PREFACE. 
xi 
the termination of his journey, his enter- 
prising companions, Drs. Barth and Overweg, 
seem to have carried on and developed ad- 
mirably the plan at first laid down. If they 
be spared to return to Europe they will bring 
home, no doubt, geographical information so 
valuable that all Mr. Richardson's predictions 
will be found to be amply fulfilled. As it is, 
however, the object of our practical fellow-coun- 
tryman may be said to have been accomplished. 
He did not lay so much stress on the accurate 
determination of latitude and longitude, of the 
heights of mountains and the courses of valleys, 
as on matters that come more nearlv home to 
human sympathies. The abolition of the system 
of slavery — many affecting illustrations of which 
will be found in these volumes — seems to have 
engaged the chief of his attention. It was with 
this benevolent object that he originally turned 
his attention to Africa : and he had become con- 
vinced that the best means of effecting it was to 
encourage legitimate traffic between Europe and 
the great nurseries of slaves. Among other 
things, he wished to show the possibility of enter- 
ing into treaties of amity and commerce with the 
most important states of Central Africa; and 
