Park’s re
Sego.
I t is unhCeefFary to remind the reader that .all. the. recent information
affifted by that of Ptolemy, will only throyy; a faintdight on tke;;iaqrthem
•half o f this wide contifleUt, rastfafrjas .;|l|ei Central. fiflgeAof Rongji, Icqn-
- tinued in- a-N. W. and S. E, dir,edition aero is to.th-e mountains of-Kumri,
and thole-on the fouth of Ahyfljnia, perhaps extending to Ajan on. tire
. eaftern.flip-re. The-interior of the-fouthern. h a lf p'f tliis;great continent
.will remain a. theme equally intereftingf-;and ftiU more unknown. In
-proceeding firft to^givef fome, idea o f the difeoyeries and conjeflutes
concerning the northern half, it .will be proper to begin, w ith afeertain.-
-ingrwhere the light-of difeaveryterminates., -^0
■ From th.e travels o f -Mr.. Park, and jibe map, conftrudied by Rennell,
it appears that three ' great.yiyers, the tGam.bia,q,-Senegal, and Joliba
OcjNigir, rife, from a chain Vofrrlqfty . mountains, N. .lat. i iRj . and as
.Browne lays down, the' mountains o f K umri, which give fource to the
Nile abd Bahr Kulla, in N. lat. y°, iffeems fufhciently evident that |his
grand chain proceeds acrofs the continent, efpecially‘as it was obferved
by Mr. .Park as far.a»' he penetrated.
•traveller * .ptnJaed: the courfe of |he_. Joliha from lopg^ 0
•Greenwich: to Silla,! long; i ° 3.0' th e :m tih o ft|^ te h ti,© f-jh |sq e ^ f^ itf6!9i
Not- to -.mention .carious..and interefting information cohCeffning th e
mannersj-and prefent ftaite, vof the countries, through yyhiig^i|^.pf|Eed,
we are indebted to Mr. Park fear th e Moorilhrlungdom phLudamar,
where he was detained at Benowm, and for another called Beeroo, the
capital o f which is Walet, while to th e E* is £he|pdebrated . kingdom of
Topibufitoo. T o the S. o f thefe are the negro kingdoms o f Kaarta and
Bambarra, the capital o f the laft being: Sag o ; -peyond.yy'ljich,, abopt
70 g. miles to the N.’-E, is Silla. T h e chief geographical p^jfidts in ^ d r.
Park’s route a r e the river , Joliba, and the town o f SegQ. TltCkVBPMfeffii?*
lib a fignifies the Great W a te r; and when this river, was. firft defejied
b y our traveller, it was flowing ftowly to the, eaftward, and g.lit6ering-jp
the morning fun, with, an expanfe as broad as the Thames at Weft-
* The narrative of liis journey was written by the late Bryan Edwards. See Sir william.
Young’s Advertifement to the third volume of that ingenious author’s Hiftory of 'the Weft "Indies, 1
f S o i , 410.
minfter
mmfter '. H e Toon-after!.arrived at Scgo, the capital of Bambarra, wh[eh Park’s
cö.nfi#s.;0£.fóuf divifions, furrounded: with high mud walls ; two on the R0UTE‘
north flcl'êl q f the river, and two on the fouthern. The höüfes; are in a
fqiiare form, with flat roofs': they are o f clay, feme have twofftóriè»
wa&e|^v>tSfe^èral-.ÈtS^Éfes alfcMppétef-’-; - yet the ftf-ee'ts are
narrow, wheel carnages being unknown. The inhabitants are com-
puted at 30,000, but Rich calculations • are ufually exaggerated.- Thé
king refi.des- on the fouthern . fliore : and people are ferried in canoes,-
GOtdifting of two large hollowed trees joined at the ends. Around is a
Bender cultivation-: and -thefe-mud walls and canoes are 'calle-d African
xnagna^c®n@e.‘
•"In Ludamar Mr. Park learned, from a -{heref who arrived with fait
and Tome-other articles from Walet, the capital o f Beeroo, -t-MVlIèüflli
was theTargéft towncBe ’Jiadj 'feen, Walptgpsbiègt ferêgêr.1 th a n .- i r s tó l^
toow., AkBifla Mr. -Park«5c©Me<Red:>^BtelligeticÊJTrpm the Möörifh' and
Negrd trëde&lpwho^fefoïmedBimUhae two*days!'’jo u rn e y to-tEl the
town lêfcjenfne,-fl-tutfced’ @ri- an-iflet‘'i'A fh'é -rivér-;.':bëyöhd^.Which,ï'at-tle
diamb'd b f *wd:flaysy|is-'tbé? Dibl» cfr'©Arkilake, inWnflSng which- from
W. to canoes' are- fakl tof ldfe: # g h i o6,:la,fid1 for ' ah-eritife-Bayk
From, this ’kke-the - river ilfuSs-in - fe^éfak’ftlêamSi' tefmmaffo||t$n two
targe branches, which jo in at Kabxa* ong day’s'-.johmey.Sf óf Tomlsu&do,
*nd th e ‘port ö f th a t bity or towr^a *At the diftaney q&ele^en days.frdm-
Rabra, *He>riv@r paffes tothé^&uth wards ofl*Mohffa,^ h M is'two' “d h /s’
joiii-nèy difta-ntfrom the^JólibL'R ^-G'f 'th'e fur-ihéf 'pfo|réfVof thiï%Fê5f , ■
f iv ^ k n d it^fittaTeèêitf-ail -the natives-“ with whom I converfed fefèm fo
entirely ig n o ran t* . , To the eaflward of HoUffa-ls the^kingSom o f
Raffina. "Th e prefent king^df TombhcR-ob isBambd^BmA^rahi-ftla, and
is faid to be rich, his wives-and cou'cuhines cloathed in filk. The' king-'
do in of Ho u ffa is of fuperior confequence.r T ö the S. of the Nigir Were
mentioned the kingdoms, or rather diftriRs o f G'ottb ; to the W. of
which! are BaëdÖ.o:-'|ancl Maniana,' the inhabitants of- the laft'beino- reported
cannibals. So far Mr. Park’s intelligence in the weft, which ter- '
minat-es with Houffa ah'oüt E. ion-g. from Greénwich 40. ■'|
1 P. 291, 8v°. . - ‘ P- ZIO, 4 p - 3 r-9-
m 2
3>:-
On