PROFESSOR SMITH'S JOURNAL. 315 



The Captain bought a slave of the Mandingo tribe, that 

 is said to hve high up inland. Their language is some- 

 what different from that of the Cono;o lan^uao-e. In the 

 afternoon I followed the Captain up the hills towards the 

 point, in order to observe the winding course of the river, 

 which is now contracted within a narrower channel, by 

 projecting points. The conical mountain of Yallalla was 

 just before us. A projecting bank of rocks is seen on both 

 sides the river, which is not passable even by canoes. The 

 country appears equally barren higher up, and not hkely 

 to enable us to procure sufficient provisions on a journey by 

 land, which must now be resolved upon, nor are any here 

 to be bought. The population is scanty, only a iew scat- 

 tered small villages, situated on the hills, are discovered 

 amidst some groups of trees. The natives are not willing 

 to part with their commodities, except at extravagant pri- 

 ces. They crowd daily around the vessels Avith commodi- 

 ties for sale, but all we have been able to get are only a 

 few fowls, some eggs, and a single sheep. Their know- 

 ledge of the country is very limited. They are pretty uni- 

 form in asserting that the cataract of Yallalla is a consider, 

 able one, and that above it the river is divided. 



August 13. ^Ve remained in order to make some obser- 

 vations with the barometer, the oscillations of which nearly 

 correspond with those observed at the Canaries. Last night 

 an uncommonly strong breeze set in. In the morning we 

 made a short excursion on shore. The Captain went in a 

 boat towards the conical hill of Yallalla, but he found the 

 river here to be impassable. A journey by land of four days 



