What continent did David Livingston explore? David Livingstone: Journey through Africa. Other characters
David Livingstone- Scottish missionary, outstanding explorer of Africa.
David was born in the village of Blantyre into a poor Scottish family and began working in a weaving factory at the age of 10. But he independently learned Latin and Greek, as well as mathematics. This allowed him to enter the University of Glasgow and study theology and medicine there, and Livingston received a doctorate. And in 1838 he received the priesthood.
In 1840, Livingston, who dreamed of studying Asia and had by that time joined the London Missionary Society, was supposed to go to China on the instructions of this society, but the Opium War broke out there, and plans had to be changed. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the main features of northwestern Africa were clarified. The British were exploring the part of the mainland lying to the south. Here, the future largest explorer of Central Africa, David Livingston, began his missionary activity.
In 1841 he landed in Altoa Bay, inhabited by the Bechuana tribe (the future territory of Benchuanaland in South Africa). He quickly learned their languages and won their respect. In July 1841 he arrived at Moffett's mission on the border of the Cape Colony, and in 1843 he founded his own in Colonberg.
In June 1849, Livingston, accompanied by African guides, was the first European to cross the Kalahari Desert and explore Lake Ngami. He met the Bushmen and Bakalahari tribes. In 1850 he wanted to found a new settlement on the shores of an open lake. However, this time he took his wife Mary and children with him. In the end, he sent them back to Scotland so that they would not suffer from the terrible living conditions. In 1852 Livingston set off on a new journey. He penetrated the Zambezi River basin and in May 1853 entered Minyanti, the main village of the Makololo tribe. There the missionary fell ill, but Chief Sekeletu made every effort to save Livingstone.
The traveler, who received the well-deserved nickname “Great Lion” from grateful Africans, climbed up the Laibe River and reached the Portuguese colony - the city of Luanda on the Atlantic coast. The main scientific result of this journey was the discovery of Lake Dilolo, which lies on the watershed of two river basins: one of them belongs to the Atlantic Ocean, the other to the Indian Ocean. The western drainage of the lake feeds the Congo river system, the eastern - the Zambezi. For this discovery, the Geographical Society awarded Livingston a Gold Medal.
Next, Livingston decided to try to find a more convenient road to the ocean - to the east. In November 1855, a large detachment led by Livingston set off. Two weeks later, Livingston and his companions landed on the banks of the Zambezi River, where they saw a grandiose waterfall up to 1000 m high, which the Africans called “Mosi wa Tunya” (rumbling water). Livingston named this waterfall after the English Queen Victoria. Nowadays, a monument to the Scottish explorer is erected near the waterfall.
In May 1856 Livingstone reached the mouth of the Zambezi. Thus he completed a grandiose journey - he crossed the African continent from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Livingston was the first to come to the correct idea of Africa as a continent shaped like a flat dish with raised edges towards the ocean. In 1857 he published a book about his travels.
But there was still a vast unfilled territory on the map of Africa - the sources of the Nile. Livingston believed that the Nile took its source from the sources of Lualaba. But he also carried out a humanitarian mission: in Zanzibar he asked the Sultan to stop the slave trade. All this led Livingston to the region of the great African lakes. Here he discovered two new large lakes - Bangweulu and Mveru and was about to explore Lake Tanganyika, but suddenly the traveler fell ill with tropical fever.
On October 23, 1871, Livingston returned to Ujiji exhausted and sick. Due to a fever, the great explorer lost the ability to walk and expected death. For a long time he did not make himself known, since only one of the traveler’s 44 letters reached Zanzibar. Unexpectedly, an expedition led by journalist Henry Morton Stanley, specially sent to search for Livingston by the American newspaper The New York Herald, came to his aid. Stanley greeted Livingstone with a phrase that would later become world famous: "Dr. Livingston, I presume?"
Livingston recovered and, together with Stanley, explored Lake Tanganyika in the Unyamwezi region. Stanley offered Livingston to return to Europe or America, but he refused. Soon, David Livingston again fell ill with malaria and on May 1, 1873 died near the village of Chitambo (now in Zambia) not far from Lake Bangweulu, which he discovered. Livingston's dark comrades Chuma and Susi found the great traveler dead near his bed and embalmed his body with salt. David Livingstone's heart was buried in Chitambo, and the preserved body, after nine months of transportation, covering a distance of about 1,500 km, was delivered to the port of Bagamoyo on the ocean coast, from where it was sent to the UK. Livingstone was buried with honors in Westminster Abbey on April 18, 1874. In the same year, The Last Diaries of David Livingstone was published.
