Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-05-04

The recent expedition up the Chadda has met with
a success unexamped in the history of African ex.
plorations The expedition out of discovery
made by DR.. Barh Before that enferprisng travel.
Ter set out on his perhaps fatal journal to Timbucoo
he had made an excursion to the south of Lake Chad
and on his way he crossed river of considerable
magnitude, flowing westward which he rightly con-
ectured to be the Chadda and eastern branch of the
Niger.
When this intelligence reached the Foreign Office
Lord Clarendon proposed 10 the Admiralty that a
steamer should be sent up the Chadda from the sea
to ascertain its character and open a communication
With the overland explorers, DR.. Barth and Dr. Vo
gel. II so happened that in 1852, Mr.. Macgregor
Laird had offered TO provide steamer for the explor
alton OF any of the African rivers and he was called
upon by the Admiralty to submit plan of opera
tons to them The plan he sent in was adopted
the Government agreed to pay $4,000 as its contr.
button, and Mr. Laird contracted to build a screw.
steamer of 265 tons capable of steamng ten knots an
hour, 10 pay all the expenses of the voyage and to
carry out as passengers such officers as the Govern
ment might appoint The natives are incapable OF
approaching an expedition of purely scientific or
philanhropic, and it was hoped not without reason
that the trading character of the vessel TO be employ
ed would fail to excite the eaousies of the native
chiefs on tn ebanks of the river who readily welcome
trading adventurers
Capt Becroft, so we'll and so long known in con-
ne1lon with the Niger volunteered for the service,
and was busily engaged preparing for it when death
removed from the scene of his usefulness this remark
able man, who individually perhaps had done more
good during his residence of twenty-feur wears at
Fernando 70 than any other European in those parts
Dr.. Baikie, K. NJ, and Dr. Bleek, a German philolo
gis, were the two other Government officers annont
ed to ascend the Chadla.
Mr. Laird named his steamer the Pleiad and she
sailed from Liverpool in May last calling at Sierra
Leone for Interpreters and at the Kroo coast for Kroo
men, dlschargIng her European at Sierra Leone
and Fernando Po She left that island for the Niger
on the 9th July with complement of sixty. six
twelve Europeans and the remainder Africans Nine
OF the Europeans were the officers of the Plead,
three were Government officers, DR.. Baike, Mr. May,
who had volunteered from her Majesty's ship Crane,
and an assistant to Dr. Bakie. Dr. Beek had inyaI-
ided from Fernando Pc. The Rev. Mr. Crowther
OF the Church Missionary Society accompanied the
expedition, on the invitation of Mr. Laird, and the
remainder were Africans of different tribes TO serve
as interpreters, and Kroomen forming the working
crew OF the vessel.
Alter an absence of four months the Pleiad returned
to Fernando Pc without the loss of single man and
on Monday evening this week DR.. BaiEie, in robust
heaitn' read paper at the Geographical Society, de-
failing the results of the expedition These may be
briefly summed up: l. The exploration of the river
Cnaoda 25O miles beyond the point reached by Allen
ana Odheld IN 1888. 2. The unprecedented return
OF the whole number of Europeans employed in the
expedition without single casualty.
we may therefore consider this expedition 10 make
new era in African exploration. As far as the
banks of the river were concerned the elements Of
disease were as rifle as in the Government expedition
OF 1872, which assembled the river in August, and
lost torty-two men in one-half the time that the
Plelad remained in the river It is demonstrated that
planned, well.oficered expedition can survey
these great arteries of the African continent safety
that the veil can be safely lifted from the mysterious
interiors and that few thousand pounds udiciously
spread over eight ten years will remove the blank
between the Niger and the Indian Ocean which now
detorms or maps.
1t would be Unfair to the leaders of former expe.
dltons not 10 state that the successful treatment OF
fever by quinine to which evidently the immunity
from mortality is mainly to be attributed, was mol
known, or at all events not practced when they were
undertaken. But TO show tie marked difference we
su6Joln the mortality of four expeditions connected
WI the Niger: In 1905 Mungo Park left the Gam
bla with thirtyeght Europeans, seven of whom sur
vlved to reach the Niger at Sego, and the remalnoS
persisted either from disease or with their intrepu
leader on the river. In 1916, out of Capt. Tuckey'
expedition to the Congo then supposed TO be the en-,
bouchure of the Niger, only one man escaped III N
1928 the Liverpool expedition lost forty ou! u
forty nine Europeans. In 1912 Buxton's expedlon'
under Capt TIotter, R. NJ, lost forty two out OF one
hundred and forty five whites.-London paper rev.
lruary 18th.