ently attracted the attention of geographical writers. The following passage is extracted from a letter, dated Prior's Lynn, near Longtown, July 20, 1804, addressed by Mr. Maxwell to WilHam Keir, of Milnholm, Esq. a friend of Park, to whom the letter was communicated by Mr. Maxwell's desire. "Before ever the Niger came to be the topic of conversation, it struck me, that the Congo drew its source far to the northward, from the floods commencing long before any rains take place south of the equator; since it begins to swell perceptibly about the latter end of October, and no heavy rains set in before December: and about the end of January the river must be supposed at its highest. At no time, however, can the rains to the southward of the Line be compared with those in the Bight of Guinea, where ships are obliged to have a house erected over them during these months. But, whether the Congo be the outlet of the Niger or not, it certainly offers the best opening for exploring the interior of Africa of any scheme that has ever yet been attempted; and the ease and safety with which it might be conducted, needs no comment.However, if the Niger has a sensible outlet, I have no doubt of its proving the Congo, knowing all the rivers between Cape Palmas and Cape Lopes to be inadequate to the purpose; nor need the immense course of such a river surprise us, when we know that the river St. Lawrence, contemptible in size when compared with the Congo, encompasses the whole of North America, issuing through a chain of lakes. But instead of seven or eight lakes, the Congo may be supposed to pass through seventeen or eighteen; which will solve any difficulty as to the floods of the Niger not immediately affecting the Congo. I believe that our information of the Niger losing itself in the Desert rests wholly upon the authority of the Romans, a people whose pursuits never led them to trace the course of rivers with a view to traffic or civilization. If we may credit the accounts of travellers in crossing the deserts, we find that, wherever they get water for refreshment, there are invariably verdure and palm trees; and these spots in the desert of Lybia were termed by the ancients Oases, or Islands.Now, if such small springs could produce such permanent effects, we may reasonably suppose, that the immense stream of the Niger, increased to three times the size from where Mr. Park left it, would long before this have made the desert as green as any water meadow, and found its way gradually to the ocean, or inundated the whole country. "I can with much truth say this of the river Congo, that by comparing it with other rivers, according to the best writers, it must rank as the third or fourth in magnitude.. Considering the force of the current it produces in the sea, carrying out floating islands 60 or 70 leagues from the coast, the Amazon or Plata can alone cope with it. Many traders, whom I met with at Embomma, (a settlement on the banks of the Congo distant thirty leagues from its mouth,) had come one month's journey down the river, which, reckoned reckoned at 20 miles each day I met several floating islands, or (and they count them by the moon, Gonda), would make 600 miles; and they spoke of it as equally large where they came from, and that it went by the name of Enzaddi, as it does among all the natives upon the coast. Should the shallow water, as laid down opposite Saenda, detract from the assumed size of the Congo, let it be remembered, that the river there is spread out ten miles in width, the middle channel of which has never been accurately sounded. It has long been my opinion that Leyland's or Molyneux Island at Embomma (either of which might be rendered as impregnable as Gibraltar at a very small expence) would be a choice station for establishing an extensive com merce with the interior of Africa. Indeed, if the idea of the Congo being the outlet of the Niger prove so upon trial, we may consider it as an opening designed by Providence for exploring those vast regions, and civilizing the rude inhabitants." Besides this account given by Mr. Maxwell, there are other testimonies to the magnitude of the Congo, shewing it to be a river of the first class, and larger probably than the Nile. In a journal (which the editor has seen) of an intelligent and respectable naval officer, Captain Scobell, who visited the coast of Africa in the year 1813, in H. M. sloop of war, the Thais, the Congo is described as "an immense river, from which issues a continued stream at the rate of four or five knots in the dry, and six or seven in the rainy season." In a subsequent passage he says, "Incrossing this stream, broken masses from the banks of that noble river, which, with the trees still erect, and the whole wafting to the motion of the sea, rushed far into the ocean, and formed a novel prospect even to persons accustomed to the phenomena of the waters." He adds, that there are soundings to the distance of from 30 or 40 miles