120 TUCKEY. 



of slaves. They were described as sailing two months, 

 first south and then west, till they came to the great water, 

 where they met pale people with large boats, and guns 

 which made a noise like thunder. This relation was ea- 

 gerly embraced as favouring the supposition of the Niger 

 being the same river with the Congo or Zaire ; and it may 

 even be adduced to support the hypothesis which now iden- 

 tifies it with the river of Benin. The south-east and 

 southerly course assigned to the Niger, as well as the as- 

 sertion that it flowed among rocks and formed cataracts, 

 having been since found to be correct, though contrary to 

 the ideas then prevalent in Europe, are facts which afford 

 reasonable ground to believe that this journey was not al- 

 together a romance. It is not easy, however, to conjecture 

 what was the city described by Sidi Hamet under the name 

 of Wassanah. 



CHAPTER XI. 



Government Expeditions — Tuckey, Campbell, Laing, Grayi 

 Ritchie, and Lyon. 



The fate of Park, notwithstanding the deep regret which 

 it had excited in England and in Europe, presented nothing 

 which could destroy the hope of future success. The 

 chief cause of failure could be easily traced to the precipi- 

 tation into which he had been betrayed by a too ardent en- 

 thusiasm. Nothing had even been discovered adverse to 

 the hypothesis which identifies the Niger with the Congo, 

 and which still retained a strong hold on the public mind. 

 The views of government and of the nation on tliis subject 

 were entirely in unison. It was therefore determined that 

 an expedition on a great scale should be fitted out, divided 

 into two portions — one to descend the Niger, and the other 

 to ascend the Congo ; which two parties, it was fondly 

 hoped, would effect a triumphant meeting in the middle of 

 the great stream that they were sent to explore. The pub- 

 lic loudly applauded this resolution ; and never, perhaps. 



