﻿RESEARCH 
  ON 
  THE 
  GOLD 
  COAST. 
  5 
  

  

  As 
  one 
  recedes 
  from 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  northwards, 
  the 
  land 
  becomes 
  very 
  hilly, 
  well 
  

   wooded, 
  and 
  rich 
  in 
  perennial 
  streams, 
  and 
  these 
  characters 
  are 
  maintained 
  till 
  the 
  

   central 
  plateau 
  of 
  Northern 
  Ashanti 
  is 
  reached 
  ; 
  there 
  the 
  dense 
  forests 
  gradually 
  

   give 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  savannah 
  formation 
  ; 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  

   season 
  is 
  poor, 
  and 
  the 
  contours 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  again 
  assume 
  an 
  undulating 
  character. 
  

   These 
  upland 
  plains 
  are, 
  however, 
  dominated 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  by 
  well-marked 
  rocky 
  

   Jiills 
  that 
  sometimes 
  reach 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  1,600 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  plateau 
  is 
  interrupted 
  by 
  the 
  lower 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Volta 
  River 
  to 
  the 
  

   north, 
  but 
  reappears 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  inland 
  from 
  the 
  left 
  bank 
  of 
  that 
  river, 
  and 
  

   gradually 
  increasing 
  in 
  height, 
  culminates 
  in 
  the 
  tableland 
  on 
  which 
  Gambaga 
  is 
  

   situated. 
  It 
  must 
  attain 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  close 
  on 
  2,000 
  feet 
  in 
  that 
  province. 
  

  

  By 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  river 
  in 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  is 
  the 
  Volta, 
  with 
  its 
  two 
  large 
  

   feeders, 
  the 
  Black 
  and 
  White 
  Voltas. 
  The 
  former 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  Mina 
  Mountains 
  of 
  

   the 
  Western 
  Sudan, 
  flows 
  almost 
  due 
  south, 
  and 
  forms 
  the 
  boundary 
  between 
  the 
  

   British 
  Possessions 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  French, 
  from 
  the 
  11th 
  parallel 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  

   about 
  8° 
  40' 
  north. 
  At 
  this 
  point 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  and 
  crosses 
  the 
  whole 
  

   territory 
  in 
  an 
  easterly 
  direction,, 
  emerging 
  in 
  about 
  8° 
  10' 
  N. 
  From 
  that 
  point 
  

   almost 
  to 
  its 
  mouth 
  it 
  forms 
  the 
  boundary 
  between 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  and 
  German 
  

   Togoland. 
  

  

  The 
  White 
  Volta 
  rises 
  some 
  hundred 
  miles 
  due 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  town 
  of 
  

   Wagaduga, 
  in 
  the 
  French 
  Sudan, 
  flows 
  almost 
  due 
  south, 
  and 
  consequently 
  drains 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Northern 
  Territories. 
  This 
  river 
  in 
  turn 
  is 
  joined 
  by 
  the 
  

   Red 
  Volta, 
  which 
  also 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  French 
  Sudan 
  and, 
  after 
  flowing 
  southwards, 
  joins 
  

   the 
  White 
  Volta 
  near 
  Gambaga. 
  

  

  The 
  River 
  Daka, 
  which 
  also 
  forms 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  boundary 
  with 
  Togoland, 
  joins 
  the 
  

   Volta 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  it 
  emerges 
  from 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  tributaries 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  or 
  Black 
  Volta 
  

   within 
  British 
  territory, 
  are 
  the 
  Tain, 
  Pra, 
  Sene, 
  Sumi, 
  and 
  Afram 
  Rivers, 
  all 
  of 
  

   which, 
  except 
  the 
  last, 
  drain 
  the 
  northern 
  portions 
  of 
  Ashanti. 
  

  

  As 
  has 
  been 
  pointed 
  out, 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  blood-sucking 
  flies 
  is 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  

   determined 
  by 
  the 
  river 
  systems, 
  and 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  aspect 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  River 
  Volta 
  cannot 
  be 
  overlooked, 
  since 
  this 
  river 
  system 
  connects 
  the 
  French 
  

   Sudan, 
  the 
  French 
  Ivory 
  Coast, 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  and 
  Togoland, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  smaller 
  

   way, 
  the 
  Northern 
  Territories 
  and 
  Ashanti 
  with 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  Colony. 
  

  

  Three 
  other 
  rivers, 
  though 
  of 
  much 
  smaller 
  size, 
  also 
  call 
  for 
  attention, 
  in 
  this 
  

   respect, 
  namely, 
  the 
  Tano 
  River, 
  the 
  Pra 
  River 
  and 
  the 
  Ankobra 
  River. 
  

  

  The 
  Tano 
  River 
  rises 
  in 
  north-western 
  Ashanti, 
  and 
  after 
  flowing 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  southerly 
  direction 
  for 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  its 
  course, 
  empties 
  itself 
  into 
  

   the 
  Tendo 
  lagoon, 
  on 
  the 
  extreme 
  south-western 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  Colony, 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  

   town 
  of 
  Half 
  Assini. 
  It 
  drains 
  the 
  forest 
  land 
  of 
  Ashanti 
  and 
  the 
  Colony, 
  an 
  area 
  

   of 
  several 
  thousand 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  The 
  Pra 
  River, 
  rising 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  Okwawu, 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Akim, 
  flows 
  for 
  the 
  

   greater 
  portion 
  of 
  its 
  course 
  in 
  a 
  south-westerly 
  direction 
  ; 
  at 
  Sarmany 
  it 
  turns 
  to 
  

   the 
  south 
  and 
  flows 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  near 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Shama 
  ; 
  it 
  drains 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  

   hilly 
  tract 
  of 
  country. 
  The 
  most 
  important 
  feeders 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  are 
  the 
  Anum 
  

  

  