Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 1

~~$42.99~~

$22.99

Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 1 - Under the Orders and at the Expense of Her Majesty's GovernmentThe task of the Editor...

FREE
SHIPPING

100% MONEY
BACK GUARANTEE

Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 1 - Under the Orders and at the Expense of Her Majesty's Government

The task of the Editor of these volumes has been principally one of arrangement and compression. The late lamented Mr. James Richardson left behind him a copious journal, comprised in eight small but closely-written volumes, besides a vast heap of despatches and scattered memoranda; and, at first sight, it seemed to me that it would be necessary to melt the whole down into a narrative in the third person. On attentively studying the materials before me, however, I perceived that Mr. Richardson had written in most places with a view to publication; and that, had he lived, he would soon have brought what, on a cursory examination, appeared a mere chaotic mass, into a shape that would have accorded with his own idea of a book of travels. Such being the case, I thought it bestin order to leave the stamp of[vi] authenticity on this singular record of enterpriseto do little more than the author would himself have done. In the form of a diary, thereforewritten sometimes with Oriental navetthe reader will here find what may be called the domestic history of one of the most successful expeditions undertaken for the exploration of Central Africa. I believe it would have been possible to get up a work of more temporary interest from the same materials; but this could only have been done by sacrificing truthfulness of detail. In the present form, Mr. Richardson's journal will always remain as an authority on the geography and present condition of a large portion of the Saharan desert, hitherto unvisited, at any rate undescribed. As will be seen, the Mission was accompanied by two German gentlemen, Drs. Barth and Overwegthe former, of whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Egypt, after his enterprising ride along the coast of Libya. They are still in Central Africa, pushing their excursions on all sides, from Bornou into unknown tracts; and the accounts they may publish on their return will be anxiously looked for. The great traverse of the Saharan desert, however, with all its vicissitudes[vii] and dangers, the physical aspect of that wonderful region, and the manners of the various tribes that inhabit it, will, in the present volume, be found to be fully describednot, it is true, with much attempt at literary ornament, but in the vivid though simple language in which a man sets down impressions which he has just received. I have endeavoured to remove all the faults which may be supposed to have arisen from haste or carelessness, and have necessarily re-written several passages, and passed a correcting pen over the whole manuscript. But I think I may say with confidence, that there is no observation or statement in the following pages which cannot be justified by a reference to the original journals and scattered memoranda. To me this simple record of daily occurrences seems highly interesting. It divides itself, naturally, into a succession of parts of unequal importance. First comes an account of the journey to Mourzuk, the capital of Fezzan, containing the traverse of the frightful Hamadah or plateau which separates that province from the regency of Tripoli. Then we have a residence at Mourzuk itself, Mr. Richardson being obliged to wait the arrival from Ght of an[viii] escort of Tuarick chieftains, with whom he had partly made acquaintance during a former trip in the desert. This escort appeared after some delay; and the Mission proceeded across the Fezzan plains to the independent state of Ght, through a very wild and picturesque country. At this point began, if not the most arduous, at any rate the most dangerous, and at the same time the most novel, part of the journey. Mr. Richardson had undertaken, on his way to Soudan Proper (his first destination), to pass by the hitherto unexplored kingdom of Aheer or Asben, situated towards the southern limits of the Sahara. The march of the Mission across the deserts that lie between Ght and that territory was rendered exciting by continual reports of danger from pursuing freebooters of the Haghar and Azgher tribes; but the enemy were outstripped, and no actual attack took place until the first inhabited districts of Aheer were reached. Here some lawless tribes levied black-mail, on the caravan, which was then permitted to proceed, though in doubt and alarm, until it arrived under the long-expected protection of Sheikh En-Noor, one of the great chiefs of the Kailouee tribes, at his town, or rather encampment,[ix] of Tintalous. Mr. Richardson's residence at this place was long and tedious. He suffered, besides, from the extortionate disposition of the Sheikh or Sultan, who, however, after considerable exactions, became his friend. This Saharan character is brought out by a succession of amusing touches. But our traveller was impatient to proceed, and seems to have hailed with delight the announcement that the great Salt-Caravan, which annually transports the necessary condiment from Bilma vi Aheer to the south, was about to start, and that the Sheikh and the Christians were to accompany it. Some further disappointments occurred, but at length the Mission proceeded to Damerghou, whence Drs. Barth and Overweg went, one to Maradee and the other to Kanou, whilst Mr. Richardson proceeded alone to Zinder, situated in the province of Damagram. Here he was well received by the Sarkee, or Governor, and he dilates with well-founded exultation on his escape from the insolent and rapacious Tuaricks. Sad sights, however, connected with the slave-trade, checked his delight. During his stay the Sarkee went out in person to hunt down the subjects of his own sovereign,[x] that he might pay his debts by selling them into captivity. After another considerable delay Mr. Richardson was enabled to start once more, and being obliged to change his original plan proceeded to Kuka, the capital of Bornou, by way of Minyo. Shortly after leaving Gurai, the chief town of that province, the unfortunate traveller found his strength to be gradually giving way. He had already previously complained of the heat and fatigue, but did not seem to have felt any great alarm. Now, however, the climate seems to have told upon him with sudden and fatal violence. His last moments are described in a letter from his fellow-traveller, Dr. Barth, who hastened to the spot with laudable energy as soon as he heard of the melancholy catastrophe that had taken place. Mr. Richardson died at Ungurutua, about six days' journey from Kuka, the capital of Bornou, on the 4th of March, 1851, eleven months after his departure from Tripoli. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 17164
Author: Richardson, James
Release Date: Nov 27, 2005
Format: eBook
Language: English

