372 
DIVERGENTS OF THE RIVER. 
If the voyageur should be tempted by the facility 
with which we shall whisk him up and down the Niger 
in the course of these remarks, to abandon his peculiar 
mode of travelling in his easy-chair, to make the abso- 
lute voyage, we can only tell him that he must care- 
fully feel his way with the lead as we did. Short 
cuts are to be avoided — that is, going from one 
salient point to another — as shoals are always found 
below these, in addition to the banks in the middle of 
the river. The best rule is to steer round all the curva- 
tures, for there the “ big water” is sure to be found, 
scooping out the bank. 
The Delta, formed by the deposit of the river, covering 
an extent of perhaps seven thousand square miles, com- 
mences above Abbh, at a distance of about ninety miles 
from the sea in a direct line. The first divergents that we 
can speak positively to, are the Bonny and Benin branches, 
so called ; the Nun, which we navigated, lying between 
them. These send otf innumerable ramifications, right 
and left, which diminish in breadth and volume, in their 
downward course, till they inundate the whole surface ; or, 
more correctly speaking, the banks disappearing, the river 
is dilfused in one swamp, unbroken except by the mangrove 
trees, (Rhysophora), which have their roots in the water. 
The outer margin of this has a barrier of somewhat firm 
land, bearing forest trees, which is thrown up by the 
opposing force of the sea. In this barrier are about 
twenty large and deep reservoirs, or estuaries, where the 
water is collected previously to its final discharge into 
the sea ; the small rise and fall of which — about six feet 
