steparted heroes were there

der THWich Soccolter progress, and

des of several monuments, incorpo

The African Society. rated into the walls, bodies ty Our then conducted of departed de

with another Si us to a place, where, he said, hung compiled another report.

the bell : this is a piece of stone The report is printed, and distri

iluing out of the roof, which when buted to the subscribers, and to medias ftruck sounds like a bcll.

them only. It is not publishedSome of the stala&ites are of a of course is not to be bought. The colour like fugar-candy, and others title of the report is,

resemble loaf lugar: but it is a “ Elucidations of the African Giler pity that their beauty is now al. Geography, from the Communicaprint, molt destroyed by the country peo- tions of Major Houghton and Mr.

ple. The water, as it falls, runs Magra, 1791. Compiled in 1793." down the declivity; and it is both The compilation, as it is modestly

wholesome and pleasant to drink called, is performed with the same to sila when it has discharged its petrefy- elegance and propriety as in the di sing matter. It is remarkable, that former reports. They were written at we found several holes at the bot- by Mr. Beaufoy-the present re

tom of the cave, going down per- port is by major Rennell. The is the pendicularly, perhaps, into the abyss, material passages are to the effect : 041 which renders it dangerous to be which follows:

without a light. At the end of the The communications of major cave there is a pretty run, which Houghton and Mr. Magra contain takes its course through part of it, some curious particulars relative to and then loses itself among the the river Niger. _The one account rocks: here is also its exit by an was colle&ed at Tunis, the other at aperture which is very narrow. Senegal. Both fix its course from

Through this the vapours continu- west to eaft—both fix its course far ch 1, ally pass outwards, with a strong westward from Tumbuctoo.

current of air; and, at night, these The expectations of major Houghvapours ascending resemble a great ton were, that the source, and even furnace. Part of these vapours and the navigable part of the river, fogs appear, on ascending, to be would be found not far to the eastcondensed at the head of this great ward of Bambouk; and his infor. alembic, and the more volatile parts'mation on which he forms this idea, to be carried off through the aper- communicates to his readers the ture communicating with the ex. fame fort of expectation founded terior air before mentioned, by the on evidence that is presumptive. force of the air in its passage. Major Houghton ascended the

23

be TOE

The interval between Medina There appears to be two routes and Cacullo is new ground in geo- from Medina in Woolles to Tomgraphy! It differs in extent 27 buctoo, with several bianching in miles from Danville's map of the the northern, after passing Bam. Senegal and Gambia rivers, taking bouk and Fort St Joseph; by ore it for granted that Medina, which of these major Houghton meant to does not appear in any former map have gone, viz by that which of this tract, is 26 miles from Fat- leads to the Senegal river at Gujuga tatenda, and a few miles of the (the Juga of Danville and Delile), Gambia.

îtuated as much above Sambanoura Cap Cacullo is the fixed point whereas the last is above Medina. From Fird of this new geography begins, seven Gujuga he would have passed by or eight miles north of Sambanou- Saba and Boromia, and through ra; its latitude is 13. 54. and fo Bambara to Tombuctoo. But he far not disagreeing from Danville. could not discover all the particular From the sea coast the distance is lars of the route. 400 geographic miles from the Two other branches of the nor. mouth of the Gambia on the west, thern route, used by the Natees and 370 from Sierra Leona on the Nave merchants, are through DraS.S. W.

Unfortunately no idea is given of confidence in the general scope of the distances in these routes, or of the intelligence.” the lines of directions, further than Beyond Gadon the maps give no major Houghton says, “ the Toleba information; the interval, thereriver runs from south to north, to fore, between Gadon and Jennie Iceure, and then eastwardly to remain to be dis ed. Tombuctoo.

The king of Bambouk informed It is probable that the route of major Houghton, that Manding the flatees or Nave merchants, was beyond Gadon, viz. E. of it. through Capon, may be to the It is the country of the Sousos in northward of this direction,

Danville. And the major also Major Houghton's new guide told learned, that there, or at Jennie, the king, he ihould be ninety days were decked vessels, in which he going to Tombuctoo and returning might embark, with the stream, to by Bambouk. This includes the Tombuctoo. If this be so, the time requisite for himtelf and his source of the joliba, our Niger, beafls, and therefore implies a dif- cannot be far from the eastern frontance of less than forty-five days, tier of Bambouk. perhaps forty-two.

So far major Houghton. Ben Ali reports it to be forty The date of his letters was July eight days from Fort St. Joseph, 15, 1791, from Ferbanna, the cabut he went circuitously by Jeffnor pital of Bambouk; April 27, 1791,

and Deftel; and the report of ma was the letter before it,
thos jor Houghton's guide is to be pre-
son ferred to that of Ben Ali, who
m Tres

From Mr. Magra.
spoke on the fallible recolledion of
twenty years.

