ADDRESSES BY GENERAL ALEXANDER & MR. STEPHENSON. 697 



Major- General Sir James Alexander, K.C.B., referred to the manner 

 in which Colonel Gordon, commonly Chinese Gordon, travelled safely with- 

 out arms, or any army to back him, among the natives. The natives ran away 

 when he approached a village for supplies, and he was allowed to help him- 

 self, but he invariably left three times the value of what he took in the huts 

 of the people. The news spreading about in advance of Captain Gordon, he 

 was enabled to go through the country with perhaps only one attendant. There 

 was no occasion to shoot or molest the natives. As a general rule they will 

 treat those well who treat them well, while, if their feelings are hurt or their 

 property interfered with, they will do the same. 



Mr. Stephenson was very much interested in the development of Africa 

 at its present stage in connection with the Scottish missions. The persons 

 forming the mission they had sent out, or assisted to send out, would make 

 us perfectly acquainted with the Nyassa district. In connection with that 

 a very great and important question arose. The slave trade is carried over 

 all that district which Captain Cameron has been describing, and a great 

 part of it was already depopulated. Quite recently the Sey of Tanganyika 

 had made regulations throughout his dominions which would prevent the 

 slave trade being carried on, provided he had the power to see them enforced. 

 In connection with that matter, some gentlemen were considering that, see- 

 ing there is a lake which, with its river connection, extended to four hun- 

 dred and fifty miles long from the north end of Nyassa, which could be com- 

 manded by a gunboat or steamer — that on the Tanganyika there is nearly an 

 equal extent of lake communication, which could also be commanded by a 

 small gunboat, and as there was only two hundred and fifty miles between 

 the two points, whether in some way means should not be taken to co-ope- 

 rate with the Sey of Tanganyika, by making stations across these two hun- 

 dred and fifty miles. He did not know whether it was practicable to carry it 

 further. He was afraid that Stanley's proceedings had caused considerable 

 difficulty in making stations about that district, but he should like to have 

 Captain Cameron's opinion on such a scheme. 



Captain Cameron said that he believed such a scheme could be carried 

 out. When the deviation of compasses was taken into account the distance 

 between the two points indicated would be even less than two hundred and 

 fifty miles. The country between was a healthy upland, and there would be 

 no great difficulty in carrying a steamer from Nyassa if they had a large party 

 and funds at command. From Tanganyika they might force their way to 

 the Congo system, and from the Zambesi they might get another steamer to 

 take up that large section of lake and river in the very heart of the slave 

 trade. Such a scheme could only be thoroughly undertaken by Government. 

 Steamers might be established to cross Africa, protect the trader, and put a 

 stop to the slave trade. By a properly considered system of river steamers, 

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