AFRICA. 



but amid a country everywhere fertile and beauti- 

 tully cultivated. They then returned to Boussa, 

 and engaged canoes to take them downwards to the 

 sea. In this important part of their voyage they 

 encountered much danger, both from stormy weather 

 and from the violence and treachery of some of the 

 slave-dealing Africans whom they encountered on 

 the lower part of the river. Their voyage was 

 mostly through a rich and populous country ; and 

 they at last reached the salt water, and saw the 

 Niger enter the sea by a number of mouths in the 

 Bay of Benin. These had been long known to 

 European seamen, but were by them imagined to be 

 separate rivers, leading to different parts of the 

 country ; and it was only Reichard, Macqueen, and 

 a few who had been convinced by their arguments, 

 who conjectured that they united at a short dis- 

 tance inland to form the large stream of the Niger. 



In descending the river, the Landers made a 

 second discovery, hardly inferior in importance to 

 that which was the principal object of their voyage. 

 It had been conjectured by Macqueen, Bowditch, 

 and others, on the evidence of native merchants 

 and the Arabian geographers, that at some point on 

 its lower course the Niger was joined from the east 

 by a stream not much less than itself in size, and 

 which would, of course, open up a channel for ships 

 and trade, as far to the eastward in Africa as the 

 Niger itself reaches to the west. This river had 

 been heard of by Browne, who penetrated into one 

 of these eastern districts called Darfoor, and that 

 traveller even names some of the tribes who live 

 on its banks: a stream corresponding to the same 

 localities had also been mentioned to Major Den- 

 ham, one of the gentlemen who accompanied Clap- 

 perton on his first expedition. The existence of 

 the eastern river had therefore been ascertained ; * 

 but the Landers now passed its mouth, and actually 

 saw it discharge its waters into the Niger ; its mag- 

 nitude corresponded entirely with the report which 

 had been received concerning it, and they mention 

 the name of the same tribe (Yem-Yems) living on 

 its banks, who had been heard of by Browne on the 

 confines of Abyssinia. The fact, therefore, which 

 had been reported from the earliest periods, that 

 there was a communication by water in the interior 

 of Africa from one extremity of the continent to 

 the other, appears to be completely verified. By 

 means of the Niger on the western part, and the 

 Tchadda on the east, there can be no difficulty in 

 passing by boats, from the vicinity of the Egyptian 

 Nile, to the sources of the Senegal an inland navi- 

 gation of 40 degrees, or nearly 3000 miles in a 

 straight line. This is an advantage enjoyed by 

 Africa, analogous to that which the rivers Ohio and 

 Missouri, stretching in opposite directions for almost 

 the same extent, and meeting in the Mississippi, 

 offer to central America. The Niger, however, is 

 in one place, broken by rapids and shallows, which 

 injure its navigation for about 100 miles ; and the 

 Tchadda may have some similar impediments, 

 though, from the level on which it flows, they are 

 likely to be less considerable. 



There is another interesting circumstance con- 

 nected with the Tchadda. Clapperton and Den- 



* This river is mentioned under various names, being- called 

 sometimes the Tchadda, sometime" tin- Ouarra and at others 

 tin 1 Ouu'lla andQuterra. All these are int-relv different ways of 

 pronouncing the same word ; Tchndda, and Quadda, or Ouarra, 

 piissinif into one another, like our church, kirk ; bin-h, liiik, 

 tee. Quadda, Quarra, Ouolla, arc too liki- iwli oilier to be 

 mistaken. The word Quadda, Quadd, or Tchad, U applied to 

 all rivers and lakes in Africa, and seems to menn simply 

 .,..,/.., " 



ham, in their first journey, saw a large fresh-water 

 lake in the interior (called the Tchad), which re- 

 ceived the waters of two or three considerable 

 rivers. They heard of no outlet by which this 

 lake communicated with the sea; but it is well 

 known that all inland lakes which are without an 

 outlet have their waters salt or brackish : the Dead 

 Sea, the lakes Aral, Van, Urumea, Baktegan, 

 Zaweh, are examples of this fact, and others might 

 be named, not one instance being known to the 

 contrary. It seems unavoidable, therefore, that 

 this African lake, " whose water," says Major Den- 

 ham, " is sweet and pleasant," should also have an 

 outlet to the sea ; and as the river Tchadda, in the 

 lower part of its course, is only separated from its 

 basin by a single chain of mountains, and there is 

 no other large stream in its vicinity, the probability 

 is that this river communicates with the lake. 

 Other facts have been mentioned by African geo- 

 graphers which lead to the same conclusion. The 

 bed of the lake is supposed to be about. 1000 feet 

 aboveUbe level of the sea, which, considering that 

 the cburse of the river must be above 1500 miles, 

 affords ground to suppose that the current is not 

 broken by rapids, and may be navigable to its head 

 waters. The facts at present known, therefore, 

 favour the conclusion, that navigation may be prac- 

 ticable from the sea to this interior lake, on which 

 the populous states of Bornou, Loggun, &c., are 

 situated. Should this be really the case, the con- 

 sequences would be of more importance than it is 

 at present possible to anticipate. 



The countries to which access has already been 

 gained are sufficiently described in the travels of the 

 Landers, and of Clapperton and Denham, to enable 

 us to judge of their capabilities for commerce. They 

 were previously as little known in Europe as 

 America was before the time of Columbus, and 

 their discovery lays open to enterprise and to obser- 

 vation a field as new as did that of Mexico and 

 Peru. Their civilization is sufficiently far advanced 

 to make commerce an object of importance with 

 them, and property is as secure as in any part ot 

 India not directly under the government of Britain, 

 The Liinders saw large cities, in which there weie 

 regular fairs, and numerous commodities, such as 

 cloths, fine mats for carpeting (a general luxury in 

 warm countries), iron utensils of different kinds, 

 grain, vegetables, nuts and fruits, dye stuffs, mus- 

 kets, and slaves, In one place they heard the hum 

 of voices on a market day, two miles before they 

 approached the city where it was held. As a proof 

 of the security of property, and the undisturbed 

 peace of some districts, they saw large herds of 

 cattle grazing in the fields under the care of chil- 

 dren. They sent out their servant with valuable 

 European goods for sale in the villages, and had no 

 fears except for his own honesty. They saw, in 

 one place, long trains of women going to market, 

 with baskets on their heads filled with vegetables, 

 &c.; and, in others, lines of pack-horses were ob- 

 served, arriving from remote districts with produce 

 for sale. It is not asserted that the country is in 

 a high state of civilization, or that it is governed by 

 written laws : on the contrary, the governors are 

 frequently changed and assassinated ; but the peo- 

 ple, in the meantime, take little interest in such 

 matters. They are at peace, they cultivate the 

 soil, and they have many commodities which they 

 would gladly dispose of for the new luxuries which 

 Europeans can afford them. They produce indigo, 

 palm oil, rice, gums and dye stuffs, hides, and the 



