Star.
London, England, 1831-06-14 00:00:00

THE LANDERS AND THE RIVER NIGER.

The two Landers arrived here on Tuesday last,
in the William Harris transport, from Rio de is-
neiro, having reached that country from Fernando
Po. They both appear in good health, and state
that in their progress through Africa they found
the climate perfectly healthy, experiencing no in-,
convenience in this regard, until they reached the
pestilential influence of the coast and Fernando Po.
These travellers have, doubtless, thrown *very con-
siderable light on African geography ; how far
their discoveries will be beneficial to our commerce,
or enable us so to communicate with the interior as
to aid in the suppression of the Slave Trade in its
origin, remains yet to be proved. It appears the Lan-
ders landed ut Badagry March 22,1830, and imme-
diately proceeded on horseback to the northward,
to a city called Boussa, which is known to be on
the Niger, and which city is described to be of great
extent, being upwards of twenty miles in circum-
ference, though it may not contain more than four
thousand houses. These, however, in general, are
little better than huts, and, like Timbuctoo, con-
tains no large buildings. It is situated about lat.
10. North. They remained nearly three months
at this place, and ascertained that it was not an
island, as had been supposed. The King of this
place treated them very kindly; indeed they speak
in high terms of the kindness and gentleness of
the negroes in the interior, who, so far from offer-
ing to molest them, afforded them all the informa-
tion and assistance in their power. It was only
when they approached the vicinity of the coast that
they experienced insult and impediment.
During their sojourn at Boussa, they made ex-
cursions round it, and ascended the Niger against
the stream for three days, visiting another city,
which will be found in Clapperton's map, called
Youri, directly north of Boussa. At the end of the
three months, during which time the water in the
river had been rising, from the influence of the
rainy season, and which they were told would be
requisite to ensure their safe passage over the rocks
and other impediments, which form rapids, &c.
they began to descend, and soon found the river
ran easterly till they reached the vicinity of Fun-
ds ; which city should be placed on the maps at
least two degrees further east than it now is.
Near Funds the Niger was joined by a large river,
which, from description, was doubtless the Shary,
and which the natives said came in a direct line
from Tchad Lake, distant fifteen days' journey in
the north-east—thus clearly proving that the Niger
receives from, instead- of expending its waters in
that Lake. With regard to the Tchad Lake, it was
understood it sent out its waters to other rivers
further to the east than Funds, and running to
the southward, most probably supplying the
great rivers Zaire and Congo. Below Funda,
at a place called Thirree, these adventurous travel-
lers were pursued and captured by a fleet of 30.0 r
40 war canoes. In the pursuit (it does not appear
why the Landers should have fled) their canoes
were swamped, and all their writings, collections,
and instruments were lost. This took place about
ten days' journey from the coast. The natives of
Thirree, after their capture, treated them kindly,
and forwarded them towards the .coast. Below
Funds they fell in with a river which branched to
the westward, and which they ascertained to be the
river Benin. They reached the seas by the Nun
river, a few miles to the eastward of Cape For-
mosa, and about two degrees from Badagry, from
whence they started. They conjectured they had
come down the Niger at least 900 miles ; but
having lost their instruments and papers, they
had no means of ascertaining the exact posi-
tion and distances of the many towns they
passed on either side of its banks. When
they arrived at tke mouth of the Nun river, they
discharged a servant, Antonio, who set off up the
river to return to his own country'; but on the ar-
rival of the Landers at Fernando Po, they ascer-
tained that this servant, after psoceeding up the
Nun river, branched off to the eastward, and
reached the .coast again by the New Calabar river,
thus proving that the Benin, the Nun, and the
New Calabar rivers, were all mouths of the great
Niger, with a direct communication to the Tchad
Lake. After their capture they were purchased by
a slave dealer, who doubtless knew he should ob-
tain a good price for giving thorn up. They reached
the sea about the 30th Nov. 1830. During the
time they were in the interior, a volume of Watts's
Hymns fell into their hands, which had formerly
belonged to Dr. Anderson, who was in company
with Mungo Park at the time of his death.
Hampshire Telegraph.

Sir Stamford Raffles' children had imbibed from
him those tastes it was his pleasure to cultivate; this will
not be wondered at, even at their early age, when it is added
that two young tigers and a bear wore for some time in the
children's apartments, under the charge of their attendant,
without being confined in cages ; and it was rather a curious
scene to see the children, the bear, the tigers, a blue moun-
tain bird, and a favourite cat, all playing together---the
parrot's beak being the only object of awe to all the party.
GOOD Pt LOTAG E.--A captain of a man-of-war,
newly appointed to a ship on the Irish station, took the pre-
caution in " beating out" of harbour, to apprise the pilot
that he was totally unacquainted with the coast, and then.
fore be must rely entirely on the pilot's local knowledge for
the safety of the ship. " You are perfectly sun, pilot, said
the captain, "you are well acquainted with the coast ?"
"Do I know my own name, Sir ?" " Well, mind I warn
you not to approach too near to the shore." " Now make
yourself easy. Sit ; in troth you may go to bed, if you plate."
" Then, shall we stand on ?" " Why, what else
wou'd we do ?" • " Yes, but there may be hidden
dangers, which you know nothing about." " Dan.
gem !—I like to see the dangers dor hide themselves fkom
/dick. sure, don't I tell )ou I know every rock on the
coast ?" (here the ship strives) " and Mats one of 'our