and the regeneration of the race. 
Tam anxious now, if I can, to make it plain what are the probabilities or otherwise 
as to the safety of our great traveller. There is a mistiness on the subject in the 
minds of the public generally which is not surprising, and there is an anxiety 
among most of us which is natural, and for which, hopeful as many are, there is 
but too much reason. Livingstone has been in Africa now for two years and a 
half, and for eighteen months he has not been personally heard from. He left on 
his last expedition, it will be remembered, in March 1866, disembarking at the 
mouth of the Rovuma river, on the east coast, accompanied by eight of his own 
liberated Africans and ten natives of the Comoro Isles, who have since gained an 
unenviable reputation among geographers as the Johanna men. His intention was 
to strike the north end of Lake Nyassa with the view of settling the question as to 
its connexion with the North Lakes, and then to proceed on to Lake Tanganika; 
the hostility of the natives, however, in this region frustrated these plans, and he 
consequently bore away and crossed Nyassa at its southern end. Shortly after- 
wards he was abandoned by the Johanna men, who returned to the coast with a 
circumstantial account of his murder’ and of that of his whole party; and here, 
without being the advocate of these much-abused individuals, let me say a few 
words which [ think are in justice their due. They were hired with beads and 
calico, and were bound to Livingstone by no other ties: during their journey to 
Nyassa they had been in imminent peril of being murdered by other sayages, and 
as they preferred their own lives to roaming through Africa in pursuit of what 
they may be excused for considering a tour of mere curiosity, they took the first 
opportunity of returning, and like a good many other savages of different colours, 
they excused what they probably felt was a rather shabby proceeding by a resort 
to falsehood. 
T have never, I confess, been able to understand why so much obloquy and vir- 
tuous indignation has been expended on these savages, or why so high a standard 
of morality should have been expected of them; I suspect Livingstone himself 
would have been slow to condemn them: it was his custom to surround himself 
with people whose safety was dependent on his own safety, and no doubt if he 
could have got the Mizitu tribes between them and the sea, the Johanna men 
would have remained faithful to him. However, their story was generally credited, 
and Sir Roderick Murchison was among the few who doubted it; principally, I 
may say entirely, through his exertions a small expedition was sent out by the 
Government under Mr. Young, of the Royal Navy, to ascertain the truth or false- 
hood of the report. Mr. Young ascended the Zambezi and the Shiré, and carrying 
his steel boat over the cataracts with great labour and perseverance, he got on to 
Lake Nyassa, where he soon obtained abundant proof that Livingstone had passed 
on in safety towards Lake Tanganika. Mr. Young returned early in this year, and 
has written an account of his successful search. 
From Lake Nyassa to the native settlement of Ujiji on the east side of Tanganika, 
