GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 347 



salt ; and both the one and the other would be encreased 

 by every succeeding inundation. None of the African rivers 

 are free from saline impregnations ; but the Niger, in its 

 long easterly course, collecting the waters from the sandy 

 and saline soil of the desert, where every plant almost is 

 saturated with salt, must be particularly charged with it. 

 No mention, however, is made by any of the Arabian writers 

 of that indispensable article, salt, being procured in the 

 mud or soil abandoned by the waters of Wangara ; on the 

 contrary, it is well known that one great branch of the 

 trade of Tombuctoo is that of obtainin 2; salt from the north- 

 em desert, for the supply of the countries to the southward 

 of the Niger. But if Wangara had no outlet, this could not 

 be necessary, as both it and all the large inland lakes, so 

 circumstanced, would afford more or less of salt ; and if so, 

 the trade of the caravans proceeding with rock salt from 

 Tegazza to Tombuctoo would not have existed ; as it is 

 well known it has done, and still does, especially from the 

 latter place to Melli and other countries south of the 

 Niger," to a great water," as Cadamosta says, " Avhich the 

 traders could not tell whether it was salt or fresh ; by 

 reason of which (he says) I could not discover whether it 

 was a river or the sea ; but," he continues, " I hold it to be 

 a river, because if it was the sea, there would be no need 

 of salt." 



Edrisi, however, distinctly states them to be fresh water 

 lakes, and says that the two cities of Ghana are situated on 

 the two opposite shores of Avhat the Arabs call a fresh 

 water sea. This fresh water sea, therefore, must necessarily 

 have an outlet ; or, like the Caspian, it would be no longer 

 fresh ; and the conclusion is that, if the Niger runs into 



