The papers supplement and provide supporting detail for the
major collection of Waller papers located at Rhodes House Library in Oxford, England. These papers document the Zambezi expedition of David Livingstone (1813-1873) and the early history of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa. Waller's friendship with Livingstone is apparent in their correspondence. Waller's deep interest in Africa and the problem of slavery continued throughout his life and is reflected in the diaries dated 1875-1876 during his rectorate at Twywell. Horace Waller was born in London in 1833. He went to Africa in 1861 as Lay Superintendent of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa. He resigned from the Mission in 1863 following a disagreement related to liberated slaves under the care of the Mission. In 1864, Waller returned to England. He became a member of the committee of the Anti-Slavery Society. He edited David Livingstone's journals for publication. He served as rector of Twywell, Thrapston, Northamptonshire from 1874 to 1895. Horace Waller died at East Liss, Hampshire in 1896.