Part 40 (1/2)

On the 16th March they arrived at Rio Janeiro, and on the following day paid their respects to Admiral Baker, the commander in chief on the South American station, and made known to him their situation and anxiety to return to England. The admiral received them in that kind and hospitable manner, which is the peculiar characteristic of a British seaman. He invited them to his table with his officers, and ordered them a pa.s.sage in the William Harris, a government transport, which was to sail for England in a day or two.

Accordingly on the 20th they sailed for England, and on the 9th June arrived at Portsmouth, after a tedious voyage, and gladly landed with hearts full of grat.i.tude for all their deliverance.

One of the first steps which government adopted on the arrival of Richard Lander, was to issue an order to the authorities at Cape Coast Castle, to pay to King Boy the whole of his demand for the ransom of the Landers, and thereby re-establis.h.i.+ng that faith and good opinion with the natives of the country, touching the honour and integrity of the English character.

This journey by individuals who make no pretensions to science, has not afforded materials for the ill.u.s.tration of any of its branches, but previously to the loss of the instruments, the range of the thermometer is recorded. At Badagry, on the coast, where the heat was most oppressive, it was between 86 and 94, oftener stationary near the latter than the former point. At Jenna it fell suddenly one day from 94 to 78, and remained stationary for some hours. At a.s.sinara at noon, on the 23rd April it attained the height of 99. Near Katunga it fell upon one occasion to 71 in the shade, the air being then cooler than they had felt it since landing. At Kiama the extremes were 75 and 94, the mean 84. At Youri, the range was the same. On their voyage from Youri to Boussa, on the 2nd August, it varied from 75 to 92. At Boussa it varied from 76 to 93, but most commonly between 80 and 90. At Patas.h.i.+e, generally between 74 and 89, once 93. Lever 77 to 93. Bajiebo 70 to 95. On the pa.s.sage down the river below that place, on the 5th October, 78 to 94.

Belee 79 to 94. Such has been the issue of this important voyage, by which the grand problem that perplexed Europe during so many ages, and on which, for a period of nearly forty years, so many efforts and sacrifices had been expended in vain, was completely solved. British enterprise completed, as it had begun this great discovery. Park in his first journey reached the banks of the Niger, and saw it rolling its waters towards the interior of the continent. In the second he embarked at Bammakoo, and by sailing downwards to Boussa, proved its continuous progress for upwards of a thousand miles. The present voyage has exhibited it following a farther course, which with its windings must amount to about eight hundred miles, and finally emptying itself into the Atlantic. This celebrated stream is now divested of that mysterious character, which surrounded it with a species of supernatural interest. Rising in a chain of high mountains, flowing through extensive plains, receiving large tributaries, and terminating in the ocean, it exhibits exactly the ordinary phenomena of a great river. But by this discovery we see opened to our view a train of most important consequences. The Niger affords a channel of communication with the most fertile, most industrious, and most improved regions of interior Africa. Its navigation is very easy and safe, unless at intervals between Boussa and Youri, and between Patas.h.i.+e and Lever, and even there it becomes practicable during the _malca_ or flood, produced by the periodical rains. British vessels may, therefore, by this stream and its tributaries ascend to Rabba, Boussa, Youri, Soccatoo, Timbuctoo, Sego, and probably to other cities as great, but yet unknown. They may navigate the yet unexplored Tchadda, a river, which at its junction, is nearly as large as the Niger itself, and no doubt waters extensive and fertile regions. It was even stated to the Landers by different individuals, that by this medium, vessels might reach the Lake Tchadda, and thereby communicate with the kingdom of Bornou. But this statement appears erroneous, for though the Tchadda be evidently the same with the Shary, which runs by Adomowa and Durrora, yet flowing into the Niger, it must be a quite different stream from the Shary, which flows _into_ the Tchad, and in a country so mountainous, there is little likelihood of any connecting branches. The decided superiority of the interior of Africa to the coast, renders this event highly important. Steam, so peculiarly adapted to river navigation, affords an instrument by which the various obstacles may be overcome, and vessels may be enabled to penetrate into the very heart of the African continent.

