Chapter II: Introduction

Of the numerous acquisitions that geography has made since the revival of letters and the extension of commerce, there are but few which have resulted from design, however well conceived, or from the direct attempts of travellers, however perseveringly pursued. The discovery of America was indeed a splendid example of both enlightened conception and heroic effort, crowned with success; and the unabated ardour with which this country has persisted in seeking for the river Niger, and in tracing its course, may well be adduced as another illustrious instance.

Among the difficulties inseparable from the lot of travellers, those arising from climate may be considered as the most formidable. The immediate presence of some imminent danger of a transient nature, cannot be compared with the secret and incessant operations of an unhealthy climate, and no climate more than that of Africa is noted for its fatal effects on Europeans. The slow progress of discovery in Africa has hitherto arisen, principally, from this cause. While other countries, further removed from civilized Europe, have welcomed the researches of the scientific traveller, and amply rewarded him with their riches, Africa has spurned him from her soil by the destructive tendency of her climate, or the treachery of her people.

As long as any fact is excluded from the knowledge of man, he who is in search of it will supply the deficiency by his own conclusions, which will be more or less distant from it, according to his favourite opinions. There can be no better illustration of this, than in the instance afforded by the Joliba, Quorra, or Niger. The termination of this river was entirely unknown until the completion of the recent expedition; and certainly no geographical problem, excepting perhaps that of the celebrated North-West Passage, had given rise to so many opposite theories, or had employed the conjectures of so many learned men. ‘Since Park’s first discovery of the Joliba, every point of the compass has been assumed for the ulterior course and termination of that river,’ says an able writer in the _Quarterly Review_, justly considered as the enlightened advocate and sincere friend of geographical discovery. And however wrong, as the same writer agrees, subsequent discovery has proved this ‘speculative geography’ to have been, it is not to be regarded as useless. Theories may be far short of the truth; but while they display the ingenuity and reasoning powers of their authors, they tend to keep alive that spirit of inquiry and thirst for knowledge, which terminates in discovery; probably but for this cause, the present might yet have been delayed many years.

Much difference of opinion prevails among well informed and experienced geographers, as to the early notices in history of this questionable river. Herodotus, emphatically styled the ‘Father of Historians,’ states in his ‘Geography of Africa,’ that some young Nasamonians, a people who dwelt in the north of Africa, on the borders of the Mediterranean, travelled in a westerly direction from a part of Egypt, until they came to a large river full of crocodiles, and flowing towards the rising sun, and that they were conducted by the natives to a considerable city, situated on its banks. The difficulty has been to identify the track of these travellers, and their account of what they saw, with what is now known of the river lately discovered, and the part of Africa in which it is situated. It is contended by the writer before alluded to, whose opinion is entitled to much deference, from his especial acquaintance with African geography, that these young men, by travelling _due_ west from Bilma, the part of Egypt from whence they are supposed to have set out, could never have reached the Quorra, which they are supposed by some to have done, and to have called the Niger. The difficulty of even determining one point to be _due_ west of another, at that early period, affords grounds for doubting that such a course in its literal sense could have been meant, and it would have been next to impossible for them to have avoided going either to the north or south of that direction. The subject has been ably treated by Lieutenant-Colonel Leake, in a voluminous paper read to the Geographical Society at the first meeting of the present season. Colonel Leake states, that by travelling in a direction not further to the south than west-south-west, or half way between west and south-west from Bilma, the travellers might have arrived at the river; and he considers the city to which they were conducted, to have been no other than Timbuctoo.

At this early period, which was nearly five hundred years before the Christian era, when the Nile, from its vast magnitude, chiefly occupied the attention of ancient writers, it was natural for them to conclude, as the river discovered by these travellers was stated to flow from the west, that its waters reached the higher branches of this river. The fact of the Nile, in an early part of its course, flowing also from the west, favoured the conclusion; and hence the first error concerning it was promulgated by Herodotus, in having considered it to be a distant source of the Nile. Discovery has proved that Herodotus, allowing for the period in which he wrote, possessed considerable knowledge of the geography of Africa, however he might have fallen into error here, and this circumstance gave additional weight to his opinions.

Little notice is taken of the Niger by Strabo, but Pliny treats largely upon this river. After conducting it in an easterly direction from its source in lower Mauritania, through sandy deserts, sometimes flowing over them, and at others disappearing beneath them, he brings it to the Nile of Egypt, and coincides in the original opinion of Herodotus, that the Niger and the Nile are one and the same river. But the most reasonable geographer of his time is Mela, who, while he nearly coincided in the general opinion as to the source of the Niger, after making it flow from west to east, acknowledges with becoming candour, that when it reaches the centre of the continent, no one knew what became of it. He justly deprecates as fabulous the idea of its flowing beneath sands, and attributes such an opinion to the want of knowledge, respecting it in different parts of its course.

Ptolemy, who was the first to break through the imaginary bond which united the Niger and the Nile, unhappily had no other support to his pretensions of any knowledge respecting the former. His account of the Niger is so vague, as to make it difficult even to determine the course which he supposed it to take. He adhered to the former opinion respecting its general direction, and considered as one river the streams of several.

