186 EARL DE GREY'S ADDRESS. [May 28, 1860. 



is interrupted by a fall and dangerous rapids. Other falls are said 

 to exist 15 miles higher up the river. 



The most remarkable, and as to its results that which is likely to 

 prove ithe most important of the late explorations of coloured 

 travellers, is that from which Dr. Delany and his companion 

 Mr. Robert Campbell are just returned. They both proceeded from 

 the United States ; the former going direct to Africa, the latter 

 coming to England, where, through the generous kindness of our 

 members. Dr. Hodgkin, Henry Christy, and other gentlemen, he 

 was provided with his outfit and free passage to the coast of Africa. 



The travellers met at Lagos ; and, by a journey full of interesting 

 incident and productive of much valuable information, and giving 

 them frequent important and promising intercourse with the 

 natives and their chiefs, they reached the city of Alorie, situated 

 about 400 miles from the coast, and in the route from the coast to 

 the upper waters of the Niger ; a course which, while the difficulties 

 of navigating that river remain to be overcome, affords the most 

 promising outlet for the productions of this part of Africa. 



It should be stated that these travellers undertook their interesting 

 tour on behalf of an Association of coloured Americans, who are 

 anxious to find in the land of their forefathers a refuge from the 

 slavery which weighs them down in America ; and they hope, with 

 justifiable ambition, to become the means of elevating the natives 

 of Africa, while finding a fit scope for their own unrestrained 

 energies and talents. The travellers have well performed their 

 mission, and appear to have found an open door. They will 

 doubtless soon give to the public, as well as to those who delegated 

 them, the fruits of their researches. 



We have already learnt from them that they found large and 

 populous towns of industrious people. The cultivation of the 

 ground is so extensively carried on that in one district they rode 

 for seven hours through a continued succession of corn-fields, 

 interrupted only by paths and a few bushes. Looms were extremely 

 numerous, and considerable variety of manufacture was carried on. 

 The horses in use among the people were some of them remark- 

 ably good, resembling the Arab breed. It will be remembered 

 that our own able African traveller, E. Bowditch, when he visited 

 the Ashantees, found at Cromane a solitary horse which the people 

 had not learnt to use, and that he broke the animal for the king. 



Dr. Delany and Mr. Campbell experienced -great advantages in 

 their African descent and appearance, and were received as 