On the return of the Landers, the question was mooted by the Geographical Society of London, whether the Quorra or _Niger_, as discovered by Lander, was the same river as the _Kigir_ of the ancients. Upon the whole subject it would have been sufficient to refer to D'Anville and Rennell, who favour the affirmative of the question, and on the opposite side to M. Wakkenaer, who of all later writers has examined it with the greatest diligence, had not recent discoveries furnished us with better grounds for forming a conclusive opinion, than even the latest of these authors possessed.

Maritime surveys have now completed a correct outline of Northern Africa. Major Laing, by ascertaining the source of the Quorra to be not more than sixteen hundred feet above the sea, proved that it could not flow to the Nile. Denham and Clapperton demonstrated that it did not discharge itself into the Lake of Bornou, and at length its real termination in a delta, at the head of the great gulf of the western coast of Africa, has rewarded the enlightened perseverance of the British government, and the courage and enterprise of its servants. The value to science of this discovery, and the great merit of those, whose successive exertions have prepared and completed it, is the more striking, when we consider that the hydrography of an unknown country is the most important step to a correct knowledge of its geography, and that in barbarous Africa, nothing short of the ocular inquiries of educated men, is sufficient to procure the requisite facts, and yet it is not a little extraordinary, that the termination of the Quorra or Niger has been discovered by two men, who, in point of scientific knowledge, education, or literary acquirements, stand the lowest in the scale of the African travellers. It is, however, curious to observe how even the best collectors of oral information in that country, have failed in arriving at the truth, as to the origin, cause, and termination of the rivers. Edrisi, Abulfida, Leo Africa.n.u.s,[Footnote] Delile, and Bruce, all come to the determination that the Quorra flowed from east to west. Burckhardt, whose oral inquiries on Bornou, have proved generally correct, concluded that the Shary flowed from N.E. to S.W., and Lyon, though particularly successful in his information on the countries not visited by him, was induced to confound the Shary of Bornou with the Tchadda or Yen, and like Sultan Bello, to carry the Quorra, after pa.s.sing Youri and Funda, into the Lake Tchadda, and thence into Egypt. The most intelligent natives are confused, when questioned on the subject of rivers, while the majority, unable to understand the object or utility of such enquiries, can neither inform the traveller whether two streams are different rivers or part of the same; where any river rises, or whither it flows, and appear often to believe that all the lakes and streams of Africa, are parts of one and the same water. It is not surprising, therefore, that ancients as well as moderns have obtained the knowledge of a large river flowing to the east, should have supposed that it was a branch of the Nile of Egypt, or that when the existence of a great lake, in the direction of the known portion of its stream, became known, the opinion should have followed, that the river terminated in that lake, or that it was discharged through the lake into the Nile. Such, consequently have been the prevalent notions in all ages, even amongst the most intelligent foreigners, as well as the higher cla.s.s of natives, from Herodotus, Etearchus, and Juba, to Ibn, Batuta, and Bello of Soccatoo.

[Footnote: It is supposed by W. Martin Leake, Esq. Vice President of the Geographical Society, that Leo Africa.n.u.s actually reached Timbuctoo. The narrative of Adams places the matter at rest, that Leo never did reach that famous city. Mr. Leake says, that Leo was very young at the time, and, therefore that his memory probably failed him, when he came to describe the city, which was many years after his return.]

