M. Caillié had provided himself, before his departure, with two compasses, which he used during his travels, and by their aid he was enabled to mark the directions of his route. However imperfect such a method may be, in comparison with geometrical operations and astronomical observations, we must yet congratulate ourselves on having obtained a tracing of the route, and the information of an eye-witness respecting countries, of which we previously possessed only Arab itineraries, reckoned by days’ journeys, and for the most part contradictory, vague, and confused. A further proof that he has correctly noted the length of his journeys is, that they perfectly correspond with those distances of places in the empire of Morocco which are the most accurately known.
The success of M. Caillié’s enterprize is the more worthy of interest for having been accomplished solely by his own resources, without either participation or assistance from any one. He sacrificed every thing he possessed to supply his wants on these travels. He has achieved every thing possible, and more than could have been hoped for with such resources, and he has the satisfaction of having completely succeeded.
If such services are calculated to ensure to M. Caillié the favour of the public and of the government, how powerfully ought they to excite the interest and gratitude of the Geographical Society! It was by the Society’s programme, published in 1824, that he was finally determined to penetrate into the interior of an unknown continent. One of our members, being then resident in Senegal, and finding that he had been for several years animated by a passion for travels, communicated to him a copy of this programme; during the three succeeding years M. Caillié incessantly exerted every possible effort, till he had discovered the means of accomplishing his adventurous design. This is attested by a witness most worthy of credit, our colleague Baron Roger, at that time governor of Senegal. During this period M. Caillié quitted Saint Louis, visited several neighbouring districts, and then fixed on the Rio-Nuñez as the point for his departure; at Kakondy he was fortunate enough to meet with a caravan setting out for the interior, and he skilfully seized the favourable opportunity.
The programme published by the Society in 1824 consists of two parts. The first principally requires accurate particulars respecting Timbuctoo, and the rivers near it, with notices of the eastern countries. M. Caillié has performed most of these conditions. The second part, for which the Society offered a special prize, exacted, is true, astronomical observations; but it is questionable, whether any one penetrating for the first time into this country, even if provided with the necessary instruments, could possibly fulfil conditions so difficult and dangerous. Who is there but is acquainted with the savage jealousy which the Moors and all those in possession of the commerce of this part of Africa, have from the earliest ages conceived against Europeans; the resistance experienced by Belzoni, when he attempted to pursue this direction; the tragic end of Antonio Piloti, and the sad termination of Major Laing’s enterprise?
A. Caillié penetrated as far as Timbuctoo; he went thither by way of Senegambia, as required by the Society. If he has not executed all that it was desirable to have accomplished, he has, on the other hand, made many new and valuable observations, which were not required, upon Fouta-Dhialon, the eastern districts, and the upper part of the course of the Dhioliba; he navigated the river for a month; gleaned intelligence respecting the mines of Bourré, and made other researches that were not required; all which constitutes a sort of equivalent. The discovery of these countries, and the description given of the regions of Baleya, Kankan, and Ouassoulo, are so great an acquisition to geography, that, had he even failed to reach Timbuctoo, he would have deserved a signal recompense. He has the additional merit of having collected a vocabulary of the Mandingo language, and another of the Kissour, spoken at Timbuctoo concurrently with the Moorish, as well as of having taken notes of what relates to the customs, ceremonies, productions, and commerce, of the several countries. On the other hand, our programme contains conditions which have been partly fulfilled, since its publication, by the celebrated English travellers, Oudney, Clapperton, and Denham; namely, those which relate to the districts east and E. S. E. of Timbuctoo: we had, therefore, no longer the same motives for requiring their accomplishment.
In awarding, therefore, to M. Caillié the recompense promised to any one who should reach the city of Timbuctoo, and furnish a description of it, the Society will satisfy the general expectation, and be assured of possessing accurate information concerning countries nearly or wholly unknown; it will grant its honourable suffrage to a man who speaks of them, not upon hearsay, but upon the evidence of his own eyes; who, in his simple and unaffected narrative, relates, without any exaggeration, what he has observed, and does not endeavour to excite attention by extraordinary adventures. This is precisely the kind of interest which the Geographical Society attaches to discoveries—that of truth.
It is no small achievement for a man to have broken through the species of enchantment, with which every European appears to have been struck on reaching the mysterious point of the Dhioliba. It is now certain that four or five months are sufficient for a traveller to arrive in Europe from Timbuctoo. Now that the possibility of the journey and return is proved by the event, and not left to conjecture, all men devoted to African researches, who may have been diverted from their design by such repeated catastrophes following one another, will take fresh courage and prosecute the enterprize. This constitutes an additional important service, rendered to Science by A. R. Caillié, and for which she will hold herself his debtor, though his success may not entirely console her for the lamented loss of Major Laing.
On a subject so fertile in geographical and scientific developments, it would be easy to expatiate; but the committee feel the propriety of confining themselves within the limits of their mission; their end is attained if they have produced conviction. They, therefore, feel it necessary equally to pass over in silence the accounts of J. Leon, Ben-Batouta, and el-Adrisi; and the intercourse of the Portuguese with Timbuctoo in the fifteenth century; the travels of Paul Imbert in the seventeenth; the still contested journey of Robert Adams in 1810, and so many other travels which, within the last forty years, have succeeded each other. To act otherwise would be to forget that we address an auditory, who are masters of the principles of every problem in African geography, which, gentlemen is sufficiently attested by the subjects of your three prizes in favour of men determined upon braving every danger to explore this vast continent for the common benefit of science and humanity.
It will be easy, from these premises, to conjecture the propositions which the committee has the honour of laying before you; first, that you should grant to M. Auguste Caillié the prize which you have offered to the first traveller who should reach Timbuctoo by way of Senegambia; secondly, that this report should be communicated to their Excellencies the Ministers of the Interior, of the Marine, and of Foreign Affairs.
We cannot conclude this report without paying a just tribute of gratitude to M. Delaporte, Vice-Consul-General at Tangier, for the generous and zealous care which he lavished on our countryman; the Society owes him a particular testimonial of gratitude for having preserved the traveller and his papers.