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24 VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. 
tod M. Goiberry, they might progres- 
sively have established themselves in the 
country of Bambouk, and have pro- 
’ ceeded evento Tombouctou and Tocrrur. 
All their enterprizes in this river were 
carried on with secrecy and safety; they 
had also a much-neglected right of na- 
vigating those of Salum, of the Gambia, 
of Casamanca, of St. Domingo, of Rio 
Grande, of Nuno Tristo, of Sierra Le- 
ona, of Sherbro, and of Cestos; their 
connection with the Moors of Zaara; 
their ascendancy over many great king- 
doms of Western Africa; and lastly, 
continues Golberry, “ our social qua- 
lities, which inspire these African na- 
tions with a natural affection for us; do 
not all these form an immense resource 
of means by which to penetrate into the 
very heart of Africa? and yet France 
remained indifferent to all these exalted 
and noble enterprizes, of which every 
thing promised success.” 
In the year 1785 M. Boufllers was ap- 
pointed governor of Senegal, and M. 
Golberry accompanied him as his first 
aid-du-camp, instructed at the same time 
to perform the functions of chief en- 
gineér of the whole of this government, 
and appoimted to reconnoitre that part 
of it which was formed by the western 
and maritime countries. 
The instructions which ‘M. Golberry 
received were of so comprehensive a na- 
ture, that he had occasion to reside in 
many of the principal countries of that 
part of western Africa, contained , be- 
tween Capé Blanco and Cape Palmas: 
he tells us that he had seen and con- 
versed with twenty different black na- 
tions; that he has made ** numberless 
observations; and collected from the 
English of the Gambia and Sierra 
Leone, and from various other quarters, 
abody of documents and memoirs, form- 
ing the materials of a very minute work, 
which, since his return to France, has 
unceasingly employed his attention. The 
“vast number of plans, maps, designs, 
&c. which were to have accompanied 
this minute performance, retarded the 
execution of it so long, that the author 
suffered his information to be anticipated 
by an English traveller. “ It was not, 
therefore, without great regret that I 
beheld the voyages and discoveries of 
Mungo Park published in 1799, and 
which yet awarded to the English the 
~nerit of having made the first success- 
ful advances in this path, which I had 
considered as peculiarly belonging té 
us2” - 
In consequence of this grievous dis- 
appointment, the present is merely a 
collection of fragments and extracts 
from that large work which has cost so 
much labour and expence! M, Golberry 
surely nwust be endued with a diffidences © 
which is by no means characteristic of 
his countrymen, ‘to’ have’ suppressed the 
publication of a book of travels through 
the interior of Africa, because one so- 
litary individual had explored those re- 
gions, and communicated to the public 
the narrative of his journey. An in- 
stance, this, of very singular diffidence} 
To give any thing like a regular-ac- 
count of the contents of these volumes 
would be scarcely possible: they abound 
rather with particular than general in- 
formation, which will be considered as 
of more value in France than in Eng- 
land. The merits of Golberry are so 
fairly estimated by his translator in a 
single paragraph of his preface, that 
we are induced to transcribe it. ‘ His 
details on the commerce, connections, 
establishments, &c. which relate to 
Africa, are often highly important; and 
he appears to have been indefatigable in 
procuring such authentic information’as 
might be of use to the commercial ins 
terests' of his own country, and indeed 
Europe in general. But his antiquarian 
disquisitions are not perhaps so valua; 
ble; and in his conjectures relative to 
the origin of many of the African na- 
tions, he indulges toomuch in hy pothesis, 
seldom referring to known facts, but 
endeavouring to build a Utopian foun- 
dation by the aid of conjecture.” 
“ Indeed when every merit is allowed 
the work, which accuracy, and’ infor- 
mation, and labour, and research, can 
justly entitle it to, it may still be said, 
that he mars its general excellence by 
the introduction of false and idle theo- 
ries. Nor can I conceal another very, 
prominent defect, which is, a disgusting, 
and tedious repetition of similar facts. © 
Thus we-are twice told in one page that 
Cape Verd derives its name from the 
boababs that grow on its summit; twice 
we are told that the palm-date produces 
clusters which are called diet; thrice 
and more we are told that the Moors 
nourish themselves principally with gum; 
and many other such instances of use 
less tautology.” 
In twenty different places we see M. 
‘ 
