448 
AFRICAN ASSOCIATION. 
unless at the stations above noticed, where the 
caravan stops. 
The caravans from Fezzan to Bornou are nu- 
merous, and perform their journey without much 
difficulty, meeting with a town every third or 
fourth day. From time to time the King of Fez- 
zan sends an embassy to Bornou. The gold dust 
brought by this caravan is said to come from Gun- 
dscheh, doubtless the Gondash above alluded to. 
It is said to lie on the north of Guinea, but no- 
thing is mentioned from which its precise position 
could be inferred. 
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- 
choUs ; 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 ap- 
pearing well qualified for the undertaking, his ser- 
vices 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 
