1. Whether It is probable that the Niger, after running about
2250 British miles in direct distance from its source, should not
have arrived at a lower level, than that of the countries adjacent to
the heads of the Nile ? *
2. Whether the course of the Misselâd river, from the south of
Darfoor, is not almost directly contrary to that which the Niger
should take from Wangara, in order to join the White River?
3. Whether the course of the waters, to the west of Darfoor, and
of the head of the White River, are not also reported to run towards
the quarter that contains the Niger, instead of coming from it ? and
are they not said to run through a wet marshy country ; whilst that
to the east, in the line between Fittré and the White River, is high
and mountainous ? -j-
4. Has not the country of Wangara, See. like that of Fittré, thé
character of an alluvial tract, inundated by the periodical floods of
the Niger, to the extent of more than 350 British miles in length,
by more than 170 in breadth: and has not both that and Gàna,
* Th e Thames, between Maidenhead Bridge and Mortlake, (about 41 B. miles
in a straight line,) has a fall of rather more than one foot eight Indies in each
mile. But this is a smooth part of its course : for although the Thames does not, by
any means, spring from very elevated lands, it cannot be supposed to fall less than
four feet in each mile, taken on its whole course. On this idea, the Niger should
have a fall of more than 8000 feet, in its supposed course to the White River. But
even i f two feet and a half (which appears very moderate indeed) be allowed, the fall
would be no less than 5625 feet, or i i j yards more than an English mile. Is it to
be credited, that the bed of the White River, on the south of Darfoor, p d at a.point
not very remote from its source, is a mile lower than the springs of the. joliba, or
Niger? , .
+ Browne's T ravels, page 473.
large fresh water lakes in the dry season ?* May not so great an
extent of surface, suffice for the évaporation of the waters of the
Niger; as we have already an instance of the ;kind in Persia, in
which the Heermend, a river of more than 40® uüics length of
course, is evaporated in less than — part of the surface of the
inundation formed in Wangara ? j~ I now return to the general
geography.
Mr., Horneman, in describing the position of the southern states,
speaks of Wadey, bordering on the west of Darfoor ; then Metho,
west, (or rather NW) of Wadey ; both of which are watered by
the. river which flows from Darfoor to the lake Fittré, (i- e- the
Misselâdj ; and, finally, Fittré itself, to the NW of Metho. Continuing
the description— J is. said to lie N of Wadey ;
Bournu, N of Fittré. Bergoa seema not to have been known to
Horneman ; or, perhaps, he may have confounded it with the Burgu
* Edrisi says,. “ Ab urbe-Çhajna ad primps limites tefræ Vancâræ est iter octo
dierum (orienteni yersus)—-At 1,110 hase, eadem est insula longitudinis trecentorum
milliarium, centum et qulqquaginta latitudlpis, quam Nrilus undequaque circundat
toto anni tempore. Adveriiente verb mense Augusto, -et æstu gravescente, Nilbque
inundante, insula ista vel certè major pars illius aquis obruitur, manetque sepulta
aquis qnamdiu Niiusi terram inundate consuevit.’’ (Sionita, p. 11 and. SR. Soe also
Hartmann’s Edrisi, article Vankara, p. At]: ot seq,
f Ebn,Hajtkal|, an Arabian geographer, of the tenth.century, (lately translated by
Sir William Ouseley,) gives the follqwing account o.f the river Heermend, p. 205.
“ Th e most considerable river of Sejestan is the Heermend, which comes from
Ghaur to the city of Best, and from that runs to Sejestan, to the lake Zareh. This
lake is-very smalt when the waters o f the river are not copious ; when the river is
full, the lake increases accordingly. Th e length o f this lake- is about 30 farsangs,
(about 1 to B. mites,} a«d: in breadth about one merhilch. (Day’s journey, or 24 B.
miles.) Its waters are sweet, wholesome, & c .”
It is well known, that? there is no outlet from the lake Zareh»
% Begama of Edrisi.
Z 2