The last has not yet been heard of the Stanley scandals. A London correspondent, writing by last mail, mentions that Stanley has begun lecturing again in England, and that crowds flock to see him, out of curiosity. A certain Colonel Williams, of whom Stanley, when they were on better terms, “ had the highest possible opinion,” has been the latest one to throw light on the explorer’s ways of doing things. He had been selected by King Leopold for employment in the Congo country. Stanley himself approved of the appointment of Williams, and some American capitalists employed him to make a report on the possibilities of the country. That report differs materially from the one made by Stanley, and. now the latter’s friendship has given place to a feeling of bitterness, the intensity of which may be judged by the use of such ugly epithets as " blackmailer.” " Instead of being fertile and productive (writes Colonel Williams), the Congo State is sterile and unproductive. The natives can scarcely subsist on the vegetable life produced in some parts of their country ; nor will this condition of affairs change until the natives shall have been taught by Europeans the dignity, utility, and blessing of labor." Major Barttelot's entry in his diary, it will be remembered, was, “ I think this country—what I have seen of it—a fraud.” Colonel Williams gives an account of how Stanley impressed the natives with his powers, making use of different conjuror's tricks. Of course, there are no means of accurately judging of the characters of these men, but Williams seems to write without animus, and there is no apparent reason why he should in any way seek to misrepresent one who had called him a “ trustworthy friend.” Readers must take their own Inference.
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Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 640, 30 July 1891, Page 2
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293Untitled Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume V, Issue 640, 30 July 1891, Page 2
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