from the coast, arising probably from the vast quantity of alluvial matter brought down by the force of the stream. Other accounts state, that the waters of the Congo may be distinguished at sea more than thirty leagues from the coast, and that the water is fresh at the distance of thirty miles. These, possibly, are exaggerations: but they may be received, in confirmation of the preceding testimonies, as sufficient proofs of a general opinion among navigators with regard to the size and force of this prodigious river. It is mentioned by Major Rennell in his very interesting account of the Ganges, that the sea in the bay of Bengal ceases to be affected by the waters of that river, and recovers its transparency, only at the distance of about 20 leagues from the coast. (Phil. Transactions, vol. lxxi.) But the Ganges being obstructed by its Delta, and passing through eight channels into the sea, is much less rapid and impetuous than the Congo. To these particulars it must be added, that all the accounts concur in representing, that the stream of the Congo, is of a more uniform height, and subject to much less variation from the dry and rainy seasons, than any tropical river which is known; and that on on a comparison with such rivers, it may be considered to be in a perpetual state of flood. The average rising of the Ganges in the rainy reason is stated by Major Rennell to be thirty-one feet, being about the same as that of the Nile; whereas, the difference between the highest point of the Congo about February, and the lowest in September, is only about nine feet; and the river, at the latter period, has all the appearance to a stranger of being in full flood. It is this remarkable peculiarity, which distinguishes the Congo from other great rivers of a similar description, and which leads to the most important conclusions with regard to its origin and course. In support then, of the hypothesis which identifies the Congo with Niger, the following arguments deduced from the preceding facts and observations, may be alledged:-1. The great magnitude of the Congo. 2. The probability that this river is derived from very remote sources, and those considerably north of the equator. 3. The fact, that there exists a great river north of the equator, (the Niger,) of which the termination is unknown, and which may, perhaps, form the principal branch of the Congo.4. This hypothesis derives some additional probability from the statement of the guide, whom Park took down the Niger from Sansanding. In Park's letter to Sir Joseph Banks (p. 78), he speaks of this person, as "one of the greatest travellers in that part of Africa," and represents him as stating"that the Niger, after it passes Kashna, runs directly to the righthand, or the south, and that he ne ver heard of any person who had seen its termination, and is certain that it does not end any where in the vicinity of Kashna or Bornou, having resided some time in both those kingdoms."-These are the grounds upon which the present supposition rests. Arguments founded upon etymological conjectures, supposed resemblances of names, or affinity of languages, &c. &c. are, for the most part, too arbitrary and fanciful, and liable to too much uncertainty to be entitled to any place in disquisitions of this nature. The same remark is applicable to the narratives and descriptions given by native travellers and merchants, and, in general, to all African evidence whatever, except when supported by collateral proof from other less exceptionable sources. Such being the evidence in favour of the hypothesis respecting the Congo, the objections against this theory must be admitted to be of some weight. The principal of these are, 1. That it supposes the course of the Niger to lie through the chain of the Kong Mountains (anciently Montes Luna), the great central belt of Africa. Of the existence of these mountains there appears to be no doubt; and from their situation in the midst of a great continent, they may reasonably be supposed to be of great size and extent; in which case it is difficult to understand how the Niger could penetrate this barrier, and force a passage southwards. 2. The course of the Niger, estimated from its source in the mountains of Senegal (supposing it to be the same river with the Congo, and to flow by Wangara and Kashna through the he centre of Africa into the Atantic), would be considerably more than 4000 miles. But the course of the Amazon, the greatest river in the old or new world with which we are acquainted, is only about 3500 miles; and, although the existence of a river considerably greater than any yet known, may be within the limits of physical possibility; yet, such a supposition ought not to be adopted upon slight or conjectural reasoning, or upon any thing much short of distinct and positive proof. To give such a vast extension to the Congo upon the grounds stated by Mr. Maxwell, might perhaps be considered as one of those exaggerations, to which, according to a remark of D'Anville, geographical writers upon Africa have always been remarkably prone, "en abusant, pour ainsi dire, du vast champ que l'intérieur de l'Afrique y laissoit prendre." (Mém. de l'Academie des Inscriptions, Tom. xxvi. p. 61.