A 'glance at India' (Just in case you think you have too much to do).

Just in case you think your Terms of Reference are a bit arduous (this was before internet, or even Kenya or Sudan Airways) :

From Stanley’s ‘autobiography’ put together by his wife. At this point, he was the probably most renowned roving  journalist of his time

‘A telegram called him to Paris .. and there on October 16, 1869, he received a commission of startling proportions. He was to search for Livingstone in earnest  -- not for an interview, but to discover and if necessary extricate him, wherever he might be in the heart of Africa:  But this was only to be the climax of a series of preliminary expeditions   Briefly [!! He was given 12 months]   these consisted of:

- A report of the opening of the Suez Canal [on 17 November 1869]

- Some observations of Upper Egypt and Baker’s expedition [up the Nile to Uganda via Sudan]

- The underground explorations of Jerusalem

- Syrian politics

- Turkish politics at Stamboul

- Archaeological explorations in the Crimea

- Politics and progress in the Caucasus

- Projects of Russia in that Region

- Trans-Caspian affairs

- Persian politics, geography and present conditions

- a glance at India [!!]

- and, finally a search for Livingstone in Equatorial Africa [he succeeded in Ujiji, now Tanzania, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika,  1871, though like Emin Pasha later, Livingstone turned out not to consider himself lost, but that was not going to prevent Stanley having a good story! ].

Stanley tells us about the ‘Ujiji banquet’ when they dined together:

‘… my tent-boys advanced to spread a crimson table cloth and arrange the dishes and smoking platters heaped up profusely with hot dampers, white rice, maize porridge, kid kabobs, fricasseed chicken and stewed goat meat. There were also a number of things giving variety to the meal, such as honey from Ukawendi, forest-plums and wild-fruit jam, besides sweet milk and clabber. And then a silver tea-pot full of ‘best tea’ and beautiful china cups and saucers to drink it from [after all Livingstone and Stanley were both British in Origin though Stanley was an American at this time]. Before we could commence this already magnificent breakfast the servants of [ three Arab local notables, probably slave traders in origin] brought three great trays loaded with cakes, curries, hashes and stews and three separate hillocks of white rice.’

 

And no, I have no idea what hot dampers or clabber are.