A great explorer

In 1799 a young Scottish borderer published his story of an epic African journeyand became the toast of London society. Neil Gunn recounts his story.

The first volume of Mungo Park's Travels into the Interior of Africa was published in 1799 to huge acclaim. Lewis Grassic Gbbon commented that: “London and the provinces devoured the book.”

Mungo Park was born in 1771 during the ‘Golden Age' of Scottish Enlightenment, that period in our history that saw Scots lead the world in the fields of philosophy, economics, geology and science.

With his parents encouragement he worked hard at the local grammar school. His father saw a career in the ministry for his son but the young Mungo had other thoughts.

In 1785 Mungo Park was apprenticed to Dr Thomas Anderson in Selkirk and spent the next few years learning the rudiments of medicine as he accompanied the respected doctor on his rounds.

1789 was an important year for the young Borderer. He left Selkirk and went up to Edinburgh University to continue his medical studies. He didn't graduate from the course but the university records show his attendance at lectures of chemistry, anatomy and surgery, medical theory and botany.

In a meeting that would change his life, Park was introduced to Sir Joseph Banks who as President of the Royal Society wielded great influence and patronage throughout the scientific community.

With the help of Sir Joseph he found a berth as assistant surgeon on the Worcester, an East India man bound for Sumatra. In a letter to a friend he wrote: “I have now got upon the first stair of ambition.”

The Worcester sailed for the East Indies in 1792. I...

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• By : Neil Gunn
• In : Hotels
• Issue : 12
• Page : 40
• Words : 1,064