AF K I C'Av
P mS ^ 1 # cfente©i'b#<fel$©p*
^ j&Hfcligltiir#:'is'a prbdigi&as f ^ g e ^ mountamsviextendfeg^mifilole
ofKong'In the weft* to thofe of KiinM •dKfdfotHe'mQon,»an-d thofe of
. AbyflTihia ‘Ni Iati
fpohi -this another- chain feems to< extend, about 4ong^4^?Meaft--#bm
^f€bhwich,rri'n afdothern direadon.;. Thefe-^ingesof mountainsIteay
probably ber found to prefent a climate nobexpe&ed in the^fdrrid* 3Qne,
and as adverfe to the ancient:belief, .as that of:South America- in which
the chief features are the Maranon, and exeefe-ef mpifture ; and 'mountains
clothedwith perpetual friow. .■■■'.-»r , u :y.
inland Seas. A In Africa the wantjfePinland fimk-QC* Ayg&tfi f tf iM n ih ^
by large navigable rihrcte;; and the-. fingnlab deficfeiey, of -both may he
regarded .as a radical caufe of theftriking want,jsfcivilization, .andfcw
progrefs of African-geography. ■For inland feas; or navigable risers,
dtouldTiave naturally invited coapnercial mtercputjfe, and ^rqig n ^ tle-
«ents» on a far larger fcale than'th^^m^l^ajortes near the c o ^ ^ n d
tlie more fouthern parts might thus have'rivalled the/arisent^rp© of
the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. , But thefe .grandj l e ts
are rathef boundaries of Africa :^an^tthere are np n a a ^ ^ l^ s ^ e r s
which; can diffufe commerce and indu/lry front,the .lhor©|t®|e|^g^tre.
Lakes. It i s 'probable .that coafiderable lakes may be difcoryered npar .theulntgtio.r
ranges of mountains; at prefent that of Maravi, S.?lat,t^ , is ||^n e p
fuch magnitude as to require notice, in a general defcription; andlpen
of this there is no certain nor precife knowletige.
Rivers. The chief river hitherto difcovered is the- Nilft^ which .ri.fes ifi^the
Nik; Gebel el Kumr, o r mountains,of tho mopn, in a diftrift jcafleS jDonga,
N. lat. 8°. It is firft known by the name of Bahr'elf^b ia^ ^ t h e
White River; and about lat. i6° is joined-bf-the,Bahr ej Azrek, of the
Blue River; the foltmer tinged, the latter clear; circumftances $hich
occur in the Maranon, and the Miffouri, in which the chief ftreamds
muddy. The Bahr el Azrek, or Blue River, was miftaken for the real
Nile by the Portuguefe writers, Alvarez, Tellez, &c. probably raided
by the vain glory of the Abyffinians; though it'was well known to the
ancients as quite a diftinfl: river, the Aftapus, flowing into the Nile
HI p | - from
A'P RT-G A. 7 ‘7
from the 'Cdloe P t i ® w j thelake'vofyd^pir-ibe^./f; ..Tlic corn^dtetive Rivers.
cotarfdfe®' the* MHe^masy%.e -eftimated afe-ah#UlM&&g f i . < s - nearly
rivalling ithe Afafrc^lve^'’ j^a-o'd rate only, flip*?
pbfeflfwbe exheefltd'r.by ip-is^yj
thef Maranod^.ta^d^%|3ably}tb^
crftffi dCr abte’-dEferadts, -itheC chief feeing"’ t^gt ©f^'eaiiadil before
-it“'gain tb^eVfelsr^rEgyptv'afrertplifi^gTomdftapid^^tbe^p^^Cne^;
Its other .features a'Ee.lintimately'Cpnn-^^d' ^ith th^o^'df|j;|o'f.,Egypt.,
The otheaschiefrlriverargre' the N&gir^and •tfe^^^^li^cfep^&'ti'pnCdL
the ety0rfer'0jf'^aeh being probably lab o j * f ,'Tb^t jfof Sdne-, •
gtMs -a'il’C&iJfMerable» In tihe^uthern -pa'rfenb^l^b^yp3BH y l^p,4
©dnge; and the! ^rfnbezid^WM-ocalstegapkre '«i|liW^3e^S&ffebt|^Tyee ‘
' lfs&Vv’n. It Is itotifeowever v^oM^^profeW^,ihaC^$^to4yj^^rae.
$reat ri-vers^de'feehding from the ‘central,
thdk efl-u¥tibs bS fS impeded by fand banks,; or:diyided*ihj^eMtasjs
haTC1'Sfc4pdd ’tfld^nMiGeictf' mariners.. x
}' The rifdhiiteitth^Of' Atlas- attracted'-tfere ^parrieularaoM^^liokatof the>,tiytifotari..
agen ts, ^H^flbled" trfat-'they-' fbp'p’orted. thp> firmarpenty and- derived^Atl^s.
from^fh'efti tli’l c^lrebrAe5d!^^POTaTO® the
AtHhtie mahls.' When D ’Affvilife foppof^- thMl^eaygeieer! Atfas ©£
•Ptolemy i^ Gape 'Baj.ad%, he evinges/ihat rhe Mmffewed'^yjpxtecididg'
the. ancient knowledg© .too far to the fouth>,'i -^Wiews, cf»»tfiejhead, lands
amr;mdun'tai'ns vifible from thC'fek' would11 again, be requifrte.forHhi&dfcf-
cijmpn^but in no. map is_ the AtTailjeprefefrt&d^as^^end’inJffQTalr'ib'
the-fouth; and the .greater Atlasvws^td .ratne§s^^d^tp^be1-,C^p^^S^Kl;' ''.
* Mr. Bmce’s vanity led himto addpt mcTafn’& miftake S altl it is afPer c¥nv£rfiiig -witli- .
iMt^nville at feris;, who lHewM' hiKi' the^grofs^%horance^<^^8 ^etMfi^ns^^ou^Taveller,1 ^Mo’VhaV
great merit in other reTpefts/ wifely refolved to ftrike. out* the White River
he acknowledge, in his work that it* is- the^ lahg|^ Tl:r^rriTx ^GIbl^Hmv^'K:e0herches^;h‘;j|5^^
nounces Bruce the moft ereduloiist ana venthtifiafti^ of mankin'd ; with greater juft^ejhaddsy"
that he has only repeated the^'difeoveries whien 'me jfef^ita" ^ rht’de a .century' ai^d^a
Yet Goflellin’s Ophir, which he finds in the ©bfeure"village a mofr ridica?'*
lous pofition. He forgets,'that the Phoenicians, who directed the fleets of Scldmon, had probably
explored Britaink before that period. It ffiems 'HigHly^pr^Mble^ that.Opmr was* chi the1 eaftern,
c0aft of Africa i and perhaps Ophir was the original Phfchfcia^ term for'that'continent. Equally
ridiculous is Goflelliifs i-dea, ii. ‘07, th^t S e r a , the capital of * the Seres, was Serinagat^o’n^he^
Ganges!
where