When the news of Lander's success reached England, a commercial company at Liverpool determined to send out an expedition, with a view of opening an intercourse with the centre of Africa. Mr. Lander, Mr. Macgregor Laird, and Captain Allen, were of the party ; and two small iron steam vessels were provided, which it was hoped might ascend the Niger in safety. The expedition sailed in 1832; but it turned out most disastrous, being attended with a fearful loss of life. The merchants of. Liver pool, however, suceeeel in establishing a commerce with the natives by degrees ; and in 1840 the government determined to send out an expedition ; under an impression that trade and treaties with the African chiefs might lessen the horrors of the slave trade. This was also attended with much loss. Cap tain Beeroft ascended the Niger about the same time, in a vessel sent out by Mr. Jamie son, of Liverpool. Mr. Holroyd, Mr. Oldfield, and Messrs. Moffat and Smith, all increased our store of information concerning those re gions, shortly before the period just named. In 1842 Captain Allen explored new regions in western Africa. In 1841 and 1842 Dr. Beke spent a year in Abyssinia, and many re searches were made by other travellers in the upper valley of the Nile. In 1843 Major Harris returned from his mission to Shoa, by which much knowledge was gained of that region. In 1844 and 1845 many travellers were exploring the northern half of Africa, in various directions: and the Journal of the Geographical Society now yearly contains the results of such expeditions.
The zeal for discovery in Africa, which has been so strongly felt within the last half cen tury, has also sent out a succession of travel lers to explore the southern regions of that vast continent. The principal settlement in this quarter, that of the Cape of Good Hope, was founded by the Dutch about 1650, and remained in their hands till it was finally taken from them by the British in 1800. For more than a hundred years after the establishment of this colony it occupied only the extreme angle of the African continent, or a part of the narrow tract between the sea and the nearest mountains ; nor does much informa tion seem to have been obtained with regard to any of the native tribes, except the nearest Hottentots lying beyond that boundary. The first traveller who penetrated any considerable way into the interior was Captain Henri Hop, who was sent out on an expedition of disco very by the Dutch governor in 1701, and tra versed a considerable part of the country of the Namaquas. He was followed by Sparr man, Valliant, Barrow, Trutter, Somerville, Cowan, Donovan, Lichtenstein, and Burchell, who, between 1775 and 1812, traversed much of the country north and east of the Cape. In 1820 and 1823 Burchell and Thompson penetrated far to the north. In 1836 and 1837 Sir S. E. Alexander explored much of the country inhabited by the Boschmans and other tribes north of the Cape of Good Hope. Since this date, exploring expeditions have been made by the missionary Krapf, Lieute nant Buxton, Mr. Ackermann, M. Maizan, and others in various directions.
In short, it may be stated, that approaches are now being made towards the centre of Africa, from almost every side of that great continent. The recent lion-hunting, elephant killing excursion of Mr. Gordon Cumming, can hardly be termed a geographical exploration.
The mineral treasures of this immense con tinent are of course very imperfectly known. Salt is perhaps one of the most universally diffused, being found from the salt lakes of the Cape colony to the northern coast. It
will probably be found on inquiry that the mineral treasures of Africa are nearly as vari ous as those of other parts of the world, though at present less perfectly known, and in many cases only observed at spots widely removed from one another. The mineral wealth of Egypt alone is considerable ; and that of the interior west of the Mozambique coast is also abundant. Gold dust, however, is that which has the most excited the cupi dity of Europeans ; and this mineral is found in the sands of the upper streams of all the great African rivers. Besides gold and salt, the chief mineral products are silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, chalk, sulphur, and a few indications of coal.
The nature of African vegetation depends greatly on the latitude. The principal objects of cultivation in the Barbary States are a kind of wheat (Triticum durum), the stems of which are solid, and the grain horny rather than fa rinaceous ; barley, which the Moors give their horses instead of oats, maize, dun-a (Holcus sorghum), rice, tobacco, olives, oranges, and figs of the most delicious quality ; pomegra nates, grapes, and jujubes, together with sweet melons and water melons. In the districts watered by the Nile we find all the richness of vegetation of the spring months of Barbary ; abundance of rice, barley, and wheat ; rich fields of sugar-canes ; olives, figs, vines, and plantains that have been introduced ; while in the hotter or drier, or more southern districts, the date is the chic( object of the scenery. In the richer parts of the country we find the acacias which produce gain arabic, large tama risk trees, called atle, great quantities of the senna plant (Cassia oldusifolia and other species), intermixed with various herbs belong ing to tropical genera, all of which are either unknown or very rare in the more northern parts of Africa. Cotton, coffee, indigo, and tobacco are cultivated with the greatest suc cess. At Thebes first begins to appear a third race of palms different from the date and the palmetto, namely, the forky-branched doom palm (Crucifera Thebaica) of Upper Egypt. In the equinoctial parts of Africa all trees of Euro pean vegetation, and even the date tree itself, disappear. The landscape is characterized by masses of the unwieldy baobab (Adansoniu), the fruit of which affords the natives a grate ful drink, huge cotton trees (Bomber pentan drum), thick groups of oil palms (Blois Gui necusis), sago palms (Sagus raphia), and others of the same majestic tribe. In some places the woods abound in pineapples; while the plains are often covered with immense quan tities of the papyrus plant. Among the plants cultivated for food are the cassava, the yam, the pigeon pea, and the ground-nut; the pa paw, the tamarind, and the nitta or doura free ; the Senegal custard apple, the gray plum, the Safu, and the musanga, the seeds of which are as agreeable as hazel-nuts, and many others less common. Near the Cape of Good Hope the plants partake more of a milder climate.
Among domestic quadrupeds, the horse, the ox, the buffalo, the sheep, the goat, and the camel, may be enumerated. It is in the northern and central regions that the camel and buffalo are used. Dogs are numerous, and in Mohammedan towns have no particular owners, but are tolerated for their utility.
Under the headings ABYSSINIA ; BARBARY ; CAPE OF GOOD HOPE ; EGYPT ; GA3IBIA ; NI GER ; SAFIARA ; SENEGAL ; TIMBUCTOO, will be found details respecting the produc tions, manufactures, and commerce of various parts of Africa.