Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/654

* NIGEL. 558 and Ward, Catalogue of Romances (Loudon, 1883-93). NIGEL1,A (Neo-Lat., fern, of Lat. nigellus, blackish, diiiiiuutivc of iiiijcr, black). A genus of annual plants of the natural order Ranuncu- lacese, indigenous to the Mediterranean region and the wanner temperate parts of Asia, having live colored spreading sepals, five or ten small two-lipped petals, with tubular claws; carpels more or less connected, many-seeded; leaves divided into threadlike segments, and flowers solitary at the top of the stem or branches. Mgella damascciia, occasionally seen in gardens, is known by the names fennel flower, devil in-a- bush, and devil-in-a-mist. The somewhat peppery aromatic seeds have been used as a substitute for spices. Those of Mgclla- saliva, nutmeg flower, a species counnon in grain fielils in the south of Europe, are supposed to be the blaek cunnnin of the ancients, and perhaps the cmnmin of the Bible. The seeds of a species of Xigella are much used by the Afghans for flavoring curries. NIGER, nl'jer. or JoL'in.v. The third largest river of Africa (Map: Africa, D 3). It has no single native name. It is generally known, however, as the Joliba in the upper course, the Issa and Mayo in the middle, and the Kwara (Quorra) in the lower course. The Xiger rises on the inner frontiers of Sierra Leone and Liberia, and flows first northeastward to Tim- buktu : thence eastward along the escarpment of the Sahara Plateau: finally it turns to the south- east, which direction it maintains, with a few deviations, to its mouth. It enters the Gulf of Giiinea through a vast delta extending 100 miles inland, and occupying an area of 14,000 stjuare miles. The delta "consists almost wholly ot low and malarious mangrove swamps, and its size is increasing rapidly, owing to the constant in- land breezes whidi ])revent the sediment from being carried to sea. Only one of the numerous arms of the delta, the Xun. is accessible to sea- going vessels. The length of the Xiger is about 2000 miles, and the incline of its bed through its whole course is very ;entle, with few rapids, in which respect the' iigcr differs conspicuously from other .Vfricai rivers. It is, however, navi- gable only in sect .iis, being ol)structcd at several places. At Bamaku, 2.50 miles from its source, it is already .')00 yards wide, and from here it is navigable for small steamers to Timbuktu, above which place it spreads out into a larp inland delta converging in the marshy Lake Debo. Below Timbuktu it runs through a rocky gorge, where it is narrowed to a width of 300 feet" and obstnicted by raiu.ls. The greater part of its middle course lies in a desert region, where it receives scarcely any trit)utaric«. and where vegetation flourishes only inuiiedi:ilely along its hanks. As it Hows southward, how- ever, the coimtry bcconies more and nmre fer- tile and populous. The head of permanent steam navigation is at Rabba, 4f>0 miles from the mouth of the river, which below that point is a broad and tranquil stream .">n fivt deep in the dry season, and over 100 fn't deej) during floods. Some distance below Rabba the Xiger receives its largest tributary, the Benue (q.v.) The chief tovns or settlements on the river nre, in descending order. Bamaku, Scgo-Sikaro, Sansanding, Gundam, Timbuktu, Gogo, Birni, NIGERIA, Say, Busah, Rabba, Lakoja, and places situated in the delta. The name Xiger {yigris) is mentioned by ancient writers, but did not probably refer to this river. The stream was first made known to Arabian geographers in the Middle Ages by travelers across the Sahara, but it was then believed to ccmimunicate with the Xile. It had not been seen by Europeans luitil Jlungo Park explored its upper course in 17!)l). The lower course was first explored by Clapperton, Denbara, and Lander in 182.5-.32. "Consult: Baikie, Re- ports 0)^ the Geographical Position of the Coun- tries in the ydghhorhood of the Xiger (London, 18C3) ; Rohlfs, Quer durch Afrika (Leipzig, 1874) : Thomson, iluiigo Park and the Mger (Lonilon, 1890): Miickler-Ferryman, I'p the .Vi- gcr (ib., 1892) : Trotter. The Mger Sources and the Borders of the .A'fio Sierra Leone Protecto- rate (ib.. 1898) ; Hourst, The Exploration of the yigrr, trans, (ib., 1898) ; Vandeleur, Campaign- ing on the Upper Nile and Niger (ib., 1898). NIGE'RIA, or X'iger Tebeitories. A British- colonial possession in Africa, organized in 1900. It occupies the territory between the Military Territories of French Sudan, Lake Chad, the (ierman possession of Kamerun, the Gulf of Guinea, the British colony of Lagos, and the French possession of Daliomcy (Map: Africa, E 4). It is divided into Xorthern and South- ern Xigeria. Xorthern Xigeria comprises a large portion of the Fulah or Sokoto Empire, with its subordinate States of Xupe, Ilorin. Muri, Gandu. Kano, Katsena, Banchi, a por- tion of Adamawa, Bakundi. Donga, Takum, and Zaria, besides a part of the Kingdom of Bornu. and of the pagan confederation of Borgu. Southern Xigeria consists of what was formerly known as the Xiger Coast Protectorate, supple- mented by the Protectorate of Lagos and con- siderable acquisitions along the Cross River in the southeast. Xo trustworthy figures for the area of the region and fm- the population are available. Current estimates of the area ran"e from 400,000 to iiOO.flOO square miles: of the population, from 2,5.000,000 to 40,000.000. The physical features of the region are as yet sliglitly known. The counhy along the gulf is, as "far as 40 miles inland, swampy, and in- tersected by the numenais arms of the Xiger anil a multitude of other streams interlacing each other and lined with mangrove trees. The clinuite of that district is characterized by hu- midity and unhealthfulness. The portion north of the coast region, as far as the eonlluence of the Benue with the Xiger, is an undulating forest country, while that north of the Xiger is mostly hilly and partly covered with thin forests. ' The extrenu' north partakes of the cliiiracter of the S;ihara. The climate of the interior appears to be more healthful. .Agriculture is pursued mostly along the Benue River and in the plains of the interior. Cotton and many cereals are raised to some extent, but the chief articles of food among the natives are bananas and yams. The oil tree is found in abundance and" t!ie forest region is full of rubber trees and valuable woods. In its pres- ent state of develoi)mcnt the country produces chiefly ])alm oil and kernels for export. Some ivory! indigo, and ndiber are also broight to the southern ports from the interior. The principal means of comnuinicniion are the Xiger, the I