PKEFACE. 



In 1862-3 I made a tour in Western Africa, and 

 afterwards desired to revisit that strange country with 

 the view of opening up new ground, and of studying 

 religion and morality among the natives. I was, how- 

 ever, unable to bear a second time the great expenses 

 of African travelling, and had almost given up the 

 hope of becoming an explorer, when I was introduced 

 by Mr Bates, the well-known Amazon traveller, and 

 Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society, to one of 

 its Associates, Mr Andrew Swanzy, who [had long 

 desired to do something in the cause of African Dis- 

 covery. He placed unlimited means at ray disposal, 

 and left me free to choose my own route. I travelled in 

 Africa two years ('68-'70), and made a journey which 

 is mentioned in the text. The narrative of my travels 

 will be published in due course ; I allude to them now 

 in order to show that I have had some personal experi- 

 ence of savages, and I wish also to take the first oppor- 

 tunity of thanking Mr Swanzy for his assistance, which 

 was given not only in the most generous but also in the 

 most graceful manner. With respect to the present 

 work, I commenced it intending to prove that Negro- 

 land or Inner Africa is not cut off from the. main- 

 stream of events as writers of philosophical history have 

 always maintained, but that it is connected by means 

 of Islam with the lands of the East, and also that it 



