PROFESSOR SMITHS JOURNAL. 296 



channel, seem but little to justify its extravagant fame. 

 Its sources cannot be farther inland than those of Senesal 

 and Gambia. 



Though we were at the distance of four or five miles 

 from Fetishe rock, the Captain was desirous of sailing 

 down to it. Our pilots entertained some fears of passing 

 through the whirlpools, which, however, we found to be 

 nothing more than the main stream of the river running 

 with a strong current. We had no sooner landed on the 

 rock than we observed two hippopotami, at which un- 

 luckily we were not prepared for firing. Tudor however 

 fired a random shot near the head of one of them. The 

 rock is steep, and difficult of ascent. Its lower part was 

 overgrown with trees of various kinds. Its conical shape 

 gave us an opportunity of discovering its structure. It 

 consists of a coarse-grained granite. Large pieces of 

 feld-spar occur in several places, and at the extremity of 

 a low flat point some of them are not less than from one to 

 two hundred feet in circumference. The towering clifFs of 

 Fetishe rock, the new and varied vegetation on its sides, 

 and the extensive view of the river which it commands, 

 presented a magnificent scene. This rock is the ter- 

 minating point of the high mountainous land which is seen 

 to extend into the interior in undulating ranges of blue 

 mountains, two or three ridges one behind the other. 

 Beyond the great sandy and grassy islands in the river, 

 scattered palms are seen in the horizon, appearing as if 

 they were growing in the water. The high land rising 

 fi-om the banks of the river would form interesting land- 



