20 
A COMMERCIAL FAILURE. 
The variety of preparation required for an enterprise 
of such a novel nature, together with the uncertainty of 
the proper time for navigating the river, caused it to 
amve so late, that the flood had already passed its great 
height ; consequently the vessels had to navigate a 
falling river, and were much impeded by shallows, so 
that on reaching the confluence of the Chadda with the 
Niger, one of them grounded, where she remained till 
the river began to rise again the following year. 
The late season was also the most unhealthy; the 
fatal fever of the river soon attacked the crews, and out 
of forty-seven officers and men in the two steamers, only 
eight survived. Mr, Laird finding all hopes of a 
successful speculation to be fallacious, returned to 
England in the brig, which he safely navigated although 
this was his first voyage. Mr, Lander made another 
unsuccessful attempt in a commercial point of view ; 
but something was added to geography ; Lieutenant W, 
Allen having — though unaided — extended his operations 
above the confluence of the two rivers, to Rabba on the 
Niger, and about eighty miles on the Chadda; the 
principal points of which he laid down astronomically, 
and gave such a sketch of the channels as proved of 
some service to the succeeding navigators. Mr. Lander 
on his return to Fernando Po in the Alburkah, hoping 
to be more fortunate, hastily fitted out that vessel, 
and sent her under the charge of Mr. Oldfield — the 
sui'viving medical officer — to re-ascend the Niger ; and 
he followed soon after with a launch and a canoe, and a 