Considering these circ.u.mstances, it will hardly be contended that the late discovery of the Landers, has made any alteration in the nature of the question, as to the ident.i.ty of the Quorra and Nigir; the sudden bend of the river to the southward, through a country, which has been equally unknown to the ancients and moderns, having always left the best informed of them in ignorance of any part of the river, except that of which the course was northerly or easterly. If then, there be sufficient reason for the belief, that these latter portions were known to the, ancients, we have only to suppose them to have had some such imperfect knowledge of the interior of North Africa, as we ourselves had attained previously to the expedition of Denham and Clapperton, to justify the application of the name Nigir to the whole course of the river. Although we find Ptolemy to be misinformed on several points concerning central Africa, yet there still remains enough in his Data, on Interior Libya and Northern Ethiopia, to show a real geographical approximation, very distant indeed from the accuracy at which science is always aiming, but quite sufficient to resolve the question as to the ident.i.ty of the Nigir, in which an approximation is all that can be expected or required. Having been totally ignorant of the countries through which that river flows in a southerly direction, Ptolemy naturally mistook it for a river of the interior; he knew the middle Ethiopia to be a country watered by lakes, formed by streams rising in mountains to the southward; he was superior to the vulgar error of supposing that all the waters to the westward of the Nile flowed into that river, and he knew consequently that the rivers and lakes in the middle region, had no communication with the sea. It is but lately that we ourselves have arrived at a certainty on this important fact. We now know enough of the level of the Lake Tchad, to be a.s.sured that no water from that recipient can possibly reach the Nile. This wonderful river, of which the lowest branch is 1200 geographical miles from the Mediterranean, (measuring the distance along its course, in broken lines of 100 G.M. direct,) has no tributary from the westward below the Bahr Adda of Browne, which is more than 1600 miles from the sea, similarly measured. It is scarcely possible, therefore, that the latter point can be less, taking the cataracts into consideration than 1500 feet above the sea, whereas the following considerations lead to the belief that the Tchadda is not more than 500 feet in height.

We learn from the information of Clapperton, confirmed and amplified by that of Lander, that there exists a ridge, which about Kano and Kashna, extends forth the Yeu to the Lake Tchadda on one side, and on the other the river of Soccatoo, which joins the Quorra at a distance from the sea of about 500 miles, measured in the manner above mentioned. A similar process of measurement gives a length of 1700 miles to the whole course of the Quorra, the sources of which, according to Major Laing, are about 1600 feet above the sea; the stream, therefore, has an average fall of something less than a foot in a mile in lines of 100 geographical miles. This would give to the confluence of the river of Soccatoo with the Quorra, a height of less than 500 feet above the sea, but as that confluence occurs above the most rapid part of the main stream, 500 feet seem to be very nearly the height.

As a knowledge of the origin and course of rivers, conducts in every country to that of the relative alt.i.tude and directions of its highlands, the late discoveries on the waters of Africa have thrown great light on its orography. The sources of the largest, or rather longest of its rivers, namely, the white or true Nile, now appears to be in a point nearly equidistant from the Indian and Atlantic Oceans in one direction, and from the Mediterranean and the Cape of Good Hope on the other. These central summits, it is fair to suppose, are at least as high as the snowy peak Samen, in Abyssinia, which is the culminating point towards the sources of the minor branch or Blue Nile, and that they are covered, therefore, with perpetual snow. From hence flow the White Nile, the Djyr, the Bahr Culla, the Congo, and several rivers of the coast of Zanguebar.

As a part of these great African Alps was described to Denham as lying beyond the mountain of Mendefy, the latter would seem to be an advanced northerly summit of them. The range is probably united to the eastward with the mountains of Abyssinia, and to the westward, terminates abruptly in some lofty peaks on the eastern side of the delta of the Quorra, but not till after it has sent forth a lower prolongation, which crosses the course of the Quorra nearly at right angles, and terminates at the end of 1500 miles, at the sources of the Quorra, Gambia, and Senegal. A minor counterfort advances from the central range to the northwestward, commencing about the Peak of Mendefy, and vanis.h.i.+ng at the end of about 900 miles in the desert of the Tuaricks. It gives rise to the two Sharys, which flow in opposite directions to the Quorra and the Lake Tchadda, and further north to the streams which flow to the same two recipients from about Kano and Kashna.

Though the knowledge of interior Africa now possessed by the civilized world, is the progressive acquisition of many enterprising men, to all of whom we are profoundly indebted, it cannot be denied that the last great discovery has done more than any other to place the great outline of African geography on a basis of certainty. When to this is added the consideration that it opens a maritime communication into the centre of the continent, it may be described as the greatest geographical discovery that has been made since that of New Holland. Thrice during the last thirty years, it has been on the eve of accomplishment; first when Horneman had arrived from Fezzan and Nyffle, secondly when Park had navigated the Quorra as far as Boussa, and lastly when Tuckey, supplied with all possible means For prosecuting researches by water, was unfortunately expedited to The Congo, instead of being sent to explore the mouths of the Niger.

