A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels Volume Xviii Part 45

613. Description de l'Egypte, ou Recueil des Observations, &c. faites pendant l'Expedition de l'Armie Francaise, en 3 livraisons. Paris, 1809, &c.

These magnificent works, the result of the observations and researches of the savans who accompanied Bonaparte, undoubtedly add much to our knowledge of Egypt; but they are more decidedly specimens of French vanity and philosophism, than of sober and real science. Denon's work is translated into English and German: the best English translation is by Aikin.

614. Norden's Travels in Egypt and Nubia, with Templeman's notes, published and translated under the inspection of the Royal Society of London, 1757, 2 vols. folio.--Norden was a Danish physician; his work was originally published in that language. A French translation was published at Copenhagen, in 1755; and a subsequent one at Paris in 1795-98, in 3 vols.

4to. with very valuable notes and ill.u.s.trations from ancient and modern authors, and Arabian geographers, by Langles. The merits of Norden's work, are of the most enduring and substantial kind, so far as relates to the Antiquities of Egypt, and the Cataracts: it is high and unequivocal commendation of this author, that subsequent travellers have found him a judicious and sure guide.

615. Legh's Journey in Egypt, and the Country beyond the Cataract, 1816, 4to.--In a small compa.s.s, there is much new information in these Travels, though not so much respecting the ancient country of the Ethiopians, in which Mr. Legh went beyond most former travellers, as could have been wished. Some parts of the personal narrative are uncommonly interesting.

616. Belzoni's Operations and Discoveries in Egypt, 4to. 1820.--Whoever has read this book, (and who has not?) will agree with us in opinion, that its interest is derived, not less from the manner in which it is written, the personal adventures, and the picture it exhibits of the author's character, than from its splendid and popular antiquarian discoveries.

617. Edmonston's Journey to two of the Oases of Upper Egypt, 1823. 8vo.

618. Notes during a Visit to Egypt, Nubia, &c. By Sir F. Henniker, 8vo.

1823.

619. Waddington's Journal of a Visit to some parts of Ethiopia, 1823. 4to.

620. Narrative of the Expedition to Dangda and Sennaar. By An American.

1823. 8vo.--These works, and especially the last, make us acquainted with parts of Africa inaccessible to Europeans till very lately, and add considerably to our stock of physical and moral geography. Sir F.

Henniker's work brings us in contact, in a very lively and pleasing manner, with many points in the character and habits of the natives of the country he visited.

WESTERN AFRICA, AND THE ADJACENT ISLES.

622. Voyages de Aloysio Cadamosto aux Isles Madere, et des Canaries au Cap Blanc, au Senegal, &c. en 1455. 4to. Paris, 1508.--This work was originally published in Italian; its author was employed by Don Henry of Portugal, to prosecute discovery on the Western Coast of Africa. Besides an interesting detail of the voyage, it makes us acquainted with the manners and habits of the people, before they had been accustomed to European intercourse.

622. Voyage de Lybie, ou du Royaume de Senegal, fait et compose par C.

Jannequin, de retour en France, in 1659. Paris, 1645. 8vo.--This also is an interesting work, as depicting with great navete and force the manners of the inhabitants, and affording some curious particulars respecting their diseases.

623. Nouvelle Relation de l'Afrique occidentale. Par Labat. Paris, 1728. 5 vols. 12mo.--Though Labat never visited the countries he describes, which are, Senegal, and those that lie behind Cape Blanc and Sierra Leone; yet as he derived his information from the Director General of the French African Company, it may be depended upon. This work enters into full particulars on the subject of African commerce, especially that carried on by the Moors in the interior. The plants, animals, soil, &c. as well as the religion, government, customs, manufactures are also described.

624. Histoire Naturelle du Senegal. Par M. Adanson. Paris. 1757. 4to.--M.

Adanson was in this part of Africa, from 1749 to 1753; his chief study and investigation seems to have been directed to conchology; and the descriptions and admirable plates in his book, certainly leave little to be desired on this subject. There are besides remarks on the temperature, productions, economy, and manufactures of the country.

