e 209. lat. N. 10 deg., long. 18 deg..]

[Footnote 251: Vide Major Kennel's Map in the Proceedings of
the African Association, 8vo. edition, vol. i. page 209.]

[Footnote 252: Vide Jackson's Marocco, second or third edition,
page 312.]

Mr. Park's annotator, in the spirit of controversy with which he
appears to be endued, may say, the fact of this stream running to
445 the west towards Wangara, cannot be admitted, because Mr. Browne
saw a ridge of mountains extending in that direction; but Mr.
Browne did not ascertain that this was an uninterrupted ridge; the
river might therefore pass through some chasm similar to that which
I have seen in crossing the Atlas Mountains, or through some
intermediate plain.

The annotator further says[253], "It is needless to comment upon
such hearsay statements, received from an African traveller." This
assertion being calculated to impress on the public mind, that I
founded my hypothesis respecting the junction of the Niles of
Africa on the simple and single statement of one individual African
traveller; I feel it incumbent on me thus publicly to declare, that
_the junction alluded to is founded on the universal and concurrent
testimony of all the most intelligent and well informed native
African travellers_ (for the most part natives of Sudan), not one
of whom differed in this opinion, but unanimously declared it to be
an uncontroverted fact, that the waters of the Nile of Egypt joined
the waters of the Nile el Abeed, which passes near Timbuctoo to the
east; and that there exists, without a doubt, a water communication
between Cairo in Egypt, and Timbuctoo in Sudan. Now, if, as M. de
Bailly observes, "_la verite se fait connaitre par le concours des
446 temoignages_," it must be admitted, by men of liberal sentiments,
that it is somewhat more than a hearsay statement; and what better
foundation can there possibly be for the truth of any geological
fact, than the concurrent testimony of the best-informed natives of
the country described?

[Footnote 253: Vide Appendix, No. IV. to Park's Second Journey
page 115.]

With respect to precision being unfavourable to authenticity[254],
I consider this a new dogma; and if I were disposed to confute it,
(but it carries with it its own confutat