SKETCH OF AFRICAN DISCOVERY 437 



all of whom were in a state of great weakness from the 

 effects of the climate. They built one vessel, and, on the 

 17th of November, 1805, were ready to embark on the 

 river, previous to which Park sent despatches to England. 

 His party was now reduced to five, his brother-in-law having 

 died a few days before. Park's spirit, however, remained 

 undaunted. " Though all the Europeans who are with me 

 should die," said he, in his last letters to England, "and 

 though I myself were half dead, I would still persevere; 

 and, if I could not succeed in the object of my journey, I 

 would at least die in the Niger." He embarked, therefore, 

 with the intention of sailing down the river to its mouth, 

 wherever that might be ; but, after passing Timbuctoo and 

 several other cities, he was killed in the Niger, at a place 

 called Boussa, a short distance below Yaouri. No part of 

 his journal after he left Sansanding has ever been recovered. 

 In 1797, the African Association had engaged Mr. Horne- 

 mann, a German, who left Cairo in September, 1798, with 

 the intention of carrying into effect the objects of the As- 

 sociation by proceeding as far southward and westward as 

 he could get. In his last despatches he expressed himself 

 confident in being able to succeed in reaching a greater 

 distance into the interior than any other European traveller; 

 but, after reaching Bornou, no certain intelligence was ever 

 afterward heard concerning him. Mr. Hornemann learned 

 many particulars which had not before been known in 

 Europe respecting the countries to the east of Timbuctoo. 

 Mr. Nicholls, who was next engaged, arrived in the Gulf 

 of Benin in November, 1804, and died soon afterward of 

 the fever of the country. Another German, Boentzen, was 

 next sent to Africa. He had bestowed extraordinary pains 

 in making himself acquainted with the prevailing language, 

 and, throwing off his costume, proceeded in the character 

 of a Mussulman, but unhappily was murdered by his guides 

 on his way to Soudan. The next traveller sent out by the 

 Association was Burckhardt, a Swiss. He spent several 

 years in acquiring a knowledge of the language and customs 



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