Livingston devoted most of his life to Africa, traveling mainly on foot over 50 thousand km. The cities of Livingstonia in Malawi and Livingston (Maramba) in Zambia, as well as waterfalls in the lower reaches of the Congo and mountains on the northeastern shore of Lake Nyasa are named in honor of David Livingstone. Malawi's largest city, with a population of more than 600,000 people, Blantyre, was named after Livingstone's hometown.
Being a simple missionary from a poor family, David Livingston managed to write his name in history as a tireless and courageous explorer of the African continent, who did what he loved until the last days of his life. In Africa, cities, waterfalls and even mountains are named after Livingstone.
The beginning of the way
The future conqueror of Africa was born on March 19, 1813 into a family, and from early childhood he was forced to work in a factory. In addition, he managed to study at school, and, having matured, began to comprehend the basics of medicine and theology at the university. Upon completion, he became a certified doctor and was ordained as an evangelistic missionary.
In 1840, the young man went to Africa, to the Cape Colony. Having landed on the continent, he headed to the country of the Bechuanas - Kuruman. The London Missionary Society was located there, the journey to which took Livingston almost six months.
Rice. 1. David Livingston.
In search of a new place for his mission, David decided to go deeper to the north - where no British missionary had ever been. He stopped at Chonuan, where the Bakwena tribe lived, and quickly struck up friendly relations with the chief.
For six months, Livingston deliberately stopped all communication with European society in order to thoroughly study the language of the aborigines, their laws, way of life, life values, and way of thinking. It was then that the missionary had an idea - to study all the rivers of South Africa in order to find new routes into the interior of the country.
Rice. 2. Bakwena tribe.
First discoveries
There were many blank spots on the maps of the Portuguese, who were the first to conquer the southwest of the African continent. Wanting to correct this, Livingston set off on a trip to northern Africa, during which he made many important discoveries.
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- In 1849, the missionary was the first European to explore the northeast of the Kalahari Desert, and also discovered the temporary Lake Ngami.
- In 1851-1856. went on a long journey along the Zambezi River, during which he managed to cross the mainland and reach the east coast of Africa.
- Victoria Falls opened in 1855.
Moving down the Zambezi River, Livingston witnessed a stunning picture - a huge waterfall, whose waters rapidly fell down from a height of 120 meters. Local tribes treated the “rumbling water” with respect and fear, and never came close to the waterfall. Livingston named his discovery in honor of the English Queen Victoria.
Rice. 3. Victoria Falls.
Upon returning home, Livingstone published a book about his travels in South Africa. For his significant contribution to the development of geography, he received a prestigious award - the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society, and was also appointed consul in Quelimane.
Subsequent expeditions to Africa
In 1858, Livingstone and his family returned to the Dark Continent, where over the next six years he explored the Shire, Zambezi and Ruvuma rivers, as well as lakes Nyasa and Chilwa. In 1865, he published a book in which he described all the details of this journey.
In 1866, the missionary participated in several more expeditions, during which he discovered lakes Bangwelu and Mweru, but his main task was to search for the sources of the Nile.
An expedition was sent to search for Livingston, from whom no one had heard from for several years. He was found in a weakened state - the fever undermined the strength of the tireless researcher, who died in 1873. His body was taken to London and buried in Westminster Abbey.
(1813-1843) - a tireless Englishman who participated in the exploration of Africa.
He was born on March 19, 1813 into a Scottish farming family. He grew up in poverty and began working in a factory at the age of 10. After work, the young man took medical courses and soon became a doctor. In 1840, as a preacher of the Christian religion, Livingston went to the Cape Province. The missionaries essentially turned out to be the first detachments of colonialists, since the conversion of the aborigines to the Christian faith actually led to their enslavement. But what history knows about Livingston's missionary activities characterizes him as a humanist. Therefore, the natives treated him with trust and love.
Missionary activity sharpened Livingston's love of travel, and on June 1, 1849, he set off on his first expedition to. In 1853, on 33 boats with a large number of guides and porters, Livingstone headed up the Zambezi River. Incredible difficulties awaited him. Many members of the expedition fell ill with a severe fever. It was especially difficult to overcome the watershed and, but at the end of May 1854 the expedition finally reached the coast. Livingstone is filled with a sense of pride: he was the first to unravel the intricacies of the river network of South Africa, the first to walk from east to west across southern Africa.
The year 1855 becomes Livingstone’s “finest hour”: he opens the Zambezi Falls, which he names (in honor of the English queen). Even earlier, he knew from the natives that something extraordinary was waiting for him on the Zambezi River, which in the language of the local residents was called “Mozi oa tunya” - “Thundering steam”. Only after much questioning did it become clear that this meant a giant waterfall: the locals did not even dare to approach it. Livingston persuades the rowers to come as close to him as possible. “It was the most wonderful sight I have ever seen in Africa.”
