n, at an early hour
to-morrow. Here the matter at present rests.

* * * * *

"In the afternoon, the king came to see us, followed by a man with a book
under his arm, which was said to have been picked up in the Niger after
the loss of our countryman. It was enveloped in a large cotton cloth, and
our hearts beat high with expectation as the man was slowly unfolding it,
for by its size we guessed it to be Mr. Park's journal; but our
disappointment and chagrin were great, when, on opening the book, we
discovered it to be an old nautical publication of the last century. The
title-page was missing, but its contents were chiefly tables of logarithms.
It was a thick royal quarto, which led us to conjecture that it was a
journal; between the leaves we found a few loose papers of very little
consequence indeed; one of them contained two or three observations on the
height of the water in the Gambia; one was a tailor's bill on a Mr.
Anderson; and another was addressed to Mr. Mungo Park, and contained an
invitation to dinner,--the following is a copy of it:--

'Mr. and Mrs. Watson would be happy to
have the pleasure of Mr. Park's company at
dinner on Tuesday next, at half-past five
o'clock.

'An answer is requested.

'_Strand, 9th Nov. 1804_.'

"The king, as well as the owner of the book, looked as greatly mortified
as ourselves, when they were told that the one produced was not that of
which we were in quest, because the reward promised would not of course be
obtained. As soon as our curiosity had been fully satisfied, the papers
were carefully collected and placed again between the leaves, and the book
as carefully folded in its envelope as before, and taken away by its owner,
who values it as much as a household god. Thus all our hopes of obtaining
Mr. Park's journal or papers, in this city, are entirely defeated. The
inquiry, on our part, has not been prosecuted without much trouble and
anxiety, and some little personal sacrifices likewise, which, had they
been ten times as great, we would gladly have made whilst a single hope
remained of their being effectual."

After much ado at Boossa, owing to the canoe not being ready--the "King of
the Canoe," a sort of Lord of the Admiralty, informing the travellers with
the utmost unconcern that it was out of repair--they

_Embark on the Niger_.

"About mid-day the workmen having finished our canoe, the luggage was
presently put in