SEJfEQAMBIA. 



194 



others it spreads out to 15 or even 20 miles. As the subsoil consists 

 of a light sand, which is covered with alluvial matter, it opposes little 

 resistance to the rapid current of the river, and hence the Senegal 

 frequently divides its waters, and forms arms which again reunite. 

 These arms of the river, called ' marigots,' are almost countless on the 

 southern banks of the river west of 13" W. long. The whole bottom 

 is of great fertility. In its natural state it is covered with forests, 

 mainly consisting of trees of immense siae, which occupy the greatest 

 part of it, the cultivated places being neither numerous nor extensive, 

 though they yield rich crops of rice, millet, maize, cotton, aud tobacco. 

 The population is small in number. 



Between the mouth of the Senegal and that of the Gambia, and 

 nearly at an equal distance from each, lies Cape Verd (14 40' N. lat), a 

 wide projecting promontory. Its western extremity is a mass of rocks 

 of moderate elevation and volcanic origin.^ In its character it greatly 

 reaembles the Cape Verd Islands, which are nearly 500 miles from it 

 in the Atlantic Ocean. The northern descent of this isolated mass is 

 rather steep, and at its eastern extremity are two hills rising about 

 600 feet above the sea: they are called ' mameUes,' or paps, and serve 

 as a beacon to mariners. The central parts of this tract nave a 

 moderately fertile soil, which is well cultivated, and produces cotton, 

 millet, and French beans. The uncultivated districts are used as 

 pasture-grounds for cattle, or are covered with briar*. This small 

 tract contains about 10,000 inhabitants. 



The country between Cape Verd and the mouth of the Senegal 

 greatly resembles that part of the Sahara which extends from that 

 river northward to the Bay of Arguin. Along the sea there is a low 

 sandy beach, lined with ""^V^T. on which there is so little water 

 that it cannot be approached by the mllt boat. The country 

 adjacent to the shores U a dead level, covered with a fine loose sand, 

 which it it quite impossible to travel across, except where it has been 

 covered and consolidated by the sea during the flood. It is destitute 

 of vegetation. During the rainy season the soil is drenched with 

 water, and during the dry season U subject to dense fogs and heavy 

 dews, which fall at sunset, and moisten and penetrate like the drizzling 

 rains of Europe. But no stream of running water U formed by this 

 abundant moisture. This flat sterile tract occupies the whole coast to 

 the distance of about two miles from the sea. At the back of it rises 

 an unbroken ridge of sandy downs, which are likewise destitute of 

 vegetation. The low grounds farther east are almost entirely covered 

 with water during the rainy season, but in the dry season a great 

 portion of the swamps is dried up, and as the alluvial soil is of great 

 fertility, it produces rice and indigo, with Urge quantities of mandioc 

 and yams. 



The country contiguous to the shores of the Atlantic, between Cape 

 Verd and the mouth of the river Gambia, has a coast-line which U 

 well defined, but does not extend in a straight line. It is also broken 

 by several watercourses. The low beach is covered with mangrove- 

 trees. The country rises gradually from the beach to the distance of 

 30 or 40 miles. Toe whoU tract, in its natural state, is covered with 

 tall forest-trees, but a considerable portion of it is under cultivation, 

 producing rice, maize, and millet in rfoT-j-rirt The cattle which 

 pasture on the cleared grounds are of great size. All thee products, 

 together with pigs and poultry, are taken from these parts to the 

 French and English settlements, especially to Goree. There are several 

 small harbours on this coast. This pert of Senegambia probably 

 contains from 300,000 to 400,000 inhabitants. 



To the east of the countries hitherto noticed lies the table-land of 

 the Jaloofs, which U of great extent, occupying the whole country 

 between the valleys of the Senegal and Gambia from 18 to 16' W. long. 

 The interior of this vast region his not been visited by travellers, and 

 appears to be only inhabited by some wandering tribes during the 

 rainy nation, on account of the pastures which are found there at that 

 time. Towards the mouth of the Senegal the declivities of the elevated 

 ground approach very near to the river. Travellers have observed 

 that the surface of these declivities is almost entirely covered with a 

 reddish sand, which absorbs abundance of moisture without acquiring 

 the least degree of fertility. Still there occur some tracts of moderate 

 extent which are inclosed by higher grounds, in which the waters of 

 the rainy season collect, and give to the sand a mixture of mould 

 which so far fertilises these tracts that millet can be cultivated on 

 them. In these depressions villages are situated, but only at great 

 distances from each other. Water is obtained from wells, which vary 

 froui 20 to 80 yards in depth. In some places Urge forests of acacias 

 are found. The most fertile portion of this inhospitable region U the 

 north-eastern declivity, where the surface is much less level, and in 

 many places interspersed with high hills and short ridges, between 

 which there are many tracts of considerable extent, on which millet, 

 cotton, and indigo are cultivated. On the pastures which occur in 

 these tracts large herds of cattle are led. New the only two riven 

 by which this region is drained, the baldi and Guiloom, Urge 

 tacts are covered by ferruginous rooks, but the inhabitants have 

 tamed them to account, having in many places furnaces to smelt 

 them for the purpoee of extracting the iron. This part of the table- 

 land, though much less fertile than the adjacent valley of the Senegal, 

 appears to be no lees populous. 



