582 
on @ comparison with such rivers, 
it may be considered to be in aper= 
petual state of flood. The average 
rising of the Ganges in the rainy 
season is stated by Major Rennell 
to be thirty-one feet, being about 
the same as that of the Nile; 
whereas, the difference betweenthe 
highest point of the Congo about 
February, and the lowest in Sep- 
tember, is only about nine feet ; 
and the river, at the latter period, 
hasall the appearance to a stranger 
of being in full flood. It is this 
remarkable peculiarity which dis- 
tinguishes the Congo from other 
great rivers of a similar descrip- 
tion, and which leads to the most 
important conclusions with re- 
gard to its origin and course. 
In support, then, of the hypo- 
thesis which identifies the Congo 
with the Niger, the following argu- 
ments deduced from the preced- 
ing facts and observations, may 
be alleged :—J. the great mag- 
nitude of the Congo. 2. The pro- 
bability 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, perbaps, 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 great- 
est travellers in that part of Africa,” 
and represents him as stating— 
*‘ that the Niger after it passes 
Kashna, runs directly to the right- 
hand, or the south, and that he ne- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1815. 
ver heard of any person who had 
seen its termination, and is cer- 
tain that it does not end any where 
in the vicinity of Kashna or Bor- 
nou, having resided some time in 
both those kingdoms.””—These 
are the grounds upon which the 
present supposition rests. Argu- 
ments founded upon etymological 
conjectures, supposed resemblan- 
ces of names, or affinity of lan- 
guages, &c. &c. are, for the most 
part, too arbitrary and fanciful, 
and liable to too much uncertainty 
to be entitled to any place in dis- 
quisitions 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 evi- 
dence whatever, except when sup- 
ported by collateral proof from 
other less exceptionable sources. 
Such being the evidence in fa- 
vour of the hypothesis respecting 
the Congo, the objections against 
this theory must be admitted to 
be of some weight. The princi- 
pal of these are, 1. That it sup- 
poses the course of the Niger to 
lie through the chain of the Kong 
Mountains (anciently Montes Lu- 
ne), the great central belt of 
Africa. Ofthe 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 under- 
stand how the Niger could pene- 
trate this barrier, and force a pas- 
sage southwards. 2. The course 
of the Niger, estimated from its 
source in the mountains of Sene- 
gal (supposing it to be the same 
river with the Congo, and to flow 
by Wangara and Kashna through — 
