P A 
tlon of liis (Indies, and by particular attention, during 
his fummer-vacations, to botanical purfuits, in which 
he was aflifted by his brother in-law Mr. Janies Dickfon. 
Upon his removal to London, this eminent bofanift in¬ 
troduced him to fir Jofeph Banks, by whofe recommen¬ 
dation he was appointed affiftant-furgeon to the Worcefter 
Eaft Indiaman. In 179a he failed for Bencoolen ; and, 
having availed himfelf of the opportunities for fcientific 
refearches which this voyage afforded him, the refult of 
his inquiries and obfervations was communicated, after 
his return, to the Linnaean Society, and publifiied in the 
third volume of their Tranfadfions. Some years prior to 
this period, a fociety had been formed with a view of 
promoting difcoveries in the interior parts of Africa ; and 
feveral perfons had been employed in accompliftiing the 
laudable purpofes for which that fociety was ettablifhed. 
Among thefe, we may reckon MefTrs. Ledyardand Lucas, 
major Houghton, and Mr. Hornemann, who fell facrifices 
cither to the feverity of the climate, the fatigue of the 
fervice, or the violence of the natives. The fociety, 
though difpoled to afford liberal encouragement to any 
perfon who was qualified for this undertaking, and wdio 
had at the fame time ref'olution fufficient to engage in it 
with the prolpetfs which paft experience prefented to view, 
found themlelves at a lofs for a perfon in every refpefl 
fit for this hazardous miffion. At this interefting period 
Mr. Park returned from India; anti no perfon could 
have been found better qualified for fuch an adventurous 
office. Sir Jofeph Banks, the diftinguifhed patron of 
genius and fcience, had been his friend ; and with him 
Mr. Park was in habits of frequent and intimate inter- 
courfe. Thus circumltanced, he.offered his fervices, and 
they were accepted. Having received his final inltruftions 
from the Society, he fet fail from Portfmouth on the 22<l 
of May, 1795, and on the 2.1 ft of June landed at Ji 11 ifree, 
a fmall tow n near the mouth of the river Gambia, whence 
he proceeded toPifania, where he. was hofpitably received 
by Dr. Laidley, to whom he had letters of recommend¬ 
ation. For an account of his progrefs, fee the article 
Africa, vol. i. p. 186. Upon his return, he was received 
with cordial congratulation, both by his friends and the 
gentlemen of the African AfTociation ; and he was allowed 
to publifh an account of his travels for his own benefit. 
In the mean while, Mr. Bryan Edwards, fecretary of the 
AfTociation, printed and diftributed among the fub- 
-fcribers an abltraCt of the Travels from Mr. Park’s papers. 
To this abllrad was annexed an important Memoir by 
major Rennell, confiding of geographical illuftrations of 
Park’s journey ; and this, by Mr. R’s permiffion, formed 
a valuable appendage to the fourth.edition of the Travels. 
In the fpring of 1798, government having it in con¬ 
templation to obtain a complete furvey of New Holland, 
applied to Mr. Park for this purpofe; but the propofed 
plan was never executed. The remainder of" this year 
was fpent by Mr. Park in vifiting his friends in Scotland, 
and arranging the materials of his Travels. Towards the 
clofe of thisyear he returned to London, and devoted the 
principal part of his time to the correction of his MSS. 
which he committed to the prefs in the fpring of the year 
1799. The work, as Toon as it was publifiied, commanded 
an extenfive and rapid fale, both on account of the in¬ 
terefting information which it contained, and the general 
elegance of its compofition. An abftraCt of Mr. Park’s 
difcoveries, with regard to the ealterly courfe and mag¬ 
nitude of the Niger, the large and populous towns and 
villages that occupy the interior parts of Africa, the dif- 
criminating charader of the Negroes, contrafted againll 
that of the Moors, and the civilization of the inhabitants 
of the interior, beyond the influence of the flave-trade, 
compared with that of thofe who are fituated near the- 
coaft, and a variety of other particulars relating to the 
foil and productions of the country, and the manners and 
habits of its inhabitants, has been already given under 
the articles Africa, Mandingo, Niger, & c. lb that we 
need not here enlarge. The curiofuy of the public was 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1267. 