*) Before the editor finally dismisses the subject of the Congo, he may be allowed to express a hope that this distinguished river, which hitherto has been only known as one of the greatest marts of the Slave Trade, may at length be rendered conducive to objects of civilization and science; and that some use will now be made of this great inlet into Africa, for the purpose of exploring a part of that continent which is yet entirely unknown; or, at least, of obtaining more complete and authentic information relative to the Congo itself, which must unquestionably be considered as a very curious and interesting subject of enquiry. Such an enterprise, according to the opi> nion of Mr. Maxwell, would not be attended with much difficulty. In a letter to Mr. Park, dated Oct. 12, 1804, alluding to the subject of the Congo, he speaks of an intention which he had formed some time prior to Park's discoveries, of exploring that The following scale (taken from Major Rennel's Memoir of a Map of Hindostan, 337,) shewing the proportional length of some of the most considerable rivers already known, may be useful to the reader on the present occasion. 164 It must be observed, however, that the magnitude of a river depends much less upon the length of its course than upon the number of auxiliary streams which fall into it. It is this latter circumstance, which occasions the vast size of the Ganges, compared, for example, with the Nile; although the course of the latter is so much longer. Rivers not fed by auxiliary streams, may even become smaller in consequence of the length of their course. The editor is indebted for these observations to Major Rennell, river. His scheme was to carry out with him from England six supernumerary boats, well adapted for rowing and sailing; each being of such a size as to be easily carried by thirty people, and transported across several cataracts, with which the course of the river is known to be impeded. On his arrival at the coast, he meant to hire about thirty or forty black rowers, and to sail up the Congo with proper arms, provisions and merchandize, in the month of Hay (the dry season south of the equator) calculating upon an absence from the coast of about ten weeks. Mr. Maxwell considered this scheme as perfectly practicable, and likely to be attended with no very great expense; but he was prevented from executing his intention by the war of 1793, which made it inconvenient and unsafe for him to encumber the deck of his vessel with supernumerary boats. IV. The fourth and last opinion respecting the termination of the Niger is that of a German geographer, M. Reichard, which was published in the "Ephemerides Géographiques," at Weimar, in August, 1808, and is referred to in a respectable French work, entitled, "Précis de la Géographie Universelle, par M. Malte-brun." The fourth volume of this work, which appeared at Paris in the year 1813, (p. 635) represents M. Reichard's hypothesis to be, that the Niger after reaching Wangara, takes a direction towards the south, and being joined by other rivers from that part of Africa, makes a great turn from thence towards the southwest, and pursues its course till it approaches the north eastern extremity of the gulph of Guinea, when it divides and discharges itself by different channels into the Atlantic; after having formed a great Delta, of which the Rio del Rey constitutes the eastern, and the Rio Formoso, or Benin River, the western branch. Without entering into the details of M. Reichard's reasoning in support of this hypothesis, which is often somewhat hazardous and uncertain, it may be sufficient for the present purpose to observe, that his principal argument is founded on a consideration of the peculiar character belonging to the tract of country situated between the two rivers, which consists of a vast tract of low, level land, projecting considerably into the sea, and intersected by an infinity of small branches from the principal rivers. In these and other respects, it appears, according to the best descriptions of the coast which we possess, to bear a considerable resemblance to the Deltas at the mouths of the Nile, the Ganges, and such other great rivers as by depositing large quantities of alluvial matter previous to their discharge into the sea, form gradual additions to the coast. For it may be proper in this place to remark, that the formation of Deltas, even by rivers of the first magnitude, is by no means universal; some of the greatest that are known being without them. Of this the Amazon, Plata, and Oronoko are mentioned by Major Rennell as distinguished instances; to which may now be added, the Congo. The difference appears to be owing to the depth of the sea at the |