The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-08-02 00:00:00

trot ittliike to ale SACTIMy 11 so many amervea. vs r nave nerajuit
favoured with the inspection of his klanuseript Journals of tics
inithaktehekndoewenpecrtiveintite,retost:nsi.n
nation,
Intestone, undertaken into the interiot of Africa, sort which hart
knit very recently arrived to his Brother, a pforesisihnal gentiernee
'this city. edo not hesitate to assert, that these Journals etc
customs, and scenery. which we believe to have been hitherto tie,
known, and ttreleeeribed ; to him we owe, it seems, tiny preset
stlyeret,erhe;
nikA
tesafiriin.uans reldge4,
more ciwreet Views of the course of the Senegal—in tome passe"
incidents ere met with of a highly dramatic cast—all through
Jeep knowledge of the African character is evineed, and %Kee,
aided by a tolerable acquaintance with the language, has eiiehini
bin; to abundantly furnish hints, which must prove invaluable 14
those may misted him in. the arduous and -dangerous enter.
prize of exploring those regions. Independently of all this, the,
Journals establish, in the alearest .way, the fact. that he has not
only obtained the most mild, and perhaps, incalculable adveategre
foe the commercial world, but given aflecided and permanent check
to the Infamous traffic in ,slaves, till lately persevered in eorg the
Western coast of•Afticrt.•
The llovernment, but especially the Colonial Oovernmett•et
Sierra Leone, had, it appears, entertained for ninny years tl
anxious desire to establish a friendly and commercial interment
with the Foulah Kingdom, the subjects of which are este:awl :ft
most powerful and warlike, yet, the most mild and tolerant of fr,
in that great continent. To effect this, several missions arm fitted
out, each failed in sticeessinn, and this eagerly sought locetion
still remained unaccomplished. Numerous and weigtnyeatuu.N..4.
dons, however, rendered this project one of worm' reageitip,
to be abandoned in the first place, an itainedlate interteareashh
the Fnulah Kingdom was certain to exceedingly advance the
terestg of the Colony, as, i•.dependently of the great influx of nary
71prndilcebe be expected from such a minim, it reap known th,
Timbo, the capital, lay in the immediate neighbourl!eo4
whence gold is plentifully procured ; secondly, a fair. malitaceef,
aisle barter of gold, ivory, cattle, &c. for such articlea a* the aeon
anxiously sought, and the colony could supply. bsiog.epeantt.
hlisheil, it was confidently expected that the 'leftmost* traffic tar.
ried on in slaves to the Rios Pongos and Nunes, would Attlee
`cease to exist, and be replaced by one more profitableand lace,
Lastly, front the welli.known power and friendly dram,
'tions'of Almamr' King of this pepple, it leas eine that s
with him would afford vast facilities for exploring and tae
Information relative to the- interior, botirepecially the Soli
;
Niger, which flows within a few days journey of Timbo, and Are
has excited arch extraordinary interest, on account of the tqlft.
through which it flows, and the contradictory rumours relt&te
Its course and termination.
. .

Such were 'the powerful imdleading motives which
the Government .to persevere 10 Its views, and pueb, with
passion for serving his country and his fellnw-man, were die*,
dueem ents which led the late file. MIA O'Beirne, ducgem totln
2d West India Regiment, to undertake the eonclattet of • inimical*
Ti lobo. For this purpose he set out from Freetown, Sierra Wu,
on the 29th of Junuary, 11121. After encountering dargpekr,
during hardships, and overcoming difficulties of a nature Madan.
nitude only to be conceived and appreciated by persona aukuslstri
with the country and acs inhabitants, he reached Timbu, rude.
forted the objects of his mission satisfactorily in every poiat, briat.
ing with him Omaroo-Kroo, nephew- and representative of King
Atinami.; numerous Chiefs. representing the dames census
lying bet v. een Timbo and the colony ; and accompanied by ran
bets of Youlahs, carrying gold, ivory, and cattle, for sale. lie
turned, after' a journey of nine hundred miles. to Freetown, ea !la
18th of April. in the same year, to the great surprise arid 5ei,,,4
lion of the civil r.nd military authorities. as well as of lIMMONI
friends, many of whem previously considered the sueemesof
mission to be visionory while none certainly contemplated melt
expedition to he possible.
An amicable and commercial treaty being soon agreed on. cod
ratified by the Governor of the Colony end the Itepresentert
Chiefs, the path to Timbo anti the interior was opened, and ha
since continued open. Corntry produce soon poured in, and duly
increased in quantity . • new life and vigour rapidly infused taw,
selves into colonial trade. Of the cast improvement in this rum
a tolerably Adequate idea may be formed from a document skid
cannot be questinned, and which now lies before us, the Lei
Leone Gazelle of Jan. I i 12.1. In it we find an savant of a innsiqr
of the merchants and traders of the colony, nt.the house of Newt
Z. timely and Babington, for the purposeof presenting N.
O'Beirne with their thanks and a silver cup. Front the Corr.-•
tee appointed to address him, we learn a fact at once of the cm
gratifying and momentous nature, namely.--" that thelatele.
mense arrivals of gold have exceeded, within the last sit monde
the whole imports of that precious metal since the fitst estab
ment of this Colony." When we consider that the Grit
question Is now thirty-three years establiehtd, and
the quantity of gold received from it by • the mother owetry,
we confess that we should feel disposed to disbelieve this aatti
ment of the present enormous receipts of that metal, did we tut
find it made by persons of the highest credit, who were 'raisin*
tin knowing its correctness, and who could have no possible-ma i
fop such exaggeration. !'he results of thin enterprise did rot
here; as was anticipated, the inducements to trade with Outdo
proved infinitely greater than those offered by the trade in sla
Accordingly this inhuman traffic soon ceased to be pursued abaft
great extent of coat, where it had previously existed in full ripe
Here, indeed, it may be remarked, that self-imatesigi 101fra Pff*
foe the first time been tut ned to the support Of *dr Win eased
hnmanity with more effect than could resula-aggpiproptiverwisek.
gislative enactments. It will be evident that rile. O'Beltressll,
cessful exertions ranee necesatrily afford in futures degree Wu*
city and other general advantages to Africeit mission.. uri
deprive diem of many of those formidable characters which T!er.
ottsly marked them. Captain Lairs, who is about to concha.: a
on a greater scale than any former mission, will have now comas
flatly fewer difficulties and dangers to contend agair.st. live{
been acquainted with. Mr. O'Beirne, and having read his joinrsk
we have no doubt but that Captain Laing will avail himself fide
general obsfivationa and hints they contain.
• Irkicus still further to prorcote the advancement of trade --
civilization, he left Bathurst, St. Mary's, in May, 1822, inertia
explore the River Gambia; on reaching what is called "the Falk
the Mandingoes, who worked his canoe, refused to go beyoid
point which they declared to be the highest to which any a
man, or even native, had ever proceeded; by the force of bin
Aired entreaties, lie, however, induced the, to accompany his I.°
miles higher up the river; here, finding themselves so
yond the object of their superstitious awe, and in a'couit,
showing not the slightest trace of human habitation, they manna.
and conspired to assassinate him for leading them into melt vile
he was, therefore, obliged, reluctantly, to-return home. He
enabled, however, in this journey, to point oat to the Cob-...
Government the advantages likely to arise front ferrules 'ie-
anent.. and a military post at lionlala.Kolindash, from whma
snaiderable and Inundate trade • the interior- be c•