White Dreams, Black Africa: The British Antislavery Expedition to the River Niger, 1841-1842

In 1841 Britain's anti-slavery crusaders launched a "civilizing" expedition to the Niger, seeking to cut off the slave trade at its source and make amends for past wrongs by carrying trade, civilization and Christianity into the African heartland. This book tells the story of this bizarre and ultimately tragic expedition and its aftermath, providing the first single account since the participants published their own experiences in the 1840s. Written by a specialist on the slave trade, it not only contributes to our knowledge of Britain's humanitarian endeavour but also sheds light on the intricate politics of pre-colonial West Africa. Howard Temperley relates that with the backing of the British government, three specially designed steamers, manned by 150 Europeans and an equal number of blacks, ascended the Niger. The crew initiated anti-slavery treaties with the local rulers and soon the Europeans began to succumb to fever and were obliged to withdraw, leaving their black colleagues in charge. The following year a relief expedition found that the farm was in an area beset by tribal warfare and that the settlers had enslaved the refugees who had flooded into the settlement seeking protection. The settlers were ordered to abandon the farm, and they returned to the coast in disgrace. According to Temperley, although the Niger expedition had little effect on Africa, it did have a major impact on the attitudes of the British public. Yet, unmitigated diaster though it seemed, it served to open the way for subsequent generations of explorers, traders and empire-builders to travel to Africa.