JOHN LEDYARD. 319 



the fact that, upon further reflection, she felt an 

 unwillingness to permit the new possessions of Rus- 

 sia on the western coast of America to be subjected 

 to the scrutiny of an inquisitive American, who 

 would afterward report his observations in the 

 United States ; which country she detested as the 

 hotbed of jacobinism and red-republicanism. Thus 

 again were all Ledyard's hopes blasted, and the 

 infinite toils which he had endured in journeying 

 four thousand miles by land eastward, rendered 

 futile and useless. He made his way sadly from 

 Poland to England, still incommoded by poverty, 

 still harassed by disappointment, yet still hopeful 

 and intrepid as to the future. 



In London, Ledyard's best friend was Sir Joseph 

 Banks. This munificent person supplied his most 

 pressing necessities, and cheered him with encou- 

 raging representations of the possibility of other 

 plans and enterprises which would prove more 

 successful and more remunerative. At that time 

 the "African Association," located in the British 

 metropolis, entertained the project of sending out 

 some one to explore the interior countries of Africa, 

 and to ascertain the direction and the sources of the 

 river Niger. Sir Joseph Banks proposed to Led- 

 yard that he himself should embark in this enter- 

 prise. Nothing could have been more acceptable 



