A Walk across Africa

Roy Bridges is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Royal Historical Society and Emeritus Professor of History in the University of Aberdeen. After graduating from Keele and London Universities he taught at Makerere University in Uganda before joining Aberdeen. He has written extensively on exploration, especially of Africa, and believes it should be seen in the more general context of Africa’s history as well as that of the societies which sent the explorers. The work and career of Grant (also a product of Marischal College which became part of the University of Aberdeen) provides an excellent opportunity to illustrate this approach. A member of the Hakluyt Society since 1964, Roy Bridges has served on the Council on several occasions and had the honour to become President from 2004 to 2010. In 1996 he co-edited with Paul Hair Compassing the Vaste Globe of the Earth, a set of essays celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Society’s foundation including his own account of the Society’s founder, William Desborough Cooley. In 2006 came the Four Travel Journals volume which included his edition of ‘A Dangerous and Toilsome Journey’, the account by the freed slave Jacob Wainwright of the transportation of Dr Livingstone’s body to the coast. Professor Bridges lives ten miles north of Aberdeen in Newmachar, of which he has also written a history.

Introduction 1. Grant and his Contribution to the Nile Expedition of 1860–1863 2. Prelude to the Expedition: East African Development to 1860 and the Idea of the Nile Expedition 3. The Nile Problem: Controversy and Credulity 4. Grant’s Geographical Work and his Views on the Nile Problem 5. Grant’s Reputation and the Place of his Work and Exploration: a Survey of the Literature The text of A Walk Across Africa with extracts from the journal Preface [by J. A. Grant] I. Plymouth to Zanzibar II. Zanzibar and Bagomoyo III. Journey to Kazeh IV. Sojourn at Kazeh V. Journey to Ukuni and Sojourn at Mineenga VI. Life in Ukuni VII. Ukuni to Karagwe VIII. Karagwe IX. The Uganda March X. Buganda XI. From Buganda to Bunyoro and ‘Captain Speke Proceeds to the Lake Nyanza’ XII. Bunyoro, the Omukama Kamrasi and Embarking on the Nile XIII. From Bunyoro to an Egyptian Encampment at Faloro XIV. Life with the Khartoum Traders and News of Speke’s Death XV. Passage through the Bari Country, Gondokoro and the Meetings with Baker and Petherick XVI. From Gondokoro to Khartoum by Boat XVII. ‘A Modern Babylon’: Khartoum XVIII. From Khartoum to Cairo Appendix A: List of Personal Kit Taken with us from England for the Expedition. Appendix B: Letter dated 17 November 1864 from Trenham Reeks to Captain Grant