In stock at the Booksdeli Warehouse:

Items that are in stock at the Booksdeli Warehouse will state, 'Ships in 1-2 business days'. There will also be a red 'in stock' on the product information page of the individual title that will indicate if the title is actually in stock. Occasionally stock runs out before the website is updated and you will be notified if you have been affected. Please note that if your order is placed during a "sale" period, dispatch time for 'in stock' items can be delayed due to increased volume of orders.

Items not in stock at the Booksdeli Warehouse:

Items that are NOT in stock at the Booksdeli Warehouse will need to be ordered from the supplier. Any title that does NOT feature a red 'in stock' star on the product information page of the individual title will need to be ordered from the supplier.

With 1 million titles listed on our website we are not able to keep stock of all titles, and the title you are seeking may have to be ordered from an Australian, UK, USA or other country supplier. Each item you order may have different delivery expectations depending on availability. Please also note that to offer the widest range of items online we rely on information provided by the publishers and distributors. Our website is updated regularly but titles can and do sometimes become temporarily unavailable whilst reprinting, or they may go out of print without prior notice from the publisher. If an item in your order is affected then Booksdeli staff will contact you via the email or message centre in your Booksdeli account to inform you of the delay and your order will be updated with the relevant information. You will receive an email asking you to log into your Booksdeli account because your order has been updated.

How long will it take to deliver this title to you?

After you place your order we will research where best to source this title.
You will be sent an email once your order has been processed requesting you to log in to your account to inform you of the delivery expectations of your order.
If delivery times are not suitable then you have 1 business day to contact Booksdeli to discuss faster delivery options. If Booksdeli is unable to fast track the delivery of this title for you then you have the option to cancel for a full refund. After 1 business day your order is a firm sale.

Delivery Expectations:

eBooks and Gift Certificates are delivered instantly.
Most of Booksdeli's titles are dispatched from our warehouse within 6 to 24 business days.
Booksdeli specialise in titles that are difficult to source. For example, University or Academic texts, older hardcover editions, or titles on very specific subjects, etc and these may take 16 to 30 business days to ship to you as they are not titles that suppliers keep readily available and need to be specifically ordered in.
Extremely specialised titles (i.e. indent titles) or titles waiting for a reprint can take 6 weeks to 4 months to source from suppliers around the world. Indent titles are firm sale and cannot be cancelled or returned.
Some titles are yet to be published so please pay attention to the publisher's predicted publish date when ordering and MORE IMPORTANTLY please check if there are other editions that are already published.

In all instances we will notify you of delivery times for each title with the information we have at the time of processing your order as discussed above. Please also add the appropriate number of days it may take for Australia Post or other preferred shipping companies for Australian orders or FedEx or other preferred shipping companies for international orders to deliver to you from Australian warehouses or from suppliers.

See Average Delivery Times in our SHIPPING & DELIVERY INFORMATION SECTION in the Help Centre for average delivery times from Australian warehouses.

Stock on hand at the Booksdeli warehouse will be shipped the next business day if there are no other items that are waiting for delivery from Booksdeli suppliers. Please note that if your order is placed during a "sale" period, dispatch time for 'in stock' items can be delayed due to increased volume of orders.

If items are not readily available then our Order Processing Team will endeavour to contact you via the email or message centre in your Booksdeli account to discuss the time frame for these items.

Items that are Pre-Orders will be ordered automatically unless the listed publication date changes.

How will I know if my order has been dispatched?

An automated 'shipped' email will be sent once your order has been dispatched from our warehouse.

Insufficient and/or incorrect delivery information:

*** Address changes and/or corrections made through your Booksdeli Account will only affect future orders placed after the changes and/or corrections are made. Any changes and/or corrections for current orders must be done by contacting the Booksdeli Customer Care Team as soon as possible.***

(Don't forget to update your account for future orders after emailing Booksdeli)

Customers who enter addresses that Australia Post or any other shipping company have deemed having incorrect and/or insufficient details to ensure delivery may result in the following:

Delayed delivery
Lost parcel
Package/s returned to the Booksdeli Warehouse

If Booksdeli is found to be responsible for incorrectly addressing a package then Booksdeli will be responsible for the resending, replacement or refund of the items not delivered or delayed.

