264 
REMARKS ON TRAVELS 
FIRST PART OF THE JOURNEY. 
The line of route in the first part of the journey depends 
essentially upon Timbo. This place is well worthy of 
attention both in respect to its physical geography and to 
the European relations with Africa. The English have 
always considered it as an important station foi commerce, 
but it is not less deserving of study as the culminating 
point of this part of the continent. It is fortunate that 
several travellers have made efforts to determine its geo- 
graphical situation. Major Laing has definitively fixed it 
in latitude 10" 25' north, and longitude 12'' 54' west from 
Paris ; its actual elevation above the sea remains to be 
correctly ascertained. I could not establish M. Caillie's 
route upon a better basis ; and this I have done, by means 
of a direction which the traveller obtained from the village 
of Dite. There the inhabitants informed him that Timbo 
was at two days' distance in a certain direction, towards 
which he immediately applied his compass and found 
it to bear S. E. | S. Now, we may observe (and it is a 
remark common to the whole interior of Africa), that the 
inhabitants are scarcely ever mistaken with respect to the 
bearings of places ; their accuracy in this respect is sur- 
prising ; it is the effect of habit and of a particular tact. 
Secondly, I subjected this line of route to the position 
of the town of L^be, which is tolerably well known 
though not so certainly as Timbo. Our traveller, when 
near Teleouel learnt that Labe lay N. E. J E. at two days' 
distance. Another confirmation is drawn from the posi- 
