SENEOAMBIA. 



nearly half the eorfiice of th.it country. The largest of its 



MB are the Ba Woolima and the Ba Flog. The last-mentioned 



riw, which b considered the principal branch, rises, according to the 

 statement of llolllMi, new 10*!WX. lat, 10 45' W. long., in the 

 mountain rang* which inclose* the elevated table-land of Foota Jallon 

 on ih south. The Ba Fing flows 6rst from north to south, but it 

 ooa turn. eastward, and paws at a little distance to the south of 

 Timbo, the capital of Foota Jallon. Soon afterwards it runs north, 

 and in that direction it traverse* the south-eastern portion of the plain 

 of Foots, Jallon. After a coarse of hardly more than 80 miles it enters 

 the mountains which divide Foota Jallon from the Wilderness of 

 Jallon Kadoo. The Ba Fing is joined by some large tributaries, of 

 which the Fnrkooma runs more than 150 miles. The course of the 

 Ba King to its junction with the Woolima exceeds 400 miles. The 

 other great branch of the Senega], the Ba Woolima, rises above 350 

 mils* from the source of the Ba Fing, to the north-east, at the eastern 

 extremity of the mountain range which separates Senegambia from 

 Sudan, and at no great distance from the banks of the Joliba, or 

 Quorra, near IS* N. lat, 6 40' W. long. Ita course is first to the 

 north went, and then nearly west, at a short distance from the moun- 

 tains, until it joins the Ba Fing, after having run more than 300 miles. 

 From the south it is joined by the Kokorro, which exceeds 200 miles 

 hi length. The union of the Ba Plug with the Ba Woolima takes 

 place near 14* 10' N. lat, 10 80' W. long., and from this place the 

 river is called Senegal. About 15 miles below the union of its 

 branches, the Senegal contains a cataract, called the Feloo Falls, 

 which, according to the statement of Golberry, is 80 feet high. In 

 this part the river runs north-west, but it soon turns to the west, and, 

 at the distance of about 100 miles below Feloo Falls, it is joined from 

 the south by the Ba Faleme, which flows more than. 100 miles, and is 

 navigable for a considerable distance from its mouth during the rainy 

 season. On leaving the mountainous and hilly country of Sene- 

 gambia, the Senegal enters a plain which extends to its very embou- 

 chures. In this plain its course is first to the north-west and 

 afterwards to the west In this part its course is extremely tortuous, 

 the windings of the river being so numerous as to make its course 

 double the length which it would have if it ran in a straight line. In 

 that part of its course which lies to the west, the Senegal divides into 

 two large arms, which reunite after having been separated for a 

 distance exceeding 100 miles. These two arms inclose two islands, 

 called Bilbos and Morfil, which have an average width of six miles, 

 and are separated from one another by a narrow arm of the river. 

 The northern or principal arm preserves the name of Senegal, and the 

 southern is called Morfil, or the River of Elephants' Teeth, on account 

 of the great number of elephants which are said to live on its banks. 

 After the two arms of the Senegal have reunited, it flows chiefly in 

 one channel for more than 60 miles, but in approaching the sea it 

 divides, near Faf, into two arms, which afterwards reunite. The 

 smaller of these two arms is called the Saguerai. The principal 

 arm divides again within six miles of the sea. The larger 

 branch, or the proper Senegal, turns south by west, and, flowing 

 nearly parallel to the beach, gradually approaches the sea. Between 

 the river and the Atlantic there is a strip of low laud, nearly 

 level, and covered with sand : it is called the Point of Barbary, 

 and gradually diminishes in width, so that opposite the island and 

 town of St. Louis it is less than 300 yards across. About five miles 

 farther south it terminates at the mouth of the river. The tract of 

 land inclosed by the Senegal and Saguerai consists of many islands, 

 two of which are of considerable extent, and separated from one 

 another by an arm which branches off from the Saguerai and joins 

 i Senegal The northern island is called Bequio, and the southern 

 Bifeehe. These islands are entirely covered with wood, and in the 

 wet season a great portion of them is laid under water. The course 

 the Senegal, as far as it runs southward, is nearly 40 miles long; 

 it iU waters in few places run in one channel, the middle of the 

 river being occupied by a string of islands, some of which are several 

 miles in length, and in some places more than half a mile in width. 

 ' has been formed across the mouth of the river, on which there 

 is very little water, except at one place, where tho currents have forced 

 penage through the sands : this is called the Pass of the Bar : it is 

 generally about 250 yards wide and 16 feet deep, but these dimensions 

 i subject to change. Only vessels drawing 12 feet of water can pass 

 igh this entrance of the river, as the surplus is necessary for the 

 pitching of the vessels which is produced by the strong swell of the 

 The mouth of the river was formerly two miles farther south 

 i is at present. In 1812 an unusually extensive inundation 

 I the present month through the narrow sands of the Point of 

 Barbary, and the old mouth was almost entirely filled up with sand. 

 As a navigable river the Senegal is for inferior to the Gambia ; for 

 Gambia hat no such obstacles at its mouth, and the Senegal is 

 inferior to it in depth, and so full of shoals that it cannot be 

 !*ed by large river-barges in the dry season. The ascent of the 

 Senegal is only practicable in the wet season, and even then the voyage 

 ilow and tedious, partly on account of the rapidity of the current, 

 id partly because of the numerous windings. The river begins to rise 

 some week* after the rains have set in, generally in the first week of 

 June; sometimes it attains the height of 40 feet above its lowest 

 level at Bakel, but lower down it does not rise so high. It attains its 



highest level in the month of August, and begins to fall about the 

 middle of September. In November or the beginning of December it 

 again enters its bed. The inundations produced by the rise appear to 

 be most extensive along the lower part of its course, especially where 

 the islands of Bilbos and Morfil occur. 