Such were the confused accounts of the earlier writers on geography respecting this mysterious river, when the dissolution of the Roman empire produced a total change in the opinions concerning it, and made them still more incomprehensible. The Arabians had now spread themselves over northern Africa, and by their wandering habits were calculated to acquire more information concerning it than their predecessors. They have accordingly given fuller accounts of the geography of the country; but in those of the Niger are not more fortunate than their predecessors. The opinions of Abulfeda and Edrisi, their most celebrated geographers, were totally different from those of the former writers. Instead of allowing the Niger an easterly course, they considered its source as identical with that of the Nile, and bestowed on each the same name. The Nile of Egypt they supposed to run northerly into the Mediterranean, while for the Niger they assumed a westerly course across the whole continent, until it reached the Atlantic ocean, or ‘Sea of Darkness;’ and, to distinguish it from the former, they named it the ‘Nile of the Negroes.’ It is difficult to imagine how such an hypothesis as this could have been received. The idea of the river flowing to the east might be easily admitted, in comparison with it, as a considerable part of its course is actually in that direction, and as much of it as was likely to be known to the ancient geographers. As no part of it, except that near the Delta, flows to the westward, some other river than the Niger must have been meant.

The state of Europe at this period was ill calculated to throw any light on this interesting question, and, therefore, it lay neglected and concealed in obscurity. Maritime discovery at length promised to achieve what was not to be expected by other means; and the Portuguese, in pursuit of commerce, under the favourable auspices of their enlightened sovereigns of the fifteenth century, enlarged the knowledge of African geography. Intent on carrying on their conquests in India, the Portuguese were compelled to pass the coasts of this continent, and in their progress they founded many settlements, from which discovery was extended into the interior.

Leo Africanus, a native of Granada, in Spain, was well acquainted with Arabian literature, and assigned a westerly course to the Niger. He differs from the Arabians only in its source, which he places to the west of that of the Nile. He considered the Niger to take its rise in a lake situated to the south of Bornou, from whence he believed that it flowed to the westward, until it reached the Atlantic ocean. The Portuguese, in their discoveries on the western coast of Africa, found successively the mouths of the Senegal, the Gambia, and the Rio Grande. The situation of these rivers favoured the supposition of the westerly course of the Niger, and they were accordingly considered as the channels by which it entered the Atlantic ocean.

The intercourse of the Portuguese with the natives of the Senegal and Gambia, as well as their communications with Timbuctoo, did not suffice to point out to them this error, and it has been perpetuated in all their maps. A remarkable circumstance, however, may here be observed concerning the position of Timbuctoo. This city is placed so near the sea, as to excite suspicion of its being the same as that on the Niger, and another place named Tamboucanee, on the Senegal, is mentioned as answering their Timbuctoo. On the whole, therefore, although it cannot be doubted that the Portuguese obtained a considerable store of information respecting the Niger, they appear to have turned it to little account.

Of all those who have devoted their attention to Africa, the French geographers, De Lisle and D’Anville, have evinced more care and thought than any other. De Lisle adopts the course assigned to the Niger by the Arabians in his map of the world in the year 1700, and in his map of Soudan, or Nigritia, published in 1745, preserves the same; while, in another map of the world, published in 1714, he gives the sources both of the Niger and Senegal. The latter he makes to run westward, and the former eastward; and it is rather extraordinary that, so late as 1745, he should have persevered in the old error. Whether the second separation of the Niger in the west from the Senegal, as the first had been in the east from the Nile, is due to De Lisle or not, D’Anville, in 1749, follows it up in his map of Africa, published at that time. In this map, D’Anville places the source of the Senegal in the same position as De Lisle, and the source of the Niger he places a little to the eastward of it. They each assume their proper course,—the former to the west, and the latter to the east, as far as Wangara, where it is met by another stream, coming in the opposite direction. The Niger, or Nile of the Negroes, is stated in the same map, according to Edrisi, as taking its rise close to the source of the Nile, and running in a north- west direction, till it terminates in the Lake of Bornou. D’Anville, in the mean time, entered deeply into the question of the rivers in the interior of Africa, and, in 1755, communicated the result of his labours to the French Academy.

Thus the source of the Niger, as well as its course, remained in obscurity until English geographers and travellers took the field. An entirely new era in the progress of African geography now commenced; and, to the honour of Great Britain, a number of wealthy and philanthropic individuals formed themselves, in the year 1788, into a society, for the express purpose of promoting discovery in that country. The necessary funds for the assistance of travellers were provided by this body, and intelligent individuals were only required to carry their designs into execution. The first and principal object which occupied their attention, was the solution of the grand problem respecting the course and termination of the Niger, and a reward was promised to the person who should succeed in determining them.

