Travels in Western Africa in 1845 & 1846, Volume 1 (of 2)

A former cavalry officer turned explorer, the narrator brings a soldier’s discipline and an artist’s eye to his African odyssey. After surviving a disastrous Niger expedition that left most of his comrades dead, he endured a severe leg wound and fever before being rescued by the Royal Geographical Society, which equipped him for a new mission into the continent’s uncharted interior. His pre‑face sets the stage, recounting his humble Scottish origins, his military service, and the determination that drives him to push beyond the familiar coasts.

The travelogue follows his trek from the bustling ports of the Atlantic shore through the kingdom of Dahomey and deeper into the unknown lands of the Kong Mountains. Along the way he records vivid details of markets, local customs, and the striking geography, while noting the hardships of disease, difficult terrain, and encounters with both friendly and hostile peoples. Readers are offered a window into mid‑nineteenth‑century West Africa, seen through the steady, observant gaze of a man who blends curiosity with hard‑won experience.