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STANTON  reaching England in time to be present at the funeral of Livingstone in Westminster Abbey.

The death of Livingstone aroused a great desire in Stanley to complete his work. The New York Herald and the London Daily Telegraph fitted out an expedition, giving him the command, and he left England in August, 1874, for his second African journey. With 350 men he started in November into the interior. He was ten months in crossing from the eastern to the western coast, arriving at the mouth of the Kongo a white-haired man, the only survivor of his white companions, and with scarcely a third of his native troops. Through the Dark Continent, the story of this journey, is more exciting than any romance. The direct results were the determining of the boundaries of Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika and the tracing of the Kongo from the heart of Africa to the Atlantic, thus changing materially the map of Africa. The opening of the Uganda region to missionaries, the forming of the Kongo Free State and the general scramble for Africa among European nations followed. Stanley acted from 1879 to 1884 under the king of Belgium in organizing the Kongo Free State, returning afterwards to the United States, where he delivered lectures on his African work. In 1889 he was sent in command of an expedition for the relief of Emin Pasha. He left the mouth of the Kongo on June 15, divided his forces at Yambuya, 1,300 miles from the sea, was for months hid from the civilized world, but, through disaster and loss of friends and followers, pressed on until he found Emin on the shores of Lake Albert. On this journey he discovered a great forest in the northern part of the Kongo basin and the huge snow-capped summit of Ruwenzori, 18,000 feet high. Other of his works are In Darkest Africa, My Dark Companions, Slavery and the Slave-Trade; The Kongo and the Founding of its Free State; Coomassie and Magdala; and Through South Africa. In 1899 he was knighted. He died on May 9, 1904. See Life by G. Mercer Adam.  Stan′ton, Edwin McMasters, an American statesman, was born at Steubenville, O., Dec. 19, 1814. He graduated at Kenyon College, and practiced law at Steubenville, at Pittsburg and finally at Washington. In 1860 he was made attorney-general of the United States, and in 1862 secretary of war. This important position he held during the Civil War, and many decisive movements of the army were made at his suggestion. Difficulties with President Johnson led to his resignation in 1868, Congress passing a vote of thanks for his ability and faithfulness. He was nominated judge of the supreme court by Grant, but died on Dec. 24, 1869, before his commission was made out.  Stanton, Eliz′abeth Ca′dy, an American reformer, was born at Johnstown. N. Y., in 1815. Her attention was first drawn to the wrongs of women in her father's law-office, where she heard their bitter complaints of the injustice of the laws. When fitted for college, having won the first prize in Greek, she could find no college that would admit a woman, and when attending the world's antislavery convention in London in 1840 with her husband who was a delegate, all the women-delegates were refused admission. One of these was Lucretia Mott, with whom she joined in the work of reform, the first woman's rights convention being held at her home in Seneca Falls, N. Y., July, 1848. From this time she continued to be one of the most prominent workers in the cause, addressing conventions, and political and legislative bodies. She died on Oct. 25, 1902.  Star-Cham′ber, a court which met in the council-chamber of the palace of Westminster. The roof of the room was decorated with gilt stars, which are supposed to have given the court its name. It was founded or restored in 1487 by Henry VII to assist in bringing to justice the great landowners and nobles. It was independent of a jury, who were too often afraid of the nobility, and could inflict any punishment but death. The trial was conducted by written questions, unless the accused chose to confess. This confession became such an abuse, torture being used to extort it, that in 1641 the court was abolished.  Star of Beth′lehem, a class of plants belonging to the lily family, somewhat like the hyacinth. It is a native of the eastern hemisphere. The common variety comes from France and Switzerland, and is found everywhere in gardens, with its clusters of white flowers and narrow, green leaves growing from bulbs.  Starch, a vegetable substance found in most plants, particularly in the seeds, bulbs, tubers etc. For commercial purposes starch is obtained from numerous plants, chief among which are wheat, corn, rice and potatoes. It has the same elements as sugar—carbon, hydrogen and oxygen—but in different proportions. It is made of small round grains or granules, which differ in shape in each species of plant. As usually prepared, it either is a white powder or irregular white columns, which come from the breaking up of a dried cake of the material. It does not dissolve perfectly in cold water, but with hot water the granules burst, forming a clear paste, which is the starch used in the laundry. When heated to about 320°, it is changed into dextrine, the gum used on postage-stamps. Starch is found especially in cereals, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sage, tapioca and rice. Potatoes are about one-fifth starch; rye, oats, wheat and corn