Vi PREFACE. 



ferent in their nature. In the Northern Seas, they 

 suffered from that dreadful extremity of cold to which 

 high latitudes are exposed ; in Africa, from the scorch- 

 ing heat and pestilential vapours peculiar to a tropical 

 climate : there, they encountered the fury of oceans 

 and tempests ; here, the piivations and fatigues which 

 oppress the traveller in parched and boundless de- 

 serts. In the former they had less to endure from 

 that almost total absence of human lite which ren- 

 ders the Arctic zone so dreary, than they had to ex- 

 perience in the latter from the fierce, contemptuous, 

 and persecuting character of the people who occupy 

 the interior parts of the Libyan continent. In a 

 word, while exploring these remote regions, they 

 braved almost every species of danger, and passed 

 through every variety of suffering, by which the 

 strength and fortitude of man can be tried. 



The Narrative of these successive Travels and 

 Expeditions has been contributed by Mr. Hugh Mur- 

 ray. The Geological Illustrations have been fur- 

 nished by the justly celebrated Professor Jameson; 

 and for the interesting and very ample account of its 

 Natural History the reader is indebted to Mr. James 

 Wilson, author of "Illustrations of Zoology," and 

 the principal contributor in that branch of science to 

 the new edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. 



The present volume, having for its main object the 

 History of Discovery and Adventure, does not in- 

 clude the countries on the Mediterranean coast, which 

 from the earliest ages have been well known to the 

 nations of Europe. — Egypt, again, from its high an- 

 tiquity, its stupendous monuments, and the memora- 

 ble revolutions through wliich it has passed, pre* 

 sented matter at once too interesting and ample to 

 be comprehended within such narrow limits. The 

 history of that kingdom, therefore, has been reserved 

 for a separate volume, which will contain also an 

 account of Nubia and Abyssinia. 



Edinburgh, Wk November, 1830. 



