KINGDOMS ON THE GAMBIA. 
37 
€bis river, as well as from the opinion of several celebrated wri- 
ters, there is reason to believe that it takes its source below a 
considerable fall made by the Senegal, which there divicies into 
two branches,, one of which to the south has been mistaken for 
,the Gambia ; but this error has been controverted by several au- 
thors, and particularly by Mungo Park, who has examined the 
place in question, and v^ho asserts that the river Gambia takes 
its rise from the same chain of mountains from w hich issue the. 
Senegal and the Niger. The Gambia begins to ran one hundred 
Xniles to the westward of the Senega), and continues its course 
in the same direction till it enters the sea. 
The part of the coast near this river wa,-?, like all the rest, 
discovered by the Normans, who probably formed estabhshmeuts 
along it, which they abandoned for the more rich and perma- 
nent situations of the Senegal and the Gold-coast. The Portu^ 
guese then occupied those spots which the Normans had left; 
and it may be seen by the ruins of their factories, and the forts 
which they erected, that they had penetrated very far into the 
interior. The wars in which they were involved with the other 
îiations of Europe, at length rendered them incapable of sup- 
porting their power in that part of the world : yet several Por- 
tuguese families remained there, were naturalised amongst the 
inhabitants; while their descendants gradually becoming Africans, 
have spread into the interior, and live on good terms with the na- 
tives. The latter are the subjects of a nmititude of petty princes, 
who all take the jitle of king, though the territorities of many 
of them are very small. There are i)o Jess than eight of these 
kingdoms on each bank of the Gambia, in a space of about two 
jbundred and fifty leagues from its mouth. 
The kingdoms situated on the northern bank are, 1 . that of 
J3arra, which extends eighteen leagues along the coast; ^. Guio- 
canda, which follows it, ai'd occupies live leagues of coast; 3. 
Baddison, which fills twenty leagues ; 4. Saium, which surrounds 
the ûrst three mentioned to the north and west, by following a 
course of the river to the extent of ten leagues ; 5. Gniania, 
w^hich comprises only two leagues of coast ; 6". Couhan, which 
occupies four; 7. Gniani^ extending thirty leagues along the river; 
and 8. Ouli, which terminates between Barraconda and the rocky 
bank, and occupies ninety leagues. 
These different distances calculated in a right line, form a to- 
tal of one hundred and seventy-uine leagues ; to which may be 
added seventy-two leagues for the windmgs of the river in this 
space, which makes the whole extent from the point of Barra 
to the kingdom of Ouli, two hundred and fifty leagues. 
The eight kingdoms on the southern bank are diat of Combe 
pr Combo, which yuns eighteen leagues along the coast^ from 