The first person who was dispatched on this mission, under the auspices of the African Association, was Mr. John Ledyard, an American by birth, and one who was gifted with an extraordinary desire for travelling. He had already been round the world with Captain Cook, and had undergone hardships and privations in a journey that he performed in Russia, which, as the exploits of a single traveller, stand unrivalled. Ledyard met the proposals of the association with promptness and decision, and departed for Africa in June 1788. Some idea may be formed of this extraordinary man, from his communication to a friend on the morning of his departure—‘I am accustomed,’ said he, ‘to hardships; I have known both hunger and nakedness to the utmost extremity of human suffering. I have known what it is to have food given me as charity to a madman; and I have at times been obliged to shelter myself under the miseries of that character, to avoid a greater calamity.’ Such were the words of Ledyard, and his performances had been no less remarkable. His instructions were to penetrate into Africa by the way of Egypt, and to traverse the continent in the latitude of the Niger. In pursuit of this, Ledyard reached Cairo in the month of August following,—where, becoming impatient and vexed by the delay of the caravan with which he was to have travelled, his anxious mind sunk under disappointment, and an illness quickly terminated his career. Ledyard possessed, in an eminent degree, the daring spirit so requisite for such an undertaking; but was deficient in patience, a virtue which is peculiarly required in an African traveller.

The next person who went to Africa, to explore the Niger, was Mr. Lucas. The journey of this traveller, which took place in the following year, is remarkable for the additions which he contributed to African geography, according to information which he obtained from the Arabs, although he did not penetrate farther to the south than Mesurata, a place five days’ journey from Tripoli. In his account of the Fezzan merchants, who crossed the Niger at a ferry two miles south of Cassena, by allowing for the geographical inaccuracies of the time, may probably be discerned the ferry of Comie, below Boossa, or that of Rabba, mentioned in the following journal. The account, however, which Mr. Lucas gave of the course of the Niger, is not confirmed by discovery; but that the merchants after crossing it, pursued their journey to Ashantee, and met with the goora-nuts, renders it extremely probable, that these two ferries, which form the highway across this river, were alluded to by his informers.

The western coast now became the quarter to which the attention of the African Association was directed as likely to afford greater advantages for penetrating to the Niger, than from Tripoli. In 1791, Major Houghton, who had become acquainted with the character of the Arabs while British Consul at Marocco, undertook to explore the Niger. He ascended the Gambia, and having reached the upper part of this river, took a northerly direction into Ludama, on the borders of the great desert. Having agreed with some Moorish merchants to convey him to Tisheet, he set out with them from Jarra, and at the expiration of two days, he determined on not accompanying them farther, from a suspicion of their intentions. The consequence was, that he was plundered and deserted by the Moors, and died at Jarra, after travelling alone several days.

The course of the Niger still lay concealed in vague and unsatisfactory statements, no modern traveller having yet succeeded in reaching its banks. The honour of first accomplishing this hazardous enterprize was reserved for one no less unfortunate than his predecessors. In 1795, the celebrated Mr. Mungo Park, a native of Scotland, offered his services to the African Association. A knowledge of medicine, besides other useful attainments, added to a natural taste for geographical discovery, peculiarly qualified him for such a purpose; and his offer being accepted, he set out for the Niger. Adopting the route of Major Houghton, he penetrated up the Gambia, and quickly reached Medina. Leaving the Gambia at this place, he kept a more northerly direction, and crossed the Falemé, a tributary to the Senegal, near Fatteconda. Having crossed the Senegal, and passed Kemmoo, he arrived at Jarra, where he found the remains of Major Houghton. On leaving Jarra, he adopted a course to the southward of east, and after having experienced great difficulties and privations in consequence of wars, he at length arrived at the long-sought Niger, and beheld it flowing from west to east. From Sego, he continued his journey along the bank of the Niger to Silla; where, finding himself exhausted by weakness, and destitute of the means of proceeding further, he determined on returning to England. He reached the Gambia by a more direct route than that by which he had travelled to the Niger, and arrived in England in December 1797. At Silla, which he stated as being two hundred miles from Timbuctoo, he collected much information; and thus was the commencement of the Niger first traced on the map from the actual observation of a modern traveller. In this journey, Park explored the Niger between Bammakoo and Silla, the former being, according to his account, about ten days’ journey distant from its source.

During the absence of Mr. Park in Western Africa, under the direction of the Association, Mr. W. G. Browne, at his own expense, passed through Egypt, and travelled to the west into Darfur, where he was detained three years. His information chiefly concerns Egypt, and nothing was gained from him respecting the Niger.

A new theory respecting the course and termination of this river now started into notice. After his return, Mr. Park happening to meet with a Mr. Maxwell, who was as much interested about the river Congo, as Mr. Park was with the Niger, these two travellers communicated their sentiments to each other respecting them, and came to the conclusion that they were one and the same river. There was much to favour this decision. The Niger had been found by Park flowing from west to east, and from the accounts of the ancients, it was supposed to flow still farther in that direction, perhaps as far as a thousand miles from Silla, the extent of his discovery. Beyond this, all was conjecture respecting it, and there was nothing unreasonable in the supposition that it might take a south-east direction from Wangara, and become the Congo, the course of which river was then unequally known. Such was Park’s opinion, and upon which he soon after acted.

