Africa.-Mr. Park.
The Times, 1824-10-06T00:00:00

(From the Glagorw Courier.) We have been fayoured by a gentleman interested in African discovery, and who has travelled a considerable way into the interior of the sonthern parts of northern Africa, with some notes regardling the death of our lamented countryman, bir. Park. The narrative is drawn froru a negro, a native of Yaourie, adjoining the spot where Park perished, and who witnessed what he relates. Considering every circumstance, the document is clear and satisfactory, p'bin and unadorned, without any thing that leads to a suspicion of irs accuracy, or the intention of tbe'negro to deceive ; and in itsomost materila features It is borne out by accounts obtained througn other channels. The notes from which the following summary is drawn up were obtained in 1822:- Duncanno, a negro, was bom at Birnie YaouTie. Ele was in the Pass about to be mentioned, to sell Collas, when he was seized by the Foulah%, carmied off as a slave, and afterwards taken to the Gold Coast, where he was shipped on board a Portuguesevessel, and carried to Bahia, where To remained three years. He was employed in a Portuguese slave-ship as a seaman, and returned to Africa in her during Governor hlaxwell's residence on the coast. Duncanno states, that he was in his tative country, Birnie Yaourie, 16 years ago (1806), when Mr. Park arrived there in a canoe with two masts: no persons landed. The canoe continued her course down the river with the travellers in her. The King of Yaourie, aware of their danger, sent offteight canoes after them to varn them of it; and -a one. of the canoes waS sent a red cow, intended as a present to the white ren. Alr. Park did not comnnunicate with them, but continued sailing onwardc. The canoes foUowed; and at last Mr. Park, probably dreading hostile intentions, fired upon them, but fortunately did not kill any one. The canoes return. ed; but the King, anxious for the safety of the travellers, again sent people to proceed after them, requesting them to stop, and he would send people to show them the safe and proper pas. sage in the channel of the river. The nessengers cnuld not, however, overtake them. Park continued his voyage till the vessel got amongst the rocks of i Boussa, and was, in consequence, " broke." Birnie Yaourie is irs loussa, buit Boussa is not. The latter is in the country called Bprgoo. Birnie Yaourie Is by land distant one ti, journey fromn Boulssa, but byv water one day and a half. Xhrncanno de.scribed the place or Pass, where the canoe was broke, to be like the cataracts in our mountains. The water ran with great force. The canoe was carried rapilly along, and before they could see their imminent danger, it struck with violence on somr rocks and was dashed to piecer The people of Boussa stood upon the rocks projecting into the river, desirous if possible to afford the white imen assistance, but the catastrophc was so sudden, and the violence of the stream so great, that they could not reach them. The break of the river on the rocks is tie. scribed as dreadful, the whirlpools formed appalling, and the agita- tion of the waters so great as almost to raise the canoe eo its end, and precipitate its stem forwards into the gulfs below it. At the moment the vessel struck, Alr. Park held something in his hand, which he threw into the water, juAt ts the vessel appeared to be goirnr to pieces. The " water was too bad," sO agitated that hc could gta swin, and he was seen to sink in it. There were " plenty?' of other white mnen in the canoe, all of whom were drowned. The river bhere is as broad as from Le Fevre Point to Tagrin Point, Sierra Leone, or above four miles. There was a black man, a slave, who was saved from the canoe. This black man spoke the Foulah language, and was a slave to a Foulab man. When Duncanno left Yaourie, this man was still in Boussa, but he knows nothing more of him. Duncanno asserted positively that no person front Park's vessel landed at Birnie Yaourit, that the black was the onlv individual saved, and that that man only was left at Boussa. The pcople of Bousra wentin canoes to this " had place" in the river, where Park's vessel was broken, and where he was drowned, and sonic expert divers dived into the 3treamn and picked up twelve pistols and two long muskets. '" Plenty of people" went from Birnie Yaourie to Boassa to 6ee the wreck after the King of Boussa had sent to the King of Yaourie to informr him of the disaster. Park in. formed the black man who was in the boat, that in a week or two he slould carrv him with thc canoe into a " great ocean," where the water was salt I Thus far the simple narrative. It bears the stamp of troth upon it, and it is impossible to reflcct upon the cattastrophe witbout feel. ings of the deepest sorrow and regret at thc loss of the enterprising traveller when he was tO rear completing his labour, and reaping the reward jall his toils. iariousaccounts, obtained through our present tanel of inforTmation, agree in stating, that from below Bowusa k Benn the river is open and deep. and broad and navigable. AFRICA.-MR. PARK.