Livingston's discoveries have already been heard in England: the British Geographical Society awarded him its first gold medal. But the London Missionary Society does not share the enthusiasm. It is dissatisfied with Livingston’s activities as a missionary who became carried away by travel and actually distanced himself from his obligations.
Returning to England in December 1856, Livingston gives presentations, writes a book about his travels and develops plans for a new expedition. On March 10, 1858, Livingston leaves England and is now heading to. There he explores and maps the lake, studying the sources of Africa's main waterway - the. In 1872, he explored the northern tip of the lake, but it was disappointing - this is not where the source of the Nile is located.
Soon David Livingston became seriously ill, and died on May 1, 1873. D. Livingston was a friend of the African peoples. His companions kept all the diaries and collected materials. They buried the traveler's heart in the small village of Chitambo. This mournful place for the African people is still very popular among tourists. Livingston's two long-term companions from local residents embalmed the body and did everything to deliver it aboard the English cruiser.
(1813-1873) English traveler, explorer of Africa
David Livingstone was born into an impoverished farming family in the town of Blantyre in the Scottish county of Lanark, near the city of Glasgow. The boy's childhood was very difficult, since, as a ten-year-old teenager, he worked at a cotton factory from early morning until late evening, and after work he still studied at evening school. At night the young man read a lot, especially everything related to scientific issues and travel. On Sundays he went on long walks, during which he collected collections of minerals, compiled herbariums, and looked for fossils. These walks deepened his love of nature and his desire for scientific research.
Through hard work, David Livingstone prepared himself to enter the medical faculty of Glasgow College. He managed to obtain a medical education, and in 1840 he received a medical diploma. However, it was difficult for a doctor who came from a working environment to find work in England. Livingston decided to leave the country for some distant colony in search of work. Wanting to devote himself to activities that benefit society, he joined the London missionary society and was sent to South Africa, where he lived with short breaks for almost 30 years.
The missionaries essentially turned out to be the first detachments of colonialists, since the conversion of the aborigines to the Christian faith actually led to their enslavement. But what history knows about Livingston's activities as a missionary characterizes him as a humanist. Therefore, the indigenous population of the mainland trusted him and loved him.
In October 1840, Livingstone arrived in South Africa at Algoa Bay, from where he entered the country of the Bechuanas. There was a missionary point in the steppe village of Kuruman. It was from here that he began his long journey across Africa.
Livingstone's first years of work on the mainland made him understand that Africans had little interest in religious preaching, but they appreciated his medical knowledge. They learned literacy and farming techniques from him. Livingston willingly studied the language of the local population, its rituals and customs, conducted natural science observations, collected rocks, compiled collections of local plants and representatives of the animal world, and conducted ethnographic observations.
Missionary activity sharpened his love of travel, and on June 1, 1849, he set off on his first trip to Lake Ngami, previously unknown to European science. In 1851, accompanied by two English hunters, he advanced northeast of this lake to the upper reaches of the Zambezi River. Here the traveler first saw how slave traders hunted blacks, and for the rest of his life he hated slavery.
In 1853, on 33 boats with a large number of guides and porters, Livingstone headed up the Zambezi. He discovered the watershed between the basins of the Congo and Zambezi rivers, moving along it to the west he reached the Kwanza River, which flowed into the ocean. By the end of May 1854, travelers reached the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. This entire journey was very difficult: many expedition members fell ill with tropical fever. Also, the road passed through the possessions of several warlike African tribes, and their leaders demanded a ransom for the passage, so Livingston had to give away all his property. Nevertheless, he was filled with a sense of pride: he was the first to unravel the complex weave of the river network of South Africa, the first to go west along the southern part of the continent.
In November 1855, Livingstone, accompanied by a large group of black companions, headed to the east of the mainland along the Zambezi. After a two-week journey, a majestic waterfall opened before them, which Livingston named Victoria Falls in honor of the English queen. Even earlier he knew from the natives that on the Zambezi River there was something extraordinary, which in the language of the local residents was called “Mozi oa tunya” - “Extreme smoke”. Only after much questioning did it become clear that this meant a gigantic waterfall, above which there was a continuous column of water spray. In his notes, Livingston noted that this was the most wonderful sight he had ever seen in Africa.
Having discovered the waterfall and following the Zambezi River to its mouth, the traveler completed the first crossing of the mainland from west to east. Observations he made during his journey led him to realize that the topography of all of South Africa resembled a flat dish with raised edges ending in the oceans.
