21 FEBRUARY 1874, Page 3

Our contemporary the Academy, which has suddenly sprung into a

great literary position, and is full of instructive and interest- ing matter, published yesterday an interesting letter on the sub- ject of Dr. Livingstone's death, from the Rev. Horace Waller, which leaves upon us the impression that there is but little hope left that Lieutenant Cameron's account is erroneous. He quotes from Lieutenant Murphy's letter the words :—" His [Living- stone's] followers had then- subjected-the body to a rough process of preservation, and were taking it with them, in spite of the greatest opposition on the part of the country through which they passed, whose superstitions were roused," &c., and remarks very justly that in the passage we have italicised " a tone of reality at once breaks upon us." If the story had been a fable, there would hardly be reference to the opposition raised by the attempt to carry the dead body through the country. And this makes it probable that m some way or other it chanced that Dr. Livingstone's party reallyhad a box with them big enough for the corpse. Otherwise, a very legitimate doubt had been suggested by the intrinsic improb- ability of this, and the impossibility, in a country totally without