Biography of mungo park

Mungo Park lived hold up 11 September 1771 to Dec 1805 or January 1806. A native of Selkirkshire, crystalclear made his name primate an early explorer of character African continent. The wider portrait in Scotland at nobility time is set out limit our Historical Timeline.

Mungo Park was born at Foulshiels near Selkirk, where coronet father was a comfortable farmer. The seventh of wonderful family of thirteen he was well educated. After exit school he took up emblematic apprenticeship with a surgeon surround Selkirk, then spent dignity three years from 1789 to 1791 gaining his calming qualification as a surgeon.

Park's first job was since an assistant-surgeon on board say publicly East India ship Lexicologist. While on board he indebted a trip to Island and after returning to Scotland produced an academic paper describing eight previously unknown fishes he had found there.

In 1794 Park applied solve the Africa Association to select an expedition to found on the work of Bigger Daniel Houghton, who had touched to Africa in 1790 to try to trace position route of the River River, but had died in the Sahara. The Niger equitable an odd river. At 2,500 miles long, it is rendering third longest in Continent. Oddly enough, it rises unprejudiced 150 miles from the deep blue sea before heading north-east win the Sahara desert where passage passes Timbuktu before alluring a sharp right turn tube flowing south-east to the sea.

Timbuktu's existence, and the certainty that a great river ran through it from dignity south-west, had long been common, and it was assumed think about it this was the River River that entered the multitude in what is now Nigeria.

Park's strategy was inhibit to approach from The Gambia in west Africa. Inventive on 21 June 1795 crystal-clear travelled 200 miles up decency Gambia River before ostentatious out east into the nameless interior. At one point crystal-clear was imprisoned by great Moorish chief for four months, but he escaped and finally found the River River. After tracing its route aspire 300 miles he made way back west to Nobleness Gambia. He returned find time for Scotland on 22 December 1797, long after he had back number given up for fusty.

Park settled back give confidence a routine life in honourableness Borders. He married in 1799, and in 1801 lead up practice as a debase in Peebles. In Sep 1804 Mungo Park nose-dive a government invitation to advantage a further expedition to distinction Niger. He sailed devour Portsmouth for The Gambia draw somebody in 31 January 1805, endorsed as a Captain. Second drag command was his brother accumulate law, who had antediluvian commissioned as a lieutenant.

The full expedition that inception off inland from The Gambia comprised three officers present-day some 40 other Europeans, typically British soldiers, plus local guides and a number innumerable slaves. The expedition reached class River Niger in August 1805, by which time sole 11 Europeans were still subsist, the remainder having dreary of dysentery or fever. Get as far as some time they retraced Park's steps on his heretofore expedition with the permission time off the local ruler.

Scale 19 November 1805, Park exchange letters sail downstream into the unrecognized reaches of the move in a large canoe anti what remained of his trip. By now this was just Park himself, one Nation officer and three soldiers (one by now mad), far-out guide and three slaves. Fallback sent another guide back count up The Gambia with calligraphy for his wife and goodness Colonial Office. In these pacify said that he was very well equipped and free, and that he intended control sail without landing ride non stop downstream until lighten up reached the sea, which proscribed estimated to do at the end of January 1806.

Park's route along ethics river would have taken him north-east through western Continent, then into the Sahara highest past Timbuktu, then south-east through modern day Niger illustrious Nigeria to the sea. Bankruptcy never made it. The Government employed the guide who had delivered Park's last calligraphy to return to endeavour to discover his fate. Primacy story that emerged was reminder of heroic failure. Stand-in is believed to have sailed downstream for a further 1,000 miles, past Timbuktu, knock together Niger and into north-west Nigeria. His policy of avoiding contact with local tribes caused steadily increasing opposition along class route, but attacks were successfully fought off with goodness available guns. But at the Bussa Rapids near Yauri in Nigeria, the canoe became stranded on a rock, and the party again came under attack from native tribesmen. It is believed digress Park and the remaining a handful of other Europeans were drowned frustrating to escape, and honesty only survivor of the field trip was a slave who was able to recount primacy end of the expedition.

Some of Park's belongings were eventually recovered, but Park's final fate remains unclear. Quick-witted 1827 Mungo Park's second labour Thomas set out to discover whether his father potency have survived as a prisoner: but died of suds dither before he had gone disentangle far into the interior.