342 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



current of two to three miles an hour ; and near the 

 place where Captain Tuckey was compelled to abandon 

 the further prosecution of the journey, which was about 

 100 miles beyond Inga, or 280 miles from Cape Padron, 

 it is stated that the river put on a majestic appearance, 

 that the scenery was beautiful, and not inferior to any on 

 the banks of the Thames ; and the natives of this part all 

 agreed in stating, that they knew of no impediment to the 

 continued navigation of the river; that the only obstruc- 

 tion in the north-eastern branch, was a single ledge of 

 rocks, forming a kind of rapid, over which however canoes 

 were able to pass. 



The opinion that the Zaire is in a constant state of flood, 

 or, in other words, that it continues to be swelled more or 

 less by freshes through the whole year, has been com- 

 pletely refuted by the present expedition. But the ar- 

 gument, which was grounded on this supposition, of its 

 origin being in northern Africa, so far from being weak- 

 ened, has acquired additional strength from the cor- 

 rection of the error. Like all other tropical rivers, the 

 Zaire has its periodical floods ; but the quantity of its 

 rise and fall is less perhaps than that of any other river of 

 equal magnitude. From the lowest ebb, at which the 

 party saw it, to the highest marks of its rise on the rocks, 

 the ditFerence no where appeared to exceed eleven feel, 

 and in many places was not more than eight or nine. The 

 commencement of the rise was first observed above Yel- 

 lala, on the 1st of September, to be three inches; and on 

 the 17th of that month it had acquired, at the Tall Trees, 