SENEGAMIilA is a term adopted by geographers to indicate-a part 

 of tho western coast of Northern Africa, but it has not always been 

 applied to the same extent of country. Originally it was only used 

 to indicate the countries which lie between the Senegal and Gambia, 

 from the names of which two rivers the term has been composed, or 

 rather, only the tract between tho European establishments on the 

 banks of these rivers, for the country itself was almost entirely 

 unknown in Europe nearly to the end of the last century. It is true 

 that this part of the African coast was visited by Hanno, the Cartha- 

 ginian admiral, and that it was again discovered by the Portuguese in 

 the 16th century, between 1444 and 1469. [AFRICA, vol i., cols. 105, 

 107.] The Portuguese also formed several commercial establishments 

 near tho mouths of the principal rivers, but they were neglected after 

 the route to the East Indies had been discovered by Vasco de Gama 

 (1497). The French and the English next tried to get a footing there, 

 and the French acquired the Senegal about 1675, and the English the 

 Gambia in 1686. They formed settlements at the mouths of these 

 rivers, and their merchants began to trade on the banks, forming 

 depdts for their goods at certain places. The remotest French com- 

 mercial establishment was at St. Joseph, or Makannah, not very far 

 below the Feloo Falls, and the English advanced by degrees to 

 Baraconda, some miles below the last rapids of the Gambia. In the 

 year 1788, an association was formed in London for promoting tho 

 discovery of the interior parts of Africa. The year before, the 

 settlement of Sierra Leone had been made for the negro slaves who 

 had obtained their freedom in the West Indies. Since that period 

 the interior of Western Africa has been explored by several travellers, 

 among whom may be named Houghton in 1790-91, Winterbottom in 

 1794, and Mungo Park in 1795-97 and in 1805. After the peace of 

 1814, the British government sent out an expedition for the purpose 

 of opening a trade between the countries on the Joliba and the settle- 

 ments on the Gambia. Though this expedition did not accomplish 

 its object, it traversed a great part of Senegambia in different 

 directions (between 1817 and 1820), and collected much interesting 

 information. Denham aud Clapperton succeeded in penetrating 

 from Tripoli, through the Great Desert, to Bornou in Sudan, 

 whence they advanced as far westward as Sackatu (near 5 E. long.). 

 Before these journeys were accomplished, Laing set out (1822) from 

 Sierra Leone, and reached the town of Timbo. The French also 

 commenced to explore these countries. Mollien, departing (1818) 

 from St. Louis, traversed the whole country between the mouth of 

 the river Senegal and the sources of the Gambia, crossing the routes 

 of the British travellers. He went as far as Timbo. Caillie", in his 

 great journey, traversed the country between the river Nunez and 

 Sierra Leone in 1827, and after having passed the Ba Fing, or 

 Senegal, not far from its source, reached Timbuctoo, and returned 

 to Europe by the Great Desert, and through the empire of Marocco. 



By these numerous journeys, a tolerably exact notion has been 

 obtained of the natural features and productive powers of the 

 countries of Western Africa which are drained by the rivers whose 

 mouths are found between the embouchure of the Senegal (16 30' 

 N. lat.) and the island of Sherboro (7 30' N. lat.). These countries 

 may be regarded as separated into two unequal parts, the northern 

 aud larger of which may be called Senegambia, and the southern and 

 smaller part Sierra Leone. The dividing-line between these two 

 countries begins at Cape Verga, whence it extends in an east-north- 

 east direction to the sources of the river Nunez, and thence eastward 

 bo those of the rivers liio Grande and Gambia. Towards the east 

 Senegambia is supposed to comprehend all the countries drained by 

 bhe numerous upper branches of the Senegal, and to extend to the 

 high land which separates them from the countries on the banks of 

 the Upper Joliba. A continuous ridge of high land extends along 

 the northern side, and close to the banks of the Ba Woolima, or 

 eastern branch of the Senegal, from its source to its junction with 

 the Ba Fing, or western branch ; and this ridge constitutes the north- 

 eastern boundary of Senegambia. Farther west the valley of the 

 river Senegal, which is bordered on the north by the great desert of 

 the Sahara, is considered to be the most northern country belonging 

 to Senegambia. The Atlantic Ocean washes its western shores, con- 

 stituting a coast-line which probably exceeds a thousand miles in 

 length. The countries inclosed within these boundaries cover an area 

 exceeding 200,000 square miles. 



Surface. Senegambia comprehends a lower and a higher country. 

 The lower country lies along the shores of the sea, and the higher 

 extends over the interior. Though the higher region is generally the 

 more fertile aud more populous, the several parts of both regions 

 differ greatly in fertility. 



The Country between the Senegal and Gambia. The valley of the 

 Lower Senegal consists properly of the bottom which extends along 

 its course on both sides of the river from its mouth to Bakel. It is 

 subject to inundations during the rainy season, during which the 

 river in some places rises 40 feet above its lowest level. In some 

 places this bottom is perhaps not more than 5 or 6 miles wide, but in 



