Page:The Monthly anthology, and Boston review, volume 9.djvu/217

1810.] MUNGO PARK.

By vessels arrived from Goree and Sierra Leone, we are enabled to state, that so late as the month of March last, considerable hopes were entertained that the celebrated and enterprising Mungo Park, so often reported to have lost his life, was still alive. The ship Favourite, of London, Captain Truman, is arrived at Plymouth from Goree. Previous to the departure of that vessel, information had been received at Senegal by a native of the Mandingo country, who accompanied Mr. Park as far into the interiour as Sego and Sansanding, that he was alive in the month of January. Colonel Maxwell, the governour of Senegal, had, in consequence of this information, directed that a decked boat should immediately be fitted out to proceed up the river Senegal, for the purpose of giving assistance to Mr. Park in his indefatigable exertions in exploring the continent of Africa. This account is further corroborated by a letter, dated in March last, received by a vessel from Sierra Leone, from Dr. Douglas, who writes as follows: "Permit me to lay before you some information respecting Mr. Mungo Park, which I was favoured with from an intelligent Mahomedan, whom I met at Goree, and who had acted as a guide to Mr. Park, from the time of his landing on the continent of Africa to his embarkation on the Niger. He states, that the king of Sego had shewn much favour to Mr. Park, and that the report of his assassination there was untrue. He had passed far along the Niger without any molestation whatever from the natives. My informant could not recollect the date of his embarkation on the Niger, but thinks it must be about three years ago. Mr. Park had taken four months' provisions for himself and two followers, with whom he intended to proceed to the eastward, and onwards as far as the Red Sea. Some travellers, who had fallen in with his guide, informed him, that about two or three months subsequent to Mr. Park's embarkation, he had been severely scorched in his breast by the bursting of a gun while firing at some birds, but that he passed Tombuctoo in the night by water."