This edition had all images removed.
Title: Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 3 (of 5) : being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Original Publication: London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts, 1857, copyright 1858.
Credits: Galo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Getty Research Institute and Smithsonian Libraries)
Summary: "Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 3 (of 5) : being…." by Henry Barth is a travel narrative and geographical account written in the mid-19th century. Centered on the Bornu–Lake Chad region, it blends route diaries with ethnography, climate notes, and political observation as the expedition pushes from Kúkawa toward Kanem and Bagírmi. Expect close descriptions of landscapes, rivers, crops, and wildlife, alongside court ceremonies, local markets, and the tense logistics of moving with armed escorts. The opening of the volume moves from front matter and a detailed contents list into a first‑person chronicle of the rainy season in Kúkawa, where the narrator struggles with illness, sells merchandise to fund the mission, and records rains, crops, insects, and an elaborate ʿId festival. He frames the journey within regional power shifts—Bornu’s anxieties about the Turks in Fezzán, turmoil in Sokoto, and conflict in Wadai—and explains why he must join the marauding Welád Slimán to reach Kanem and the eastern shores of Lake Chad. After receiving a strong horse from the vizier, he and his colleague Overweg set out through fields and ponds to Yó and the Komadugu, cross on frail calabash rafts, and enter insecure country where their Arab companions plunder herders and travelers. The narrative interweaves natural history and geography—salt making, natron pools, grass grains, and cotton—with vivid scenes: the fetid town of Yó, the poor village of Ngégimi, and a majestic herd of ninety‑six elephants near the lake. It closes this opening stretch with the push beyond Berí through salt-laced lagoons, a dangerous bog incident, and an encampment by fresh water on the way deeper into Kanem. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading Level: Reading ease score: 60.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
Author: Barth, Heinrich, 1821-1865
Illustrator: Bernatz, Johann Martin, 1802-1878
EBook No.: 76318
Published: Jun 16, 2025
Downloads: 241
Language: English
Subject: Africa, Central -- Description and travel
Subject: Africa, North -- Description and travel
LoCC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa
Category: Text
Rights: Public domain in the USA.
This edition has images.
Title: Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 3 (of 5) : being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855
Original Publication: London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts, 1857, copyright 1858.
Credits: Galo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Getty Research Institute and Smithsonian Libraries)
Summary: "Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 3 (of 5) : being…." by Henry Barth is a travel narrative and geographical account written in the mid-19th century. Centered on the Bornu–Lake Chad region, it blends route diaries with ethnography, climate notes, and political observation as the expedition pushes from Kúkawa toward Kanem and Bagírmi. Expect close descriptions of landscapes, rivers, crops, and wildlife, alongside court ceremonies, local markets, and the tense logistics of moving with armed escorts. The opening of the volume moves from front matter and a detailed contents list into a first‑person chronicle of the rainy season in Kúkawa, where the narrator struggles with illness, sells merchandise to fund the mission, and records rains, crops, insects, and an elaborate ʿId festival. He frames the journey within regional power shifts—Bornu’s anxieties about the Turks in Fezzán, turmoil in Sokoto, and conflict in Wadai—and explains why he must join the marauding Welád Slimán to reach Kanem and the eastern shores of Lake Chad. After receiving a strong horse from the vizier, he and his colleague Overweg set out through fields and ponds to Yó and the Komadugu, cross on frail calabash rafts, and enter insecure country where their Arab companions plunder herders and travelers. The narrative interweaves natural history and geography—salt making, natron pools, grass grains, and cotton—with vivid scenes: the fetid town of Yó, the poor village of Ngégimi, and a majestic herd of ninety‑six elephants near the lake. It closes this opening stretch with the push beyond Berí through salt-laced lagoons, a dangerous bog incident, and an encampment by fresh water on the way deeper into Kanem. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading Level: Reading ease score: 60.0 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
Author: Barth, Heinrich, 1821-1865
Illustrator: Bernatz, Johann Martin, 1802-1878
EBook No.: 76318
Published: Jun 16, 2025
Downloads: 241
Language: English
Subject: Africa, Central -- Description and travel
Subject: Africa, North -- Description and travel
LoCC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa
Category: Text
Rights: Public domain in the USA.