and Mr Maxwell respecting the Cmgo and the Niger. 209 
the Congo, would inundate a great extent of the interior of 
Africa. We have indeed heard much of the influence of evapo- 
ration ; but when applied to the present case, the question still 
recurs, how has the Congo so far outstripped all its fellows ? It 
must draw its immense resources from some quarter ; and there 
does not appear a more likely hypothesis than that which sup- 
poses it to stretch to Wangara, past the Mountains of the 
Moon, and thus become the outlet of that immense drain which 
is known to exist in the interior of Africa."*’ 
There is but one objection to this reasoning that appears in any 
degree formidable, and which was stated to Mr Park, although 
not contained in the correspondence ; namely, the difference of 
time between the floods of the Niger and the Congo, which is no 
less than three months. The answer given was in substance as 
follows. From every account which Mr Park obtained of the 
Niger, it appears to be a sluggish running stream, between Sil- 
la and Wangara. And, in confirmation of this, we may re- 
mark, that in the memoir at the end of Mr Park’s Travels, it 
is particularly stated by Major Rennel, that the distance be- 
tween Tombuctoo and Houssa is 200 miles, which takes the 
merchants eight days, in their ordinary way of sailing, to go 
and return. With us it may appear an unnecessary waste of 
time, being no more than a mile per hour straight forward; 
but those conversant with the inland navigation of rivers, know 
well how troublesome those calms are, which are occasioned by 
clumps of trees and elevations of the shore. They frequently, 
in the sea-phrase, take the wind from the sails,” and leave 
him to the rate of the current alone. It is not to be wondered 
at, therefore, if these 200 miles, with the necessary windings of 
the river, which we may estimate at 32 miles more? should take 
them eight days in descending, when the boats are heavily 
loaded, for this is at the rate of 29 miles per day. But how, 
it may be said, can they return in the same time from Houssa to 
Tombuctoo ? I answer, it is particularly mentioned, in this last 
case, that they can only do it when they have a good breeze ; 
for if the windings of the river be 232 miles, and the progress of 
the stream which they have to overcome be about a mile per hour, 
or 192 miles in all, this makes the real distance between the twc 
places to be 424' miles, or 53 miles per day, which, even with 