For Livingston's discoveries, the English Royal Geographical Society awarded him a gold medal. But the missionary society of England was dissatisfied with his work. His leaders believed that he was carried away by the journey and actually distanced himself from his obligations.
In December 1856, after a sixteen-year absence, Livingston returned to England. Here he processes the results of his journey and summarizes them in the book “Travel and Research of a Missionary in South Africa,” which was published in London in 1857. In England he gives a report and develops plans for a new expedition. In his reports, Livingston conducted active propaganda against the slave trade, which flourished in England at that time, and promoted the idea of equality of blacks and Europeans, proving with examples the mental abilities of the population of the mainland.
On March 10, 1858, David Livingstone returned to East Africa again. His assistants included his wife, son and brother, who took over the duties of secretary, John Kirk (botanist), Richard Thornton (geologist) and others. This time, the expedition sailed north along a tributary of the Zambezi River and discovered several lakes, including Lake Nyasa, one of the largest in Africa; it also searched for the sources of the Nile.
Returning to London, Livingston, together with his brother, is preparing for the publication of a new book, “Travel along the Zambezi and its tributaries and the discovery of lakes Shirva and Nyasa in 1858-1864,” published in 1865.
In 1866, David Livingstone sets out on his last journey and sets himself the task of determining the watershed between Lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika, as well as finding out the supposed connection between Lake Tanganyika and the Nile River. During this journey from 1866 to 1873, together with the traveler Henry Stanley, he explored the northern shores of Tanganyika, but the source of the Nile River was not here; he discovered the Lualaba River and Lake Bangweulu.
David Livingston suffered from chronic fever and stomach trouble for many years. In recent years, he did not stop his research, although sometimes he could not walk on his own and his black friends carried him on a stretcher. Livingston died on May 1, 1873. His companions kept all his diaries and expedition materials. They buried the traveler's heart under a large tree in the Zambian village of Chitambo, and his body was embalmed and placed in a wooden coffin. Livingstone's black friends carried his body on their shoulders some 1,200 km for nine months to the east, where it was handed over to English authorities. In April 1874, the remains of the traveler were brought to England and buried with honors in London, in Westminster Abbey, in the tomb of the great people of England.
100 great travelers [with illustrations] Muromov Igor
David Livingston (1813–1873)
David Livingston
Scottish explorer of Africa. Having decided to devote himself to missionary work among Africans, he studied theology and medicine. He made a number of long trips around South and Central Africa (since 1840). Explored the Kalahari depression, the Kubango River, the Zambezi River basin, Lake Nyasa, discovered Victoria Falls, Lake Shirva, Bangweulu and the Lualaba River; together with G. Stanley explored Lake Tanganyika.
David Livingston was born on March 19, 1813 in the family of a street tea seller. After graduating from a village school, the boy worked at a weaving factory near Glasgow from the age of ten. With a fourteen-hour working day, David spent his free time studying a Latin textbook, which he purchased with his first salary. In addition, from 20 to 22 hours he studied at evening school.
In his twentieth year, a change occurred in Livingston’s mental life that had an impact on his entire fate. He decided to devote himself to serving God. And after reading the appeal of the missionary Gutzlaff, addressed to the English and American churches regarding the Christian education of China, David had a dream of becoming a missionary.
In 1836 Livingston saved some money to pay for a course of study. In Glasgow, he began attending lectures on medicine, theology and ancient languages. A scholarship from the London Missionary Society gave him the opportunity to continue his education. Deeply religious, like his father, he had long ago decided that he would go as a missionary to China. But the so-called Opium War between Great Britain and China prevented this intention. It was at this time that the young doctor met missionary Robert Moffett, who was working in South Africa. He painted Livingston an attractive picture of the Bechuana (Tswana) country, adding that in those parts there had not yet been a single messenger of the Lord’s faith.
In 1840 Livingstone left for the Cape Colony. During the voyage, the captain of the ship taught him the astronomical determination of the coordinates of various points on the Earth. Livingstone achieved such perfection in this that later the best maps of South Africa were compiled from his topographic surveys.
In July 1841, he reached Moffett's mission in Kuruman, located on the banks of the river of the same name south of the Kalahari Desert, the most remote point of advance of the messengers of the Christian faith. After some time, Livingston realized that Africans had little interest in religious preaching. But the local residents immediately appreciated the medical knowledge of the young missionary, willingly learned to read and write from him, and tried to adopt new farming techniques for them. In the country of the Bechuanas, he learned their language (the Bantu family), and this greatly helped him during his travels, since the Bantu languages are close to each other. He married Mary Moffett, daughter of the first explorer of the vast Kalahari semi-desert; his wife became his faithful assistant. Livingston spent seven years in the country of the Bechuanas. Under the pretext of organizing missionary stations, he made a series of trips, most often in winter.
