The story inside the 140-year-old diary

An international team of experts has clarified the content of blurred texts from the journalist 140 years ago by Scottish explorer - David Livingstone.

This manuscript manuscript was made in Central Africa and is currently on display at the Scottish National Library in Edinburgh. It sits on an old newspaper with homemade ink and is almost invisible to the naked eye.

Thanks to spectral imaging techniques, scientists recreated the developments in the bloody 400 slaves that happened 140 years ago. From there, they discovered a story "horrible that cannot be described in words".

At the time of writing, Livingstone is isolated and stuck in Central Africa without any supplies. So he had to use berries from berries to make his own ink.

The team said that the manuscript contributed to providing an insight into Livingstone's mood when he faced the biggest crisis that occurred during the last expedition he participated in just before his death. It also shows that the content of the massacre was more or less changed when it appeared in future magazines.

Picture 1 of The story inside the 140-year-old diary
The painting depicts a bloody massacre in a Congo village. (Photo: BBC)

Livingstone recounted the story of the massacre for journalist HM Stanley - who later gave evidence to force the British government to shut down the slave trade in East Africa.

The diary records images of three Arab slave traders with guns in their hands, entering the market in Nyangwe - a Congolese village - when 1,500 people gathered, most of them were secondary female.

He wrote: 'The bullets were fired from two guns and then a horrifying sight, many people fled with terror on their faces, with a terrible scream, the number of big deaths. terrible. It's scary, horrible, a bad world. '

Picture 2 of The story inside the 140-year-old diary
Explorer David Livingstone. (Photo: BBC)

In addition, Dr. Adrian Wisnicki, the project leader, added that there is evidence in the diary that members of Livingstone's faction may also participate in the massacre.

Livingstone seemed to know this possibility and tried to intervene but failed. That left him with a deep sense of regret , 'Wisnicki said.

The last article by David Livingstone was edited after his death in 1873 by his friend Horace Waller.'Livingstone will never get the chance to publish this journal in your life,' Dr Wisnicki added.