BARTH, HEINRICH . A German explorer and traveler, He was born at Ham burg, and received his education at the Uni versity of Berlin. After visiting Italy and Sicily, he embarked, in 1815, at Marseilles, and math excursions into Tunis, Tripoli, and Barca. Ile afterwards extended his researches into Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, Asia Minor, and Greece, and in 1840 lie published, at Berlin, Wunder iingen (lurch die Kiistenliinde• des Mittchneeres. Late in that year lie and Dr. Overweg again. sailed from Marseilles as the scientific compan ions of James Richardson, intrusted by the British Government with a political and com mercial mission to Central Africa. Starting from Tripoli, the travelers crossed the Great Desert with much difficulty and danger. In Janu ary, 1851, they separated, and Dr. Barth pursued his researches, for the most part, by himself. In Nardi of the same year, Richardson, and in September, 1852, Overweg, having suocumhed to the climate. Barth thenceforward was entirely
alone. lie, however, continued his explorations, which, when he returned to Tripoli in Septem ber, 1855, had extended over 24° of latitude and 20° of longitude. from Tripoli in the north to Adamawa in the south, and from Baghirmi in the east to Timbuktu in the west—upward of 12,000 miles. The range of his investigations and the scientific manner in which he pursued them placed him in the front rank of African explor ers. The result of his researches was given in his Reisen and Entdeekungen in Nord- und Zentralafrik« (5 vols., 1857-5S ) . Afterwards, he made several journeys in Greece, Turkey, Asia :Minor, and other countries on the Mediterranean. Ile also published accounts of these travels, as well as works on the dialects of Central Africa.