N I G 
tire foutb. At the loweft point to which Mr. Park traced 
this river, and which (although about 420 Britifh miles 
11 direct diftance from its fource) could only be reckoned 
ithe early part -of its courfe, it was 3 very confiderable 
body of water ; the large!!, he fays, which he had feen 
(in Africa), and it abounded with crocodiles. The rainy 
feafon was but juft begun; and the river might have 
been forded at Sego, the capital of the kingdom of Bam- 
barra, where its bed expands to a vaft breadth. To Pliny 
it was well known that the Niger fwelled periodically, 
like the Nile, and at the fame feafon; and this fail is 
alfo proved by Mr. Houghton’s report and by Mr. Park’s 
obfervations. Pliny alfo fays that its productions were 
the fame with thofe of the Nile. 
The Niger defcends from the high level of Mandingo 
into Bambarra, on the eaftward, with a rapid and furious 
courfe, at Bammakoo, about 150 miles below its fource; 
after which it glides fmoothly along, and affords an un¬ 
interrupted navigation to Houfi'a, and probably by Kaffina 
to Wangara. The only remaining queftion pertains to 
its termination; and the fourth appendix of the laft vo¬ 
lume of Park’s Journal, lately publifhed, fince his (fup- 
pofed) death, contains a fummary of the different theories 
or opinions upon that fubjeft, drawn up with great fa- 
gacity and diltin&nefs. The moft ancient opinion, and 
that which has been recently adopted by major Rennel, 
is, that it has no exit into the ocean, but difrufes itfelf in 
an inland lake, from which it is evaporated. The objec¬ 
tions to this is, that the exiftence of ftich a lake, orinland 
fea, is not alleged, or even reported, by any of the nati ves, 
and is, on all accounts, extremely unlikely. The fecond 
hypothecs is, that it falls into the Nile, and conftitutes 
the Weftern or White branch of that river. This, how¬ 
ever, is confidered, and with reafon, as the moft impro¬ 
bable of all the conjectures , fince the faCt, if it were fo, 
•could fcarcely be unknown to the caravans which go 
from TombuCtoo to Cairo; and fince the level at which the 
weftern branch falls into the Nile, which is far above the 
CataraCts, is infinitely higher than the Niger can be fup- 
pofed to retain, after a courfe of near 2500 miles. The 
third fuppolition is that which was finally adopted by 
Park ldmfelf, that it takes a direction to the fouth, ami 
ultimately terminates in the great river Congo 3 which, 
from the account which is given of it, mult be regarded 
as one of the moft magnificent ftreams in the world, run¬ 
ning with a rapidity of five or fix miles an hour, and a 
width of nearly an Englifti mile, for many hundred miles 
above its mouth, and a depth of not lefs than fifty fa¬ 
thoms. The greatnefs of theftream, it is contended, in¬ 
dicates a very long and circuitous courfe; and it is ltated 
by Park himfelf, on the information of his friend Mr. 
