42 



ANNUAL REGISTER, ]8l6. 



every exertion and skill that could 

 be tised were applied in vain 

 to reanimate them — the \ital 

 spark had fled, to the jioignant 

 and inconsolable grief of their 

 parents^ i-elativ^s, and friends. 

 Captain Harvey was 23 years of 

 age. Had he even left one of 

 the children to perish, he might 

 have saved himself and the other. 



19. A dreadful and destructive 

 fire took place at Beverlee, in the 

 parish of (Jreasley, near Nolting- 

 ham. It was occasioned iiy the 

 very dangerous practice of firing 

 a chimney, in order to clear it of 

 .soot. By this act of imprudence 

 no less than 14 houses, besides 

 several barns, corn stacks, &c. 

 were set on fire and consumed. 

 The wind blowing strorvg at the 

 time, every exertion to stop the 

 progress of the flames proved in- 

 effectual. 



■20. Expeditiuns to explore Afri- 

 ca. — The expedition under Cap- 

 tain Tuckcy's directions, in the 

 Congo sloop, accompanied by the 

 Dorothy transport, for exjdoring 

 the source of the river Zaire, or, as 

 it is commonly termed, the Congo, 

 has sailed on that important dis- 

 covery. The steam-engine which 

 had been fitted on board the 

 Congo has been removed, toge- 

 ther with the whole of its vast 

 machinery, as its use was found 

 impracticable, and it prevented 

 the sailing of the vessel with the 

 celerity that was requisite. 



While this expedition is pro- 

 ceeding, another is to be effected 

 across the continent of Africa, to 

 the point where Mungo Park ter- 

 minated his laborious career, and 

 thence on the Niger, in the ex- 

 pectation of meeting with Cap- 

 tain Tuckey, and, in that events 



establishing the hypothesis which 

 has long been indulged, that the 

 Zaire or Congo, and the Niger, 

 are one and the same river. The 

 source of tiie former, as also the 

 termination of the latter, have 

 hitherto caused a large chasm in 

 the internal geography of Africa ; 

 and imtil now no measures so 

 extended, or similar with I'egard 

 to the employment of vessels, 

 have been attempted. 



The terrestrial mission is placed 

 under the direction of Major John 

 Peddle, assisted by Captain Tho- 

 mas Campl)ell, and the number 

 of persons to be attached are not 

 fewer than those under Park, 

 whose line of march is to be ad- 

 hered to. The following import- 

 ant document, of which some 

 nundDers have been printed in 

 the English and Arabic languages, 

 will be distributed for the purpose 

 of the natives rendering such ser- 

 vice as the travellers may stand 

 in need of ; and particularly in 

 the conveyance of dispatches from 

 them to any of our settlements 

 on the coast. The following is 

 represented as a true copy, to 

 which the setd of the African 

 Company is affixed : — 



" (L.S.) Free trade to Africa 

 by act of Parliament, 1750. 



" This is to make known, that 

 Major John Peddie, Captain Tho- 

 mas Campbell, and Surgeon Wil- 

 liam Cowdry, have been employed 

 by the Biitish Government to 

 proceed from Senegal into the 

 interior of Africa, to trace the 

 source of the river Niger, and to 

 obtain such information respect- 

 ing the countries through which 

 they pass, as may be useful in 

 the extension and improvement 

 of commerce, which is the object 



of 



