the travellers suddenly got sight of the great lake of Bornou, called the Tsaad; and, without leaving it at any great distance, they continued their route in a southern direction for seven days.

Several elephants were seen among the accacia woods, and two or three were observed browsing among the reedy islands of the lake. The whole neighbourhood was well stocked with villages, among which was one of a larger kind, named Burwa, with mud walls, whose houses and huts were observed to be neat and clean, and all its inhabitants decently clothed.

About sixty miles beyond the commencement of the lake, they crossed the river Yaou, (the Zad of Hornemann and the Tsad of Burckhardt), flowing from the westward into the lake, being about a hundred feet wide, and running at the rate of a mile an hour, between high sandy banks from two to three hundred feet apart. In all their letters they speak warmly of its beauties, the calmness and sweetness of its waters, the comfort it seemed to add to the numerous little villages scattered along its banks, and the possibility of its being the far famed Niger-which, it is said, it unquestionably is. A walled town, of the same name, stood on its banks.

From this place to Konka, the residence of the Sheik of Bornou, is a fine beaten track, covered with kofilas of bullocks transporting merchandize, and with foot passengers mostly armed with spears, and cheerfully trooping along. Approaching within one day's journey of the residence of the Sheik, the travellers received a message from him, in answer to one announcing their arrival, that he would receive them at Konka the next day.

The Sheik Shumeen el Kalmi, is a soldier of fortune, who has raised himself, in little more than twenty years, from the humble station of a schoolmaster and writer of charms, in Fezzan, to dictate laws to upwards of two millions of subjects. He is described as possessing an enterprising genius, a sound and mature judgement, engaging features, and the most conciliating demeanour. After meeting, to their astonishment, with four

thousand cavalry and a body of negro soldiers in wonderful discipline, the travellers were introduced to the Sheik of Spears; who received them, seated in an inner room on a small carpet, with two slaves with loaded pistols lying at his feet. Having read the letter of the Bashaw of Tripoli, he merely said they were welcome, and ordered a negro to shew them to the huts that had been prepared for them: they were pleased, however, with the cast of his countenance, and his affable and engaging

manner.

The Sheik refrains from assuming the Sultanship of Bornou, but has given the appearance of power to one of the family of the native Sultans, himself and his army doing homage to him. The Sultan's court, at Birnie, is described as one of fans, silks, and feathers, while the Sheik's is one of Spears:

Neither our travellers nor their friends from Tripoli, were dis posed to remain long at rest at Konka. The latter determined to proceed on a Grazzie, or marauding expedition, against some of the native tribes to the southward, and we are exceedingly sorry to say, that our countryman Major Denham determined to accompany them; and that he did so, not simply ás a traveller taking the opportunity of extending his researches, but as an active partisan in their most unwarrantable and cruel ravages. We are glad he did not perish in the unholy strife: but we are quite as glad, that both he and his associates were completely routed and defeated by the innocent people whom they attacked. Boo Khaloom, the leader of the Tripoli party, was slain, and Major Denham owed his preservation only to a merciful and forbearing Providence-for he was in danger enough.

On this expedition, they travelled south; and after a march of six days reached Mora, the capital and residence of the Sultan of Mandara, situated in a valley at the foot of a noble chain of hills at the distance of 170 miles from Konka. These hills or mountains (said to extend to the distance of 30 or 40 days to the south-west) are composed of granite, and their sides clothed with trees. In the valleys are many towns inhabited by

Musselmans; but those who dwell in the mountains are Kindies, or savages, who receive protection from the Sultan of Mandara, in consideration of furnishing him with a certain number of slaves. The Sultan of Mandara making an addition of 2000horse to the party, they proceeded still southerly against the Fellatas, a very powerful nation. Their road lay through extensive vallies, thickly planted with trees, and bounded by those beautiful hills, the sides of which presented here and there clusters of huts, and the height of which sometimes exceeded 1600 feet.

On the 28th of April, soon after daylight, they approached the Fellatas' towns, and commenced their devastations. Their progress was soon interrupted, and they were driven back with heavy loss. The distance from Konka to the Fellata villages in the mountains, the Major says, is about 230 miles, nearly south, or 3° 20′ difference of latitude, which would make the latitude of these villages about 9° 30′north.

During Major Denham's absence, his fellow-travellers Dr. Oudney and Lieutenant Clapperton set out on an excursion to examine the river Shary which, by proceeding southerly, they found at the distance of 90 miles from Konka. It is a noble stream, nearly a mile broad, flowing at the rate of a mile an hour, and containing a great number of flat islands. It flows from the southward and they traced it northward, till it emptied itself by five or six mouths into the lake Tsaad. This excursion occupied twenty days, and during it every kindness and attention was received from the friendly inhabitants.