R K. 597 
amply gratified, and the name and work of Mr. Park be¬ 
came Angularly popular, though neither the one nor the 
other altogether efcaped cenlure. The flave-trade was 
at this time a fubjeCf of general reprobation, and attempts 
were repeatedly renewed for the abolition of if. It was 
therefore natural to imagine, that in a work of this kind, 
the author would have availed himfelf of the opportu¬ 
nities which his narrative afforded him, of exprefling his 
decided dilapprobation of this nefarious fpecies of com¬ 
merce ; more" Specially as it was well known to many of 
Mr. Park’s intimate and confidential friends, that in con- 
verfation he had frequently declared his abhorrence of 
flavery and the flave-trade. Nor was it fufficient to allege, 
as fome of his advocates have done, that he confidered 
the abolition of the flave-trade as a meafureot (late-policy, 
and that it would be improper for him to give an opinion 
on a fuhjeCi which was at this time under the deliberation 
of the legiflature. This neutrality on his part, to fay the 
lealt of it, led perfons, who did not know his real lenti- 
ments, to reckon him among thofe who were hollile to 
the abolition ; and his authority was triumphantly ap¬ 
pealed to by the ad vocates of the flave-trade. Whilft he 
Teems to have ftudioufly avoided giving an opinion on 
the pernicious influence of this trade, he ftates faCts which 
have been cited and ltrongly urged in favour of its abo¬ 
lition. In order to account for this kind of inconfiftency 
without impeaching his integrity, we fiiould recolleCt 
how he was circumftanced whilft he was preparing and 
publifhing his narrative. “ He was then,” fays a candid 
biographer, “ a young man, inexperienced in literary 
compofition, and in a great meafure dependant, as to the 
profpeCls of his future life, upon the fuccefs of his in¬ 
tended publication. His friend and adviier, Mr. Bryan 
Edwards, (a Weft-India planter, and a fyftematic advo¬ 
cate of the flave-trade,) was a man of letters and of the 
world, who held a diftinguifhed place in fociety, and was 
befides a leading member of the African AfTociation, to 
which Mr. Park owed every thing, and with which his 
fate and fortunes were fti:l intimately connected. It is 
difficult to eftimate the degree of authority which a perfon 
pofleffing thefe advantages, and of a ftrong and decifive 
character, nnift neceffarily have had over the mind of a 
young man in thefituation which has now been defcribed. 
Suggeftions coming from fuch a quarter mull have been 
almoft equivalent to commands ; and, inftead of ieverely 
animadverting on the extent of Park's compliances, we 
ought, perhaps, rather to be furprifed, that more was 
nor yielded to an influence which muft have been nearly 
unlimited.” Mr. Park is known to have regretted that 
fome parts of his publication, relating to the"Have-trade, 
had been mifunderftood, and applied in a fenfe which it 
was not intended they (hould have been. 
Alter the publication of his travels, Mr. Park returned 
to Scotland in the fummer of 1799 > and, on the 2d of 
Auguft in that year, he married a daughter of Mr. An- 
derfon of Selkirk, with whom he had lerved his appren- 
ticelhip. In the month of Odober, 1801, he fettled at 
Peebles, with a full purpofe of purfuing his medical pro- 
feffion ; but, as he devoted much of his time and atten¬ 
tion to the poor, the profits of his bufinefs were inconfi- 
derable ; nor could he forbear wifhing for a chaiwe of 
fituation that would be more advantageous. His vfews, 
however, were directed towards a fecond African miffion. 
A profped of this kind was prefented to him by adetter 
from fir Jofeph Banks, foon after the fignature of the pre¬ 
liminaries of peace with Fiance, in October 1801; but it 
was not till the autumn of the year 1803, that a fpecific 
propofid was made to him for this purpofe. Previoufiy 
difpofed to accept it, he did not long hefitate in announ¬ 
cing his purpofe; and accordingly he took leave of his 
friends, and left Scotland in December 1803, confidently 
expeding that he fiiould loon embark forthecoaft of Africa. 
A variety of circumftances occurred which delayed and* 
threatened the total failure of the expedition ; however, 
in a courle of time all difficulties were obviated ; the ob- 
7 N jeds 
