NIGRITIA. 



835 



of Benin. The celebrated Mungo Park lost his life in the attempt to travel along the stream 

 to its termination, and various other expeditions, despatched lor a similar purpose, failed of 

 their object. The great question seemed to be shrouded in impenetrable mystery, when in 

 1830 the discovery was eflected by Richard and John Lander, the former of whom had been 

 the attendant of Captain Clapperton upon the journey in which he died. These two travelers 

 proceeded by land from the coast, to Boossa on the Niger, and following the course of the 

 stream downwards, reached the Atlantic Ocean in November, 1830, through the channel of 

 the river Nun, flowing into the Bight of Benin. This channel is one of the numerous mouths 

 of the Niger which intersect the country, forming a delta 240 miles in extent along the coast.* 

 3. Lakes. The discoveries of late English travelers have made known to the world a large 

 lake of fresh water called the Tchad^ in the eastern part of Nigritia. It nes in about 14° N. 

 latitude and 15° E. longitude, and was first seen by Dr. Oudeney and his companions. Jt 

 was first visited by Major Denham, who traveled along a great part of its borders, but was ob- 

 liged to leave 140 miles of it unexplored. He was informed that it had no outlet. His approach 

 to it is thus described. " By sunrise I was on the borders of the lake, armed for the destruc- 

 tion of the multitude of birds, who, all uncon- 

 scious of my purpose, seemed, as it were, to 

 welcome our arrival. Flocks of geese and wild 

 ducks of a most beautiful phuTiage were qui- 

 etly feeding within half pistol shot of where I 

 stood, and not being a very keen or inhuman 

 sportsman, for the terms appear to me to be 

 synonymous, my purpose of deadly warfare 

 was almost shaken. As I moved towards 

 them they only changed their places a little to 

 the right or left, and appeared to have no idea 

 of the hostility of my intentions. All this was 

 really so new, that 1 hesitated to abuse the 

 confidence with whicli they regarded me, and 

 very quietly sat down to contemplate the scene 

 before me. Pelicans, cranes four or five feet 



Tchad Lake. -i-Ui • ji-, 



in height, gray, variegated and while, were 

 scarcely so many yards from my side, and a bird between a snipe and a woodcock, resembling 

 both, and larger than either ; immense spoonbills of a snowy whiteness, widgeon, teal, yellow- 



* We subjoin a few passages from the London Quar- 

 terly Review, containing extracts from Lander's Journal. 



This morning I visited the far-famed Niger or Q,uor- 

 ra, which flows at the foot of tlie city of Boossa, about a 

 mile from our residence ; and I was greatly surprised at 

 its reduced breadth. Black, rugged rocks rose abruptly 

 from the centre of the stream, and its surface was agitated 

 by wliirlpools. At this place, in its widest part, (tlie end 

 of tlie dry season,) it was not more than a stone's throw 

 across. The rnck on which I sat overlooks the spot 

 where Mr. Park and his associates met their unhappy 

 fate." 



From Boossa to Yaoori they proceeded up the river by 

 a canoe ; it was divided into many channels by rocks, 

 sand-banks, and low islands, covered with tall, rank 

 grass, and some of the channels were so shallow, that 

 their canne was constantly grounding. They were told 

 at Yaoori, liowever, that, above that place and below 

 Boosii, the navigation was not interrupted by either rocks 

 or sniid-baiiks ; and that, after the maica or wet season 

 (setting in v.'ith fourteen days of incessant rain), canoes 

 of all kinds pass to and fro between Yaoori, Nyfi^e, Boos- 

 sa, and Funda. " It is immediately after the malca, also, 

 that the river, by the depth and velocity of its current, 

 sweeps off the rank grass which springs up annually on 

 its borders. Every rock and every low island are then 

 complrlely covered, and may be passed over in canoes 

 without difFiciilty, or even apprehension of danger." 



" After leaving Layaba, we ran down the stream lor 12 

 or H miles, the Quorra, during the whole distance, roll- 

 ing grandly along, — a noble river, neither obstructed 

 by islands, nor deformed with rocks and stones. Its 



width varied from 1 to 3 miles, the country on each side 

 very flat, and a few mean, dirty looking villages scatter- 

 ed on the water's edge. Just below the town of Bajiebo 

 the river is divided by an island. At this town, which 

 we left on the Otii of October, for the first time, we met 

 with very large canoes having a hut in the middle, w hich 

 contained merchants and their whole families. At the 

 island of Madjie, where we were obliged to stoj) for canoe- 

 men, we found trees of hungry growth and stunted 

 shrubs, whose foliiigo seemed for the most part dull and 

 withering ; they shoot out of the hollows and interstices 

 of rocks, and hang over immeni?e precipices, whose jag- 

 ged summits they partly conceal; they are only accessi- 

 ble to wild beasts and birds of prey. The river below 

 Madjie takes a turn to tiie east by the side of another 

 ranrre of liills, and afterwards flows for a number fif miles 

 a little to the southward of east. On leaving the island, 

 we journeyed very rapidly down the current for a few. 

 minutes, when, having passed another, vi'e came suddenly 

 in sight of an elevated rocky hill, called Mount ICesey by 

 the natives. This small island, apparently not less lliap 

 three hundred feet in height and very steep, is an object 

 of superstitious veneration among the natives." 



At Itabba, a large, populous, and flourishing town, with 

 a great slave-market, the river turns off to the eastward. 

 A lilt.le below they passed the mouth of a river of consid- 

 erable size, which entered the Quorra from the northeast. 

 Lower down is ]''gga, a town of two miles in length, 

 populous, and the people clothed with Benin and Portu- 

 guese stuffs, from whence it is inferred, that they have a 

 communication with the sea-coast, — the more probable, 

 as their canoes are large, and have a shed in the middle, 



