Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo

This two-volume 1876 work by Sir Richard Burton (1821–90) records expeditions made in West Africa in the 1860s.

Richard Francis Burton (Author)

9781108031356, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 June 2011

382 pages, 7 b/w illus. 1 map
21.6 x 14 x 0.2 cm, 0.49 kg

Sir Richard Burton (1821–90) is well known for his colourful career, recorded in numerous books and articles, as a diplomat, explorer and ethnographer. In 1861 he was appointed consul to Fernando Po (now Bioko) in Equatorial Guinea, remaining there for four years until he was transferred to Brazil. These volumes collate the expeditions and ethnographic observations made during his time there. In his preface, Burton writes that the 'plain truth' about the African has not been told in Britain, declaring that English occupation of West Africa has proved 'a remarkable failure'. First published in 1876, the second volume recounts a journey made from Fernando Po to Loango Bay and up the Congo River. Of particular interest is the penultimate chapter, 'The slaver and the missionary in the Congo River', in which Burton expresses his ambivalence towards a European presence in Africa. Volume 2 also includes appendices containing geographical observations.

1. From Fernando Po to Loango Bay
2. To Sao Paolo de Loanda
3. The festival
4. The cruise along shore
5. Into the Congo River
6. Up the Congo River
7. Boma
8. A visit to Banza Chisalla
9. Up the Congo to Banza Nokki
10. Notes on the Nzadi or Congo River
11. Life at Banza Nokki
12. Preparations for the march
13. The march to Banza Nkulu
14. The Yellala of the Congo
15. Return to the Congo mouth
16. The slaver and the missionary in the Congo River
17. Concluding remarks
Appendix.

Subject Areas: African history [HBJH]