£20 DISCOVERIES OP THE FRENCH. 
deeper into Africa, and obtained more informa- 
tion respecting the most interesting portion of its 
interior, than any other European nation ; and 
they maintained this pre-eminence till the splen- 
did exertions of the African Association enabled 
that body to outstrip all former competitors. 
Among French discoverers, the most active by 
far was the Sieur Brue, who had the management 
of African affairs under the fourth company. 
The narrative of his various journeys, though not 
published by himself, is preserved by Labat in his 
Afrique Occidentale, There exists, however, one 
relation of a journey, performed at a prior period, 
(in 1637) by Claude Jannequin, who deserves no- 
tice, as being the first Frenchman who penetrated 
into the interior of those vast regions. 
Jannequin was a young man of some rank ; 
but happening, as he walked on the harbour of 
Dieppe, to see a vessel bound for Africa, he was 
seized with the most ardent desire of visiting that 
distant region. He immediately engaged himself 
as a soldier, and set sail. After touching at the 
Canaries, the crew landed on the coast of the 
Sahara, to the north of Cape Blanco. Their ob- 
ject was to construct some small barks, which are 
necessary in navigating the river of Senegal. Why 
they chose this place for such an operation, our 
author did not fully comprehend ; but he was 
struck with horror at the aspect of desolation 
♦ 
