The Exact
Place And Circumstances Of His Own Fate Are Not Known:
It is known,
however, from his own journal, which he transmitted to England, that he had
reached Sansandang, which
Is considerably short of Silla, which he had
reached in his first journey; and from other sources, it is known, that
from the former place he went to Yaour in Haoussa, where he is supposed to
have been killed by the natives.
The African Association were still indefatigable in their endeavours to
explore the interior of Africa; and they found little difficulty in meeting
with persons zealously disposed, as well as qualified, to second their
designs. Mr. Horneman, a German, who possessed considerable knowledge, such
as might be of service to him on such an enterprise, and who was besides
strong, active, vigorous, undaunted, endowed with passive courage, (a most
indispensable qualification,) temperate, and in perfect health, was next
selected. He prepared himself by learning such of the Oriental languages as
might be useful to him; and on the 10th of September, 1797, arrived at
Alexandria. Circumstances prevented him from pursuing his route for nearly
two years, when he left Cairo, along with a caravan for Fezzan. His
subsequent fate is unknown; but there is reason to believe that he died
soon after his departure from Fezzan.
It is not necessary to mention any of the subsequent expeditions which were
sent by the Association into the interior of Africa; since none of them
have added to our knowledge of this portion of the globe. There have,
indeed, been communications received from some of the merchants trading
from the north of Africa to the Niger, which confirm the accounts of large
and powerful kingdoms on its banks, and the inhabitants of these kingdoms
are comparatively far advanced in manufactures and commerce; but, besides
these particulars, little respecting the geography of the interior has been
ascertained. The course of the Niger is proved beyond a doubt to be, as
Herodotus described it, upwards of 2000 years ago, from west to east; but
the termination of this large river is utterly unknown. Some think it
unites with the Nile, and forms the great western branch of that river,
called the Bahr el Abiad, or White River; others think that it loses itself
in the lakes or swamps of Wangara, or Ghana, and is there wasted by
evaporation; while another opinion is, that its course takes a bend to the
west, and that it falls into the Atlantic, or that it discharges itself
into the Indian Ocean.
The British government, anxious to determine, if possible, this curious and
important question, sent out two expeditions, about seven years since, to
explore in every possible way the course and termination of the Niger. The
first, under the conduct of Captain Tuckey, proceeded up the Zaire; the
other ascended the Nunez in north Africa, in order, if possible, to reach
the navigable part of the Niger by a shorter course than that followed by
Park, and with the design of proceeding down the river till it reached its
termination.
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