CHAPTER XLIII.

A maritime communication with the interior of Africa having been now opened, by the discovery of the termination of the Niger in the Bight of Benin, it was considered, that some great commercial advantages might be derived by fitting out an expedition on a large scale, and as Lander on his return home had reported, that the Niger was navigable for vessels of a light burden for a considerable distance into the country, it was resolved to fit out two steam vessels, well armed and amply supplied with all stores both in a commercial point of view, and for attack and defence when arriving amongst the natives in the interior. It was an enterprise every way worthy of the British character, and one likely to be productive of future consequences, the importance of which it would be difficult to overrate either in a commercial or in a moral and political point of view. Sir John Tobin of Liverpool was one of its great promoters, and the immediate object of the expedition was to ascend the Niger, to establish a trade with the natives, and to enlarge our geographical knowledge of the country. When we look at the dense population of Africa described in the preceding parts of this work, it is obvious that in them might be found an extensive market for the manufactured goods and wares of England; for the cottons of Manchester, Glasgow, &c., and for many other products of our skill and industry. In return for these, the rich commodities of gold, ivory, hippopotami teeth, and the more common articles of wood, peltry, gums, &c. &c. may be imported, and if encouragement be given, indigo and other valuable things would be largely cultivated to barter with Europe. And still n.o.bler aims were before us, the ending of the traffic in human beings, and the gradual illumination and civilization of Africa.

Although in unison with the enlightened spirit of the times, this expedition may be considered as simply a mercantile speculation, yet at the same time it purposed to combine objects of greater and more general interest. The sum of 300 was presented by Sir John Tobin, and other individuals concerned in the expedition. Government had nothing to do with the outfit of the expedition, but it was to be accompanied by Lieutenant William Allen, of the royal navy, but without rank or command, as a pa.s.senger, with instructions to make surveys and observations, for which his scientific attainments well qualified him.

Richard Lander was appointed to the command of the expedition, leaving his brother John as his _loc.u.m tenens_ in the Customhouse of Liverpool until his return.

The expedition, considering the object which it had in view was of a formidable kind, two steam vessels were equipped for the purpose, the larger was computed to be 145 tons burden, and propelled by a fifty horse engine. Her sides were pierced and mounted with ten six pounders. Forward, a very formidable display was made by a twenty-four pound swivel gun, whilst a long swivel eighteen pound carronade astern seemed to threaten destruction to every foe. In addition to these precautions against the Spanish pirates who infest the coast, and of which Lander was himself an eye witness in the capture of the brig Thomas, and also against such of the native tribes, who might prove hostile to the expedition, she was completely surrounded by a _chevaux de frise_, and amply provided with small arms and boarding pikes for forty persons, of which number the crew were to consist. This steamer was named after the river she was intended to ascend, namely the Quorra, which is the Arabic for ”s.h.i.+ning river.” Her draft of water was easy, and in her ascent would not be more than two feet six inches, which was very small, considering that no sacrifice had been made of those operations, which const.i.tute the _beau ideal_ of a steamer, which the Quorra certainly was. The construction of the paddles was such, that should favourable winds occur, they could be removed in such a manner, that she could use sails instead of steam, and receive no impediment to her progress by their immersion in the water. She was schooner rigged and rather lofty. The Quorra was intended to ascend the princ.i.p.al stream, and the lesser vessel, which was built entirely of wrought iron, and of a draught of only 18 inches, was intended to explore all the tributary streams, and to visit Timbuctoo, Warree, Soccatoo, &c.

&c. This latter vessel was only 55 tons burden, and called the Alburkha, which is the Arabic for ”blessing.” The brig Columbine, which was to accompany them as far as the river Nun, was princ.i.p.ally laden with fuel and other articles for the use of the two steamers.

She was not to ascend the river, but to anchor in a convenient place as a kind of store-house for the steamers. It was expected that a sufficiency of wood would be found on the banks of the river to generate steam, when the supply of coal was exhausted, or not easily to be procured. The whole squadron was under the command of Captain Harris of the royal navy, whose experience on the coast during a period of six years ent.i.tled him to the confidence of the promoters of the expedition. Macgregor Laud, esquire, of Liverpool, as supercargo, and Mr. Briggs, of Liverpool, surgeon, accompanied the expedition. To the latter gentlemen was confided the botanical department, and also that of natural history, being fully competent to investigate the very important branches connected with those sciences, either for philosophical or commercial results.