In 1849, Livingstone, captivated by African stories about the “beautiful and vast” Lake Ngami, together with elephant hunters Oswell and Murray, local guides and a hundred pack animals, was the first European to cross the Kalahari Desert from south to north. He established for the first time the true nature of the landscape of this area, which Europeans considered a desert. “The Kalahari,” wrote Livingston, “is by no means devoid of vegetation and population, since it is covered with grass and numerous creeping plants; In addition, in some places there are bushes and even trees. Its surface is remarkably smooth, although in different places it is cut through by the beds of ancient rivers.”
These areas, monotonous and far from fertile, were inhabited by Bushmen and the so-called Kalahari people - Tswana aliens who penetrated into the desert. The first led a truly nomadic lifestyle, obtaining food by collecting bulbous plants and being content with meager catch from hunting. The latter lived sedentary lives, raised goats, grew melons and pumpkins, and traded in the skins of jackals and other desert animals. Owning livestock was equivalent to wealth. And Livingstone was often asked how many cows Queen Victoria had.
When travelers north of the Kalahari reached the gallery forests that grew along the river banks, Livingstone had the idea to explore all the rivers of South Africa in order to find natural passages into the interior of the country, bring there the ideas of the Gospel and establish an equal trade. Livingstone soon went down in the history of the discovery of Africa as the “Seeker of the River.”
Elevation measurements convinced Livingstone that the Kalahari was bowl-shaped; he was the first to describe its steppe regions. Livingston carried out a study of Lake Ngami, which he discovered, which turned out to be a temporary lake, fed during the rainy season by the waters of the large Okavango River - through the drying branches of its swampy delta.
From Kolobeng, a settlement he founded on the southern edge of the desert, Livingstone again attempted to travel north in 1850 and 1851. But the first attempt ended almost in vain, as members of his family became seriously ill with fever. The second journey led him and Oswell to the Zambezi.
The new route was laid somewhat to the east - through the low Bamangwato ridge and along the northern shore of Zouga. The travelers reached the Chobe (Linyanti) River, the lower reaches of the Kwando, the right tributary of the Zambezi. Livingston and Oswell then headed northeast and at the end of June 1851 “were rewarded by discovering the Zambezi River in the center of the mainland. This was a matter of great importance, because the existence of this river in Central Africa was previously unknown. All Portuguese maps show it rising to the east far from where we were now.”
Despite the dry season, the river reached 300–600 meters in width and was quite deep. Friendly representatives of the Makololo tribe, who accompanied the explorer while crossing the plain, covered with giant termite mounds and overgrown with mimosa thickets, told what the river looks like during the rainy season. Then its level rises by six meters, and the water floods an area 20 English miles wide. Maybe this mighty stream is a tributary of the Nile, or is it carrying its waters towards the Congo? David Livingstone believed that he had found what he dreamed of during a trip to Lake Ngami.
At the end of May 1853, the Englishman arrived in Linyanti, the capital of the Makololo, where he was warmly received by the new leader, Sekeletu.
A month later, Livingstone, in company with Sekeletu, undertook a reconnaissance trip to the country of the Barotse (Lozi) people, located in the Zambezi Valley above the Makololo settlement area. The Liambier River, as the locals called it, turned out to be rapids, but still accessible for sailing on pirogues; The most serious obstacle was the Gonje Falls, which had to be bypassed on dry land. The expedition climbed up the Liambie (Zambezi) to the confluence of its two branches: Kabompo and Liba.
Upon returning to Linyanti, Livingston developed a plan for a new expedition, the decision to organize which was made at a general meeting of the Makololo. Its practical goal was to establish a direct trade connection between the Makololo country and the Atlantic coast, bypassing intermediaries - traveling traders from Angola who bought ivory for next to nothing.
On November 11, 1853, with a force of 160 Makololo in 33 boats, Livingstone began sailing up the Zambezi through a flat, savannah-covered plain, occasionally negotiating rapids. He let most of the people go along the way. The expedition route ran from the southern regions of today's Zambia to Luanda in Angola. The expedition's equipment consisted of only 20 pounds of beads, the necessary scientific instruments, a projector (“magic lantern”), with which Livingston showed the audience pictures from biblical life, and only three guns.
