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This series focuses on Africa during the period of European colonial expansion. It includes anthropological studies, travel accounts from missionaries and explorers (including those searching for the sources of the Nile and the Congo) and works that shed light on colonial concerns such as gold mining, big game hunting, trade, education and political rivalries.

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103 results in Cambridge Library Collection - African Studies

Page 3 of 6

Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile
  • John Hanning Speke
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1863
  • John Hanning Speke (1827–1864) was a British army officer and explorer, remembered for his expeditions in search of the source of the Nile and his disputes with Richard Burton on that subject. On an expedition begun in 1856 Burton and Speke reached Lake Tanganyika together, but Speke travelled on alone to Lake Victoria. He controversially gave lectures about the lakes in London in 1859, without awaiting Burton's return. Speke returned to Africa later that year, leading an expedition organised by the Royal Geographical Society, to explore Lake Victoria and investigate whether it really was the source of the Nile. This book, published in 1863, describes the 1859 expedition's challenging and eventful journey through present-day Zanzibar, Tanzania and Uganda, and the indigenous peoples the explorers encountered. Speke made invaluable surveys of the area, but it was only after his death that his views about the Nile were finally proved correct.

Abeokuta and the Camaroons Mountains
  • An Exploration
  • Volume 2
  • Richard Francis Burton
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    19 April 2011
    First published in:
    1863
  • Sir Richard Burton (1821–1890) the famous Victorian explorer, began his career in the Indian army in 1842. While in India he developed his linguistic talent, mastering more than forty different languages and dialects. He turned to writing books in the 1850s and, over the remaining forty years of his life, published dozens of works and more than one hundred articles. Burton wrote this two-volume work, published in 1863, while working as the British consul in Fernando Po (modern-day Equatorial Guinea), West Africa. In Volume 2 Burton discusses his expedition to the mountains on the coast of Cameroon, where he climbed to the peak of Mount Cameroon, an active volcano. This volume also has extensive appendices that include lists of plants collected on his expeditions, notes about the wildlife living in the mountains, and observations about the climate and temperature of the region.

To the Gold Coast for Gold
  • A Personal Narrative
  • Volume 1
  • Richard Francis Burton, Verney Lovett Cameron
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1883
  • First published in 1883, this travel memoir describes the journey into West Africa undertaken by explorers Richard Burton (1821–90) and Verney Lovett Cameron (1844–94) in 1881. The mission for the two men was to assess the mining potential of the west coast, first observed by Burton in a publication that had appeared twenty years earlier. The first few chapters of Volume 1 cover Burton's journey from Trieste to Lisbon, Madeira and Tenerife and on to Africa during the winter of 1881, including descriptions of Mount Atlas and the Canary Islands. The volume finishes with their arrival in Sierra Leone. The expedition was cut short by the Foreign Office, who feared for the safety of the two explorers. Burton returned to Europe with a large collection of plant and animal specimens, and the pair sent 151 plant species, lists of which are included in the appendices, to Kew Gardens.

The Ashanti Campaign of 1900
  • Cecil Hamilton Armitage, Arthur Forbes Montanaro
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1901
  • In March 1900, Frederick Hodgson, the British Governor of the Gold Coast, demanded to sit on the Golden Stool of the Ashanti people in Ghana. The Golden Stool had great historical and symbolic significance for the Ashanti people and the Governor's demand was perceived as nothing short of a declaration of war: they responded by besieging the garrison in the city of Kumasi. British troops were sent in and recaptured the city in September 1900. C. H. Armitage (1869–1933), private secretary to Hodgson (and later himself to serve as Governor of Gambia) and A. F. Montanaro (1862–1914) were in the British retaliatory force, and as such perfectly positioned to give a first-hand account of the episode. The book was originally published in 1901 and is divided into two parts. The first part, by Armitage, describes the Ashanti siege of Kumasi, and in the second part Montanaro relates the British response.

Travels in West Africa, Congo Français, Corisco and Cameroons
  • Mary Kingsley
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1897
  • Mary Kingsley (1862–1900) is one of the best-known Victorian women travellers, whose solo adventures in West Africa made her a celebrity in England. This, her first book, published in 1897, was an instant best-seller. She travelled extensively, engaging in trade both to fund her trip and to get to know the African people, rather than merely observing as an outsider. She brought back quantities of natural specimens, three of which were named after her. On her return to England she was asked to give numerous lectures. Some of her views were considered controversial - she opposed the attempts by missionaries to impose European culture on native people, and defended polygamy and even slavery. Her observations and interests are wide-ranging, and she showed an acute and sympathetic understanding of West African culture and society. For more information on this author, see http://orlando.cambridge.org/public/svPeople?person_id=kingma

