PARK. 



with regard to the eafterly courfe and magnitude of the 

 Niger, the large and populous towns and villages that 

 occupy the interior parts of Africa, the difcriminating 

 charafter of the negroes, contrafted againil that of the 

 Moors, and the civilization of the inhabitants of the interior, 

 beyond the influence of the Have -trade, compared with that 

 of thofe who are fituated near the coaft, and a variety of 

 other particulars relating to the foil and produftions of the 

 country, and the manners and habits of its inhabitants, has 

 been already given under the articles Africa, Morocco, 

 Niger, &c. fo that we need not here enlarge. The curi- 

 ofity of the public was amply gratified, and the name and 

 work of Mr. Park became Angularly popular, though neither 

 the one nor the other altogether efcaped cenfure. The flave- 

 trade was at this time a fubjeft of general reprobation, and 

 attempts were repeatedly renewed for the abolition of it. 

 It was, therefore, natural to imagine, that in a work of 

 this kind, the author would have availed himfelf of the oppor- 

 tunities which his narrative afforded him, of expreffing his 

 decided difapprobation of this nefarious fpecies of commerce : 

 more efpecially as it was well known to many of Mr. Park's 

 intimate and confidential friends, that in converfation he 

 had frequently declared his abhorrence of flavery and the 

 flave-trade. Nor was it fufficient to allege, as fome of his 

 advocates have done, that he confidered the abolition of the 

 flave-trade as a meafure of ftate policy ; and that it would 

 be improper for him to give an opinion on a fubjeft which 

 was at this time under the deliberation of the legiflature. 

 This neutrality on his part, to fay the leail of it, led per- 

 fons, who did not know his real fentiments, to reckon him 

 among thofe who were hoftile to the abolition ; and his 

 authority was triumphantly appealed to by the advocates of 

 the flave-trade. Whilft he feems to have ifudioufly avoided 

 giving an opinion on the pernicious influence of this trade, 

 he ftates fafts which have been cited and ftrongly urged 

 in favour of its abolition. In order to account for this kind 

 of inconfifl;ency without impeaching his integrity, we fliould 

 recolletl how he was circumftanced whilft he was preparing 

 and publifhing his narrative. " He was then," fays a 

 candid biographer, " a young man, inexperienced in literary 

 compofition, and in a great meafure dependent, as to the 

 profpetts of his future life, upon the fuccefs of his intended 

 publication. His friend and advifer, Mr. Bryan Edwards," 

 (a Weft India planter, and a fyftematic advocate of the flave- 

 trade in the Houfe of Commons,) " was a man of letters 

 and of the world, who held a diftinguifhed place in fociety, 

 and was befides a leading member of the African Affocia- 

 tion, to which Park owed every thing, and with which his 

 fate and fortunes were ftill intimately connetled. It is 

 difficult to eftimate the degree of authority which a perfon 

 poffelfing thefe advantages, and of a flrong and decifive 

 charafter, muft necefTarily have had over the mind of a 

 young man, in the fituation which has now been defcribed. 

 Suggeilions coming from fuch a quarter mufl have been 

 almofl equivalent to commands ; and inflead of feverely 

 animadverting on the extent of Park's compliances, we ought, 

 perhaps, rather to be furprifed, that more was not yielded 

 to an influence which muft have been nearly unlimited." 

 Mr. Park is known to have regretted that fome parts of his 

 publication, relating to the flave-trade, had been mifunder- 

 ilood, and applied in a fenfe which it was not intended they 

 Ihould have been. The writer of this flcetch of his life 

 knew, from perfonal intercourfe, that he lamented any fufpi- 

 cion of his integrity fhould attach to this part of his pub- 

 lication ; and we can well imagine, that he did not perceive 

 the bias of his mind, or the caufes that produced it, which 

 were apparent to every one befides himfelf. Such a bias 



would natura ly refult from the alTiftance afforded bv Mr 

 Edwards m the compofition of Mr. Park's work, and from 

 the mfluenceattendmg the conneftion that fubfifted between 

 them How far Mr. Edwards's affiftance might extend, it 

 :s difficult to fay ; but of this we are certain, that it was 

 not fuch as to affed the authenticity of the work itfelf, or 

 the literary reputation of Mr. Park ; we regret, however. 

