DISCOVERIES OF THE ENGLISH. £13 
dour around it. In 1618, therefore, a Company 
was formed for the express purpose of penetrating 
to the country of gold, and to Tombuctoo ; for 
that celebrated city was already known as the cen- 
tre, round which revolved all the commerce and 
%splendour of interior Africa. In order to carry 
these views into effect, the Company made choice 
of George Thompson, a Barbary merchant, who 
seems to have been eminently qualified for the ar- 
duous undertaking. He was dispatched with a 
vessel, the Catherine, of 120 tons, and with a car- 
go of the value of L. 1857. His instructions were, 
that, as soon as the Gambia should become too shal- 
low to allow the vessel to proceed, he should leave 
it in some convenient port, and continue his voy- 
age of discovery upwards in boats. Thompson, 
following these instructions, left his vessel at Kas- 
san, and proceeded up the river. The under- 
taking, however, excited the jealousy of the Por- 
tuguese and Mulatto inhabitants, who, before this 
time, possessed nearly the exclusive commerce of 
the Gambia. Having, in Thompson's absence, pro- 
cured admittance on board, they rose upon the 
crew, massacred the whole of them, and seized up- 
on the vessel. Thompson was not intimidated by 
the intelligence of this terrible disaster. He form- 
ed an establishment up the river, and merely sent 
intelligence to his employers at home of what had 
befallen him, and of the necessity of farther aid ; 
