In 1816 Captain Tuckey, in command of a British expedition, sailed up the Kongo, which he took to be the mouth of the Niger, for 280 miles. About the same time Major Peddie, and after his death Captain Campbell, led a party up the Senegal through the Fula or Fel latah territory, returning to Kalcundy on the Nunez. In 1817 Mr. Bowditch explored the country of the Ashantis. In 1818 a French traveler, Gaspard Theodore Mollien, discovered the sources of the Senegal, Gambia and Rio Grande. In 1819 Ritchie and Lyon traveled from Tripoli to Murzuk, and in 1821 Major Laing made some important journeys in the Mandingo district of western Africa. In 1822-24 extensive explorations were made in northern and western Africa by Major Denham, Captain Clapperton and Dr. Oudney, the last of whom died on the way. The travelersproceeded from Tripoli by Murzuk to Lake Tchad. While Denham examined the south and west coasts of the lake, Clapperton proceeded west through Bornu to Sokoto, the capital of the Fellahtah country, on the Sokoto, an affluent of the Niger. Impressed with the importance of establishing political and commercial intercourse with this district, Clapperton organized another expedi tion for the purpose of reaching Sokoto from the west coast. Setting out from Badagry, on the east of Cape Coast Castle, 7 Dec. 1825, and passing through the kingdom of Yoruba he reached the Niger at Bussa. Here he crossed the river and traversed the kingdom of Nupe to Kano, capital of the Haussa country, which he had previously visited, and from thence pro ceeded to Sokoto, in the neighborhood of which, after a short residence, he died. His servant, Richard Lander, returned to Kano and at tempted to proceed south through the kingdom of Zegzeg, but was compelled by the natives to return to Darroro, from which he reached the coast.
W. Allen, a naval officer, about this time accompanied a mercantile expedition up the Niger, which he surveyed for a certain distance, and in another expedition in 1848 the same officer revised and corrected his survey. Major Laing in 1826 crossed the desert from Tripoli to Timbuktu, but he was killed on his return and his papers lost. Rene Caillie, after living for some years on the Senegal coast learning the language and initiating himself into the re ligion and manners of the Arabs, made in 1827 28 a journey to Timbuktu, and thence through the great desert to Morocco. Richard Lander, accompanied by his brother, leaving Badagry for Bussa in March 1830, ascended the river Niger to Yauri, and descending from thence reached the mouth called the Nun in November. In 1832 he traced other mouths of the river up to the main stream ; and the identity of the great river which passes under various names in dif ferent parts of its course was thus established.
In the south, Livingstone, who was stationed as a missionary at Kolobeng in 1849, passed through the desert of Kalahari, reached the Zuga or Botletle, and after a circuitous route discovered its source in Lake Ngami. In 1851 he went north again, proceeding from the Zuga in a more easterly direction. In lat. 17° 25' south, and between long. 24° 30' and 26° 50' east, he came upon numerous rivers flowing north, which were reported to be affluents of a larger river, the Zambezi.
In 1848 and 1849 Krapf and Rebmann, mis sionaries stationed near Mombasa, saw the Kilima-Njaro and the Keuia Mountains. In
1851 Francis Galton, starting from Walfisch Bay, made an extensive survey of the Damara and 'Ovampo countries, in which he found high pastoral and agricultural table-lands. An ex pedition under the patronage of the British government started from Tripoli in 1850 to visit the Sahara and the regions around Lake Tchad. Richardson, the originator of the expedition, was joined by two Germans, Drs. Overweg and Barth. In crossing the desert from Murzuk to Ghat they found some interesting sculptures. From Ghat to Air they found the country wholly desert and uninhabited. On reaching Lake Tchad Richardson went to Kuka, capital of Bornu, Barth to Kano, Overweg to the native states of Mariadi and Guber. Barth and Overweg met again at Kuka in April 1851, but in the meantinme Richardson had died. Over weg explored the lake and Barth proceeded on another journey south to Massena, in the king dom of Bagirmi. On his return the death of Overweg left him to prosecute the enterprise alone. He proceeded to Timbuktu via Kano, and after collecting much information about the Niger and its tributaries, over a great part of the course of which he traveled on his return to Kuka, he reached Tripoli in August 1855. Dr. Vogel, who was sent to join Barth, was put to death at Wadai and his papers were lost.
Dr. Livingstone began another journey from Kolobeng on 15 Jan. 1853. After staying a month at Linyante, capital of the Makololo, he proceeded down the Chobe to Sesheke, and thence ascended the Leambye (Zambezi) to the junction of the Liba. After returning to Lin yante, and taking with him a party of Makololo, he again set out 11 Nov. 1853, reached the Liba 27 December and proceeded to Lake Dilolo, where he found the watershed of the streams which flow north and south (feeders of the Kongo or the Zambezi) at a level of 4,000 feet above the sea. On his return journey he was confirmed in the belief that an elevated plateau here crosses the country and forms the water shed of the whole continent. He next crossed the Cassabi River, and on 4 April he reached the banks of the Kuango, both these rivers being affluents of the Kongo. Crossing the Kuanga, he reached Loanda on 31 May. On 20 Septem ber he set out on his return journey, and fol lowing pretty nearly the route by which he had gone, arrived at Linyante. Starting from this place on 3 Nov. 1855, he reached the Zambezi, and proceeding down the river, and visiting its falls, called by him the Victoria Falls, arrived at Kilimane at its mouth on 20 May 1856, and sailed for England. Thus was accomplished by Dr. Livingstone the remarkable feat of crossing the entire continent from sea to sea — the first time, so far as is known, that this was done by any European. In 1858 Livingstone returned to resume his exploration of the Zambezi re gions. Entering the Kongoni mouth of the river in May, he ascended its tributary, the Shire, to Murchison Cataracts, visited Lake Shirwa and Lake Nyassa, traveled on or near the Zambezi to Victoria Falls, established the identity of the Leambye and the Zambezi, sailed up the Shire to Lake Nyassa, also sailed 156 miles up the Rovuma River, and returned to England in 1864.