X INTRODUCTION. 



evident from the information he collected at Sansanding, 

 which confirmed the hypothesis of the southern direction 

 of the Niger. " I have hired a guide (he says) to go with 

 me to Kashna ; he is one of the greatest travellers in this 

 part of Africa : he says that the Niger, after it passes 

 Kashna, runs directly to the right hand, or to the south ; he 

 had never heard of any person who had seen its termination; 

 he was sure it did not end near Kashna or Bornou, having 

 resided for some time in both these kingdoms ;" and to 

 Lord Camden he says, " he was more and more incUned 

 to think that it can end no where but in the sea." 



No wonder then that Park, having thus ascertained from 

 " one of the greatest travellers in that part of Africa," 

 the southerl}' course of the Niger, should be sanguine of 

 proving the vahdity of Mr. Maxwell's hypothesis, and of 

 reaching the West Indies from the mouth of the Congo. 

 It was not, however, his fate to establish the truth or falsity 

 of this proposition ; the problem still remains undeter- 

 mined ; and the termination of the Niger and the source 

 of the Congo, are alike unknown. The probability of their 

 identity, however, appeared to gain ground, not merely 

 because one great river took a southerly direction, and had 

 no known termination, and another came from the north- 

 ward, nobody knew from whence; but the more the magni- 

 tude and character of the latter river was investigated, and 

 its circunjstances weighed and compared with those effects 

 which might be expected to happen from natural causes, the 

 greater colour was given to the supposition of their ideri- 

 tity. It is only surprising that a river of that magnitude 

 and description whicii belong to the Congo, should not, 

 long before now, have claimed a more particular attention. 



