Notes taken during travels in Africa

NOTES TAKEN DURING TRAVELS IN AFRICA.
VIEW OF WADNOON.
From the roof of Sheik Beyrook’s House
PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY.
LONDON: PRINTED BY J. L. COX AND SONS, 75, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN’S-INN FIELDS.
1839.
To gratify the earnest desire expressed by the Friends of the late Mr. Davidson to possess some memorial of him, his Brother has been induced to print, for private distribution merely, the following pages, drawn up from his MS. Journal.
It will be seen that they are only rough and brief notes penned at the moment, and under circumstances the most trying to an active mind, and with a presentiment of failure, which has been too truly realized.
For the generally correct manner in which the names of persons and places are here given, and which in the MS. were decyphered with difficulty, Mr. Davidson’s Brother has to offer his best thanks to the Rev. G. Renouard and Capt. Washington, of the Royal Geographical Society of London.
On Saturday, August 29, 1835, we left London by the mail, and arrived the morning following at Exeter, where we went to the cathedral, which Abou called one of the bishops’ churches. We proceeded the same evening to Falmouth, which we reached on Monday 31st. During the journey, Abou’s remarks were highly creditable to him; he expressed himself quite astonished at the rate of travelling, which he had ascertained by comparing the mile-stones we had passed with the time, as indicated by a watch; nor was he less struck with the quickness of changing horses, the punctuality in the arrival of the mail, and the manner in which one bag is delivered, and another received, while the coach is going on. In the whole country, he said very prettily, no place for more than a mile could be seen without a settlement ; all is productive: no misery. He wound up his reflections with the words,—‘Good king! good people!—African people all blind: not know their own good, else they would ask Englishmen to come and teach them.’