By This Time Many Of The Beasts Of Burden Had Sunk, And Great Difficulty Was Found In Obtaining A Sufficient Supply Of Provisions.

The king of the Foulahs, on being asked permission to pass through his territory, seemed alarmed at hearing of so large a body of foreigners about to enter his country.

He contrived, under various pretexts, to detain them on the frontier four months, during which their stock of food and clothing gradually diminished, while they were suffering all the evils that arise from a sickly climate and a scanty supply of necessaries. At length, their situation became such as to place them under the absolute necessity of returning. All their animals being dead, it was necessary to hire the natives to carry their baggage, an expedient which gave occasion to frequent pillage. They reached Kakundy with the loss only of Mr. Kum-Doer, the naturalist; but Captain Campbell, overcome by sickness and exertion, died two days after, on the 13th of June 1817. The command was then transferred to Lieutenant Stokoe, a spirited young naval officer, who had joined the expedition as a volunteer. He had formed a new scheme for proceeding into the interior; but unhappily he also sunk under the climate and the fatigues of the, journey.

A sentence of death seemed pronounced against all, who should attempt to penetrate the African continent, and yet were still some, daring spirits, who did not shrink from the undertaking. Captain Gray, of the Royal African corps, who had accompanied the last-mentioned expedition, under Major Peddie and Captain Campbell, undertook, in 1818, to perform a journey by Park's old route along the Gambia.

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