boats to cross it, of which some are made of single trees, largii
enough to hold ten persons. *
It would seem, therefore, ( if Mr. Browne was correctly informed,
and I can see no reason to doubt, because he speaks with caution),
as if these rivers descended from the high country on the south of
Darfoor, into a comparatively low, and hollow tract to the west, in
which also two large lakes are marked in Mr. Browne’s map: and
this tract falls, in our geography, nearly midway between the head
of the White River, and the country of Wangara, placed according
to the notices found in Edrisi; and which are corroborated, generally,
by Mr. Homeman, who was told that Wangara lay to the
westward of the empire of Bornu. -j- Through this country of Wangara,
the great river of interior Africa (our Niger) runs, and beyond
Wangara, eastward, we are unable to trace it. (It may be necessary
to remark here, that Edrisi conceived that the Niger ran to the west,
from a source, common to that, and to the Egyptian Nile.)
In fact, one ought not to be surprised to find, considering how very
loosely and inaccurately such kind of information must necessarily
be given, at so great a distance from the seat of inquiry, (that is,
many hundred miles from Mr. Browne’s station in Darfoor), if the
lakes and rivers in question should turn out to be those of Wangara
* I think I perceive in Mr. Browne’s description of Darkulla, the traces of an
alluvial country ; that is, one whose soil is formed from the deposition of rivers ;
intersected by their branches ; and periodically inundated. Mr. Browne says of the
natives, “ they are very cleanly, to which the abundance of water in their country,
contributes. They have ferry-boats on the river, which are impelled by poles, partly
by a double oar, like our canoes. T h e trees are so large, from the quantity of water
and deep clay, that canoes are hollowed out of them, sufficiently capacious to contain
ten persons.” Travels, p. 308, 309.
t So says Leo, p. 254.
itself! It may be observed, that the distances from the capital of
Darfoor agree nearly as well to the lakes of Wangara, as to those
of Hermad and Dwi; and the bearing does not differ two points of
the compass. * There is nothing to check the bearings from Darfoor,
on that side; and it would not be at all extraordinary, if two
descriptions, such as those of Edrisi, and of the people of Darfoor,
should be even more at variance, than the difference between the
positions of the two sets of lakes and rivers, on the map.
But how ambiguous soever the subject of the western streams,
between the head of the White River and Wangara, may be, the
waters that flow from the southern and western borders of Darfoor,
are clearly known to run to the north-west, and to form a large
lake; proving a hollow space to exist, in the quarter, north-west of
Darfoor; and little more than 160 miles eastward of Wangara. ■{•
Whether this hollow be a continuation of that which receives the
waters of the Niger, and forms a part of them into lakes, in Wangara,
remains to be discovered. It is, however, in proof, that Edrisi
believed the fact, by his describing a water communication the
whole way. I now proceed to describe the course of these waters,
that flow from the quarter of Darfoor, towards the north-west.
Mr. Browne was informed, (page 4,4,9,) that on the south of Darfoor,
and between that country and the source of the White River,
the waters formed a considerable river, named Misselad. This he
traces on his map at page 180, and in the routes given in his Appendix,
p. 449, 464, 468, towards the NNW and NW, to a point
above the parallel of 15 degrees north (z. e. through near 400 G.
* See the General Map o f North Africa, at page 178.
+ For Edrisi, page 13, places this lake (Kauga,) at ten journies eastward of Seme-
gonda in Wangara.