The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805: Together with Other Documents, Official and Private, Relating to the Same Mission, to Which Is Prefixed an Account of the Life of Mr. ParkPark, Mungo
History
The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805: Together with Other Documents, Official and Private, Relating to the Same Mission, to Which Is Prefixed an Account of the Life of Mr. Park
Park, Mungo
Africa -- Discovery and exploration
There are some moral defects very difficult to be avoided by those
persons, who from a situation comparatively obscure, rise to sudden
distinction and celebrity. From these failings Park was happily exempt.
He was a stranger to all vanity and affectation; and notwithstanding his
great popularity and success, appears to have lost no portion of the
genuine simplicity of his character and manners. This simplicity
originated perhaps in a considerable degree from a certain coldness and
reserve, which, as was before remarked, rendered him very indifferent,
and perhaps somewhat averse, to mixed or general society. It was
probably owing to the same cause that his conversation, for a man who
had seen so much, had nothing remarkable, and was rarely striking or
animated. Hence, although his appearance was interesting and
prepossessing, he was apt to disappoint the expectations of strangers;
and those persons who estimated his general talents from his powers of
conversation, formed an erroneous and inadequate opinion of his merits.
In his person he was tall, being about six feet high, and perfectly well
proportioned. His countenance and whole appearance were highly
interesting; and his frame active and robust, fitted for great exertions
and the endurance of great hardships. His constitution had suffered
considerably from the effects of his first journey into Africa, but
seems afterwards to have been restored to its original vigour, of which
his last expedition afforded the most ample proofs.
Park's family consisted of three sons and one daughter, all of whom,
together with Mrs. Park their mother, are now living. He also left a
mother, four brothers (of whom one is lately dead), and three sisters.
* * * * *
In the death of Mungo Park we have to lament not only the loss of the
most distinguished traveller of modern times, but the failure of an
expedition, honourable to Great Britain and highly interesting to
humanity and science. For a time this unfortunate event has had the
effect of damping the ardour of geographical enquiry, and of
discouraging all ideas of farther endeavours to explore the interior of
Africa. But we may hope that the publication of Park's Journal will
revive the attention of enlightened men to this subject; and that the
prospect of future discoveries in that quarter of the globe will not be
hastily abandoned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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