196 
DISCOVERIES OF THE ENGLISH. 
about this time to reach the interior of Africa by 
this channel ; but they seem all to have stopped 
short very nearly at the same point. In 1732, we 
have an account of a Mr Harrison sailing up ; 
but he did not proceed beyond Fatatenda, where, 
finding the sloop could not sail higher, he sent one 
Leach with boats to the upper parts of the river. 
Leach sailed twenty-two leagues above Fataten- 
da, where he encountered a ledge of rocks stretch- 
ing across the river, that appeared to present an 
insurmountable barrier to his farther ascent. This 
ledge is not mentioned by any of the prior navi* 
gators, who describe their course as arrested mere- 
ly by shallows and sand-banks. This circumstance 
makes it possible that he may have ascended some- 
what higher than the rest ; though the space pass- 
ed over precludes the idea of the length of his 
course having materially differed from theirs. 
About this time some intelligence was gained 
respecting the interior of Africa, by a very remark- 
able channel. It was from a young prince, Jos 
Ben Solomon^ son of the king, or chief, of Bunda, 
in the territory of Foota, who was accidentally 
made captive, and carried into America. He is 
called by Moore the high-priest of Bunda 5 and 
appears, in fact, as is not unusual in Mahometan 
countries, to have united the characters of pontiff 
and monarch. He was sent by his father to carr^ 