 a/' n J'^fe'-ence to Mr. Edwards's judgment or authority, 

 Mr. Park fhould admit into his narrative fome refleclions 

 pert^ning to the flave-trade, which fhould have given occa- 

 iion for concluding that he was friendly to its continuance, 

 or that he fhould have omitted any favourable opportunity 

 that occurred for expreffing in an explicit manner his real 

 lentiments concerning it. But it is now needlefs to purfue 

 this kind of difcuffion. The narration of Mr. Park, written 

 as we have reafon to believe by himfelf, entitles him to refpecl 

 as an author ; but he has other more unequivocal claims to 

 grateful and honourable remembrance, as a perfon who 

 hazarded much in making geographical difcoveries, and who 

 maintained m traverfing unknown countries, and in very 

 trying fituations, a degree of firmnefs and felf-poffeffion 

 that has feldom or ever been furpaflTed. 



After the publication of his Travels, he returned to Scot- 

 land in the fummer of i 799 ; and on the 2d of Auguft in 

 that year, he married a daughter of Mr. Anderfon of Sel- 

 kirk, with whom he had ferved his apprenticefhip. In the 

 month of Oftober 1801, he fettled at Peebles, with a full 

 purpofe of purfuing his medical profeffion ; but as he de- 

 voted much of his time and attention to the poor, the profits 

 of his bufinefs were inconfiderable ; nor could he forbear 

 wifliing for a change of fituation that would be more advan- 

 tageous. His views, however, were direfted towards a 

 fecond African miffion. A profpeft of this kind was pre- 

 fented to him by a letter from fir Jofeph Banks, foon after the 

 fignature of the preliminaries of peace with France, in Octo- 

 ber 1801 ; but it was not till the autumn of the year 1803, 

 that a fpecific propofal was made to him for this purpofe. 

 Previoufly difpofed to accept it, he did not long hefitate in 

 announcing his purpofe ; and, accordingly he took leave 

 of his friends, and left Scotland in December 1803, con- 

 fidently expefting that he fhould foon embark for the coaft 

 of Africa. A variety of circumftances occurred which 

 threatened the total failure of the expedition ; however, in 

 a courfe of time all difficulties were obviated ; the objefts and 

 plan of the undertaking were fettled to the fatisfadion of 

 Mr. Park, and he received a commiffion from government 

 in January 1805, for conducing and executing it. To 

 himfelf was granted a brevet commiffion of a captain in 

 Africa ; and to his friend Mr. Alexander Anderfon a 

 fimilar commiffion of lieutenant ; and Mr. Scott was ap- 

 pointed to attend him as a draftfman. He was empowered 

 to enlift at Goree any number of the garrifon that would 

 be neceflary for his purpofe, not exceeding 45, with fuch 

 bounties as would induce them cheerfully to accompany 

 him. From Goree he was direfted to proceed up the river 

 Gambia, and thence, croffing over to the Senegal, to march 

 by fuch routs as he fliould find moft ehgible to the banks 

 of the Niger. The great objeft of his journey was to pur- 

 fue the courfe of this river as far as it could be traced ; to 

 eftablifh a communication and intercourfe with tlie different 

 nations on the banks ; to obtain all the knowledge in his 

 power refpecling them ; and to afcertain various points 

 which he had ilated m his Memoir. Mr. Park was em- 

 powered to draw for any fum which he might want, not 

 exceeding 5000/. 



When the preparations for the expedition were completed, 

 MelTrs. Park, Anderfon, and Scott, proceeded to Portf- 



mouth, 



