. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 347 
salt; and both the one and the other would be encreased 
by every succeeding inundation. None of the African rivers 
are free from saline impregnations ; but the Niger, in its 
long easterly course, collecting the waters from the sandy 
and saline soil of the desert, where every plant almost is 
saturated with salt, must be particularly charged with it. 
No mention, however, is made by any of the Arabian writers 
of that indispensable article, salt, being procured in the 
mud or soil abandoned by the waters of Wangara ; on the 
contrary, it is well known that one great branch of the 
trade of 'Tombuctoo is that of obtaining salt from the north- 
ern desert, for the supply of the countries to the southward 
of the Niger. But if Wangara had no outlet, this could not 
be necessary, as both it and all the large inland lakes, so 
circumstanced, would afford more or less of salt ; and if so, 
the trade of the caravans proceeding with rock salt from 
Tegazza to 'Tombuctoo would not have existed; as it is 
well known it has done, and still does, especially from the 
latter place to Melli and other countries south of the 
Niger, “ to a great water,” as Cadamosta says, “‘ which the 
traders could not tell whether it was salt or fresh ; by 
reason of which (he says) I could not discover whether it 
was a river or the sea ; but,” he continues, “ I hold it to be 
a river, because if it was the sea, there would be no need 
of salt.” 
Edrisi, however, distinctly states them to be fresh water 
lakes, and says that the two cities of Ghana are situated on 
the two opposite shores of what the Arabs calla fresh 
water sea. This fresh water sea, therefore, must necessarily 
have an outlet; or, like the Caspian, it would be no longer 
fresh ; and the conclusion is that, if the Niger runs into 