The course of the river, after the return of Park, was investigated minutely by Major Rennell, whose name will ever be revered by geographers. Besides laying it down from Park’s discoveries, he entered fully into the various statements concerning it by the ancient writers; and, after considerable pains, he arrived at the conclusion that the river, having passed Timbuctoo, flowed a thousand miles in an easterly direction, and terminated in a lake or swamp, called Wangara, into which also another river fell from the eastward. This opinion, pronounced by such a man as Major Rennell, was received with confidence, and prevailed generally among geographers. Still it was unsatisfactory. Doubts were justly entertained on the possibility of its disappearing in such a manner, but the accounts of the ancients afforded no other means of disposing of it.

M. Reichard, a German, entertained a different opinion from that of Major Rennell, although he agreed with him in believing that it flowed to Wangara. From this place, M. Reichard supposed that it assumed a south-west course, and terminated in the Gulf of Guinea. It was observed at the time that there was neither evidence on which such an opinion could be supported, nor any by which it could be refuted. As far as Wangara, it was acknowledged on the authority of the ancients, but beyond this no one knew anything of it, and M. Reichard’s theory stood alone. Discovery has proved him to be right in respect of its ultimate disposal, but at the same time he participated in the general error regarding its course to Wangara.

The next traveller sent out by the African Association was a German, named Hornemann. At Fezzan, the farthest extent of his travels, he collected much information respecting the geography of Africa; but concerning the course of the Niger he contributed little or nothing. In April, 1800, he wrote to England, saying that he was on the point of starting for Bornou, since which time no account of him has been received.

Another German, named Roentgen, was the next traveller sent out by the African Association. His instructions were to penetrate to Timbuctoo, from Mogadore. It was his intention to have accompanied the caravan to that place from Marocco, but he is supposed to have been murdered by his servant, a person bearing a suspicious character, whom he had taken into his service against the advice of all to whom he was known.

The travels of Buckhardt, also sent out by the Association, threw no additional light on the course of the Niger.

Another era in the history of African geography may now be observed—one which, although marked by misfortune in its very commencement, and followed up by the loss of many very valuable lives, has ultimately produced the long sought for and desired result. The formation of the African Association had already been followed by an important discovery, and the persons composing it had secured to themselves the honour of having given to the world the first authentic account of the Niger from personal observation. By their aid Park had successfully explored three hundred miles of this river, when the attention of the British government, among other pursuits of a similar nature, was turned towards it. The voyages of Cook had already enlarged the bounds of geographical knowledge in nearly every part of the world by sea, and an expedition for the discovery of the course and termination of the Niger was now ordered.

This intelligence was communicated to Park, who, in his usual sanguine manner, eagerly set to work in preparing for the journey. He had drawn up a plan of proceeding, for the accomplishment of which he required the assistance of thirty-six Europeans; six of whom were to be seamen, and the rest soldiers. His plan was adopted, and a sum of five thousand pounds was placed at his disposal by government, for equipping the expedition. The intention of Park was to follow his former track to the Niger, and having reached its banks, there to build two vessels for his party, and to follow with them the course of the river. If it should fall into the Congo, after passing Wangara, he entertained no doubt of reaching the sea; but if it should terminate in this lake or morass, as was supposed, he then expected that he should have to encounter much difficulty. Hitherto the discovery of the Niger had been attempted by single travellers, who had endeavoured to reach their destination by accompanying the caravans, but this second journey of Park assumed an entirely new character, and sanguine hopes were justly entertained of his success.

The second journey of Park terminated fatally, and the great question of the course of the Niger, which had seemed to be on the dawn of discovery, was again obscured. Much information had been collected concerning the fate of Park and his party, previous to the expedition of the present travellers, by whom it has been confirmed. After experiencing difficulties and dangers, of nearly every description, with only seven men remaining of his whole party, and these in such a state, from the effects of the climate, as to be scarcely able to proceed, he at length reached a mountain ridge near Bammagoo, from whence he once more beheld the Niger. Here he considered that all his difficulties were at an end, and proceeded on to Sansanding, on the bank of the river, a few miles below Sego, where he accomplished the building of his vessel. By the time that he was ready to depart, which was on the 17th of November, 1805, when he despatched one of his men, named Isaaco, to England with his journals and letters, five of his party only were left. Among those whom he had lost a few days before was Mr. Anderson, his brother-in-law, to whom allusion is made in the following journal.

The strong determination of Park to persevere in his design of tracing the course of the river to its termination, is thus expressed in one of his letters from this place. ‘Though all the Europeans who are with me should die, and though I were myself half dead, I would still persevere, and if I could not succeed in the object of my journey, I would at least die in the Niger.’ How truly were his words verified! and yet not by the effect of the climate, which he had wonderfully escaped, but by mere accident, produced by unfortunate circumstances. How often is the cup of hope dashed from our lips, when we consider ourselves most certain of its contents! Intelligence was afterwards obtained that Park had reached Boossà, where, being attacked by the natives, as he previously had been in many places after leaving Sansanding, he was supposed to have been driven from his vessel, and to have perished in the river, which intelligence is confirmed by the present account. Richard Lander was informed at Boossà, that his party, consisting of many black people who had been hired by him, were mistaken by the natives of this place for Falàtahs, with whom they were then at war; and that the nature of the river there is such, that there was but one part through which his vessel could pass, and where he could not avoid the attacks of the natives. This statement, as well as that obtained by Richard Lander at Yàoori, so amply confirm the account contained in an Arab document, the translation of which appears in Denham’s Work, that it deserves being inserted here.