Maxwell, that its feafon of flooding correfponds exactly 
with that of the Niger, upon a fair calculation of the dif¬ 
tance and velocity. The objections to this hypothefis are 
chiefly the enormous length of courfe which it would thus 
be neceffary toafcribe to the Niger; being upwards of 4000 
miles, and exceeding confiderably the known extent of 
any river in the world ; and the difficulty of underftand- 
ing how it ftiould be able to penetrate acrofs the vaft chain 
of the Kong-mountains, which are almolt afcertained to 
extend over that whole parallel of latitude which muff: on 
this fuppofition be traverfed by the head-waters of the 
Congo. Thefe difficulties we do not think by any means 
infuperable; and there are faCts unqueftionably in geo¬ 
graphy, by the fair analogy of which they may be eafily 
accounted for. Upon the whole, therefore, we are rather 
inclined to adopt this hypothefis ; and, at all events, we 
truft that the notoriety to which this vaft river of Congo 
is npw in a manner for the firft time introduced by the 
publication before us, will induce either enterprifing in¬ 
dividuals, or fome of thofe meritorious affociations w hom 
it more materially concerns, to explore the great avenue 
into interior Africa, which it feems to lay open. From 
the ftatements .of Mr. -Maxwell, the intelligent corref- 
pondent of Mr. Park,, it appears that this river is com- 
N I G 83, 
monly ufed to bring down commodities to the coaft, from 
a diftance of upwards of fix hundred miles, for the whole 
of which traCt it affords a fafe and commodious naviga¬ 
tion, and in all probability much farther; while it would 
rather feem that no European has yet afeended above one 
hundred miles from its mouth. If this be the fame river 
with the Niger, the co-operation of an afeending or de¬ 
fending party would evidently offer great facilities and 
advantages ; while, if it fiiould turn out to be a different 
ftream altogether, the accefs to the interior would thus 
be doubled. The laft hypothefis with regard to the myf- 
terious Niger is, that it turns to the fouth-weft at an ear¬ 
lier part of its ’courfe than is implied in the preceding 
theory, and, dividing into various branches, falls into the 
Atlantic at the northern point of the Bay of Guinea, in 
that fucceflion of ftreams which water the alluvial trait, 
from the Rio del Rey on the eaft, to the Benin River on 
the weft. This hypothefis alfo poffefies confiderable pro¬ 
bability; and indeed may be confidered as a modification 
of that which identifies the Niger with the Congo. It 
labours, indeed, under the additional difficulty of affum- 
ing that the various ftreams, by which it is here fuppofed 
to difeharge itfelf, are actually ramifications of one main 
river; and the objections arifing from the obftacle of the 
Kong-mountains, is equally applicable to both ; as is alfo 
another of no mean weight, viz. that there are no traces 
of Mahometanifm, either among the nations on the Congo 
or thofe in the northern part of Guinea; although the part 
of the Niger which has been explored is frequented by- 
crowds of priefts and devotees of that perfuafion ; whofe 
zeal for the propagation of their faith could fcarcely have- 
failed of having led fome of them, by fo eafy a communi¬ 
cation, to the populous regions on its lower courfe. Pro¬ 
ceedings of the African A ifociation. Park's Journal (1805) 
and Life, Bond. 1815. Edinburgh Rev. N°48. 
NI'GER, a river of England, which runs into the Ger¬ 
man Sea a little below Clay in Norfolk. 
NIGG, a town of Scotland, in the county of Kincarr 
dine, fituated near the mouth of the Dee, in a bay to 
which it gives name : three miles fouth of Aberdeen, and 
twelve north-north-eaft of Stonehaven. 
NIGG, a town of Scotland, in the county of Rofs: 
nine miles fouth of Tain. 
NIG'GARD, f [niiiggr, Icel.] A mifer ; a curmud¬ 
geon ; a fordid, avaricious, parfimonious, fellow.—Then 
let thy bed be turned from fine gravel to weeds or mud'. 
Let fome unjult niggards make weres to fpoil thy beauty. 
Sidney. 
Be niggards of advice on no pretence 5 
For the worlt avarice is that of ffenfe. Pope. 
NIG'GARD, adj. Sordid; avaricious; parfimonious: 
One flie found 
With all the gifts of bounteous nature crown’d. 
Of gentle blood ; but one whole niggard fate 
Had let him far below her high eftate. Drydcn. 
Sparing; wary: 
Moll free of queftion, but to our demands 
Niggard in his reply. Shahejpeare's Hamlet 
To NIG'GARD, v. a. To flint; to fupply fparingly. 
The deep of night is crept upon our talk, 
And nature mult obey neceffity ; 
Which we will niggard with a little reft. Shahej’peare. 
NIG'GARDISE, f. Niggardlinefs ; avarice—The 
gardije and milerable wretchednefs of the ft swards will 
not afford it. Favour's Antiij. Tr.,over Novelty, 1619. 
For he, whofe dales in wilful] woe are worne, 
The grace of his Creator doth defpife, 
That will not ufe his gifts for thankleile nigardife. Spenfer. 
NIG'G ARDISH, adj. Having fome difpofition to ava¬ 
rice. Jlarret's Alv. 1580. 
iHG'GA-RDUWESS, f. Avarice; fordid parfimony.— 
Niggardlinefs 
