VIU PREFACE.

remained of redeeming their fate by more successful exertions. Greece and Rome alternately fought and conquered, and were subdued by arms, the short summary of most nations' history, while it remained for the British Government alone to extend their empire through the enlightened agency of moral sway, of civil institutes, and Christian regulations, and convey to the hapless, the neglected, and the enslaved, the highest blessings which can dignify, improve, or adorn man.

Warmed with those feelings, I felt an honourable pride in being entrusted with a command to explore the uncultivated regions of Western Africa. It was a task of peril, but the measure of danger was the measure of honour ; and with a strong distrust of my own capacity I accepted the office of conducting the expedition. As soon as I became acquainted with its objects, it may be naturally supposed that I felt some uneasiness ; but such were the measures taken by a superior commander, now no more, that any insufficiency on my part was compensated by the wisdom of a gallant and enlightened officer.

The objects of the mission were not the mere acquisition of territory, or the unfair advantage of commerce ; they were the improvement of science, the enlargement of trade, and the consequent diffusion of increased happiness to the