CHARACTERS. 
disease of this excellent | man, 
and rendered his last days very 
painful, but without altering his 
character, or interrupting his 
labours. He died on the 17th 
December, 1813, in the 77th year 
of his age. 
CHARACTER OF MUNGO PARK ; 
From his Life prefixed to the Journal 
of his Mission to Africa in 1805. 
The leading parts of Mungo 
Park’s character must have been 
anticipated by the reader in the 
principal events and transactions 
of his life. Of his enterprising 
spirit, his indefatigable vigilance 
and activity, his calm fortitude and 
unshaken perseverance, he has left 
permanent memorials in the nar- 
rative of his former travels, and 
in the Journal and Correspond- 
ence now published. In these 
respects few travellers have equal- 
led, none certainly ever surpassed 
him. Nor were the qualities of 
his understanding less valuable or 
conspicuous. He was distinguish- 
ed by a correctness of judgment, 
seldom found united with an ar- 
dent and adventurous turn of 
mind, and generally deemed in- 
compatible with it. His talents 
certainly were not brilliant, but 
solid and useful, such as were pe- 
culiarly suited to a traveller and 
geographical discoverer. Hence, in 
his accounts of new and unknown 
countries, he is consistent and ra- 
tional; he is betrayed into no ex- 
aggeration, nor does he exhibit 
any traces of credulity or enthusi- 
asm. His attention was directed 
exclusively to facts; and» except 
in his opinion relative to the ter~ 
445 
mination of the Niger (which he 
supported by very plausible argu- 
ments) he rarely indulged in con- 
jecture, much less in hypothesis or 
speculation. 
Among the characteristic qua- 
lities of Park which were so ap- 
parent in his former travels, none 
certainly were more valuable or 
contributed more to his success, 
than his admirable prudence, calm- 
ness and temper; but it has been 
doubted whether these merits 
were equally conspicuous during 
his second expedition. The parts 
of his conduct which have given 
occasion to this remark are, his 
setting out from the Gambia 
almost at the eve of the rainy 
season, and his voyage down the 
Niger under circumstances so 
apparently desperate. On _ the 
motives by which he may have 
been influenced as to the former 
of these measures something has 
been said in the course of the fore- 
going narrative. With regard to 
his determination in the latter in- 
stance, justice must allow that his 
situation was one of extreme dif- 
ficulty, and admitted probably of 
no alternative. In both cases our 
knowledge of the facts is much too 
imperfect to enable us to forma 
correct opinion as to the propri- 
ety of his conduct, much less to 
justify us in condemning him un- 
heard, 
In all the relations of private 
life he appears to have been highly 
exemplary; and his conduct as a 
son, a husband, and a father, me- 
rited every praise. To the more 
gentle and amiable parts of his 
character the most certain of alj 
testimonies may be found in the 
warm attachment of his friends, 
and in the fond and affectionate re- 
collections 
