Clapperton, Hugh, 1788–1827, British explorer, b. Annan, Scotland. After serving with the British navy in East India and Canada he made two journeys to W Africa. On the initial journey (1822–25) he was one of the first Europeans to reach Lake Chad (Feb. 4, 1823). He traveled through the Hausa states and collected much information about Kano and Sokoto. Clapperton's second expedition sought to discover the mouth of the Niger River. Before he could accomplish this task he died near Sokoto on Apr. 13, 1827. His servant, R. L. Lander, returned to England with his records, which were published (1829) as the Journal of a Second Expedition into the Interior of Africa.
See H. Williams, Quest beyond the Sahara (1965).
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