ABSTRACT
Two large lakes were described close to the northward of Houssa, one called Balahar Soudan, and the other Girrigi Marra~ gasee. Calculating the 20 journies from Timbuctoo at 18 miles each, supposing two-thirds to be made good on the horizontal distance (equal to 212 g. miles) and the course N. E., I have placed Houssa, I go 59' N. and 3° 59' E. This agrees pretty weJl with the account of its being 17 journies from the Niger, or Quolla, which give 306 B. miles, and the horizontal distance 176 g. miles. Houssa has hitherto been laid down about 2 journies N. of the Niger. I have an impression that the city of Houssa will be found to lay about E. N. E. ofTimbuctoo, of course nearer the Gamba roo, which runs through its dominions, and thus account for the reports of its being situated upon the Niger. Leo certainly meant Mallowa and the Gambaroo, when he wrote," Melli regio qure extendit se ad flumen quoddam quod ex Nilo (i. e. Nigro) effiuit trecenta millia passuum," adding, " regnum opulentissimum, maxime artificum et mercatorum copia, frequentia templa, sacerdotes et populus qui Nigritas omnes civilitate antecedunt ;" which they certainly appear to do : see a few of their articles for the J3ritish Museum. May not the Maurali of Ptolemy be the Melli of Leo, and the modern Mallowa or Marrowa? his large adjunct to the Niger to the south indicates the two rivers. Major Rennell seems to have expected the present discovery, when he writes (commenting on Mr. Park's report that Houssa was 30 journies by land from Tombuctoo, and 45 by water) " Possibly it may be that Houssa is situated on a different river from that which passes by Tombuctoo
