(J) Death of Dr David Livingstone

Note. - The above article ["Africa"] was completed before it was known with certainty that the saddest event in the history whom the article justly assign "the first place among African discoverers," died of dysentery near Lake Bangweolo on the 4th of May 1873.

David Livingstone
Scottish explorer of Africa and missionary

The story of his latest discoveries, and of the rare devotion with which his native attendants carried his remains with them during an eight months' march to the coast, belongs to a biographical notice. It is more fitting in this place to note, as some consolation for an almost irreparable loss, that Livingstone's death seems to have given a powerful stimulus to the prosecution of the task he had so nearly completed. The expedition of Lieutenant Cameron, above referred to is being carried out with a vigour and intelligence that give ample promise of a further limitation of the region of the unknown, if not of the complete solution of all outstanding problems. In the spring of 1874 he had commenced a thorough exploration of Lake Tanganyika, which, from his professional experience as a hydrographical surveyor, is expected to lead to very valuable results. And the complete success of Stanley's first memorable mission in search of Livingstone warrants confident hopes in regard to a second expedition, also admirably organized and equipped, which has started under his direction.





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Africa - Table of Contents



Recommended Reading

The Life and African Explorations of David Livingstone

by David Livingstone

This reprint of the original 1876 edition contains Livingstone's full report on his travels through Africa, including lithographic illustrations, facsimiles of notebooks, plus diary entries, letters, and more. As a missionary, Livingstone was the first white man to trek across the continent and record details of the inhabitants as well as the unique flora and fauna. More than an explorer, Livingstone battled the export of natives as slaves while trying to spread Christianity.
-- Library Journal

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Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone

by Martin Dugard

In the mid-1860s, exploration had reached a plateau. The seas and continents had been mapped, the globe circumnavigated. Yet one vexing puzzle remained unsolved: What was the source of the mighty Nile River? Aiming to settle the mystery once and for all, Great Britain called upon its legendary explorer, Dr. David Livingstone, who had spent years in Africa as a missionary. In March 1866, Livingstone steered a massive expedition into the heart of Africa. In his path lay nearly impenetrable, unchartered terrain, hostile cannibals, and deadly predators. Within weeks, the explorer had vanished without a trace. Years passed with no word." "While debate raged in England over whether Livingstone could be found - or rescued - from a place as daunting as Africa, James Gordon Bennett, Jr., the brash American newspaper tycoon, hatched a plan to capitalize on the world's fascination with the missing legend. He would send a young journalist, Henry Morton Stanley, into Africa to search for Livingstone. A drifter with great ambition, but little success to show for it, Stanley undertook his assignment with gusto, filing reports that would one day captivate readers and dominate the front page of the New York Herald." Tracing the amazing journeys of Livingstone and Stanley in alternating chapters, author Martin Dugard captures the perils and challenges these men faced. Dugard weaves into the narrative the remarkable transformation that occurred over the course of nine years, as Stanley rose in power and prominence and Livingstone found himself alone and in mortal danger.

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