To the Gold Coast for Gold
  • A Personal Narrative
  • Volume 2
  • Richard Francis Burton, Verney Lovett Cameron
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1883
  • First published in 1883, this travel memoir chronicles the journey into West Africa undertaken by explorers Richard Burton (1821–90) and Verney Lovett Cameron (1844–94) in 1881. The mission for the two men was to assess the mining potential of the west coast, first observed by Burton in a publication that had appeared twenty years earlier. Volume 2 starts with the men in Sierra Leone and describes the journey to Axim, 'the gold port of the past and the future' in Ghana. The subsequent chapters describe various expeditions made out of Axim and the examination of some mines. The journey was cut short by the Foreign Office, who feared for the safety of the two explorers. Burton returned to Europe with a large collection of plant and animal specimens, and the pair sent 151 plant species, lists of which are included in the appendices, to Kew Gardens.

Travels in Central Africa, and Explorations of the Western Nile Tributaries
  • Volume 2
  • John Petherick, Katherine Harriet Petherick
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1869
  • In 1861, Welsh explorer and British consul for the Sudan John Petherick (1813–82) departed for Central Africa on a mission for the Royal Geographical Society, with his wife Katherine (1827–77). First published in 1869, this two-volume account is based on notes and letters mostly written by Katherine, and describes their journey to Gondokoro, bringing boats and supplies for Captains Speke and Grant. Her descriptions provide valuable insights into African customs and traditions, particularly with regards to the condition of women. The work also gives an account of the controversy in which Petherick was falsely accused of taking part in the slave trade. Volume 2 contains letters and official documents that clarify this controversy and exonerate him, as well as several richly illustrated appendices describing the local fauna and flora.

History of South Africa since September 1795
  • Volume 2, The Cape Colony from 1828 to 1846, Natal from 1824 to 1845, and Proceedings of the Emigrant Farmers from 1836 to 1847.
  • George McCall Theal
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 December 2010
    First published in:
    1908
  • George McCall Theal (1837–1919) was a prolific South African historian and civil servant. After working as a missionary between 1875–1880 he was appointed magistrate of Tamacha before taking a position as a clerk in the government and became Keeper of the Cape Colony Archives. He was appointed Colonial Historiographer in 1891. These volumes, first published in 1908, contain Theal's detailed history of South Africa between 1795–1894. Focusing on the political history of the country, Theal explores the British control of Cape Colony and the reactions of the Dutch setters to increasing British immigration, discussing the political consequences of the establishment of the various Boer Republics and the growth of Zulu power in South Africa. These volumes provide valuable details on the political history of South Africa, and reveal contemporary attitudes towards the history and ideas of colonisation. Volume 2 covers Natal and Cape Colony between 1828–1846.

Zanzibar
  • City, Island, and Coast
  • Volume 2
  • Richard Francis Burton
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1872
  • First published in 1872, this two-volume memoir by explorer, ethnographer and diplomat Sir Richard Burton (1821–90) was written while Burton and John Hanning Speke were making preparations for their expedition to solve one of the major geographical mysteries of the nineteenth century - the location of the source of the Nile. Volume 2 concerns the two journeys to the interior of West Africa, a 'tentative expedition' in early 1857, and the nineteen-month exploration, which began in June 1857, into the East African highlands. Burton was in poor health, and Speke travelled further north without him; he discovered Lake Victoria, and (rightly) concluded that it was the source of the Nile. This led to the notorious dispute between the two explorers, and in his final chapter, written after Speke's tragic death, Burton gives the history of the argument, and vehemently denies any jealousy or personal enmity on his part.

Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa
  • Being a Journal of an Expedition Undertaken under the Auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the Years 1849–1855
  • Volume 5
  • Heinrich Barth
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    23 June 2011
    First published in:
    1858
  • Born in Hamburg, Henry (Heinrich) Barth (1821–1865) studied history, archaeology, geography and Arabic. He joined James Richardson's 1849 expedition to Africa, which aimed to open the interior to trade and to study slavery. Following the deaths of Richardson (1851) and his colleague Overweg (1852), Barth led the expedition alone. His travels extended to Lake Chad in the east, Cameroon in the south and Timbuktu in the west. He was the first European to use the oral traditions of the local tribes for historical research, learning several African languages, and studying the history, resources and civilisations of the people he encountered. Barth's five-volume account includes plates, engravings and detailed annotated maps. Published in both English and German in 1857–1858, it is still regarded as a major source on African culture. Volume 5 describes Barth's demanding trek homewards, retracing his route along the Niger and via Kano to Tripoli.