“Hence be it known, that some Christians came to the town of Youri, in the kingdom of Yaoor, and landed and purchased provisions, as onions and other things; and they sent a present to the King of Yaoor. The said king desired them to wait until he should send them a messenger; but they were frightened, and went away by the sea (river). They arrived at the town called Bossa, or Boossa, and their ship then rubbed (struck) upon a rock, and all of them perished in the river.”

“This fact is within our knowledge, and peace be the end.”

(‘_Note by the Translator_.—In addition to the above, there is a kind of postscript appended to the document by a different hand, which being both ungrammatical and scarcely legible, I had some difficulty in translating and giving it a proper meaning. The words, however, are I think as follows, though most of them have been made out by conjecture.)

“And they agreed or arranged among themselves, and swam in the sea (river), while the men who were with (pursuing) them appeared on the coast of the sea (bank of the river), and fell upon them till they went down (sunk) in it.”

By the following extract from a document in the late Captain Clapperton’s Journal in Africa, p. 334, it appears that Park and his party visited Timbuctoo. After briefly noticing the progress of the forty Christians as far as Sansanding, from which place they set out with only five men, it states that they arrived at Masena, and that “They sojourned there with the prince, who was one of the sons of the Sultan of Timbuctoo, and whose name was Babal Kydiali. He entertained them, and gave them leave to proceed to Timbuctoo. They continued their voyage till they arrived in safety, five as they were, at the city of Timbuctoo, where they resided as long as God was pleased. Thence they went on towards the country of S’oghy, till they came to one of its towns, called Gharwal-gaoo. There the Tuaricks met and fought them severely till three were killed, and two only of them escaped with the vessel.”

“They proceeded towards the east till they arrived at Boossà; but the inhabitants fought and killed them, and their ship is to this moment there. This is the substance and truth of the case.” Thus terminated the first attempt made by the British government to discover the course of the Niger.

The next person who is supposed to have visited Timbuctoo, was an American seaman, named Adams, but his narrative throws no additional light on the course of the Niger.

Amidst the extraordinary political events which agitated the whole of Europe, further attempts at discovery were suspended till the commencement of the present peace. Accordingly, in the year 1816, in conformity with the favourite hypothesis of Park, an expedition was sent to penetrate into Africa by the river Congo, with the view of arriving at the Niger, under the direction of Captain Tuckey, of the Royal Navy. The fate of this expedition was the counterpart of the preceding. Two hundred and eighty miles from the coast was the extent of its progress; and the question was as far as ever from being decided. At the same time, another party, consisting of a hundred men, were placed under the direction of Major Peddie, to reach the Niger by Park’s route from the Gambia, and sent out to meet that under Captain Tuckey. This party ascended the river Nunez, and were equally unfortunate with that which had gone to the Congo.

The first intelligence obtained respecting the course of the Niger, since its discovery by Park, was by the late Captain Clapperton of the Navy, when he was at Sockatoo in 1824. He had reached this place from Bornou, whither he had accompanied Major Denham and Dr. Oudney from Tripoli. Here he first gained the intelligence that the river ran to the south, and that it flowed into the sea at Funda. With this information, and a vast deal more relating to other parts of Africa through which he had passed, Clapperton returned to England. His favourable reception by Bello, the Falàtah Sultan, induced the British government to send him out again, accompanied by Captain Pearce and Dr. Morrison of the Royal Navy. These officers landed at Badágry, and the only one belonging to their party, who returned safely to England, was Richard Lander, the attendant of Clapperton. Captain Pearce and Dr. Morrison died a few days after leaving Badágry; and Clapperton, accompanied by Lander, soon after arrived at Wowow, from which place they visited Boossà, the place of Park’s death. Clapperton had imbibed a strong aversion to descending the Niger, and made no secret of it to Lander. His firm conviction was, that whoever attempted to go down this river, would fall by the attacks of the natives; and would never live to reach its termination. Clapperton crossed the river at Comie, below Boossà, and died soon after reaching Sockatoo. Lander, having performed the last duties to the remains of his friend and master, commenced his return to England with his papers. Having traversed a considerable part of the country as far as Dunrora, he would in all probability have found his way down the Niger, had he not been interrupted by the natives, and compelled to turn back. This circumstance alone obliged him to return by his former route to Badágry, at which place he narrowly escaped with his life. In this expedition, the position of Boossà, on the banks of the Niger, was obtained, and an approximate position of Yaoorie, besides the course of the river between these places.

