THE COURSE OF THE DHIOLIHA. 369 
mosa), with Reichard* ; the other^ but with much less 
probabiUty^ the Rio-Volta. The objection always raised 
to this hypothesis is the great height of the mountains 
called Kong, To reach the sea, the river must cross 
them ; but it may not be absolutely impossible that there 
should exist an opening in them deep enough to admit of 
its passage. Another difficulty arises from the small de- 
clivity of these waters : but I will here make an observa- 
tion on this subject. The actually known course of the 
Dhioliba, from its source as far as Timbuctoo, is about 
three hundred and sixty leagues : it issues from Mount 
Loma, at a height of nearly sixteen hundred English feet 
above the sea, or less than five hundred metres. The 
velocity observed by M. Caillie leads to the belief, that 
the average inclination from Djenne and also from Ba- 
makou to Timbuctoo is two thirds of a metre to a league : 
Timbuctoo would stand, according to this datum only, 
at a height of two hundred and sixty metres ; but it is 
very probable, that the inclination is much greater from 
Mount Loma to Bamakou than it is below this latter 
point, which would lower the position of Timbuctoo at 
least to two hundred and thirty metres, taking the fall of 
the first part at only a metre for a league. But this 
quantity would greatly exceed that supposed by Capt. 
Beaufort, who, after having observed the elevation of Eli- 
mane, conceived Timbuctoo to be upon the same level, 
that is to say, eighty-four metres above the sea.f 
* See Ephemerid. Geogr. for the year 1803. 
t Is it possible to quote this estimable traveller, who united so 
VOL. II. 2 B 
