author's preface. 



lization is going to succeed to gross and ferocious 

 ignorance ; to describe the wreck of august mo- 

 numents scattered over a soil rendered proud by 

 their boldness and their enormous masses ; to de- 

 lineate some traces of the rich attire which ge- 

 nerous Nature has incessantly displayed before the 

 eyes of ungrateful men, who never ceased, in their 

 turn, to requite her kindness with outrage ; in a 

 word, to present a sketch of this portion of Africa 

 before it shall have changed its appearance. This 

 representation will enable the reader to follow 

 with avidity the progress of an unexpected regene- 

 ration, and the labours which our compatriots are 

 gone to deposit in the bosom of immortality. 



But for theseconsiderations, the work now sub- 

 mitted to the public had probably never seen the 

 light. The Author would have suffered the ma- 

 terials of it to sleep in his port-folio; but he 

 deemed himself under an obligation to render an 

 account to his country of the knowledge which he 

 had acquired, in the persuasion that, after having 

 served her with zeal, his duty was not completely 

 discharged, till he had consecrated to her, besides, 



the 



