Horace Waller Papers

The papers of Horace Waller are a prime source of information regarding the Zambezi expedition of David Livingstone and the early history of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa. Livingstone and Waller corresponded frequently and had much confidence in each other. Waller wrote to his mother in 1863 regarding Livingstone: "I daresay you will see something of him if he goes home. He and I are and always have been so intimate I feel sure he would feel a great pleasure in telling you all about this poor tortured land.''(Letter of 1863 July 16, Box 1 Folder 8) This manuscript group includes five letters from Waller to Livingstone and one letter and one note written by Livingstone to Waller. Letters written by Waller to his family during the period 1861 to 1864 describe in detail his experiences in Africa and the controversies surrounding the location and policies of the Universities' Mission. Waller's deep interest in Africa and the problem of slavery continued throughout his life and is reflected in the diaries for 1875 and 1876 which are contained in this manuscript group.

The correspondence of Series I includes twenty-one letters or fragments of letters written by Waller to his family and ten letters to or from others. The letter and note from David Livingstone are of particular interest because they are not among those listed in David Livingstone: a Catalogue of Documents, compiled by G.W. Clendennen and I.C. Cunningham. Summaries of the contents of the letters in this manuscript group are contained in a description of the collection provided by the dealer from whom they were purchased. (See Box 2, following folder 25.)

Series II contains a variety of manuscript and printed writings: a list written by Waller during his school days, a pencilled journal possibly written by Waller's brother which describes travels through South Africa, Waller's diaries for the years 1875 and 1876, a small book published by Waller in 1891, and an article written about Waller following his death in 1896.

Series III contains four photographs. Dates and identification have been noted as available. The identification of the individual standing by a coffin in one of these photographs has been supplied on the basis of a similar photograph found in Donald Simpson's work Dark Companions.