If,
However, He Had At Any Time Formed The Resolution Of Spending The
Remainder Of His Days At Home, His Mind Soon Changed; For Soon After, We
Find Him Endeavouring, Through Various Channels, To Get His Services
Accepted, Either By The Association, Or By Government.
He had frequent
communications with his steady friend, Sir Joseph Banks, upon this
subject; and no opportunity of qualifying himself still farther for such
an expedition was left unimproved.
For two years he seemed not to have
fixed upon any determinate course of life; sometimes considering the
propriety of renting a form, and occasionally looking out for openings in
the medical profession. In the meantime, the profits derived from his
Travels secured him from want, and prevented him from proving burdensome
to his family. Unknown to them, he seems to have been employing every
means to get the master passion of his soul gratified; and he fondly
trusted that it would be shortly in his power to add to the discoveries
he had already made. He rejected a proposal made to him by Mr. Edwards,
to superintend his property in the West Indies, evidently cherishing the
hope of being again sent out by the African Association. About this time,
the capture of Goree seemed to open a communication with Central Africa,
and Park thought it a good opportunity for revisiting that country. He
wrote a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, expressing a confident hope of
success, provided the countenance of Government were obtained. His
proposal was not at that time accepted; and in a letter to Sir Joseph,
dated 31st July 1800, he thus writes, - "If such are the views of
Government, I hope that my exertions, in some station or other, may be of
use to my country.
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