South-east of the tebU-knd of the Jaloofs begins the higher country, 

 which does not however immediately rise into mountains, but the 



western districts consist of numerous hills and short ridges, rising to 

 a moderate elevation. A range of mountains which runs along the 

 western banks of the Ba Faleme may be considered as the boundary- 

 line between the hilly and mountainous country. The hills, consisting 

 mostly of ferruginous rocks, from which iron ia extracted, are for the 

 most part thinly covered with low stunted wood, little of which is fit for 

 anything but fuel. The valleys and level grounds which are inclosed 

 by these hills are mostly cleared for cultivation. The beds of numerous 

 torrents intersect the valleys in every direction : they are dry in the 

 dry season, but during the rains they conduct the water which is 

 collected on the high grounds to the Faleme and Gambia. Towards 

 the source of the Faleme the country, though more elevated, is much 

 less broken, and there occur some extensive plains, which are partly 

 covered with woods and partly with jungles of bamboo. A very small 

 part of them is cultivated, and they are the haunts of wild beasts, 

 especially of elephants and lions. Millet, maize, rice, cotton, and indigo 

 are cultivated. Numerous tamarinds, boababs, and other fruit-trees 

 are scattered over the valleys, and many parts of the country are very 

 picturesque. The inhabitants are tolerably rich, which is partly owing 

 to the circumstance that the most frequented commercial road between 

 Sudan and the European establishments on the coast passes through 

 this region. 



The mountain region extends over the western portion of Seue- 

 gauibia, including all the countries situated on and between the 

 numerous rivers which, by their confluence, form the Senegal. This 

 region appears to be surrounded on the south, east, and north by a 

 continued range of mountains. The inclosed region seems to be occupied 

 by rocky ridges, which consist almost entirely of iron-stone and slate, 

 with a very thin covering. In the valleys, which in some parts are 

 extensive, a good deal of alluvial soil is found ; aud in these places 

 millet, maize, and other grains are cultivated. On the southern 

 district is a wilderness, which extends upwards of 100 miles from 

 east to west, and ia inhabited by wild beasts. This region is rich in 

 metals. Excellent iron is obtained by the negroes from the iron- 

 stone ; and there are several places where gold in considerable quan- 

 tities is collected. 



The Valley of the Gambia and the Country toulh of it. The country 

 situated immediately on the banks of the Gambia, as far as Pisauia, 

 consists of a level alluvial tract extending about two miles from the 

 river. It is subject to annual inundations during the rains. A great 

 part of it is swampy, or covered with mangrove-trees ; in other places 

 the ground has been cleared, and is cultivated with rice. At the 

 back of this low tract the country rises to a moderate elevation above 

 the level of the river when swollen by the rains. The soil is very 

 various. Though often sandy, it is rather fertile ; but sometimes it 

 consists of a hard yellow clay, mixed with small quartz pebbles, and 

 is of indifferent quality. Baobabs, tamarinds, and rhamnus lotus, and 

 other fruit-trees are grown in several places; but the principal objects 

 of cultivation in the cleared grounds are mandioc, maize, cotton, 

 indigo, and French beans. 



The coast-line between Cape St Mary, situated at the mouth of the 

 Gambia, and Cape Verga, is extremely low, aud is intersected by 

 numerous nhnnl. which form many islands. It is said that the 

 space between the Gambia and Nunez ia occupied by an archipelago 

 of low islands, but the mud banks which surround thjjse islands 

 towards the open sea are so dangerous to large vessels that a part of 

 the coast between the river Compoonee and the Kio Grande haa never 

 been surveyed, and is hud down on our maps at random. Though 

 these islands do not contain fresh water, they are not only inhabited 

 but populous. It seems that the inhabitants use the palm-wine as a 

 substitute for water. They cultivate some roots aud rice, but chiefly 

 occupy themselves with making salt, au important article of commerce 

 in these parts of Africa, as all the salt consumed in Sudan is either 

 obtained from the Sahara or from this coast. This low archipelago 

 constitutes the outer edge of a level aud low country, which extends 

 to a great distance inland. It seems for the most part to be composed 

 of alluvial soil, and the Urge rivers which traverse it divide into 

 many arms, several of which reach the sea, whilst others reunite. The 

 whole country to a great distance from the shore is of great fertility, 

 but in general U very little cultivated. In some places there are forests 

 from which supplies of timber are obtained, and savannas which 

 serve as pasture-ground for large herds of cattle. 



At the back of this low plain, between 14 30' and 13" W. long., 

 lies a more elevated country, constituting a kind of second terrace. 

 Its surface is slightly undulating. The soil of this country, so far as 

 it is known, has a considerable degree of fertility. The inhabitants 

 cultivate rice, millet, and maize, with cotton, indigo, and several roots 

 aud fruit-trees. Large herds of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs are kept, 

 and poultry aud bees are extensively reared. Honey and wax are 

 great objects of trade. 



The mountain range south of the Gambia begins a little west of 

 13 W. long. The valleys in this district have a fertile soil, but cul- 

 tivation is not much attended to. Between the Gambia and -Rio 

 Grande the mountain ridges appear to approach 13 W. long., but 

 south of the last-mentioned river they do not pass much to the west 

 of 14 W. long., except that a ridge approaches the river not far from 

 Kade. These mountains, which are called the Tangui and the Badet 

 mountains, are very little known. Their elevation seems to be 