The Life of John William Colenso, D.D.
  • Bishop of Natal
  • Volume 1
  • George William Cox
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1888
  • The prolific nineteenth-century historian and liberal churchman George William Cox (1827–1902) published this biography of the controversial bishop John William Colenso (1814–83) in 1888. Colenso was appointed the first Bishop of Natal in 1853, and in the next few years he oversaw the completion of the cathedral in Pietermaritzburg and the building of churches in Durban and Richmond, established mission stations and learned Zulu. He was heavily criticised for his tolerance of Zulu practices and for his view that the Old Testament was not literally true. Eventually he was excommunicated, though he retained a loyal following. Cox had accompanied Colenso on his first visit to South Africa in 1853, and remained a fervent supporter of the bishop's work, eventually being nominated (unsuccessfully) as his successor. Volume 1 covers Colenso's early years in Cornwall, his education at Cambridge, his appointment as bishop, and the furore surrounding his theology.

Pioneering on the Congo
  • Volume 1
  • W. Holman Bentley
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1900
  • William Holman Bentley (1855–1905) was a missionary who spent twenty-one years in the area of the Congo. Originally published in 1900, these two volumes document the pioneering work of travellers to the area between 1879 and 1899. During that time it progressed from being virtually unexplored to a fully charted region with government officers, traders and missionaries operating far and wide. As the only foreign witness to the entire period, Bentley provides an authoritative account of the dramatic developments he observed in the Congo's geography, culture, religion and commerce. Volume 1 sets the discussion within a historical context, and moves on to recount the missionaries' objectives and their effect on the native tribes. Finishing by revealing the important discovery of a new route to the upper river, it presents a unique and insightful study that remains relevant to geographers, ethnologists and historians alike.

Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa
  • Being a Journal of an Expedition Undertaken under the Auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the Years 1849–1855
  • Volume 3
  • Heinrich Barth
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    23 June 2011
    First published in:
    1857
  • Born in Hamburg, Henry (Heinrich) Barth (1821–1865) studied history, archaeology, geography and Arabic. He joined James Richardson's 1849 expedition to Africa, which aimed to open the interior to trade and to study slavery. Following the deaths of Richardson (1851) and his colleague Overweg (1852), Barth led the expedition alone. His travels extended to Lake Chad in the east, Cameroon in the south and Timbuktu in the west. He was the first European to use the oral traditions of the local tribes for historical research, learning several African languages, and studying the history, resources and civilisations of the people he encountered. Barth's five-volume account includes plates, engravings and detailed annotated maps. Published in both English and German in 1857–1858, it is still regarded as a major source on African culture. Volume 3 describes the peoples and terrain around Lake Chad, and experiences including the party's arrest and Overweg's death.

Travels in Abyssinia and the Galla Country
  • With an Account of a Mission to Ras Ali in 1848
  • Walter Chichele Plowden
  • Edited by Trevor Chichele Plowden
  • Published online:
    05 February 2012
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1868
  • In 1868, eight years after his death at the hands of Abyssinian tribesmen, the memoirs of Walter Chichele Plowden (1820–60) were published in Britain, having been prepared for publication by his brother Trevor. As the first British consul appointed to Abyssinia in 1848, Plowden was in a unique position to record contemporary local history (although as consul he was not an unequivocal success), and this book contains his detailed account of all levels of Abyssinian society. A close associate of the Emperor Tewodros (Theodore), who slaughtered 2,000 people in retaliation for Plowden's death, he includes a vivid characterisation of this important figure, and provides an exceptionally useful contemporary source for the turbulent history of Abyssinia in the mid-nineteenth century. The book also includes two maps, one of the northern frontier of Abyssinia drawn by Plowden himself, and the other modelled on the British War Office map of Abyssinia.

A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome
  • Volume 1
  • Richard Francis Burton
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    18 April 2011
    First published in:
    1864
  • Sir Richard Burton (1821–1890) the famous Victorian explorer, began his career in the Indian army in 1842. While in India he developed his linguistic talent, mastering more than forty different languages and dialects. He turned to writing books in the 1850s and, over the remaining forty years of his life, published dozens of works and more than one hundred articles. He spent part of his career as British consul in Fernando Po (present-day Equatorial Guinea) in West Africa, and used this as an opportunity to explore the region. In 1861, he was sent on a mission, recounted in this two-volume work of 1864, to Dahomey (present-day Benin) to urge the king to put a stop to the local slave trade. In Volume 1 Burton tells of his voyage along the West African coast and arrival in Dahomey, where he is presented to the king.

