from Egypt to Western Africa. 13 
admire the accuracy and astonishing capacity of this Priest, for 
had he travelled with an intention of marking his route, and 
been furnished with suitable instruments for the purpose, at the 
same time having a knowledge of the use of them, he could hardly 
have accounted for his ground more correctly, which is a very 
desirable fact to be certain of, as it enables us in conjunction 
with other circumstances already detailed, to attach a consider- 
able share of importance to his information respecting the Niger. 
He appears to be quite positive that the Nile is a continuation 
of the Niger, and that Baher el Abeed is the link of connexion, 
for he has met people who have told him that they travelled 
along its banks, from Nufi to Sennaar; that it is very broad, 
and frequently overflows its banks, inundating the country to 
an immense extent. But while I attach little or no credit to 
what he has heard (being well aware that the native travellers 
too often consider themselves privileged to deal in the mar- 
vellous), yet I think, presuming the height which would be re- 
quired for the source of the Niger not to be an objection, the only 
other is its great breadth at an early stage of its course, and 
the consequent magnitude which it would necessarily attain 
from tributary assistance, previous to falling in with the range 
of the Nile. But although a little very simple reasoning might 
in a measure cancel the latter objection, yet where there does 
exist one, let it be ever so trifling, the hypothesis cannot be 
allowed to be valid. It may be argued, for instance, that Mr. 
Park saw the Niger at Sego as broad as the Thames at West- 
minster, and many natives have assured me that, during the 
rains, it swells to such a size that the explosion from a musket 
cannot be heard on the opposite shore; towards Boussa, where 
Park lost his life, the river spreads out’ still wider, forming 
many considerable islands, but as it flows past Nufi, where the 
country is bold and mountainous, it becomes compressed within 
limits of about 400 yards ; therefore, as the breadth of the Niger, 
nearly a thousand miles from its source, is only four hundred 
yards; and as the greater portion of the country through which 
it shapes its course is low and sandy, a cause to which it is in- 
debted principally for its amazing breadth, we may infer that the 
