Transcribed from the 1894 John Murray edition , emailccx074@coventry.ac.uk
TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD PALMERSTON,
K.G., G.C.B.
My Lord,
I beg leave to dedicate this Volume to your Lordship, as a tributejustly due to the great Statesman who has ever had at heart the ameliorationof the African race; and as a token of admiration of the beneficialeffects of that policy which he has so long laboured to establish onthe West Coast of Africa; and which, in improving that region, has mostforcibly shown the need of some similar system on the opposite sideof the Continent.
DAVID LIVINGSTONE.
The name of the late Mr. Charles Livingstone takes a prominent placeamongst those who acted under the leadership of Dr. Livingstone duringthe adventurous sojourn of the “Zambesi Expedition” in EastAfrica. In laying the result of their discoveries before the public,it was arranged that Mr. Charles Livingstone should place his voluminousnotes at the disposal of his brother: they are incorporated in the presentwork, but in a necessarily abridged form.
It has been my object in this work to give as clear an account asI was able of tracts of country previously unexplored, with their riversystems, natural productions, and capabilities; and to bring beforemy countrymen, and all others interested in the cause of humanity, themisery entailed by the slave-trade in its inland phases; a subject onwhich I and my companions are the first who have had any opportunitiesof forming a judgment. The eight years spent in Africa, sincemy last work was published, have not, I fear, improved my power of writingEnglish; but I hope that, whatever my descriptions want in clearness,or literary skill, may in a measure be compensated by the novelty ofthe scenes described, and the additional information afforded on thatcurse of Africa, and that shame, even now, in the 19th century, of anEuropean nation,—the slave-trade.
I took the “Lady Nyassa” to Bombay for the express purposeof selling her, and might without any difficulty have done so; but withthe thought of parting with her arose, more strongly than ever, thefeeling of disinclination to abandon the East Coast of Africa to thePortuguese and slave-trading, and I determined to run home and consultmy friends before I allowed the little vessel to pass from my hands. After, therefore, having put two Ajawa lads, Chuma and Wakatani, toschool under the eminent missionary the Rev. Dr. Wilson, and havingprovided satisfactorily for the native crew, I started homewards withthe three white sailors, and reached London July 20th, 1864. Mr.and Mrs. Webb, my much-loved friends, wrote to Bombay inviting me, inthe event of my coming to England, to make Newstead Abbey my headquarters,and on my arrival renewed their invitation: and though, when I acceptedit, I had no intention of remaining so long with my kind-hearted generousfriends, I stayed with them until April, 1865, and under their rooftranscribed from my own and my brother’s journal the whole ofthis present book. It is with heartfelt gratitude I would recordtheir unwearied kindness. My acquaintance with Mr. Webb beganin Africa, where he was a daring and successful hunter, and his continuedfriendship is most valuable because he has seen missionary work, andhe would not accord his respect and esteem to me had he not believedthat I, and my brethren also, were to be looked on as honest men earnestlytrying to do our duty.
The Government have supported the proposal of the Royal GeographicalSociety made by my friend Sir Roderick Murchison, and have united withthat body to aid