Paul Belloni Du Chaillu, an American traveller, born in Paris, July 31, 1835. He early went to live in the French settlement at the mouth of the Gaboon, on the west coast of Africa, where his father was a merchant, became familiar with the neighboring tribes, acquired their languages, and learned much of their habits and modes of life. In 1852 he came to the United States (of which he afterward became a naturalized citizen), and soon after published in the " New York Tribune " a series of articles on the Gaboon country, which elicited much interest. In October, 1855, he sailed from New York for Africa, with the intention of making a thorough exploration of the country on the west coast between lat. 2° N. and 2° S. He spent nearly four years, until June, 1859, among different tribes, penetrating to about Ion. 14° 15' E., travelling on foot, unaccompanied by any white man, upward of 8,000 miles. During this time he shot and stuffed over 2,000 birds, of which 60 were previously unknown, and killed over 1,000 quadrupeds, among which were several gorillas, never before hunted, and probably never before seen, by a white man, and 20 other species of animals previously unclassified.

He returned to New York in 1859, bringing a large collection of native arms and implements and numerous specimens in natural history. After subjecting his specimens to scientific examination in several cities, he carried them to England, where many of them were purchased by the British museum. The history of this expedition was published under the title of "Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa" (8vo, New York and London, 1861; new ed., enlarged, 1871). This volume is a valuable contribution to the geography, ethnology, and zoology of western Africa; but many of its statements were received with distrust, principally because they were inconsistent with the maps of Barth and Petermann. A bitter controversy arose concerning Du Chaillu's truthfulness, Prof. Gray of the British museum and others attacking his veracity with much asperity, while Prof. Owen and Sir Roderick Murchison defended him. As Du Chaillu had made his observations from compass bearings only, their correctness could not be definitively proved, and he resolved to vindicate his accuracy and his reputation by a second expedition. For this he prepared himself by a course of scientific study, learned the use of astronomical and other instruments, and acquired the art of practical photography.

Meanwhile his accuracy was vindicated by the French travellers Serval and Griffon du Bellay, who, in charge of a government expedition, explored the Ogobai river and the neighboring country in 1862. His statements concerning the Fan tribe were verified by the English traveller Burton. Du Chaillu, notwithstanding his vindication, determined to prosecute his expedition, for which he had made thorough preparation. He freighted a schooner with goods for presents to the natives, and sailed from England, Aug. 6, 1863. He reached the mouth of the Ogobai Oct. 10, and there met with a severe loss by the swamping of the canoe containing his scientific and photographic apparatus. Obliged to send to England for a new supply, he occupied his time in hunting excursions, during which he again had an opportunity of studying the habits of the gorilla. In September, 1864, his instruments having arrived, he set out for the interior, accompanied by ten Commi negroes. He revisited some of the scenes of his former explorations, took many accurate observations, and penetrated among tribes and through portions of country previously unknown. He was forced to return to the coast in September, 1865, in consequence of an unfortunate conflict with the natives, in which he lost everything but his journals.

These contained all of his astronomical observations, which verified his previous statements, and added much to the geographical knowledge of western Africa. He published an account of this expedition under the title " A Journey to Ashango Land " (8vo, London and New York, 1867). After spending some years in the United States, where he appeared as a public lecturer, he visited Sweden, Norway, Lapland, and Finland in 1872-3, returning to New York in December, 1873. Besides the above named works, Du Chaillu has written the following, intended for youth: "Stories of the Gorilla Country" (1868); "Wild Life under the Equator" (1869); "Lost in the Jungle" (1869; "My Apingi Kingdom" (1870); and "The Country of the Dwarfs " (1871). These narrate in detail incidents which had been more briefly mentioned in his two previous books.