Notes on the Congo River. 
178 
The next traveller that deserves notice is the 
unfortunate Douville, 1 through whose tissue of im¬ 
posture runs a golden thread of truth. As his 
first journey, occupying nearly two of the three 
volumes, was probably confined to the Valley of 
the Cuanza River, so his second, extending beyond 
the equator, and to a meridian 25 0 east of Paris, 
becomes fable as he leaves the course of the Loge 
Stream. Yet, although he begins by doubting that 
the Coango and the Zaire are the same waters, 
he ends by recognizing the fact, and his map justly 
lays down the Fleuve Couango dit Zaire a son em¬ 
bouchure. Whether the tale of the mulatto sur¬ 
veyor be fact or not is of little matter : the adven¬ 
turer had an evident inkling of the truth. 
A flood of side light is thrown upon the head 
waters of the Congo River by Dr. Livingstone’s first 
memorable journey (1852-56), across Africa, and 
by the more dubious notices of his third expedition 
The Introduction (p. xviii.) to Captain Tuckey’s 
narrative had concluded from the fact of the highest 
flood being in March, and the lowest level about 
the end of August, that at least one branch of the 
river must pass through some portion of the 
northern hemisphere. The general observations 
affixed to “Narrative” (p. 346), contain these words: 
“If the rise of the Zaire had proceeded from rains 
1 See chap. v. 