During Clapperton’s absence on his second journey, Major Laing penetrated from Tripoli to Timbuctoo. He had already escaped from an attack by a band of Tuaricks, (a roving people who inhabit the desert,) and had departed from Timbuctoo on his way to Sego, when he was inhumanly murdered by a Moorish merchant, named Bambooshi, whom he had engaged as a guide. Major Laing’s papers have not reached England, but it may still be hoped that his observations at Timbuctoo will not be finally lost.

A Frenchman named Caillié has visited Timbuctoo since Major Laing, but his visit has produced no addition to our knowledge of the Niger.

The natives near Boossà seem to have but a vague notion of the course of the river below that place. At Tabra, in Nouffie, Clapperton was told that ‘the Quorra ran into the sea behind Benin, at Funda; that the Nyffe people and those of Benin were the same people; that Benin paid tribute to Nyffe. There is something remarkable in this; but Clapperton attributes it to the desire of the natives to impress a stranger with an exalted opinion of their country. The Sultan Bello himself believed that the river, after passing Boossà and Wowow, entered the sea at Funda. The extent of their knowledge of the river, and how little their information was calculated to assist the geographer, may be seen by the following amusing extract from the explanation to Bello’s map, given in the Appendix, p. 333, of Clapperton’s book. ‘Now the great river Cowára comes, and here is its representation. This great river is the largest in all the territories of Haussà; we know not of its source, nor of any one who has seen it. It rushes and precipitates itself through the country from left to right, and contains many islands, inhabited by fishermen, herdsmen, husbandmen, and settlers. As to the variety of its animals, birds, and fish, it is only known to the Lord Creator; it has rocks and mountains which break and shatter to pieces all vessels that are driven against them; and its great roaring and noise, with the agitation of its waves, astonish the hearer, and terrify the beholder; and at the same time exhibit the wonderful power of the Omnipotent Creator.’ Such was the idea of Bello’s mallam or learned priest; and again at p. 340, in ‘a traditional account of different nations of Africa,’ it is stated, that, ‘the river Kowára runs through mountains, and a great many woods and forests; and has mountains on the north and east. This great river issues from the Mountain of the Moon; and what we know of it is, that it comes from Sookan to Kiga, to Kabi, to Yaoori, to Boossà, to Wawa, and to Noofee,’—‘but in that place there is another river, which springs from Zirma to Ghoober, to Zeffra, to Korg, or Korra, and then enters Noofee; its name is Kaduna,’ or the Koodoonia, the extent to which the Niger seems to have been known by the natives, although they had heard of Funda.

Various accounts of the river had now been gradually collected from different sources, which afforded grounds for fresh theories respecting its termination. That of Reichard was the favourite, although Wangara was dispensed with; and that the river fell into the Gulf of Guinea was pretty generally agreed. These different opinions appeared in several publications, in which, as might be expected, much error was mixed up with the general correctness. That the river flowed into the sea at Funda was the grand point obtained, and where Funda might be was of no importance. The only exception to these, was the theory of Major Denham, supported by Sultan Bello’s information, who continued its easterly course below Boossà, and ended it in Lake Tshad. This he doubtless considered the more probable, as he says that he found a river Shary running into that Lake. Major Laing ended it in the river Volta, near Accra; Clapperton brought it to the sea near the mouth of the Lagos, about half way between Badágry and the mouth of the river Benin; while Reichard concluded rightly that the river Benin was the outlet of the Niger. Others believed that the mouths of the numerous rivers between the Formosa and the old Calebar were the outlets of this river; among whom were Captain W. F. W. Owen, Captain A. T. E. Vidal, and Captain B. M. Kelly, besides several other naval officers who had been stationed on the coast. The accounts of Liverpool palm-oil traders favoured the same conclusion; nevertheless, no one had yet explored the river below Boossà,—all was uncertainty, and founded only on report and supposition. A solitary attempt to reach it from the old Calebar river was made in 1805, by a Mr. Nicholls, who died shortly after leaving Duke Town; and this is remarkable from having been the only one made from that quarter.

_J. & C. Walker, Sculpt._

_Published by John Murray, Albemarle Street, London, Jany. 1832._]

The annexed map serves to show the extent of our knowledge of the river at this period. Park had laid down its course between Bammakoo and Silla in his first journey, and had found that its source was in the same mountainous range that gave rise to the Senegal. The part below Silla, as far as Timbuctoo, was the result of intelligence obtained by him in his second journey. Beyond Timbuctoo, the only place known to be situated on its banks, was Boossà, the position of which had been determined by Clapperton, but the actual course of the river between those places remained entirely unknown. The part included within the dotted square is the result of the Landers’ expedition; and therefore, that part between Yàoori, the extent of their journey, and Timbuctoo, is all that remains to be explored of the Niger. There is no doubt of its continuity between those places, from the reports of Park, as the vessel he built at Sansanding was lost at Boossà, and they have been connected by the broken line merely to show the probable course of the river. Considering the relative position of the Senegal and Niger, it is no matter of surprise, that they should have been confounded with each other in the early stages of history, although they run in opposite directions, for, even at the present time, the ignorance of every one who had been applied to concerning the river, was the subject of remark by the last travellers.

