THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION. 433 
" and to his country." After the lapse, however, 
of seventeen years, every such expectation must be 
considered as finally closed. 
As soon as the Association began to feel despon- 
dence as to the return of Horneman, they looked 
round for some one to fill his place in the arduous 
task of exploring interior Africa. Two gentlemen 
offered their services, Mr Fitzgerald and Mr Ni* 
cholls ; but the former limited his proposal to the 
country bordering on the Cape of Good Hope, 
which was considered an object of inferior interest. 
Mr Nicholls fixing no such limitation, and appear- 
ing well qualified for the undertaking, his services 
were engaged by the committee. The point fixed 
for his outset was Calabar, in the Gulf of Benin, 
by proceeding directly south from whence he would 
reach, by a route shorter than any other, the heart 
of the unknown region on the Niger. Sir William 
Young, in his report, states, what has recently been 
confirmed, that the native merchants in that part 
of Africa were in habits of frequent communica- 
tion with the country of Houssa. Mr Nicholls, 
therefore, having obtained recommendations from 
the principal traders in Liverpool, sailed from that 
place on the 1st November 1804, and arrived at 
Calabar in the January following. Several letters 
were received from him, by which it appeared, that 
he was well received by the chiefs and principal 
traders. He did not gain much information about 
vol. i. e e 
