1878 Stanley / Magurn Map of Stanley's Explorations in Western Africa

Determining the Source of the Congo.

This is Henry Morton Stanley's 1878 map of western central Africa, prepared for the first Canadian edition of his book Through the Dark Continent. It traces the route of Stanley's First Trans-Africa Expedition.

A Closer Look

The map covers much of western Africa, along the coast from the Bight of Bonny to Moçâmedes in southern Angola and inland as far as the Lualaba River. Villages, other coastal features, rapids, waterfalls, and tributary features are indicated along the Congo and Lualaba Rivers. Towards the Atlantic coast and inland in Angola, considerable detail is incorporated from earlier (mostly Portuguese) explorers. Much of the interior away from the Congo River remains speculative. Stanley includes notes throughout, such as 'hostile villages,' 'amiable tribe,' 'ferocious tribe,' 'abandoned settlement,' and 'dwarves' (pygmies).

Stanley's First Trans-Africa Expedition

This map traces the second half of Henry Morton Stanley's first trans-Africa expedition (1874 - 1877). Its stated goals were to explore Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Tanganyika, their inflowing and outflowing rivers, and to explore the Lualaba River. Another important goal of the expedition was to establish the source of the Nile River. Sponsored by the New York Herald and the Daily Telegraph, Stanley left Zanzibar on November 12, 1874, at the head of a column of some 230 people, most of whom were African porters. By March 1875, his party arrived at Lake Victoria, although over 60 members had died en route due to accidents and disease. Stanley spent 57 days exploring Lake Victoria, and then moved on to Lake Tanganyika. He was unable to explore Lake Albert due to a war between Uganda and Wavuma. The party then began work on achieving their final goal of determining whether the Lualaba River fed the Nile, the Congo, or the Niger. This arduous task took nearly a year, with the expedition showing the connection between the Lualaba and the Congo. Stanley and his retinue then followed the Congo River to the Atlantic, reaching the Portuguese outpost of Boma near the mouth of the river 999 days after setting out from Zanzibar. By this time, Stanley's party had declined to half its original number.

Publication History and Census

This map lithographed by the Burland-Desbarats Co. in Montreal and was published by J. B. Magurn in Toronto in the 1878 first Canadian edition of Henry Morton Stanley's Through the Dark Continent; Or, The Sources of the Nile: Around the Great Lakes of Equatorial Africa and Down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean. A companion sheet of eastern Africa (previously sold by us, EasternHalfEquatorialAfrica-stanley-1879-2) was printed for the same work. This map is only independently cataloged in the OCLC at the University of California Los Angeles and is scarce to the market.

Cartographers

Sir Henry Morton Stanley (January 28, 1841 - May 10, 1904) was a British journalist and explorer and a seminal figure in the history of exploration for which we can offer only a cursory treatment here. Stanley is renowned for his explorations of central Africa, locating the missionary and explorer David Livingstone, and his search for the source of the Nile. Born in Wales, Stanley was the illegitimate son of an 18 year old woman and an unknown man, saddling him with the burden of illegitimacy throughout his life. Rowlands moved to the United States in 1859, where he adopted the name Henry Morton Stanley under unclear circumstances. Stanley fought on both sides of the American Civil War and also served in the Union Navy, possibly the only man to serve in all three. After the war, Stanley became a foreign correspondent for the New York Herald, for which he traveled the world, writing stories about his explorations for the paper.   Further Details...

George Bull Burland (1829 - 1907) was an Irish-Canadian printer and publisher. Born in Ireland, Burland and his family immigrated to Canada in the 1840s. He found a job with the Hamilton Gazette, a newspaper owned and edited by his uncle, in 1844. Around 1848 Burland moved to Montreal and began working with George H. Matthews, an engraver and printer. Burland bought Matthews's business in 1864, along with his partners George Lafricain, Nathaniel Barber, and George Bishop, and formed Burland-Lafricain and Company in Montreal. Specialists in lithography, within a few years Burland-Lafricain bought out their closest competitor which was owned by Williasm Cumming Smillie. This company became the British American Bank Note Company, which printed banknotes, postage stamps, and other related materials. Burland began serving as vice president in 1866, and held the position of President from 1881 until his death. Burland founded his own printing company, Burland Lithographic, in the 1870s. At first, he formed a partnership with Goerges-Édouard Desbarats, and then he operated the business on his own. Burland Lithographic printed books, maps, and periodicals, including the Canadian Illustrated News. Burland was alsp a philanthropist with great interest in public health. He married Clarissa Healy Cochrane in 1857.   Further Details...

Source

Stanley, H.M., Through the Dark Continent; Or, The Sources of the Nile: Around the Great Lakes of Equatorial Africa and Down the Livingstone River to the Atlantic Ocean. (Toronto: John B. Magurn) 1878.    

Condition

Good. Toning. Verso repairs to fold separations. Some small areas of infill at fold intersections. Wear along original fold lines.

References

OCLC 892766747.