Biographical Memoir of' the late Chri^iian Smith, ^15 



bis own wish, had not made it his duty, to hasten the arrival of 

 the expedition in the Congo. The Uttle, however, which Smith 

 saw, in a single day, on the mountains of the island, forms a 

 considerable addition to our knowledge. In July the ships 

 reached the mouth of the Congo. Captain Tuckey sailed up 

 the river as far as was practicable, but even their progress in 

 boats was soon arrested by rapids ; whereupon he determined 

 to advance along the river by land, with a company of forty 

 men. The excellence of the climate facilitated the undertaking, 

 and the vegetation becoming always richer and more beautiful, 

 inflamed the zeal of the indefatigable botanist. " Every thing 

 is new," he wrote in his journal ; " one can only collect and be- 

 hold ;"" and, truly delighted with the river and the mountains, 

 he was quite confounded when the Captain declared it to be ne- 

 cessary to return. The hope of obtaining sufficient supplies 

 either from the negro inhabitants or from the chace, had en- 

 tirely failed ; the stores they had carried with them did not ad- 

 mit of their advancing farther : it was even too late to return ; 

 their provisions no longer sufficed to bring them to the ship's 

 anchorage. Want, anxiety, hunger, fatigue, produced at last 

 a fever, which spread rapidly and consumed their yet remain- 

 ing strength. Smith sought to maintain himself by liveliness of 

 spirits. Always cheerful, he inspired others also with courage, 

 and wished even to animate them by his example. But this he was 

 no longer able to do. Whenever he had made a few steps he 

 fell down, and at last could no longer raise himself. He was ob- 

 liged to be carried, and even in this condition he constantly en- 

 couraged his remaining companions, always cherishing the best 

 hopes for them all. In this manner he and Captain Tuckey, 

 with a few attendants, reached, on the 17th September, the 

 place where the Congo lay at anchor. On the 18th both were 

 put on board the transport Dorothea, which afforded them 

 greater convenience. Captain Tuckey died soon after. Smith 

 was very much depressed, and very weak. On the 21st, the 

 gardener Loekhart (from the garden at Kew) came to him, and 

 heard him speak much and long in Norwegian, which he did not 

 understand. This was considered to arise from the heat of the 

 fever, and medicines were offered to him. To which he made 

 answer, very distinctly, in the last words he was heard to ut- 



