Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 2 (of 5) : being…
"Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 2 (of 5) : being…." by Henry Barth is a travel journal and geographical-ethnographic account written in the mid-19th century. It chronicles a British-backed expedition across the Sahara into Hausaland, Bornu, and the Lake Chad basin, interweaving route-maps with vivid notes on politics, trade, languages, and daily life. Expect meticulous day-by-day observations of caravans, markets, landscapes, and negotiations with Tuareg, Hausa, and Fulani
authorities amid conflict and shifting alliances. The opening of the volume finds Barth parting from both his fellow travellers and the Tuareg chief Ánnur, then joining a salt-caravan toward Kanó under the care of Ánnur’s brother, Elaiji. He hires the capable Gajére, records wells, villages, trees, and camp-life, and briefly separates from Overweg, who heads to Tasáwa. Summoned by messengers to return to Zínder, Barth rides to Tasáwa instead, consults allies, visits Ánnur’s estate, surveys the bustling market and dye-pits, and sends a firm letter refusing recall. Moving on via Gazáwa—its stockade, markets, and warlike mood laid bare—he crosses a desolated belt marked by the ruins of Dánkama before reaching the outskirts of Kátsena. There, after gifts and flattery, the governor detains him as a “guest,” installs him with supplies, and signals an intent to control his movements, raising Barth’s concern he may be forwarded to Sókoto. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Read or download for free
| How to read | Url | Size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read now! | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.html.images | 1.3 MB | |||
| EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.epub3.images | 10.2 MB | |||
| EPUB (older E-readers) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.epub.images | 10.2 MB | |||
| EPUB (no images, older E-readers) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.epub.noimages | 545 kB | |||
| Kindle | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.kf8.images | 9.9 MB | |||
| older Kindles | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.kindle.images | 9.8 MB | |||
| Plain Text UTF-8 | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76317.txt.utf-8 | 1.2 MB | |||
| Download HTML (zip) | https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/76317/pg76317-h.zip | 9.5 MB | |||
| There may be more files related to this item. | |||||
About this eBook
| Author | Barth, Heinrich, 1821-1865 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Bernatz, Johann Martin, 1802-1878 |
| Title | Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 2 (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) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 58.2 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | DT: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa |
| Subject | Africa, Central -- Description and travel |
| Subject | Africa, North -- Description and travel |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76317 |
| Release Date | Jun 16, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 294 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |