608 
SKETCH Of AFRICAN DISCOVERT 
soono of his formor adventures. Having reached the Niger 
at Boussa, where Park was killed, ho passed through various 
countries, and reached Sockatoo, whoro he died ; and Lan- 
der, his friend and servant, commenced his return to Eng- 
land with Clapporton’s journals and papers. Major ] siing, 
meanwhile, had visited Timbuctoo, and transmitted home 
accounts of this famous city, whero ho spent some weeks* 
but on his return ho was murdered, and his papers have 
never been recovered. Wo havo not spaco to allude to the 
many well-executed expeditions which havo proceeded 
from Capo Town for tho purpose of exploring South 
Africa, but bavo confined ourselves to those exertions which 
had for their object tho elucidation of tho question concern 
ing the courso and termination of the Niger, and wero con- 
sequently directed to Central Africa. 
Tho termination of tho Niger had long boon ono of the 
most interesting problems in African geography, and wo 
havo now reached tho period when, on this point, facts 
wore substituted for conjccturo and hypothesis. Tho river 
had first been seen by Park, near Sogo, tho capital of Bam- 
barra. It was callod by tho natives tho Joliba, or “ Groat 
Water;” and Park described it as “flowing slowly to the 
eastward.” Ho followed the courso of tho river for about 
threo hundred miles, and was told that a journey of ten 
days would bring him to its source. At Sockatoo, Lieut. 
Clappcrton found that it was called tho Quorra, by which 
namo it is known in tho most rocont maps, it having re- 
ceived tho namo of tho Nigor, in the first instanco, from its 
supposed identity with tho Nigir of tho ancionts. The 
want of information concerning tho courso and termination 
of this mysterious rivor, until doterminod by actually pro- 
ceeding down its channel to tho soa, was, as may bo sup- 
posed, a fruitful sourco of speculation among goographors- 
By somo it was supposed to flow into tho Nile; othort 
Imagined that a great central lako rocoivcd its waters. 
Major Kennel, an authority of great weight, camo to the 
conclusion that, after passing Timbuctoo, tho Niger flowed 
