INTERIOR OF AFRICA. 7 
dispatched a messenger to Dr. Laidley to inform him of my 
arrival. He came to Jonkakonda the morning following, when 
I delivered him Mr. Beaufoy's letter, and he gave me a kind 
invitation to spend my time at his house until an opportunity 
should offer of prosecuting my journey. This invitation was 
too acceptable to be refused, and being furnished by the Doctor 
with a horse and guide, I set out from Jonkakonda at daybreak 
on the 5th of July, and at eleven o'clock arrived at Pisania, where 
I was accommodated with a room, and other conveniences in 
the Doctor's house. 
Pisania is a small village in the King of Yany's dominions, 
established by British subjects as a factory for trade, and inha- 
bited solely by them and their black servants. It is situated on 
the banks of the Gambia, sixteen miles above Jonkakonda. The 
white residents, at the time of my arrival there, consisted only 
of Dr. Laidley, and two gentlemen who were brothers, of the 
name of Ainsley ; but their domestics were numerous. They 
enjoyed perfect security under the king's protection, and being 
highly esteemed and respected by the natives at large, wanted no 
accommodation or comfort which the country could supply ; and 
the greatest part of the trade in slaves, ivory, and gold, was in 
their hands. 
Being now settled for some time at my ease, my first object 
was to learn the Mandingo tongue, being the language in almost 
general use throughout this part of Africa ; and without which 
I was fully convinced that I never could acquire an extensive 
knowledge of the country or its inhabitants. In this pursuit 
I was greatly assisted by Dr. Laidley, who, by a long residence 
