[ 'The Livingstone Memorial. At Chitambo's, British Central Africa.' ] Leaflet carrying printed circular letter by Henry M. Stanley, 'soliciting a small subscription'.

3pp., 4to. Bifolium. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with short closed tear at head of both leaves. There are gaps to the document, for the insertion in manuscript of the recipient's name and for the completion of the date. First page headed 'The Livingstone Memorial. At Chitambo's, British Central Africa.' The first part of the leaflet reproduces a letter by 'HENRY M. STANLEY', dated from Richmond Terrace, May 1899. The second part, on the lower two-thirds of the last page, consists of an extract in small print, headed: 'The following is extracted from “Africa,” February, 1898. | The Grave of Livingstone's Heart'. Signed in type at the bottom right-hand corner of the last page 'D. and G. Crawford.' Stanley's letter begins: 'Dear [BLANK] | An African Explorer has recently rediscovered the site of Dr. Livingstone's last Camp, and the old tree at the foot of which the heart of the Great Missionary was buried 26 years ago.' After a discussion of Livingstone's death and its location Stanley explains that 'a movement was started among the residents of Nyassa Land to erect a suitable monument to mark the spot where the old Missionary Explorer passed away. To the appeal for funds the residents of Nyassa Land very nobly responded but the sum raised by them amounts to scarcely a twentieth part of that which is needed if a moderately durable monument is to be erected.' In the following paragraph Stanley makes clear that following an approach by the Nyassa Memorial Committee, he himself chose the location of the memorial, and its medium. He proceeds to describe and enumerate the various costs involved. In 'soliciting a small subscription' he praises 'the heart which for 32 years beat only for the benefit of the natives of Central Africa. It is to Dr. Livingstone that we owe the land now included under the name British Central Africa, and as he sacrificed his life for the sake of freeing from slavery, the millions of natives in South and Central Africa, we owe to his memory a large debt of gratitude, a portion of which may be paid by raising this Memorial over the place where he breathed his last.' He ends by predicting that twenty years from the time of writing 'a great change will have taken place in British Central Africa […] The period of experiment and probation has long ago passed, and henceforth there will remain only profit for ourselves and posterity. | It was to this end that Livingstone laboured and now that we are reaping the benefits of his long services in Africa, we owe it to that brave heart that the ancient tree which has been the warder of its grave so long, should be replaced by a more durable Monument, before it falls and the place of it be known no more.' One copy recorded on COPAC/WorldCat, Nat. Lib. Scot.