Such was the uncertain condition in which the course of the Niger remained, when the happy idea occurred of sending the Messrs. Lander to follow its course below Boossà. By this step, the British government completed what it had begun, and accomplished, in a few months, the work of ages. Richard Lander, well acquainted with the nature of such an undertaking, volunteered his services to perform it. His instructions, of which the following is a copy, were given to him, and having been supplied with the articles, a list of which will be found in the Appendix, accompanied by his brother John, he set out on this interesting expedition.

‘_Downing Street, 31st December_, 1829.

‘Sir,

‘I am directed by Secretary Sir George Murray to acquaint you, that he has deemed it expedient to accept the offer which you have made, to proceed to Africa, accompanied by your brother[1], for the purpose of ascertaining the course of the Great River which was crossed by the late Captain Clapperton, on his journey to Soccatoo; and a passage having been accordingly engaged for you and your brother on board of the Alert, merchant vessel, which is proceeding to Cape-Coast Castle, on the western coast of Africa, I am to desire that you will embark directly on board of that vessel.

‘In the event of your falling in with any of his Majesty’s ships of war on the coast of Africa, previously to your arrival at Cape-Coast Castle, you will prevail on the master to use every endeavour to speak with such ship of war, and to deliver to the officer commanding her, the letter of which you are the bearer, and which is to require him to convey yourself and your brother to Badágry, to present you to the king, and to give you such assistance as may be required to enable you to set out on your journey.

‘You should incur as little delay as possible at Badágry, in order that, by reaching the hilly country, you may be more secure from those fevers which are known to be prevalent on the low lands of the sea-coast. You are to proceed by the same road as on a previous occasion, as far as Katunga, unless you shall be able to find, on the northern side of the mountains, a road which will lead you to Funda, on the Quorra or Niger, in which case you are to proceed direct to Funda. If, however, it should be necessary to go as far as Katunga, you are to use your endeavours to prevail on the chief of that country to assist you on your way to the Quorra, and with the means of tracing down, either by land or water, the course of that river as far as Funda.

‘On your arrival at this place, you are to be very particular in your observations, so as to enable you to give a correct statement—

‘1st. Whether any, and what rivers fall into the Quorra at or near that place, or whether the whole or any part of the Quorra turns to the eastward.

‘2nd. Whether there is at Funda, or in the neighbourhood, any lake or collection of waters, or large swamp; in which case you are to go round such lake or swamp, and be very particular in examining whether any river flows _into_ or _out_ of it, and in what direction it takes its course.

‘3rd. If you should find that at Funda the Quorra continues to flow to the southward, you are to follow it to the sea, where, in this case, it may be presumed to empty its waters; but if it should be found to turn off to the eastward, in which case it will most probably fall into the Lake Tshad, you are to follow its course in that direction, as far as you conceive you can venture to do, with due regard to your personal safety, even to Bornou, in which case it will be for you to determine whether it may not be advisable to return home by the way of Fezzan and Tripoli: if, however, after proceeding in an easterly course for some distance, the river should be found to turn off towards the south, you are to follow it, as before, down to the sea. In short, after having once gained the banks of the Quorra, either from Katunga, or lower down, you are to follow its course, if possible, to its termination, wherever that may be.

‘Should you be of opinion that the Sultan of Youri can safely be communicated with, you are at liberty to send your brother with a present to that chief, to ask, in the king’s name, for certain books or papers which he is supposed to have, that belonged to the late Mr. Park; but you are not necessarily yourself to wait for your brother’s return, but to proceed in the execution of the main object of your mission, to ascertain the course and termination of the Niger.

‘You are to take every opportunity of sending down by the coast a brief abstract of your proceedings and observations, furnishing the bearer with a note, setting forth the reward he is to have for his trouble, and requesting any English person, to whom it is presented, to pay that reward, on the faith that it will be repaid him by the British Government.

‘For the performance of this service, you are furnished with all the articles which you have required for your personal convenience, during your journey, together with a sum of two hundred dollars in coin, and in case, upon your arrival at Badágry, you should find it absolutely necessary to provide yourself with a further supply of dollars, you will be at liberty to draw upon this department for any sum not exceeding three hundred dollars.

‘During the ensuing year, the sum of one hundred pounds will be paid to your wife, in quarterly payments, and upon your return a gratuity of one hundred pounds will be paid to yourself.

‘All the papers and observations which you shall bring back with you, are to be delivered by you at this office, and you will be entitled to receive any pecuniary consideration which may be obtained from the publication of the account of your journey.

‘I am, Sir, &c. &c.
‘(Signed) R. W. HAY.’

‘_To Mr. Richard Lander_.’

[Copy of the letter alluded to in the foregoing instructions.]

_Admiralty Office, 23rd December_, 1829.

