ON THE COURSE OF THE CONGO. 
141 
water which it pours into the ocean. Lopez and 
Merolla represent the breadth at its mouth not 
to fall short of twenty-eight miles. Cavazzi, 
however, gives only three leagues, which nearly 
agrees with ten miles, Mr Maxwell's estimate. 
The rapidity of the current is such, that no ad- 
vantage of wind and tide can enable any vessel 
to make head against it. The ascent can be ef- 
fected only, by first keeping close to the shore, 
and then getting under shelter of one of the nu- 
merous islands which lie at its mouth. In pro- 
ceeding upwards, there occurs a continued suc- 
cession of such islands, each of which, for a cer- 
tain space beneath, breaks the force of the stream, 
so that those who are well acquainted with the 
river, will always find a channel which they can 
navigate, without encountering its entire force. 
At 120 leagues above its mouth are found the 
falls or cataracts, which are nowhere particularly 
described. They are said, however, to be of 
great magnitude, and their noise so tremendous, 
as to be heard at the distance of eight miles. 
About seventy miles higher, near the city of Con- 
cobella, there appears, according to every report, 
to be a great union of rivers, flowing from diffe- 
rent quarters of the interior. D'Anville, in his 
map (1751), remarks, that the origin and early 
course of all these streams is involved in very 
great uncertainty. The early accounts, making 
