The great ambition and object of Mr. Bruce was to discover the source of the Nile; for this purpose he left Britain in 1762, and after visiting Algiers, Balbec, and Palmyra, he prepared for his journey into Abyssinia.  He sailed up the Nile a considerable way, and afterwards joined a caravan to Cosseir on the Red Sea.  After visiting part of the sea coast of Arabia, he sailed for Massoucut, by which route alone an entrance into Abyssinia was practicable.  In this country he encountered many obstacles, and difficulties, and after all, in consequence of wrong information he received from the inhabitants, visited only the Blue River, one of the inferior streams of the Nile, instead of the White River, its real source.  This, however, is of trifling moment, when contrasted with the accessions to our geographical knowledge of Abyssinia, the coast of the Red Sea, &c., for which we are indebted to this most zealous and persevering traveller.  Since Mr. Bruce’s time, Abyssinia has been visited by Mr. Salt, who has likewise added considerably to our knowledge of this country, though on many points he differs from Mr. Bruce.

The most important and interesting accession to our knowledge of the north of Africa was made between the years 1792 and 1795, by Mr. Browne.  This gentleman seems to have equalled Mr. Bruce in his zeal and ardour, but to have surpassed him in the soundness and utility of his views; for while the former was principally ambitious of discovering the sources of the Nile,—­a point of little real moment in any point of view,—­the latter wished to penetrate into those parts of the north of Africa which were unknown to Europeans, but which, from all accounts of them, promised to interest and benefit, not only commerce, but science.  His precise and immediate object was Darfur, some of the natives of which resided in Egypt:  from their manners and account of their country, Mr. Browne concluded the inhabitants were not so hostile to Christians and Europeans as Mahometans are in general.  He therefore resolved to go thither; as from it he could either proceed into Abyssinia by Kordofan, or traverse Africa from east to west.  He therefore left Assiou in Egypt with the Soudan caravan in 1793, passed through the greater Oasis, and arrived at Sircini in Darfur:  here he resided a considerable time, but he found insurmountable obstacles opposed to his grand and ulterior plan.  He ascertained, however, the source and progress of the real Nile or White River.  The geography of Darfur and Kordofan is illustrated by him in a very superior and satisfactory manner.  The geography of Africa to the west of these countries is likewise elucidated by him:  he mentions and describes a large river which takes its rise among the mountains of Kumri, and flows in a north-west course.  This river is supposed to be that described by Ptolemy under the name of Gir, and by Edrisi as the Nile of the Negroes.  The fate of Mr. Browne, who from all the accounts of him seems to have been admirably fitted by nature and habits for a traveller, was very melancholy.  After his return to England from Darfur he resolved to visit the central countries of Asia:  he accordingly set out, but on his way thither he was murdered in Persia.