PREFACE. 
Events of the deepest excitement supersede one 
another so rapidly, that it can scarcely be expected 
the public will be solicitous to know why so long a 
period has been allowed to pass since the return of the 
Niger Expedition, before any authentic statement of its 
proceedings has been given to the world. 
The authors, conceiving that a faithful record of the 
progress of that philanthropic experiment is due to the 
public, as well as in justice to the conductors of it, have 
ventured to draw up the following Narrative. They are 
indebted to the late Dr. Vogel, Mr. Roscher, and Dr. 
Stanger, of whose botanical and geological journals 
(placed at their disposal by the kindness of Captain 
Trotter) they have availed themselves ; and they have to 
express their deep obligations to Dr. McWilliam for 
the account of the proceedings of H. M. Steam- vessel 
‘Albert’ whenever separated from the ‘ Wilberforce,’ 
and for a series of well-arranged tables of the vital 
statistics. 
The account of the second ascent of the ‘ Wilberforce,’ 
