108 Projected Expedition into Central Africa. 



of L. 3 each, and the " collections'" will be the property of the 

 Shareholders. 



It appears that two traders, named Hume and Muller, ad- 

 vanced to a point last year which they guessed to be near to or 

 within the Tropic. Dr Smith's intention, we understand, is to 

 penetrate if possible as far as the Equator. 



Since the discovery of the Mouth of the Niger, a shorter 

 route than any hitherto known has been opened to enterprising 

 explorers, into the dark interior of the African Continent. But 

 the route northward, from the frontiers of this Colony (Cape of 

 Good Hope), is in many respects preferable. Here the traveller 

 starts from a healthy climate, which accompanies him unchanged 

 in this respect as far as discovery has yet reached. Should regions 

 of swamp and miasma require to be traversed before the destined 

 spot is attained, he knows that the restorative qualities of a 

 purer atmosphere will increase with every day's journey on his 

 return. He thus meets his greatest obstacle in full vigour, 

 and should he or his party begin to suffer, Hope supports and 

 soothes them with promises which can be quickly fulfilled. 



The route from the western coast, where so many travellers 

 have perished, is exactly the reverse of this. There they have 

 been at once plunged into the bosom of feverand dysentery, by 

 which they were weakened and reduced almost to despair before 

 the business of discovery could be begun. In Mr Park's last 

 Journey, on his arrival at the Niger, he found that, oi forty-four 

 persons whom he had brought with him from Pisania, there re- 

 mained only six soldiers and one carpenter, all in the most in- 

 firm state of health, and one of them deranged. And shortly 

 afterwards jive more of the party died, amongst whom was his 

 companion and friend Mr Anderson. 



By proceeding from our frontier, near a line drawn from 

 north to south through the centre of the Continent, the travel- 

 lers, besides avoiding the regions of pestilence, will fall in with 

 a less formidable class of native tribes than are to be found 

 near the coasts, and especially near the great rivers where the 

 slave-trade has for centuries converted the barbarian into a sa- 

 vage, and the savage into a demon. As faf as the missionaries 

 and traders have yet explored in this direction, the natives seem 

 to regard the stranger neither with fear nor hatred. Repeated 



