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Judy Farber, age 11, of Fargo, N.D., for her question:

WHO WERE STANLEY AND LIVINGSTONE?

David Livingstone and Henry Stanley were two famous British explorers who made the African continent known to the world. But they are probably best known for the search Stanley made to find Livingstone, and for his famous greeting when they met: "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"

Livingstone earned a degree in medicine from Glasgow University in 1840. He then became connected with the London Missionary Society and went to South Africa to start his missionary work.

Dr. Livingstone wanted to convert the peoples of Africa to Christianity. He also wanted to help put a stop to the slave trade. In addition, he wanted to explore the mysterious African continent.

After working and exploring Africa from 1841 until 1856, Livingstone returned to England in 1856. But he was back in Africa in 1858 as the British Consul at Quelimane, Mozambique. In 1866 he set out to find the source of the Nile River and a year later moved on into the interior of central Africa.

Concern over Livingstone's safety led to the expedition of Sir Henry Stanley, and the names of "Stanley and Livingstone" became forever linked.

Livingstone refused to return to the coast with Stanley in 1872 and he continued his travels for another year.

After refusing to return with Stanley, Livingstone went back to Lake Bangweulu, which he had first reached in 1868. Weakened by illness, he died there on April 30, 1873. He was later buried at Westminster Abbey.

Stanley was born in Wales but traveled to New Orleans, La., when he was 18. He joined the Conferate Army when the Civil War started in 1861 and after the war became a newspaper reporter. The New York Hearld sent him to find Livingstone in 1869. The two met in the Lake Tanganyika region in 1871.


In 1874, Stanley heard of Livingstone's death and returned to Africa to carry on his work. In November, 1884, he left Zanzibar with three white men and more than 300 Africans. He pushed into the interior of Africa and sailed about Lake Victoria and other lakes.

Then Stanley started the dangerous trip down the Congo River from its source to its mouth. All of his white companions and about 150 of the Africans died before he came to the Atlantic Coast in August of 1877.

The Congo region was rich in rubber and ivory and Stanley tried to interest the British in the area. But he did not succeed and, instead, the Belgians colonized the region as the Congo Free State.

After a number of trips to Africa, Stanley became a naturalized citizen of Great Britain and served in Parliament until 1900.

 

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