STANLEY (Sir Henry Morton, 1841-1904, Explorer who found Livingstone)

Fine long Autograph Letter Signed to Miss Felicie Hegemans, regretting "it has not been my good fortune to be able to pay a visit to the kindly, sympathetic & warm hearted people of Cadogan Gardens" including "yourself & the sister graces who did me the honor to escort me round Hampton", as for "Mons. Hegemans", he fears he will "never have the courage to pay a visit to a stranger, simply because I am on a visit to Anvers ... Even in London it is a difficult matter to get me out of my chambers", however, "Your father is such a friend of Mons. Moscheles", (Felix, 1833-1917), who lived in Cadogan Gardens and had recently painted Stanley's portrait, and "I should look more to him to bring us together ... Should I be in Anvers it would be better for Mons Hegemans to call on me at my hotel ... it would not require much persuasion to induce me to accompany him to his House especially as the charming Miss Felicie would be there", 4 sides 8vo., Balinakill, Clachan, Argyllshire, 9th July outer sides a trifle browned

Written at a time of the greatest anxiety for Stanley. He had spent 1879-1884 under contract to Leopold II and had opened up the Congo, building stations along its course and mountain roads to bypass the cataracts. In February 1885 the Powers had recognized the International Association of the Congo, essentially a land-owning and development body in the interest of trade by all nations, as a 'State', (known in English as the Congo Free State), but Leopold was still to declare himself its sovereign head. Leopold had re-engaged Stanley, who had taken chambers in New Bond Street, but had begun to evade all his requests to be sent out, partly from French pressure, partly from Leopold's officials' dislike of being under an English-speaking person. For 18 months Stanley's equipment was packed, ready to go at a few days' notice. It seems that Stanley did not visit Belgium as Miss Hegemans here hopes. Employment was to come from elsewhere, in December 1886, in Stanley's expedition to relieve Emin Pasha, governor of equatorial Sudan, beleaguered by the Mahdists.
Balinakill in Kintyre was the home of Sir William Mackinnon, (1823-1893, the shipping magnate and 1st Baronet). Mackinnon had plans to lease from the Sultan of Zanzibar a vast area of East Africa from the coast to the Congo, which the British Government refused to sanction. He also played the major part in financing Stanley's Emin Pasha expedition.

Item Date:  1885

Stock No:  56482