Mr. Horneman, in the above respects, certainly set out with a more probable chance of success; though I much fear the expectations which he raised will never be fulfilled. From his Journal, indeed, he appears to have been of far too sanguine a disposition, and to have relied too much on the fair professions of his African fellow-travellers, an instance of which occurs in his letter from Mourzouk, where he says, “Under protection of two great Shereefs I have the best hopes of success in my undertaking.” Here the hopes of success originate in the very cause that would induce a man versed in the character and springs of action of the Africans, to despair of success. It was the promises of these people that led Major Houghton to his ruin; and the fair representations made by some of them to the first emissaries of the African Association have been proved to be false by the difficulties and dangers which their successors have had to encounter, in attempting to penetrate to Timbuctoo. The Shereefs are very plausible people; many of them possess uncommon suavity of manners, which is too apt to throw the confiding European off his guard, and make him the victim of their artful designs; as to their information, it is not to be depended on; they will say every thing to mislead, an instance of which will be presently mentioned in the case of Mr. Parke. In another place Mr. Horneman says, “In respect to my astronomical instruments, I shall take special care never to be discovered in the act of observation; should these instruments, however, attract notice, the answer is ready, they are articles of sale, nor is there fear I should be deprived of them whilst master of my price.” Nothing can evince greater ignorance of the people than this; indeed I am surprised Mr. Horneman could entertain such an idea. The mode of travelling in Africa will prevent the possibility of his availing himself of these precautions; there is no cafilah, or caravan of itinerant merchants and traders in that country, which does not contain some person who has either been to sea, or has seen nautical instruments, and knows their use. That they are articles for sale would indeed sound very well for a person going through Europe, but there are no purchasers for such things in Africa; besides, no people under heaven are more jealous, or suspicious of every thing which they do not comprehend, than the Africans. The description of them by Sallust holds at this day, and is perhaps a better drawn character of the modern African (although it alludes to their ancestors) than any description which has hitherto been given of this extraordinary people. These ignorant, barbarous savages, as we call them, are much more sagacious, and possess much better intellects, than we have yet been aware of.