836 The American Naturalist. [September, 
General Notes, 
GEOGRAPHY AND TRAVELS. 
Africa.—Captain Binger’s Journey.—Further particulars of 
Captain Binger’s journey in the districts between the Upper Niger and 
the Guinea Coast serve to show that this is one of the most important 
of recent journeys, both geographically and politically. It has proved 
the non-existence of the Kong mountains as a defined range; has 
shown that there are few affluents of the Niger from the south, and 
that the watershed between the coast rivers and the Niger lies much 
farther inland than was at first supposed ; and it has led to the recep- 
tion under French protectorate of all the country lying between the 
upper Niger and the French coast possessions, so that the English 
settlements of the Gambia and Sierra Leone, and the independent re- 
public of Liberia, are now framed entirely in French territory. Start- 
"ing from Bammako, Captain Binger passed Likaso, and then proceeded 
southeastward to Kong, which he reached on Feb. 2oth, 1888. The 
town had not previously been visited by a European. On his passage 
he crossed several streams, one of which proved to be a tributary of the 
Laku, while two others were the head-waters of the Akba, or Comoe,— 
all of them three to four degrees further to the north than had been sup- 
posed. The watershed was marked simply by rising ground. Kong 
or Pong is a considerable trade-centre ; cotton-weaving, indigo-dying, 
and horse-trading are carried on here, and the population seems to be 
from twelve to fifteen thousand. After three weeks’ stay in Kong, our 
traveller set out northwards, crossed the upper course of the Comoe, 
and reached the head-waters of the most westerly tributary of the 
Volta, the Black Volta, near the sources of the Comoe. He hurried 
through the country of the Gurunsi, in anarchy through the incursions 
of the Haussas, and reached Wagadugu, whose capital, Mossi, is in the 
midst of a flat country, and is rich in corn and cattle. Compelled to 
quit this town, he abandoned his intention of making an excursion to 
Libtako and connecting his surveys with those of Barth. He then 
proceeded south to Salaga, which he reached October, 1888, after a 
. detention through illness at Wale-wale of forty-five days. Following 
the right bank of the Volta, he entered Kintampo, a depot for kola- 
unts. On January sth, 1889, he again reached Kong, where he met 4 
