184 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
gore, and that of the hill upon which I was at this time, 
the first by observation, and the second by account, and 
having taken the bearings of Loma from both, I cannot 
err much in laying down its position in 9° 25' N. and 
9° 45' W.” 
Laing had now spent three months in Soolimana, and 
had made many excursions. It is a very picturesque 
country, in which alternate hills, valleys, and fertile 
plains, bordered by woods and adorned with thickets of 
luxuriant trees. 
On the 17th September Laing started on his return 
journey to Sierra Leone bearing presents from the king, 
and escorted for several miles by a vast crowd. He 
finally reached the English colony in safety. 
Laing’s journey through Timmannee, Ivooranko, and 
Soolimana was not without importance. It opened up 
districts hitherto unknown to Europeans, and introduced 
us to the manners, occupations, and trade of the people, 
as well as to the products of the country. At the same 
time the course was traced and the source discovered of 
the Rokelle, whilst for the first time definite information 
was obtained as to the sources of the Niger, for although 
our traveller had not actually visited them, he had 
gone near enough to determine their position approxi¬ 
mately. 
The results obtained by Laing on this journey, only 
fired his ambition for further discoveries. He, therefore, 
determined to make his way to Timbuctoo. 
On the 17th June, 1825, he embarked at Malta for 
Tripoli, where he joined a caravan with which Hateeta, 
the Tuarick chief who had made such friends with Lyon, 
was also travelling as far as Ghat. After two months’ 
halt at Ghadames, Laing again started in October and 
reached Insalah, which he places a good deal further 
west than his predecessors had done. Here he remained 
from November, 1825, to January, 1826, and then 
made his way to the Wady Ghat, intending to go from 
thence at once to Timbuctoo, making a tour of Lake 
Jenneh or Debbie, visiting the Melli country, and tracing 
the Niger to its mouth. He would then have retraced 