Travelers sailed in boats down the winding Chobe, avoiding rapids and dodging angry hippopotamuses. And encounters with aggressive crocodiles were disturbing. Residents of the surrounding villages hurried to meet the expedition, providing it with meat, milk, and butter. Livingston's sermons were so popular here that, at his request, prisoners of war were released. In early 1854 they reached the Lunda Empire. It was an early feudal formation, headed by a military aristocracy. Livingston discovered clear traces of matriarchy: the leaders here were women.
By February 1854, with a small detachment, Livingston ascended the river to its upper right tributary, Chefumage, and along its valley moved to a barely noticeable watershed, beyond which all the streams flowed not in the south direction, as before, but in the north. (Later it turned out that these were the rivers of the Congo system.)
As far as Lake Dilolo, located on the expedition-discovered watershed between the Congo and Zambezi basins, Livingstone admired the well-cultivated fields and highly developed smelting industry, as well as the extremely hospitable reception he received. On the other side of the lake, the expedition found itself in areas where slave traders had already visited more than once and where they were accustomed to robbing caravans passing by. Here they bargained for every cassava tuber, and the leaders, greedy for enrichment, made unimaginable demands, sometimes threatening violence. Livingston, who did not have any valuable goods with him, showed exceptional courage, which amazed the leaders, and everything was done without the use of weapons.
Continuing to go in the general direction to the west-northwest, Livingston’s small detachment crossed the valleys of the Kasai and other rivers of its system - Chiumbe, Lwashimo, Chikapi, Kwilu. At the beginning of April he crossed the Quango, the largest left tributary of the Kasai, flowing in a very wide and deep valley, and soon reached Kasanje, the easternmost Portuguese settlement in Angola. Having crossed the Tala-Mugongo mountains, which border the Kwango Valley from the west, the expedition entered the Kwanza basin. The further path to the ocean passed through places quite well known to Europeans, however, even here the researcher largely corrected and clarified the existing maps.
Completely exhausted, exhausted by hunger and malaria, the small detachment reached the Atlantic Ocean near Luanda at the end of May 1854. But Livingston is haunted by the idea of penetrating the East Coast. Perhaps the entire length of the Zambezi is navigable in this direction? His intention was supported by both the Portuguese authorities and the clergy, for they were very interested in exploring the areas between Angola and Mozambique.
The return journey to the main Makololo settlement on the Linyanti River, begun in September 1854, took 11 months. On the way, Livingston examined the middle reaches of the Kwanzaa, and then, again crossing the territory of the state of Lunda, collected a lot of information about it and the areas located to the north of it.
In the capital of Makololo, the explorer found all his property safe and sound. The expedition, the purpose of which was to trace the course of the Zambezi to the Indian Ocean, became possible only thanks to the help of Chief Sekeletu. After all, Livingston's salary, as well as a small allowance from the London Geographical Society and goods received in Angola, had long been spent. The leader of an African tribe financed the crossing of the continent by a European. The journey continued in October 1855. Sekeletu personally led an expedition to the majestic 120-meter waterfall on the Zambezi, which the Makololo called “Mozi-oa-tunya” - “Roaring Smoke” (“Here the steam makes noise”).
Livingston was the first European to see it on November 18th. This waterfall, 1.8 kilometers wide, is one of the most powerful in the world. Five huge columns of smoke were already visible from afar. They looked like a fire in the steppe and merged with the clouds. Of course, the scientist understood that this was sprayed water rising up above a stream falling down from a height of about 120 meters. Victoria Falls, named after the English queen, forever remained for Livingston the most wonderful sight in Africa. Today his monument can be seen from the so-called Devil's Falls on the river along which he advanced with such dedication.
In December 1855, the expedition crossed by boat across the large left tributary of the Zambezi, the Kafue, and along it again reached the Zambezi. A further path down the river valley led Livingston to the mouth of its other left tributary, the Lvangwa, beyond which began places that had long been known to the Portuguese.
In March 1856 they reached Tete, the first outpost of European civilization, in the vicinity of which the consequences of the slave trade were clearly felt. The expedition abandoned further exploration of the main channel of the Zambezi, which had already been mapped, and on May 20, 1856, the northern branch reached the Indian Ocean, ending the journey in the seaside town of Quelimane (a port north of the Zambezi). Thus, for the first time a European crossed the African continent.
Returning to his homeland, Livingston in 1857 published a book that deservedly glorified him, “The Travels and Research of a Missionary in South Africa.” The book has been translated into almost all European languages. Livingston made a very important generalizing geographical conclusion: tropical Central Africa south of the parallel “turned out to be an elevated plateau, somewhat lower in the center, and with crevices along the edges along which rivers run down to the sea... The place of the legendary hot zone and burning sands was taken by a well-irrigated area, reminiscent of North America with its freshwater lakes, and with its hot humid valleys, jungles, ghats (highlands) and cool high plateaus of India.”
