1830.] 



Domestic and Fv reign. 



403 



and leaving Lander witli the baggage, pro- 

 ceeded forward to Soccotoo, distant about 

 two hundred and fifty miles. The Sultan 

 received Clapperton with civility, but 

 quickly, without communicating his inten- 

 tions, despatched messengers to Kano, to 

 bring Lander, with all the baggage, to Soc- 

 catoo. At war with the Shiek of Bournou, 

 and jealous of any intercourse between him 

 and Clapperton, he resolved to intercept 

 whatever was destined for him ; and, in 

 spite of Clapperton's remonstrance, insisted 

 upon the letter, with which Clapperton was 

 furnished by the government, for the Sheik. 

 The commotions of the country forbade for 

 a time any further prosecution of the pur- 

 poses of the mission, and before the oppor- 

 tunity of proceeding occurred, Clapperton 

 fell another sacrifice to the climate ; and 

 Lander, left by himself in a remote country, 

 had no alternative but to make his way 

 home, as well as he could. The Sultan 

 stripped him, before he suffered him to de- 

 part, of every thing of value, and gave an 

 order for a sum of cowries to be paid him 

 at Kano but the bill was, if not protested, 

 treated with little respect. Partaking largely 

 of his master's enthusiasm, Lander made 

 an attempt to return by the way of Fundah, 

 a place on the Niger, with the view of fol- 

 lowing the stream to Benin as if no fur- 

 ther doubt hung over the course of the river. 

 He was, however, driven from his purpose 

 by the jealousies of the chiefs on his march, 

 and obliged to return by the old track, but 

 was everywhere well received, and his jour- 

 ney to the coast was accomplished without 

 danger or alarm. He arrived there three 

 days after the death of Parke's son, who was 

 setting out to ascertain the place of his fa- 

 ther's death, but perished for want of com- 

 mon prudence and acquaintance with the 

 climate. In his progress to Soccatoo, Clap- 

 perton had visited the spot where Parke was 

 reported to have been killed, but no journal 

 or papers could be heard of they had either 

 been destroyed or conveyed no one knew 

 whither. The inhabitants of Boussa were 

 exceedingly reserved, Lander says, on the 

 subject, and uniformly gave equivocating 

 or evasive answers to our inquiries as to the 

 manner in which it had occurred. They 

 seemed indeed overwhelmed with shame, at 

 the part they or their fathers had taken in 

 the dreadful tragedy, and did all in their 

 power to shift the blame from the shoulders 

 of themselves and their countrymen. 



Lander's account of the Falatahs is of 

 some interest, with that of their founder, 

 Danfodio and his son Bello, the present 

 sultan : but the details will not come within 

 our limits, and will not bear compression. 

 The volume, on the wflble, is amusing 

 enough, and adds, besides, considerably to 

 our knowledge of Central Africa. He has 

 made the most of his personal adventures. 

 Zam, the fat lady of Wou-Wou, in despair 

 at last of persuading Lander to accept at 

 once of her hand, and the means of depos- 



ing the king, and reixyning in his stead, 

 begged him on his return to assure his 

 countrymen that any white man would be 

 acceptable, and she would transfer to him 

 her affections, her spacious person, and her 

 regal views. At Katunga he found himself 

 unable to refuse the offer of four princesses, 

 and the command in chief of the army, and 

 the office of prime minister ; but declined 

 taking possession till he had been home. At 

 Badagry, the hostility of some Portuguese 

 exposed him to the necessity of swallowing 

 Fetish water, and he escaped the conse- 

 quences of this perilous ordeal, only by 

 hastening to his hut, and contriving to throw 

 it up again. 



Lander is already on his way back to 

 Africa. The government have commissioned 

 him and his brother the scribe to attempt 

 to reach Fundah, and trace the river from 

 thence to Benin. 



Darnley, by the Author of Richelieu, 

 3 vote., l'2mo Once read, as novels are, 

 and thought of no more, how is it that men 

 of talents spend their efforts upon anything 

 so ephemeral ? Because the employment is 

 profitable a successful novel pays better 

 than any production that can be executed in 

 the same time by the most facile operator. 

 But this will not last ; the same fate awaits 

 it, as has overtaken many other modern ma- 

 nufactures too many labourers crowd to 

 the loom, and, large as is the demand, the 

 supply is rapidly exceeding it. Goods of 

 the same quality will not, we know, obtain, 

 the same prices this season as the last. This 

 depreciation will go on speculators, vide- 

 licet publishers, will venture less and less ; 

 the cheapest hands will be retained ; the 

 best, who stick out for old prices, will turn 

 their labour into other channels, and then 

 we shall be deluged with flimsy cottons 

 content with show instead of substance. 



Such a novel as " Darnley" a few years 

 ago, would have filled London with won- 

 derment; now it is only what every one 

 looks for it is but one of a score, equally 

 good, in a season. Though, as a tale, no- 

 thing very remarkable, it is interwoven with 

 historical personages, and tells well as the 

 story of private and unrecorded events, 

 mingling with characters within the know- 

 ledge of all of us. The author has made 

 himself familiar with the principles and 

 habits of the time, and mixes up his tale 

 cleverly and naturally with known facts and 

 circumstances. Darnley is the only son of 

 a nobleman, who, falling under the royal 

 displeasure, had been stripped of his title 

 and estates, and the son was compelled to 

 seek for honours and renown in foreign 

 countries. He wins his spurs in the con. 

 flicts of Flanders and France. Of course, 

 amidst his successes, the thought of En- 

 gland, and the hope of recovering his here- 

 ditary distinctions fill his bosom, and 

 prompt all his exertions. He returns in- 

 coynilo resolved to conciliate Henry's fa- 