This seems to be the extent of the personal observations of the travellers. According to Dr.Oudney, some report, that the Shary gives off a large branch which falls to the southward of Baghermi two days, and runs to Fittri, and thence to the Nile; and Major Denham learned from an Arab Sheik of Waday, that a branch of the Shary, called the Bahr el Dago, goes into the Nile; that it receives additional supplies from Lake Fittri, twelve days journey from those mouths of the Shary which flow into the Tsaad; and that it then takes a course to the southastward, till, as before, it reaches the Nile,

The Tsaad is calculated to be at least 220 miles in length, from north to south; the Yaou is believed to be the Niger: and there is strong reason to believe that there is some connection between the waters of Bornou and the Nile. The temperature in March and April was uniformly high, seldom lower than 100°; and sometimes 104°, at two or three o'clock; but there was constantly a refreshing breeze. The barometer was steady at 29 inches.

We shall eagerly look for farther information respecting these enterprising travellers, and we hope we shall hear less of their meddling with gunpowder, musquets, rockets, and unprincipled aggressions upon innocent people. It is not the way to make progress in their researches,

-"A very

OBSERVATIONS ON THE RIVER EUPHRATES.interesting communication was lately read before the Royal Society of Literature; namely, Observations on the River Euphrates, by Sir William Ouseley. In journeying from Persia to Constantinople, through Armenia, Sir William stopped on the Euphrates at Satan's Valley (so called from abounding 'in scorpions and noxious creatures), a spot of verdure and beauty. Here he swam across the river, and found it to be from three to six feet in depth, broad, winding, and rapid, over a stony and rugged bed. During his travels along its channel, especially during the last twenty, of seventy miles, he remark. ed that it flowed between steep rocky banks finely clothed with wood, and displaying such willow trees as are mentioned in that melancholy strain of the Hebrew captivés, in which they describe their griefs, suspending their harps, and weeping while they thought on Jerusalem. In its course, the river utters a loud and hollow noise; the effect of which is increased by the silence prevailing around. The Euphrates was styled "Great" by ancient authors, and also emphatically "The Ri ver," (Hebrew Book of Joshua, Greek Apocalypse of St. John, Lucan, &c.) and several of its appellations serve to mark it as consisting of several streams, and having been cut into artificial canals. The etymology of the word Euphrates

1

is unknown. Sir W. Ouseley directed his inquiry towards the source of the river in Armenia, and endeavoured to ascertain what name it had borne and continued to bear in that region. The highest period at which he could arrive was the fifth centúry, when Moses of Chorene, in his History of Armenia, calls it Ephrat, or Efrat; very slightly differing from the Greek. At the present day, many Armenians and Turks upon its banks, pronounce it as written in Arabic, Frat, or Forat, sometimes softened into Forad, and sometimes with the first letter changed into a mingled sound of M and V. The concluding portion of the essay related to the site of the terrestrial paradise, of which the four rivers were, the Pison, Gihon, Heddekel, and Phrath of Moses. There are a multitude of hypotheses on this point, of which we instance a few:-1st. The Garden of Eden existed between that place where the Euphrates and Tigris unnite their streams, and the spot where now stands the city of Basrah. [Huet, Bishop of Avranches; Dr. Wells; &c. &c.] 2. In Armenia, among the fountains of four rivers, Phasis, Araxis, Tigris, and Euphrates.-[Reland's Dissert. de Parad. Terrest, &c.] 3. Near a town called Edneissar (in lat. 41 and between 72 and 73 long.), at the foot of the mountain on which has been erected the city of Mardin-[Father Angelo who travelled in Asia between the years 1664 and 1678, and describes this situation, as being called in Turkish " the thousand fountains;" whence, says he, issue the four rivers, Tigrish, Euphrates, Kouksou, or Bluewater, and Nahar-gilisc, or Sword-river; which two latter, equivalent to the Gihon and Pison, fall respectively into the two former.] 4. In the territory of Canaan, Palestine, or the Holy Land. 5. Near Damascus in Syria. 6. On the tract now covered by the Caspian Sea. 7. In Egypt. 8. In the Island of Ceylon, or Scrandib,

Besides these various conjectures, each of which has had its advocates, it has been maintained by others, that the ter restrial paradise was on the banks of the Ganges, under the equator in Africa, in Europe, and even in America. And