625. Nouvelle Histoire de l'Afrique Francaise. Par M. l'Abbe Dumanet.

Paris, 1767. 2 vols. 12mo.--Dumanet was a missionary in Africa, and seems to have united to religious zeal, much information, and an ardent desire to gain all the knowledge, which his residence and character placed within his reach. His notices regarding Senegal in particular, are very valuable, but his work is not distinguished for order or method.

626. Relations de plusieurs Voyages entrepris a la Cote d'Afrique, au Senegal, a Goree, &c. tirees des Journeaux de M. Saugnier. Paris, 1799.

8vo.--M. Saugnier was s.h.i.+pwrecked on the Coast of Africa, along with M.

Follies, and was a long time a slave to the Moors, and the Emperor of Morocco: he afterwards, on his liberation, made a voyage to Galam. The first part of his work relates to the great desert, and has been already noticed; the second part describes the manners, &c. of several tribes near Galam; and the third relates to the commerce of Galam and Senegal.

627. Voyage au Senegal, 1784-5. Paris, 1802. 8vo.--The materials of this work were drawn from the Memoirs of La Jaille, who was sent by the French Government to examine the coasts from Cape Blanc, to Sierra Leone. The editor, La Barthe, had access to the MS. in the bureau of the minister of marine and colonies, and was thus enabled to add to the accuracy and value of the work. It chiefly relates to geography, navigation, and commerce, and on all these topics gives full and accurate information.

628. Fragmens d'un Voyage dans l'Afrique occidentale, 1785-87. Par Golbery.

Paris, 1802. 2 vols. 8vo.--The French commercial establishments in Senegal, the tribes in their vicinity, and the diseases to which Europeans are liable in this part of Africa, and more particularly the topics of this work, which has been translated into English.

629. Account of the native Africans in the neighbourhood of Sierra Leone.

By T. Winterbottom, 1803. 2 vols. 8vo.--A very instructive work, entering into many details on subjects not generally noticed by travellers, but to which, the thoughts and enquiries of the author, as a medical man, were naturally drawn.

630. Description of the Coast of Guinea. By W. Bosman, translated from the Dutch, 1703. 8vo.--This work is very full on most topics relating to Guinea, not only in its physical, but also its economical and commercial state; and deservedly bears the character of one of the best old accounts of this part of Africa.

631. New Accounts of some parts of Guinea and the Slave Trade. By Wm.

Snelgrave, 1727. 8vo.--Works that describe the Slave Trade, before it roused the notice and indignation of England, are valuable and useful, because in them no exaggeration can be suspected in the detail, either of its extent or its horrors: on this account, as well as for its other commercial information, this work deserves to be read.

632. New Voyage to Guinea. By W. Smith, 1750. 8vo.--The author embraces almost every thing relating to Guinea, and has succeeded, in a short compa.s.s, to give much information.

633. Observations on the Coast of Guinea. By John Atkin, 1758.

8vo.--Personal adventures, which however let the reader into the manners and habits of the people, and are told in an interesting manner, nearly fill this volume.

634. Historical Account of Guinea. By An. Benezet, Philadelphia, 1771, 12mo.--This is one of the first works, which exposed the horrid iniquity of the Slave Trade.

635. History of Dahomy, an inland Kingdom of Africa. By And. Dalzell, 1789.

4to.--The official situation which the author held, gave him opportunities of gaining much valuable information in this kingdom and its inhabitants, the accuracy of which may be depended on.

636. Bowditch's Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, 1819.

4to.--This work is full and minute, but we suspect exaggerated respecting the Court of Ashantee; on the ma.s.s of the people it gives little information. The part that relates to the geography of middle Africa, is confused and unsatisfactory.

