164 APPENDIX. 
the Christianity and civilization of our own public transac- 
tions will offer to the eye and experience of the barbarian a 
peace-speaking and sedative example. Our confidence rests 
more surely on the efforts of the Missionary, whose endea- 
vours have become everywhere full of hope, since in these 
latter times Christianity has become practised as of old, in 
diffusing civilization. The present undertaking is of vast 
importance in that point of view. It goes to measure, map, 
and ascertain—it goes to tell what and in what way acces- 
sible may be the swarm of two millions of people, which has 
been guessed to be the population of the great trapezium 
which it is instructed to traverse. This result equally with 
others requires the caution and leisure in its proceedings 
which the Instructions enjoin. It remains to be determined 
whether it be adviseable to attempt any farther discovery 
from this point than the Expedition has now undertaken. 
‘Probably, at least, only another such process, proceeding from 
the boundary which it is calculated to reach, will be either 
wished or attempted. It will be very long indeed before we 
be prepared to make the limit of this second extent the 
starting point for a third, and we may expect that the very 
central regions of the continent will before then be pene- 
trated by shorter routes from the seas on either side. We 
are not among those who are sanguine that these very cen- 
tral regions can be attained in any other way, or that this 
country in particular presents any special facilities which can 
compensate for its distance, and hence a danger of failure 
which is obviously to be estimated at a higher ratio than as 
the distance. Considering how many blank and barren 
parallels of latitude lie noted on our maps, between us and 
the Mediterranean, the mind, in anticipation that all will 
ultimately be discovered, may forget the necessarily-con- 
