i860.] GOING HOME WITH THE MAKOIOIO. 267 



into the fine cotton-field in the North. You will see that the dis- 

 coveries of Burton and Speke confirm mine respecting the form of the 

 continent and its fertility. It is an immense field. I crave the honour 

 of establishing a focus of Christianity in it, but should it not be granted, 

 I will submit as most unworthy. I have written Mr. Venn twice, and 

 from yours I see something is contemplated in Cambridge. ... If 

 young men come to this country, they must lay their account with 

 doing everything for themselves. They must not expect to find 

 influence at once, and all the countries near to the Portuguese have been 

 greatly depopulated. We are now ascending this river without veget- 

 ables, and living on salt beef and pork. The slave-trade has done its 

 work, fur formerly all kinds of provisions could be procured at every 

 point, and at the cheapest rate. We cannot get anything for either 

 love or money, in a country the fertility of which is truly astonishing." 



A few more general topics are touched on in a letter 

 to Mr. Braithwaite : — 



" I am sorry to hear of the death of Mr. Sturge. He wrote me a 

 long letter on the ' Peace principle,' and before I could study it care- 

 fully, it was mislaid. I wrote him from Tette, as I did not wish him 

 to suppose I neglected him, and mentioned the murder of the six 

 Makololo and other things, as difficulties in the way of adopting his 

 views, as they were perfectly unarmed, and there was no feud between 

 the tribes. I fear that my letter may not have reached him alive. 

 The departure of Sir Fowell Buxton and others is very unexpected. 

 Sorry to see the loss of Dr. Bowen of Sierra Leone — a good man and 

 a true. But there is One who ever liveth to make intercession for us, 

 and to carry on His own work. A terrible war that was in Italy, and 

 the peace engenders more uneasy forebodings than any peace ever 

 heard of. It is well that God and not the devil reigns, and will bring 

 His own purposes to pass, right through the midst of the wars and 

 passions of men. Have you any knowledge of a famous despatch 

 written by Sir George Grey (late of the Cape), on the proper treatment 

 of native tribes ] I wish to study it. 



" Tell your children that if I cpuld get hold of a hippopotamus I 

 would eat it rather than allow it to eat me. We see them often, but 

 before we get near enough to get a shot they dive down, and remain 

 hidden till we are past. As for lions, we never see them — sometimes 

 hear a roar or two, but that is all, and I go on the plan put forth by a 

 little girl in Scotland who saw a cow coming to her in a meadow, ( 

 boo ! boo ! you no hurt me, I no hurt you.' " 



At Tette one of his occupations was to fit up a sugar- 

 mill, the gift of Miss Whately of Dublin, and some friends. 

 To that lady he writes a long letter of nineteen pages. 

 He tells her he had just put up her beautiful sugar-mill, 