A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome
  • Volume 2
  • Richard Francis Burton
  • Published online:
    05 January 2012
    Print publication:
    18 April 2011
    First published in:
    1864
  • Sir Richard Burton (1821–1890) the famous Victorian explorer, began his career in the Indian army in 1842. While in India he developed his linguistic talent, mastering more than forty different languages and dialects. He turned to writing books in the 1850s and, over the remaining forty years of his life, published dozens of works and more than one hundred articles. He spent part of his career as British consul in Fernando Po (present-day Equatorial Guinea) in West Africa, and used this as an opportunity to explore the region. In 1861, he was sent on a mission, recounted in this two-volume work of 1864, to Dahomey (present-day Benin) to urge the king to put a stop to the local slave trade. In Volume 2 Burton discusses the human sacrifices that were taking place while he was there, and the negotiations with the king about slavery.

Pioneering on the Congo
  • Volume 2
  • W. Holman Bentley
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1900
  • William Holman Bentley (1855–1905) was a missionary who spent twenty-one years in the area of the Congo. Originally published in 1900, this is the second of two volumes documenting the pioneering work of travellers to the area between 1879 and 1899. During that time it progressed from being virtually unexplored to a fully charted region with government officers, traders and missionaries operating far and wide. As the only foreign witness to the entire period, Bentley provides an authoritative account of the dramatic developments he observed in the Congo's geography, culture, religion and commerce. This volume traces the missionaries' journey to Stanley (Malebo) Pool, introduces their vessel, the Peace, reveals the progress made on the upper river and in the Cataract region, and investigates the policies of the Congo government. Providing a judicious account of a country in changing times, Bentley's memoirs remain significant for the historical study of Africa.

An Account of Travels into the Interior of Southern Africa, in the Years 1797 and 1798
  • Including Cursory Observations on the Geology and Geography of the Southern Part of that Continent
  • Volume 1
  • John Barrow
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1801
  • Sir John Barrow (1764–1848) was a distinguished British government servant whose diplomatic career took him to China and Africa, and who in forty years as Secretary to the Admiralty was responsible for promoting Arctic and Antarctic exploration, including the voyages of Sir John Ross, Sir William Parry, Sir James Clark Ross and Sir John Franklin. This account of his time in Southern Africa was published in 1801, with a second volume following in 1804. Barrow's exploration of the Cape Colony in 1797–8 coincided with the imposition of British control in 1795 on a former Dutch colony, making this work an important source about this transitional period. Volume 1 begins with the history of the Cape of Good Hope, and its natural features, climate and inhabitants. Barrow then describes his journey inland, through the Karroo desert region, and his encounters with the European and African peoples who lived there.

An Account of Travels into the Interior of Southern Africa, in the years 1797 and 1798
  • Including Cursory Observations on the Geology and Geography of the Southern Part of that Continent
  • Volume 2
  • John Barrow
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1804
  • Sir John Barrow (1764–1848) was a distinguished British government servant whose diplomatic career took him to China and Africa, and who in forty years as Secretary to the Admiralty was responsible for promoting Arctic and Antarctic exploration, including the voyages of Sir John Ross, Sir William Parry, Sir James Clark Ross and Sir John Franklin. This account of his time in Southern Africa was published in 1801, with a second volume following in 1804. Barrow's exploration of the Cape Colony in 1797–8 coincided with the imposition of British control in 1795 on a former Dutch colony, making this work an important source about this transitional period. Volume 2 takes a political focus, and elaborates Barrow's belief that the Cape of Good Hope could serve the commercial interests of the growing British empire in the east; he also discusses the strategic advantages of stationing troops along the Cape.

Adventures in Mashonaland
  • By Two Hospital Nurses
  • Rose Blennerhassett, Lucy Sleeman
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1893
  • Written by Rosanna ('Rose') Blennerhassett (c.1844–1907), the daughter of baronet Sir Arthur Blennerhassett, this work of 1893 recounts the adventures of two Anglican nurses who worked in Umtali (now Mutare in northern Zimbabwe). In 1890 Blennerhassett sailed to Johannesburg to nurse victims of a typhoid outbreak, meeting Lucy Sleeman on board. At the end of their period of service, the pair opted to go north into Mashonaland rather than returning to England. They undertook a two-week journey of 190 miles on foot in the bush from the Pungwe river to Umtali, where they established the first hospital, in a series of beehive-shaped mud huts. The pair remained there for two years, often working without a doctor. The book recounts every aspect of their daily adventures, from baking cakes and constructing coffins out of whisky cases to bizarre encounters with witch hunters, a man-eating lion, and Cecil Rhodes.

Page 3 of 6