637. Tuckey's Narrative of an Expedition to explore the River Zaire, in 1816. 4to. The Quarterly Review very justly remarks, that this volume "contains an important and valuable addition to the records of African discovery." Natural history was especially advanced by this unfortunate expedition.

638. Relatio et Descriptio Congo et Cham. Amsterdam, 1659. 4to.--The materials of this work, are drawn from that of Lopez, which was originally published in Italian, and forms part of the Grands Voyages. It it very full on the different races of people, their manners, government, religion, traffic, &c. as well as on the productions of the soil.

640. Histoire de Loango, Kakougo, et autres Royaumes d'Afrique. Paris, 1776. 12mo.--This work, which is drawn up from the Memoirs of the French Missionaries, describes the physical state of the country, the manners, language, government, laws, commerce, &c. of the inhabitants, with great care; a large portion of it, however, is devoted to an account of the labours of the missionaries.

641. Voyage a la Cote Meridionale d'Afrique, 1786-7. Par L. de Grandpie.

Paris, 1802. 2 vols. 8vo.--Much information on the Slave Trade, and a plan for abolis.h.i.+ng it, by introducing civilization and a love of commerce into this part of Africa, occupy the greater part of the first volume; the second volume, which comprises the Cape of Good Hope, gives details which will be found useful to those who navigate and trade in these parts. The manners, &c. of the people are by no means overlooked.

INTERIOR OF AFRICA.

642. Travels in the inland parts of Africa, to which is added, Captain Stubbs's Voyage up the Gambia, in 1723. By Francis Moore, 1758. 4to.--1742.

8vo.--This is a valuable work, and introduces the reader to many parts and tribes of Africa, which even yet are little known, partly drawn from the accounts of an African prince who came to England. Of this information, and that collected by Captain Stubbs, Moore, who was superintendant of the African Company's establishments in the Gambia, availed himself in drawing up this work.

Little additional information respecting the interior of Africa was obtained, till the establishment of the African a.s.sociation in 1788. It is unnecessary to give an individual and particular character of the works which were drawn up under their auspices; the persons they employed, were, in many respects, in general admirably calculated for the ardous enterprize, and certainly by their labours have added not a little to our knowledge of the geography, manners, trade, &c. of this part of Africa. But it is to be regretted, that they were not qualified to investigate the natural history of the countries they visited, especially as these must be extremely rich in all the departments of this branch of science. To these preliminary observations and general character, we add the t.i.tles of the princ.i.p.al travels undertaken under the auspices of the African a.s.sociation.

643. African a.s.sociation, their Proceedings for prosecuting the discovery of the interior parts of Africa, containing the Journals of Ledyard, Lucas, Houghton, Horneman, Nicholls, &c. 1810. 2 vols. 8vo.

644. Park's Travels in the interior districts of Africa, 1795-97, with geographical ill.u.s.trations, by Major Rennell, 1799. 4to.

645. The Journal of a Mission to the interior of Africa, in 1805. By Park, 1815. 4to.

In 1803, there was published at Paris, a French translation of Horneman's Travels, with notes, and a memoir on the Oases, by Langles.

Those notes and memoirs were princ.i.p.ally drawn from Arabian authors; and, together with the rectification of the names of places, render the translation valuable.

646. Jackson's account of Tombuctoo and Housa, with Travels through West and South Barbary, and across the Mountains of Atlas, 8vo. 1820.--So long as it is so extremely dangerous and difficult for Europeans to penetrate into the interior of Africa, we must be content to derive our information regarding it, from Africans who have travelled thither; and it is evident that those will be best calculated to collect accurate information from them, who are acquainted with their language and character, and who have resided among them. On these accounts, Mr. Jackson's work is valuable and important; the same remarks apply to his Account of Morocco, 1809. 4to.

647. Riley's Loss of the Brig Commerce, on the west Coast of Africa, 1815.

With an account of Tombuctoo and Wa.s.sanah, 4to.