580 ANNUAL 
ently attracted the attention of 
geographical writers. The fol- 
lowing passage is extracted from 
a letter, dated Prior’s Lynn, near 
Longtown, July 20, 1804, ad- 
dressed by Mr. Maxwell to Wil- 
liam Keir, of Milnholm, Esq. a 
friend of Park, to whom the let- 
ter 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 !at- 
ter end of October, and no heavy 
rains set in before December : and 
about the end of January the ri- 
ver must be supposed at its high- 
est. 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 erect- 
ed over them during these months. 
‘¢ But, whetherthe Congobethe 
outlet of the Niger or not, it cer- 
tainly 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 sen- 
sible 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 im- 
mense course of such a river sur- 
prize 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 
REGISTER, 
1815. 
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 af» 
fecting the Congo. I believe that 
our information of the Niger los- 
ing itselfin the Desert rests wholly 
upon theauthority of the Romans, 
a people whose pursuits never led 
them to trace the course of rivers 
with a view to traffic or civiliza- 
tion. If we may credit the ac- 
counts 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 mea- 
dow, and found its way gradually 
to the ocean, or inundated the 
whole country. 
“TI can with much truth say 
this of the river Congo, that by 
comparing it with ofher 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 | 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, 
