310 Park the Traveller. 
given by Amadi Fatouma, who was dispatched in quest of Mr. 
Park from the Gambia, some years since, but is.at variance with. 
the circumstances attending it. Mr. Bowditch, who conducted. 
a successful mission from Cape Coast Castle tu the King of the 
Ashantees, obtained; while at Coomassie, the summer before last, 
the following account during one of his visits to Baba, the Chief 
of the Moors. A Moor, who had just come from Timbuc- 
too, was sent for the purpose of seeing Mr. Bowditch : he did 
not express the surprise that was anticipated on seeing a white 
man, and accounted for it from having before seen three white 
men at Boussa. This naturally created a desire of being informed. 
of the particulars, and Baba interpreted to Mr. Bowditch the fol- 
lowing relation which the Moor gave :—‘* That some years ago, 
a vessel with masts suddenly appeared on the Quolla, or Niger, 
near Boussa, with three white men, and some bdack. The na- 
tives, encouraged by.these strange men, took off provisions for 
sale, were well paid, and received presents besides: it seems the 
vessels had anchored. The next day, perceiving the vessel going 
on, the natives hurried after her (the Moor protesting, from their 
anxiety to save her from sunken rocks with which the Quolla 
abounds); but the white men mistaking, and thinking they pur- 
sued for a bad purpose, deterred them. The vessel soon after 
struck ; the men jumped into the water and tried to swim, but 
could not for the current, and were drowned. He thought some 
of their clothes were now at Wanwaw, but he did not believe 
there were any books or papers.’ This story was afterwards re- 
peated to Mr. Bowditch by another Moor, but who was not, like 
the former, an eye-witness of the transaction. An Arabic manu- 
script was also obtained by this gentleman, which corroborates 
the fate of Mr. Park and his companion Lieutenant Martyn, and 
adds, that one of the bodies had been found and buried. There 
is,. however, reason to hope that some further information may 
be obtained. Mr. Hutchison, who was left as Resident Agent at 
Coomassie, learning from Baba, the person before mentioned, 
that a Moor was about to depart for Jenne, sent a letter to two 
Europeans who resided there, and who he supposed were some 
belonging to Park’s expedition, as. seven of the soldiers are yet 
unaccounted for, who were in good health when separated from 
their commander. There were also, it seems, two white men 
at. Timbuctoo, who have been there for several years. The Moors 
assured Mr. Hutchison that there was no doubt of the letter 
reaching its destination, and that gentleman accompanied it with 
two notices in English and Arabic, offering a reward for infor- 
mation. 
ANTI- 