‘Sir,

‘I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to transmit to you a copy of a letter from Mr. Hay, relative to an expedition into Africa, undertaken by Mr. Richard Lander and his brother; and I am to signify their Lordships’ directions to you, to take measures for conveying Messrs. Lander from Cape-Coast Castle to Badágry, to be there presented, as desired in Mr. Hay’s letter, to the authorities of the place, as persons in whose welfare the British Government takes much interest, and also to provide these travellers with any assistance of which they may stand in need, for the prosecution of their undertaking.

‘I am, Sir, &c. &c.
‘J. BARROW.’

‘_To Commodore_ COLLIER, C. B.,
_or the Commanding Officer of any of His
Majesty’s Ships which Messrs._ LANDER
_may fall in with on the Coast of Africa_.’

The travellers have succeeded; their discovery is already known to the world, and the following pages contain the particulars of their journey. There are two features which distinguish this expedition from all those that have preceded it, namely, the magnitude and importance of the discovery, and the small means by which it has been accomplished. Science here was out of the question, and all depended on that homely quality of the mind, ‘determination of purpose,’ a leading feature in the character of our countrymen, without which science itself is of little avail.

The elder brother, Richard Lander, is already known to the world as the faithful attendant of the late Captain Clapperton. The manner in which he had acquitted himself of his trust, amidst the difficulties he had to contend with, after that officer’s death, bespoke him as worthy of being sent on such a mission, when scientific observations were not expected; and the result has proved the justness of the opinion that had been formed of him. Descended from Cornish parents, and gifted with no extraordinary talent, it was not his fortune to boast either the honours of high birth, or even to possess the advantages of a commonplace education. His leading quality has been a share of perseverance, rivalling that of any former traveller. This perseverance, under the protection of Divine Providence, has enabled him to surmount every difficulty, to unlock the portals of western Africa, and he has now the proud gratification of knowing, that he has well earned that reward from his King, which has placed him in honourable competency.

The younger brother, John Lander, influenced by a laudable desire of assisting his brother and of visiting Africa, accompanied him on the journey without pecuniary expectancy; and it is due to him to state, that the narrative is largely indebted to his observation. Naturally of a warm imagination, his descriptions are not without their faults; but while this is acknowledged, it must be admitted that he has enriched the Journal with much interesting and valuable information. In point of education and literary attainments, John Lander has the advantage of his brother, and has already produced several essays, in prose and verse, besides having written the accounts of his brother’s former journey. Having shared the dangers of his last expedition, he has been promised an employment under Government, suitable to his abilities; and the friends of knowledge and science will rejoice in seeing these travellers, the only two left of those who have gone out on this dangerous mission, become objects of their country’s care.

The first annual premium of fifty guineas, which has been placed at the disposal of the President and Council of the Royal Geographical Society, by his Most Gracious Majesty, was awarded to Richard Lander, as having been charged with the expedition. On the 14th of November, it was presented to him by the President, Lord Goderich, accompanied by a few observations, most gratifying to his feelings; and it is a remarkable fact, that the incorporation of the African Association with the Geographical Society was announced by his Lordship immediately afterwards,—that Association whose first and chief solicitude had been the grand discovery for which the reward had been just bestowed.

The unfortunate disaster that befell the travellers at Kirree nearly deprived the world of the fruits of their observations; but fortunately, although those of each in different parts of the journey were lost in the river, the thread of the narrative has been preserved entire by what remained. The first portion of the Journal is from the observations of John Lander—those of Richard, between their departure from England and Rabba, having been lost. The remainder of it, to the conclusion, is from the journal of Richard Lander, assisted by that of his brother, part of the journal of the latter, between Rabba and Kirree, being also lost. And there is little doubt, that the parts which have thus perished would have added materially to the value of the whole. In preparing the journals for publication, for the sake of clearness, as well as in pursuance of custom, Richard Lander, the elder brother, being charged with the expedition, has been considered as the principal, and the journal of John Lander, while they were separate from each other, is preserved in his own name. This plan having been determined on, after about half of the first volume had been printed, a few alterations became necessary, and these have been made without departing from the sense intended to be conveyed.

In conclusion, a word or two may be said respecting the map which has been constructed from the journals. The accomplished surveyor will look in vain along the list of the articles, with which the travellers were supplied, for the instruments of his calling; and the man of science, to form his opinion of it, need only be told, that a common compass was all they possessed to benefit geography, beyond the observation of their senses. Even this trifling though important assistance was lost at Kirree, below which place the sun became their only guide. Too much faith must not therefore be reposed in the various serpentine courses of the river on the map, as it is neither warranted by the resources, nor the ability of the travellers. The map, in its most favourable point of view, can be considered only as a sketch of the river authenticated by personal observation, which will serve to assist future travellers, from whose superior attainments something nearer approaching to geographical precision may be expected. Even under these circumstances, the present travellers will always derive ample satisfaction in reflecting that they have served as pioneers of African discovery.

A. B. B.

* * * * *

_A. B. Becher, del._

_J. & C. Walker, Sculpt._

_Published by John Murray, Albemarle Street, London, Sepr. 1831._]

JOURNAL.

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