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Hollis and Sons. Ten-bore half stocked percussion shot and ball gun, made for the African trade, with the stock extended and native repairs with shrunken leather, and native brass wire

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

Object Details

General note
A001 is the accession number in the Russell E. Train inventory list of the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History.
Collection Creator
Train, Russell E., 1920-2012
Russell E. Train Africana Collection (Smithsonian. Libraries)
See more items in
Russell E. Train Africana collection
Russell E. Train Africana collection / Series 1: Artifacts
Extent
1 Item (Artifacts (object genre), 50 in. (length))
Date
circa 1860
Container
Item A001
Archival Repository
Smithsonian Libraries
Type
Archival materials
Collection Rights
The collection is housed in the Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, which is open to researchers Monday through Friday in the afternoons, from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.; morning visits are by appointment only. Please call (202) 633-1184 or email AskaLibrarian@si.edu for an appointment.
Scope and Contents note
This gun returned to England with the body of David Livingstone alongside other possessions as used by him during his last journey of exploration in Africa. After the death of David Livingstone his native attendants, led by Chuma and Susi, preserved the body by drying it in salt before attempting to carry it to Mozambique. On the way to the coast they met Lieutenant V.L. Cameron who relieved them of Livingstone's geographical instruments but not all his possessions. Cameron in his book Across Africa mentions this on page 123. This gun was originally accompanied by a letter, of which a photograph survives, signed by a Mr. W. Carswell which read, "53 Charing Cross, London, May 1910. I certify that this native repaired long gun of Hollis and Son[s]) was brought back with the personal effects and body of David Livingstone the great explorer and missionary, after his tragic death at Chitambo to the S.E. of Lake Bangwelo on the 1st May 1873 by his faithful bearers Joseph Wainwright, Susi and Chumah, and was given to me by the family as a token of affection. William Carswell."
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503510890585-1503510890661-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sc25bf00d77-68ca-41a4-be08-23bee0a1736d

Related Content

  • Russell E. Train Africana collection

Hollis and Sons. Ten-bore half stocked percussion shot and ball gun, made for the African trade, with the stock extended and native repairs with shrunken leather, and native brass wire
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