Zanzibar; city, island, and coast. Vol. 2 (of 2)Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
History
Zanzibar; city, island, and coast. Vol. 2 (of 2)
Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
Africa, East -- Description and travel; Ethnology -- Tanzania -- Zanzibar; Zanzibar -- Description and travel
At a conference with the secretaries of the Church Missionary Society in
London, Major Straith and the Rev. Mr Venn had intrusted me with an open
letter to their employé, dated Sept. 30, 1856, giving him leave of
absence in case he decided to accompany the East African expedition at
the expense of the latter. They had neglected to forward a copy, but M.
Rebmann had received a second communication, which he did not before
produce. His earliest impulse was evidently to assist in carrying out
the plans which had been first formed by the ‘Mombas Mission,’ and
personally to verify the accuracy of the map, then so loudly and
violently criticised, now gaining credit every year. But presently cool
reflection came. He was not in strong health; he had, perhaps, seen
enough of the interior; and, possibly, after a few conversations he
thought that we relied too much on the arms of flesh—sword and gun. The
home instructions were, ‘The Committee have only to remark that they
entirely confide in you, as one of their missionaries, that wherever you
go you will maintain all the Christian principles by which you are
guided; that should you see fit to go with the expedition your
experience and knowledge of the language may prove very valuable; while
you may also obtain access to regions and tribes where missionary
enterprise may be hereafter carried on with renewed vigour.’ This did
not quite suit us, who had been pledged by Lieut.-Colonel Hamerton to
avoid ‘Dutchmen’ and proselytizing. Briefly, M. Rebmann did not
accompany us. A few weeks afterwards we met him again at Zanzibar,
whither he had been driven by the plundering Wamasai in February, 1857.
His passion for the ‘wunderbar’ had not abated, and he told us
impossible legends about vast forests and other mythical features, near
the Nyassa, southern or Zambezean Lake. During the years which he had
spent in the Wanyika country he had never studied its language; but when
driven from it, he immediately applied himself to Kinyika. An honest and
conscientious man, he had yet all the qualities which secure unsuccess.
He was the last of the ten members of the hapless Mission: all of them
were attacked by bilious remittents a few weeks after commencing their
labours; several had died, and the others had sought less dangerous
fields for labour, and some possibility of doing something in the
spiritual way. That it has been highly successful, geographically
speaking, none can doubt. The short trips into the interior, and the
long conversations with the natives, duly published by Messrs Krapf,
Rebmann, and Erhardt, gave an impulse to East African exploration
utterly unknown before their day. And as the recent valuable labours of
Messrs Wakefield and New prove, the ‘Mombas Mission’ is not likely to
derogate from its former fame.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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