In 1839, the abolitionist Thomas Fowell Buxton established the Society for the Extinction of the Slave Trade and for the Civilization of Africa in order to end enslavement across Africa. The society had the support of Prince Albert and intended to create a ‘New Africa’, where Christianity and European ideas of commerce would replace Indigenous religions and customs.

The society sponsored a missionary expedition into Nigeria in 1841, with the backing of the British government, in an attempt to achieve its aims. The expedition did manage to sign some treaties with the Aboh and Igala kingdoms, however, without protection from the diseases found in West Africa, around 50 of the 150 Europeans died and 130 suffered from fever. Due to the high death toll, the mission was abandoned, and the remaining members returned to Britain in 1842.

This book is an account of the illnesses that afflicted the expedition. It was written by the expedition's medical officer, James Ormiston McWilliam (1802-62). The book contains a description of the fever, its effects and its treatment. McWilliam also advocated for improved ventilation on ships to prevent such diseases from spreading as rapidly on future voyages.