£32 MR. J. S. BUDGETT ON HIS [NoV. 28, 



tidal, is perfectly fresh. The tides in the dry season make them- 

 selves felt for over 200 miles up the river, in fact to the end of 

 navigable water, where there is about a foot rise. 



The dry season extends from November to May. Tornadoes 

 usually begin in June, while during July, August, and September 

 there is a total rainfall of about 50 inches. During these months, 

 though the tides make themselves felt, yet there is no change in 

 the direction of the flow, while in August there runs a steady 

 current of about 3 or 4 miles an hour. 



In passing up the river the first place of interest is the old Fort 

 James, which was formerly the port of export of the Gambia for 

 the black-ivory trade. It is now being slowly washed away. 



About 20 miles further up, the A-^intang creek joins the Grambia, 

 and at the junction of the two streams is the village of Vintang ; 

 it is seldom that a purely native village is seen at the water's edge, 

 as they are usually on higher ground a mile or so from the river. 

 If there are any tall trees in these villages, they are sure to be the 

 nesting-places of Pelicans and Marabou-birds, which in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the villages are strictly preserved. The vast flocks 

 of these birds and also of the Balearic Crane are a great feature in 

 the lower river, where there is little else to be seen but continual 

 walls of mangroves, though now and again the monotony is broken 

 by the passage of a native canoe or some trading cutter ; but 

 further up the variety of the vegetation is much greater. 



Of particular interest to myself were patches of a Pandanus 

 growing m the swampy ground at the river-side. The native name 

 of this was Fang jani, which means " It burns itself." It certainly 

 looked as though it deserved this name, for wherever it was seen a 

 portion of every patch was charred with fire, and it was not easy 

 to imagine how this could have been set alight by an external 

 agency. 



The great trading station on the Upper Gambia is M'Carthy's 

 Island. To this place the trading cutters bring their cargoes 

 of ground-nuts, the fruit of the plant Arachis Tiypogcea, to be 

 shipped to Europe by the Ocean steamers which make their way 

 up to this island. 



On M'Carthy's Island there are two trading establishments or 

 ' factories ' as they are termed, and the remains of an ancient mili- 

 tary settlement, consisting of Government House, Officers' quarters, 

 and Barracks, formerly occupied by a detachment of the West India 

 Regiment, which was withdrawn about 1870. The Government 

 House alone of these buildings has been kept in repair; and here 

 I established myself in company with Mr. Wainewright, the 

 Commissioner of the district, who, though usually travelling about 

 the district, yet spends a considerable portion of his time here as 

 Governor of the island. I stayed on M'Carthy's Island about 

 one third of my time. To the Governor of the Colony, Sir Robert 

 Llewellyn, I am indebted for allowing me the free use of the 

 Colonial steamer, 'Mansah Kilah,' and also for much hospitality. To 

 Mr. Wainewright, the Travelling Commissioner in the M'Carthy's 