The Royal Geographical Society surrounded him with honors and awarded him a gold medal, and the publication of travel accounts brought him a fortune. The British bourgeoisie not only showed affection for the missionary, but also provided him with political support. Queen Victoria herself arranged an audience with him. When David Livingstone returned to the Zambezi in May 1858, he was no longer a missionary but a British consul in Mozambique. The government instructed him to explore the interior of the continent, establish contacts with local rulers and persuade them to start growing cotton. Having become consul, Livingston began research work. He set out to prove that Liambie and Zambezi are the same river.
Together with his wife, son and brother Charles, Livingston set off up the river on a small steamer, delivered disassembled to the mouth of the Zambezi from England. This time the expedition was generously funded by the British government. The detachment also included John Kirk - a botanist and doctor, Richard Thornton - a geologist, Thomas Baines - an artist and several other Europeans.
At Tete, Livingstone again met with the Makololo faithful. True, 30 of them died from smallpox during this time, but the rest again set off on the journey with him. The expedition moved up the river with difficulty, but disappointment soon set in. The Kebrabas rapids turned out to be insurmountable, and the ship turned towards the Shire, a northern tributary of the Zambezi. Local residents said that the Shire flows from a huge lake, which even on high-speed boats can be crossed in only a day and a half. But then the path was again blocked by waterfalls. Livingstone named them Murchison Falls in honor of the president of the Geographical Society. He bypassed the obstacle and on April 18, 1859, discovered Lake Shirva, which had no drainage, among the high mountains. Of course, this was not the body of water that he had been told about, but the supplies of provisions came to an end, and the expedition was forced to turn back.
Four months later, Livingston again headed for the upper reaches of the Shire. On September 16, 1859, the expedition reached Lake Nyasa, reaching 500 kilometers in length and more than 50 kilometers in width. Livingston found out that the lake has a depth of more than 200 meters (according to the latest data - up to 706 meters). This was the same lake that Livingstone had been told about on the Zambezi. But this time he was able to see only its southern tip. Unfortunately, the steamer, whose bottom was leaking, was clearly not suitable for sailing on the lake, where storms often occur. Therefore, Livingstone, together with the Makololo, who decided to return home, sailed up the Zambezi.
The British government equipped the steamships Pioneer and Lady Nyasa with the purpose of establishing missionary settlements on the plateaus around Lake Nyasa. On these ships, Livingstone, in March 1861 and then in September 1862, explored the Ruzuma River flowing into the Indian Ocean on the northern border of the colony, since it was assumed that the river had a connection with Lake Nyasa. On the second voyage, Livingston and his companions climbed the Ruvuma about 250 kilometers until the steamer's path was blocked by a rocky threshold.
In September 1861, Livingston again visited Lake Nyasa and walked along the western shore. His brother Charles followed in a boat along the same coast. Based on the results of the survey, Livingston compiled the first relatively accurate map of Nyasa: the reservoir stretched almost 400 kilometers along the meridian (the true length turned out to be much longer - 580 kilometers).
David Livingston began exploring the southern and western shores of Lake Nyasa.
On April 27, 1862, Mary Moffett-Livingston died, suffering from tropical malaria. David's brother Charles, who had previously participated in the expedition, was forced to return due to lingering dysentery. It seems that “The River Seeker” was met with failure everywhere. Nevertheless, Livingston continued his journey until the end of 1863 and found out: the steep shores of the lake, which seemed like mountains, were in fact the edges of high plateaus.
Since the Shire was not yet deep enough for the return trip, Livingston decided to use the coming months for a new expedition to the western shore of Lake Nyasa. From there he moved inland, as he heard that there were many lakes from which mighty rivers originated. Indeed, the plateau west of Nyasa turned out to be a watershed. The question of whether the rivers flowing north would lead to the Nile or the Congo remained unanswered. The Foreign Office made it clear that the expedition members would only be paid until the end of 1863. In January 1864, Livingston left Shire on the Pioneer and in April-May, on the assembled Lady Nyasa, crossed from Zanzibar to Bombay.
The geographical results of the expedition were great. Livingston photographed previously untraced sections of the Zambezi and finally proved that this is the same river, which in the upper reaches is known as Liambie. Lake Nyasa and the Shire River, Lake Shirva, and the lower reaches of Ruvuma were mapped with sufficient accuracy.
