or 
His 
N53 
scmFS 
PREFACE. 
^ I ^HE substance of this volume would probably 
have seen the light more than a year ago, but 
for the occurrence of circumstances which the author 
either could not foresee or could not avoid. In the 
early part of 1872 he was returning to England 
for the purpose, among other things, of publishing 
some such work, when his homeward career was 
suddenly stopped by his meeting, at Zanzibar, with 
the Livingstone Search and Relief Expedition," 
which he was invited to join. His connection with 
that unfortunate undertaking delayed him some 
months ; and when he did reach the shores of Eng- 
land, he was so besieged with correspondence and 
calls upon his time and labours in behalf of missionary 
anniversaries, anti-slavery meetings, etc., etc., that 
book-writing, for the time, was rendered quite im- 
possible. As he had opportunity a few sentences 
were jotted down, but no great progress was made. 
The object of the work is to give as accurate a view 
