Heinrich Barth, a German explorer and traveller, born in Hamburg, Feb. 16, 1821, died in Berlin, Nov. 25, 1865. He was educated at Hamburg and Berlin, travelled through Italy and Sicily, and in 1845 began explorations in Africa. Starting from Tangier in Morocco, he proceeded along the coast of Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli, making excursions into the interior, reached Benghazi, and thence went across the desert to Egypt. During this journey ho was attacked by wandering Arabs, severely wounded, and robbed of his papers. He traversed Egypt, the peninsula of Sinai, Palestine, Asia Minor, the islands of the AEgean sea, and Greece. In this journey he expended $l4,000 from his own fortune. Part of the results of his enterprise appeared in 1849 in his Wan-dcrungen dutch die Kustcnlander dea Mittel-meeres, of which only the first volume was ever written; for while engaged in preparing the second he received a proposition from the British government to undertake an expedition into central Africa, as scientific associate of James Richardson. In the winter of 1849-'50 Richardson, Overweg, and Barth met at Tripoli, having procured a boat for the navigation of Lake Tchad. Barth made a preliminary trip through Tripoli, and on April 2, 1850, the three explorers set out for the interior of Africa, joining the great semi-annual caravan for Bor-noo. On May 0 they reached Moorzook, the capital of Fezzan, which they left June 13, proceeding in a S. W. direction through the territory of Air or Asben, which had never before been visited by Europeans. Barth left his companions to visit a remarkable mountain which appeared to be only a few hours distant, but proved to be much further.

He lost his way, and for 28 hours remained without water, preserving his life by sucking the blood from his own arm. He was at length found, and the natives looked upon him as a demigod, for they had never known any one to live more than 12 hours without water in the hot desert. Before reaching Agadez the travellers were attacked by fanatical Moslems, and narrowly escaped death. At Tintellust they were detained from September to December, 1850, by a native chief. Effecting their release by an appeal to the sultan of Ennoor, they went on to Agadez, where they separated, intending to reunite at Kuka in April. Richardson died March 4, when six days' journey from the rendezvous, but Barth was able to secure his papers, which he forwarded to England. At Kuka Barth was kindly received by the sultan of Bornoo, whose vizier lent him $100, his funds being exhausted, and no remittances having arrived. Overweg had in the mean time made an independent excursion toward Sackatoo, and rejoined Barth at Kuka May 7. During these journeys both travellers found articles of American manufacture among the wildest tribes, which they supposed had been received in exchange for slaves.

The travellers again separated, Barth setting out for Adamawa, with an escort from the sultan of Bornoo,.May 29. For four weeks he travelled southward through forests abounding with lions and elephants. On June 19 he came upon the great river Benoowe, at its junction with its affluent the Faro, and at once correctly conjectured that it must be the same with the Tchadda, or eastern branch of the Niger, described by the Landers and others. Arriving at Yola, the capital of Adamawa, some defect in etiquette was found in the letters with which he had been furnished by the sultan of Bornoo, and he was ordered to leave the country within three days. He turned back, and reached Kuka July 22. Overweg had reached Lake Tchad with the boat which had been brought overland from Tripoli, and had spent five weeks in exploring it, being the first European who had ever sailed upon its waters. The travellers remained at Kuka till November, 1851, when they planned another journey to Kanem and Borgoo, a vast unexplored region lying N. E. of the lake, and stretching halfway to Nubia; but they were assailed by Arabs, and forced to return to Kuka. They found the sultan about to send an army 20,000 strong to subjugate Mandara, a country S. E. of Bornoo. They joined this expedition, which after marching 200 miles returned in triumph, with a booty of 5,000 slaves and 10,000 cattle.

After resting nearly two months, Barth, near the close of March, 1852, set out for Baghirmi, a kingdom E. of Bornoo, which no European had ever visited. Here he was again forced to return, reaching Kuka Aug. 20. During his absence Overweg tried to penetrate the Fellatah kingdom of Yakoba, N. W. of the Benoovve, but his health was shattered, and he returned to Kuka, near which place he died, Sept. 27, 1852. Barth was now alone; but fresh funds reaching him from the English government, he resolved to pursue his explorations, sending his papers to England, with a request that another associate should be provided for him, and fixing upon the kingdom of Timbuctoo as his destination. He had sound health, goods for presents worth $200, four camels, as many horses, and five trusty servants, all well supplied with arms and ammunition. The party left Kuka Nov. 25, 1852, reached Sackatoo in April, and Timbuctoo Sept. 7, 1853. For many months nothing was heard of Barth except a rumor that he was dead. Meanwhile Edward Vogel, a German employed as an assistant to the British royal astronomer, volunteered to go in search of him. He was attended by a company of sappers and miners. At Tripoli he was joined by Mr. Warrington, son of the British consul.

They reached Kuka in December, 1853. Here Warrington died; but Vogel learned that Barth was alive, and had left Timbuctoo, where he had been detained nearly a year. The vizier of Bornoo had forwarded the report that he had died, hoping that this would soon be the case, so that the supplies of the expedition might fall into his own hands. But civil troubles arising, the vizier was deposed, and Barth was protected by the sheik of Timbuctoo, who furnished him with an escort as far back as Sackatoo. He succeeded in exploring the middle course of the Quorra or Niger, which had not been before done by any European except Mungo Park, whose journal perished with him; he also discovered two considerable kingdoms, Gando and Hamd-AUahi, the existence of which had before been unknown. On Oct. 17 he reached Kano, the largest town in central Africa, where, his funds being exhausted, he succeeded in procuring a loan by paying 100 per cent, interest. On Dec. 1, 1854, he was met by Vogel, the first European he had seen since the death of Overweg, more than two years before. Having wintered at Kuka, Barth started for home in May, 1855, and reached Marseilles Sept. 8, having been absent nearly six years. After visiting his friends in Germany, he went to London to prepare an account of his explorations.

The "Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa" appeared simultaneously in English and German (5 vols., London and Gotha, 1855-'8), with numerous illustrations, many of them colored, and elaborate maps of his various routes. This is Barth's great work, and, though heavy and diffuse in style, it is still the most valuable book of African travel which has appeared. Barth made it a point, wherever he was, to study the language and history of the country, and he brought to light much that would otherwise have been wholly lost to the student. Having completed the account of his African travels, he made several other journeys, of which he published accounts: Reise ton Trapezunt durch die nbrdliche Halfte Klein-asiens nach Scutari (Gotha, 1860); Reise durch das Innere der europaischen Turkei (Berlin, 1864); and in 1865 he made a tour in Albania and Montenegro. At the time of his death he was professor extraordinary of geography in the university of Berlin. His posthumous work, Sammlung Centralafrikanischer Vocabularien, appeared in 1866.