In 1865, Livingstone published the book Narrative of the Expedition to the Zambezi and Its Tributaries and the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyasa, 1858–1864. In London they listened with pleasure to his lectures on the intelligence and hard work of Africans. However, he had to find funds for a new expedition himself.
Livingston sold the Lady Nyasa and spent most of his fortune on equipping a new expedition. In January 1866, Livingston again set foot on African soil, however, contrary to his previous habits, he did not make himself known for a whole year, and already in 1867 he was considered missing.
But at that time the scientist, with a large caravan of porters (Indian and Arab merchants contributed their share to the enterprise), had already visited the valley of the Ruvuma River, circled Lake Nyasa from the south and west, then, taking a direction to the northwest, crossed two large rivers: Lwangwu and Chambeshi, separated by the Muchinga mountain range. Locals told him that Chambeshi flowed into a “very large lake.”
On April 1, 1867, he reached the southern coast of Tanganyika (locally called Liemba). The 650-kilometer-long lake with azure-colored water is part of the Central African Volcanic Rift, which includes lakes Nyasa, Kivu, Edward and Mobutu Sese Seko. The expedition reached it in a place where the water surface is surrounded by lush forests, sharply contrasting with gray and red sandstone cliffs. Beyond the lake, extensive “blank spots” began to appear on the maps of Africa at that time.
The entire passage from the coast to Tanganyika was full of difficulties and failures. Indian sepoy soldiers refused to go into the uncharted depths of Africa. Some of the porters fled, taking with them various expedition equipment, including a box of medicines, which was a real disaster for the traveler. Livingston was forced to resort to the help of Arab-Swahili traders in slaves and ivory. Livingston had been suffering from malaria for many years and by this time had become so weak and emaciated that he had to be carried on a bunk most of the way. Nevertheless, he continued his research.
On November 8, 1867, Livingstone discovered Lake Mweru with many islands, and on July 18, 1868, Lake Bangweulu (Bangweolo) southwest of Tanganyika.
In February 1869, Livingston reached Lake Tanganyika, this time closer to its middle. It took exactly a month to sail by boat, first along the western shore of Tanganyika, and then straight across the lake to Ujiji. There, Livingston was waiting for letters and various supplies sent to him with passing caravans from Zanzibar. True, most of the cargo addressed to him got stuck on the road or was stolen.
In July 1869, he left Ujiji and crossed Tanganyika again. Only at the end of March 1871 did Livingston finally reach Lualaba near the trading village of Nyangwe. “This is a mighty river,” he wrote in his diary, “at least three thousand yards wide and deep throughout. Nowhere and at any time of the year can you ford it... The river flows north here at a speed of about two miles per hour.” On the way to Lualaba, Livingston became familiar with its right tributary, the Lwama; he also learned about the existence of its left tributaries - the Lomami and Lweki, but information about them was too vague.
The abundance of water in Lualaba indisputably proved that Livingston had discovered one of the largest hydrographic arteries in Central America. He did not clearly understand which system - the Nile or the Congo - this large river belonged to, and could not deal with such a complex issue: his health had noticeably worsened. The researcher only established that the mighty stream moves north, but is located at an altitude of about 600 meters. This hypsometric position of Lualaba inclined him to believe that she might “eventually” turn out to be the Congo River. Scientists were not yet sure that Lake Victoria, discovered by John Speke, was really the source of the Nile. But Livingston was still right about something: the Luapula (Lovua) River, which flows near Lake Bangweulu, and Lualaba belong to the upper Congo basin.
Turning back to Tanganyika, Livingston moved by boat from the west coast to the east, to the village of Ujiji, and in October 1871 stopped there for rest and treatment. The mystery of Lualaba remains unresolved.
For several years in Europe and America they did not know where Livingston was or whether he was alive. Several expeditions were sent to search for him. One of them, led by Henry Stanley, found him in Ujiji.
Together with Stanley, the seriously ill Livingston explored the northern corner of Tanganyika at the end of 1871 and became convinced that the lake had no drainage to the north, and therefore was not the source of the Nile, as previously thought. He refused to return to Europe with Stanley because he wanted to complete the study of Lualaba, the thought of which haunted him. Through Stanley, he sent diaries and other materials to London.
In 1873 he again went to Lualaba and on the way stopped at the village of Chitambo, south of Lake Bangweulu. On the morning of May 1, 1873, Livingston's servants found him dead in the hut, on the floor next to his bunk.
Livingston's ashes were taken to London and buried in Westminster Abbey, the tomb of the kings and prominent people of England. His diaries, entitled The Last Voyage of David Livingstone, were published in London in 1874.
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