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DESCRIPTION OF FOUTA DIALLON. 
village of Bandeia ; it is bounded on the north by the moun- 
tains of Tangué, on the east by Balia and Sangarari ; on the 
south-east by Firia and Soliman ; on the south by Kouranko 
and Liban ; on the west by Tenda Maié, and several countries 
inhabited by the Mandingos and the Jolas or Biafares. The 
countries situated to the north beyond these limits, and 
comprised under the general name of Fouta Diallon, also 
obey the prince who resides at Timbou, but he has not 
the same authority over them. 
This country is covered with mountains throughout its 
whole extent ; they form the second plain in that part of 
Western Africa through which I have travelled, proceeding 
from the sea-coast to the east ; they are very rich in iron 
ore they also contain the sources of many rivers, that 
fall into the Atlantic. They may be considered as the last 
links of a much more lofty chain, situated to the south-east ; 
the Negroes have told me that the most elevated of these 
mountains were constantly covered with a white hat, by 
which I suppose they mean nothing but snow ; they had 
not seen it themselves, but other Negroes had communica- 
ted these particulars. 
Almost all the valleys of Fouta Diallon, situated at the 
* I brought two kinds of iron ore from Fouta Diallon : — First, Oxide of 
iron, red compact ; secondly, Hydrate of iron. This is also found in all the 
wells of the kingdom of Cayor. 