Any package returned to Booksdeli due to the above incorrect and/or insufficient information will require an extra delivery charge i.e. $8 for shipping the package again. Also, if Booksdeli has incurred extra fees to retrieve the package from Australia Post and other shipping companies then these charges will also be borne by the customer before the package can be despatched again.

If a package arrives back to the Booksdeli Warehouse due to the above incorrect and/or insufficient delivery issues and incurs damage to the item(s), Booksdeli will not be responsible for replacing the goods but will make every effort to add extra protection to resend the package once the extra delivery fee payments have been made.

If customers prefer a replacement, then they can elect to have them reordered and will be charged the RRP less 30% plus $8 shipping (stock permitting). If stock is no longer available at the same price at the time of ordering then Booksdeli will not be required to find a replacement or refund or store credit.

If a customer prefers not to receive the items as their requirements have changed then no refund or store credit will be provided due to "incorrect and/or insufficient address" details.

Any shipment that is delayed or lost and is found to have had incorrect and/or insufficient details provided by the customer will not be covered by Booksdeli. NO REFUNDS and NO STORE CREDITS are applicable.

If the package has the correct delivery information and is 'lost' by Australia Post or other preferred delivery company, Booksdeli will replace the items only after you have checked with your local Post Office as per the information in the Help Centre section of the website or, issue a store credit if the replacement copies will not arrive in time. If Booksdeli is unable to source a replacement copy due to the title no longer being available for whatever reason, a refund will be processed for the unavailable title. You must contact Booksdeli within six (6) weeks of receiving the automated 'shipping' email if your package has not arrived otherwise no store credit or refund (if applicable) will be available.

Mail redirections:

Customers please note that many of our Booksdeli customers inform us that their Australia Post Redirections and other shipping companies’ redirections do not work with packages. Booksdeli will not be responsible for replacing goods or extra costs if a redirection has not been successful. Please contact Customer Service before you move to ensure a current order has the updated details to minimize delays.

Please see our INSUFFICIENT AND/OR INCORRECT DELIVERY INFORMATION section in the Help Centre for more details and how to avoid errors in placing your order.

Orders with multiple items:

Customers with more than one item may be sent their items in multiple shipments. Booksdeli holds onto items for up to 2 hours after the first item has been allocated to the order to include as many items in one shipment as possible. Customers shipping to addresses in Australia pay a one off fee of $8 for as many shipments required per order. If you require items to be sent before the above time frame, an additional postage charge of $8 will apply. You can request items to be sent sooner by contacting the Booksdeli Customer Care Team. Overseas orders see below.

Overseas Orders:

All overseas orders are consolidated to one delivery.

If a Fed-Ex/UPS service or our preferred delivery service does not deliver to your specified address we reserve the right to cancel your order before it is processed.

Orders over the value of AUD$900 being delivered to all other countries will be liable for customs charges, taxes including GST and brokerage costs. These charges are the responsibility of the recipient and Booksdeli will not reimburse customers for these import costs or provide a refund or credit for any order if a customer refuses to pay them. Please contact our Customer Service Team to discuss what arrangements may be possible for your order.

All orders with an overseas delivery address are firm sale and a store credit or refund is not available. Note that this does not apply to Damaged or Faulty Items - see our Returns section of the Help Centre.

Completion of an order & outstanding items:

An order will be complete when either of the following occurs (i) all items were sent and delivered (ii) the order has been cancelled during the cooling-off period (iii) the customer nominated to pay by cheque, money order or bank transfer and the monies were never received by Booksdeli within 60 days of the date of the order and the unprocessed order was cancelled (iv) the customer received some items but nominated to get a credit or refund for the remaining amount (v) Booksdeli could not charge the credit card and the unprocessed order was cancelled (vi) the remaining items that are yet to be delivered in the order are no longer in print or available through Booksdeli's suppliers any more (vii) more than 120 days have passed since monies have been received on an order and Booksdeli was unable to source the title(s) and if so then the customer will receive a refund for the amount of the cancelled item, unless the customer wishes to wait longer for such title to become available. The ONLY exception applies to items Pre-Orders where the 120 days commences from the publish date.

Privacy Policy:

Booksdeli Pty Ltd keeps all personal information submitted in the strictest confidence. The information is kept on a secure server and is only used to process orders from Booksdeli. This information will not be released to anyone other than necessary to fulfill your order. In some instances Booksdeli Pty Ltd's suppliers will fulfill directly to you, the customer, to improve delivery times and your contact information is kept in the strictest confidence. We will not rent or sell your personal information to any third party outside of Booksdeli Pty Ltd without your permission.

Third-Party Service Providers: Booksdeli uses Australia Post, UPS, FedEx, and Spring Global Mail and other delivery companies to deliver packages. Booksdeli may provide these companies your details including emails and contact number ONLY to provide customers up to date delivery tracking of dispatched orders.