Records of Captain Clapperton's last expedition to Africa, Vol. 1 (of 2) by Lander
"Records of Captain Clapperton's last expedition to Africa, Vol. 1 (of 2)" by Lander is a travel narrative and historical account written in the early 19th century. It chronicles the final West African journey led by Captain Hugh Clapperton, told by his attendant and only surviving companion, combining route-by-route reporting with vivid observations on local customs, slavery, politics, and landscape. The opening of the volume sets out the narrator’s aim to revise
and complete his earlier hurried journal, explain the obstacles to note‑taking in hostile settings, and sketch the peoples, wars, and beliefs encountered—highlighting the rising power of the Fulani and promising character portraits such as the famed widow Zuma and the rogue interpreter Pasko. A brief life sketch follows, tracing the narrator’s Cornish origins, early wanderings to the West Indies and South Africa, and his enlistment in Clapperton’s new mission despite family misgivings. The narrative then launches with the voyage of H.M.S. Brazen via Madeira, Tenerife, and the Cape Verdes, encounters with slave ships, a sickly stop at Sierra Leone, and arrival off Whydah where Dr. Dickson goes inland (later reported dead). After a perilous surf landing at Badagry and audience with King Adólee, the party pushes inland by canoe and foot through forests and villages, amid fetish shrines, palavers with chiefs, shortages of carriers, and nightly dew and heat that bring on fevers. At Jannah the sick are received with ceremony; the narrator suffers delirium and recovers, while the party’s strength ebbs—Dawson dies after mistakenly drinking ether, Captain Pearce succumbs soon after and is buried, and word arrives that Dr. Morrison has also died—as the diminished expedition struggles on toward the interior. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Lander, Richard, 1804-1834 |
|---|---|
| Title | Records of Captain Clapperton's last expedition to Africa, Vol. 1 (of 2) |
| Original Publication | London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, 1830. |
| Credits | Galo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Wellcome Library) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | DT: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa |
| Subject | Sudan (Region) -- Description and travel |
| Subject | Clapperton, Hugh, 1788-1827 |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78091 |
| Release Date | Mar 2, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 5002 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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