The Columbine brig was 170 tons, commanded by Captain Miller, being laden with coals for the steamers, and a variety of articles for presents, trade, or barter, and a few pa.s.sengers. The Alburkha steamer was commanded by Captain Hill, and was admitted to be a model of a vessel, although with the exception of the decks, being entirely built of iron. She had a crew of fourteen men.

Lander carried with him a number of copies of an address, prepared by Mr. Salame, and intended to explain the objects of their visit to the native chiefs and kings. They were printed on all kinds of coloured paper and being adorned with pictures of the two steam boats, were likely enough to be regarded not merely as amba.s.sadorial letters, but as beautiful specimens of the fine arts by the sovereigns to whom they were to be presented.

By the ample provision that was made, it would almost seem that every difficulty was antic.i.p.ated, and certainly no individual was better fitted than Lander to direct the outfit of the expedition, he having been twice in the country, and had acquired a perfect knowledge of the articles most in request by the natives, and particularly those kinds which would be the most acceptable to the native chiefs. Every thing that could be procured for the success, safety, comfort, and happiness of the adventurous travellers was supplied in the most bountiful manner, nor should it be omitted to state that an abundance of trinkets, &c. &c. was s.h.i.+pped for the purpose of conciliating the good will of the natives. No correct estimate could be formed of the length of the absence of the expedition, it might, however, be naturally inferred that it would not be great, as the steamers would present a facility hitherto unknown in exploring the African rivers, and that the progress thus obtained would in no way be impeded by the caprice of any of the African chiefs in obtaining leave to proceed, or paying a compulsory tribute &c. for such a favour. A glance at the Quorra would almost convince any one that her implements of destruction were such as to defy the whole condensed bow and arrow force of Africa, and it was generally hoped, as the expedition was of a trading description, conducted at the entire expense of a body of Liverpool merchants, that the speculations would be attended with profitable results, and finally with great advantages to open a trade between this country and the whole of Western Africa.

The expedition sailed from Liverpool in the month of July, 1822, and put into Milford, there to wait for orders, and also for Richard Lander who was expected to join them over land. They were also to obtain at Milford clean bills of health. On Tuesday the 19th June the Columbine brig and the Alburkha were towed out to sea by the Quorra, which vessel returned to Milford to wait the arrival of Lander, and then to sail immediately for Porto Praga on the African coast, the place of rendezvous.

From the unfortunate issue of the expedition we are excluded from the general information, which would otherwise have been obtained, had Lander survived to communicate the result of his researches on his return to England. We know that he was bound in honour not to send public intelligence, except to the owners of the vessels employed, and therefore all the information that can be gleaned, is from his private letters to his friends and relatives, and that even would be necessarily confined to the news of his personal situation. The expedition was expected to enter the Niger in six or seven weeks, and to return to England in about nine months.

On Sunday the 7th October, the expedition reached Cape Coast Castle in seventy-two days after sailing from Milford Haven, after having touched at the isle De Los, Sierra Leone and other points for a supply of fuel for the two steamers. Some cases of fever had taken place, but as yet no death had occurred. At Cape Coast, the governor Maclean and the officers of the garrison treated their visitors with the utmost kindness and hospitality. Here Lander fortunately secured the services of his old tried servant Pascoe, as well as Jowdie, and two natives of the Eboe country, who were likely to be of great service to the expedition, one of them being the son of a chief, and both intelligent, with a slight knowledge of the English language.

The Alburkha, of which vessel some fears were entertained, was found to work admirably, exceeding the expectations of her commander and the other officers attached to the expedition. They sailed from Cape Coast Castle about the middle of October, for the river Nun, and proceeded direct from that river to the river Niger.

At the meeting of the geographical society of London in the month of June 1833, the following letter was read, addressed to R. W. Ray, esquire, from Richard Lander, dated----