The archives of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) can be of use to anyone interested in European travellers in Nigeria. The quantity of records is small and there are no large deposits of the papers of important political figures, yet almost all the well known travellers of the 19th and early 20th century are represented there in some way. From its foundation in 1830 the RGS has generated records and correspondence through its own activities and those of its Fellows. In addition the Society has been the recipient of manuscripts, letters, diaries and field notes of those who have felt the RGS to be a suitable home for records of their independent travel or geographical enquiry.

Documents of the 19th century relating to Nigeria reflect, at first, the enthusiasm felt by the government and by the RGS to see the course of the river Niger and its tributaries accurately mapped.