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
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."
- Record ID
- ebl-1503510890585-1503510890661-1
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
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