Travels In The Timannee, Kooranko, And Soolima Countries, In Western Africa.

London: John Murray, 1825. First Edition. Laing, a captain in the Royal African Colonial Corps stationed at Sierra Leone, was sent by the governor Sir Charles McCarthy to the Kambian and Mandingo countries in 1822 for the purpose of opening up commerce and endeavouring to abolish the slave trade in the region. Later that year he visited Falaba, the capital of the Solimana country and discovered the source of the Rokel River. Although he was prevented from reaching the source of the Niger he was able to fix it with approximate accuracy. "His Travels, published in 1825, give a lively account of his adventures, including not only observations on the customs of the peoples he encountered...but also an oral history of Solima Yalunka back to the seventeenth century, useful to later historians" (DNB). The aquatint plates after Laing's drawings depict native costumes and customs. On a later expedition in 1826 Laing became the first European to cross the Sahara from north to south, traveling from Tripoli to Timbuctoo, after which he mysteriously disappeared. A nice association copy. Provenance: Sir Henry M. Stanley (purchased from the Estate of Henry Morton Stanley, Christie's London, 24 September 2002, lot 150). Not in Abbey, Travel. 8vo. pp. x, [2], 465. folding engraved map & 7 aquatint plates. 1 text illus. late 19th century half red morocco by Mudie (spotting to pp. 159-79, some offsetting from plates). from the estate of African explorer Henry Morton Stanley. elala5509