974 
Herodotus elfewhere informs us, went in 
a direction exaétly fouth: it would feem 
then, that they purpofely tock another, 
Namely, a weftern, dire&tion, with a view 
of thus penetrating through the great de- 
Jert of Weftern Africa, through which, 
probably at that time no caravan-road 
pafled. 
: They travelled, fays Herodotus, through 
a great defert during many days journeys, 
(unfortunately he does not tell us their 
number, and certainly it had not been told 
him). On the other fide of the defert, 
_ they again reached a cultivated country, 
where fruit-trees grew, and black men 
dwelt, who were of a frature fmaller than 
common; no dwarfs, however, for that 
our author certainly does not affert. Thefe 
negroes gave the Nafamones an hofpitable 
reception, and became their conduétors. 
They led themthrough great mar/by regions 
to a ¢zty, by which flowed @ large river in 
a direction from wef to eaff. The in- 
habitants of the city all refembled their 
guides, and were much addifted to magze. 
The queftion now is, whither had thefe 
adventurers come? Itis evident, methinks, 
that they were arrived in the country of 
the negroes, and among a negroe nation, 
~ who received them with the fame hofpi- 
tality which yet fo honourably diftin- 
guifhes this race of men from their bar- 
barous neighhours, the Moors. This we 
learn not only from their black colour and 
their whole exterior appearance, by which 
they at fir fight immediately prefented 
themfelves tu the eyes of the North Afri- 
cans as quite a different race of men; 
but likewife particularly from the circum- 
ftance, that they were all magicians ; 
when we recollect what Niungo Park, who, 
asit were, conjured his way through thefe 
people, with the aid- of his amulets, fays 
concerning the belief in magic generally 
prevalentameng them. Concerning their 
diminutive ftature, I cannot immediately 
adduce any farther corroborating tefti-— 
mony : but to maintain that, in that burn- 
ing clime, in the vicinity of the equator, 
no fuch people may be difcovered, would 
furely be hazarding a very, precipitate 
decifion. 
But the phenomenon moft worthy of at- 
tention undoubtedly is the rzewer which 
flowed by the city in an eaftern direétion, 
Ts this river the Ffoliba ? Were thefe bold 
adventurers the firfi az/coverers of i? And 
did the tradition concerning it, though its 
name was loft in the deferts, neverthelefs 
by a feries of the moft fingular acgidents, 
reach the ears of the father of hiftory, 
that he might record it, to be one day, at 
Fleredstus and the River Foliba tn Africa?  [Jan. 1, 
the clofe of the eighteenth century, again 
rendered intelligible ? 
Herodotus does not name the river, and 
thus far every thing remains mere con- 
jecture. Bur this conjeéture from fo many 
quarters gains confirmation, that, at laft, 
_ it is almoft impoffible to-doube. — 
Firltly, if we attend to the direétion of 
the route of our travellers, the queftion 
is, whither muft they neceflarily have 
come? If from their native land, on the 
bay of Sydra, or the great Syrézs, they 
traverfed the defert in a fouth-weft direc- 
tion, and thus reached the country of the 
negroes; this muft have happened between 
15 and 35° eaft longitude, which is about 
the length of the courfe of the Joliba, as 
will appear from a fingle glance at Major 
Rennel’s map. Proceeding as they did, 
they could not fatl to arriveat the Joliha. 
Tt will however be perhaps objected, that 
there may poflibly be fome other river ; for 
who knows how many fuch rivers exift 
In thofe regions of the interior of Africa ? 
But with a perfon who, from the relations 
of travellers, has acquired a knewiedge 
of thofe parts, this objeétion can have no 
weight. Hercdotus exprefsly fays, that 
it was a great river, running from welt to 
eaft. According to the befl accounts we 
poffefs of the we#ern half of North Africa, 
not only is there in thofe regions no fuch 
river flowing in that direG@ion ; but from 
the very nature of the country, as far as 
we are acquainted with it; there cannot 
well exift any. To the north of the Jcliba 
is the fandy defert, which contains no ri- 
ver ; to the fouth, a chain of mountains, 
at the foot of which, the Joliba flows, and 
whichwmnutt, therefore, have been the firit 
large river the Nafamones met with. 
Befides, Herodotus gives us likewife the 
following indications : Firftly, they were 
obliged to pafs through large marfhy re- 
gions, befoie they reached the river; fe- 
condly, a city ftood on its banks: and 
lafily, croccdiles were found in the river. 
The firfi-mentioned of thefe three ctr- 
cumflances is highly important. Accord- 
ing to Major Rennel’s neweft inveftiga- 
tions, the fandy region of Africa has a 
floping declination towards the fouth ; fo 
that ta it fucceeds a low marfhy tract, 
bounded to the north by the fandy defert, 
but to the fouth by a chain of mountains. 
Here the Joliba flows, receiving in its 
courfe a number of fmaller mountain ri-_ 
vers from the fouth; but not even one 
from the north. Like other tropical ri- 
vers, it has its annual inundations, when 
it more or lefs, fills the valley through. 
which it pafles, The Joliba is at laft loft, 
as 