This is the substance of the reJennie, or Genne (for major port, much of which came from E20

de Houghton and Mr. Magra spell it the traveller Hafy Alfs, who had to be differently), occurs in N. and S. lived thirteen years at Tombuctoo ;

who had afcended the Niger through It appears also, that though the its whole navigable course. His by die navigation required twenty-five intelligence is totally unconnected se days against the stream to Jennie, with major Houghton's. He says, de 2. the land journey might be perform- « The river is traceable to Boinatop ed in ten days. And thus a point coo, thirty-eight journies by water, ak is established on the Niger, ten against the fireain, from Tombucen de land journies to the south-west of too; that the country abounds with bekl Tombuctoo.

gold; that it is no

more than Masina, in the account of major twenty days journey from the Enge le Houghton, and Matheena in Hasy lish settlements on the coatt; that C Afifs (belonging to a large town on the river springs from a high ridge is the same river, at ten days naviga- of mountains; that in alcending

tion above Tombuetoo), “a coin- the river the sun rose at the back mi cidence of names and positions cer- of his head, and set in his face."

tainly warranting,” as the compiler This shows a course with much well reinarka, “ some degree of westing in it: yet as the clouds lay

bara

ubica route.

Tunis

,

G

in the tropic, nothing can be in- to Houffa, a considerable city a fer ferred from it unless the season was days journey from Tombucoo. known, But there can be little Thus the source of the Niger is doubt the course of the river runs approached, and its course ascerto the north-east.

tained from west to east. The distance between Tombuc Major Houghton once thought too and Bomacoo, seems too short that he might find in this river the extra to answer the interval between remote source of the Nile, but it is bare Tombuctoo and Bambouk. Thirty- improbable. The distance is 1800 cight days navigation against the geographic miles, in a direct line

, 1230 current cannot be more than twen- from the source of the Niger to the ty-seven days caravan journies in influx of the White River. And direct distance. And Hasy Alifs yet more, that the Nile, after re. lbs ta says, he went up the river to Jennie ceiving fuch an accession of watersla in twenty days, and he had gone as the Niger, and its streams are the fame distance by land in ten collected in 1800 miles, that after the days.

all the Nile should not be a greater and Bambouk and Bomacoo are, not river than it is, untenably, supposed to be the The river Niger is at its higheft fame.

pitch in August, when swollen by Of the Senegal river, above the periodical rains. The Nile alco falls of Gouinia, no particulars are then is at its height. It would take known, but that the route of the a month for the waters of Tombuc. The llave merchants is along its banks too to run into Egypt, and there to w to Galama, which Danville places, fore the Nile must swell from the at 160 geographic miles above Gui- rains in Abyslinia, which fall per nia; and Delille, more reasonably, riodically in July and Auguft, and were ftates at 40 miles.

which are supposed to be carried bied; About Galama, Danville thinks off by the Nile. the river comes from the eatt-De The seasons in this part of Africa lisle from east fouth-east: each car are stated by major Houghton to be select ries it clear of the supposed head of curioully similar to the Indian monthe Niger; but there is no autho- soons. The dry easterly winds end rity to determine which is right. in April, then the south-weft

Deliile also considered the space breezes set in.-- June 3d entered on between Bambouk and Tombuctoo the periodical rains, which ended bere ob more contracted than the latter in September.

tay maps have made it. But, probably, Whether Houssa be a town or a here he was in extremes.

country, is not ascertained. The

koriile The country of Bambara, of direction of the river from Tomwhich Jennie is the capital, occu buctoo is also not yet known.

N this pies most of the river Niger to Whether it communicates with

Le co within fix water journies of its Bambouk and Houssa—whether its fource. The river receives several course is continuous, or whether Itreams from the west before Tom- there be an intervening lake, is not

leme! buctoo. There it divides into two yet known; and through such an

. All streams, the smaller palling close to interval (700 miles) it must be im. Tombuctoo, the main branch going pollible to guess.

The

T

The merchants at Tunis told Mr. 2. A sketch of major Houghton's Magra, that Houlia was a country track to Bambouk, his intended north of Tunis. Some said it was route to Tombuctoo, and of the inhabited by negroes, some by Nave merchants from Gallem to Arabs; but all agreed there was a Bambara. region called Soulsa to inhabit.

These positions do not contradiet what have gone before on some Account of an extraordinary Change, leading geographical points in the

not hitherto described, which, unmiddle and northern Africa. On der certain Circumstances, takes the contrary, the positions of Casti

place in the Human Body after nah and Agadez, are rather con Death. By M. Thouret, from firmed by the communications from Medical Facts and Observations,

Mr. Magra, viz. Agadez, 976 geo vol. i. 8vo. lizy graphical miles from Tunis, stands

995 on the map of the association, 'HIS paper relates to the re1790; and Castinah stands 1300 moval of the bodies from the from Tunis, instead of 1230; a dif- church and church-yard of the Holy ference, major Rennell thinks, not Innocents at Paris. M. Thouret, to be regarded in luch an extent of who is a very respectable physician distance. Godamthe is stated 352 in that city, and already well known miles from Tunis.