(C. Pecennius Jutus), a celebrated governor in Syria, well known by his valour in the Roman armies while but a private man. At the death of Pertinax he was declared emperor of Rome; and his claims to that elevated station were supported by a sound understanding, prudence of mind, moderation, courage, and virtue. He proposed to imitate the actions of the venerable Antoninus, of Trajan, of Titus, and M. Aurelius. He was remarkable for his fondness of ancient discipline. He never suffered his soldiers to drink wine, but obliged them when thirsty to use water and vinegar. He forbade the use of silver or gold utensils in his camp. All the bakers and cooks were driven away, and the soldiers were ordered to live during the expedition they undertook merely upon biscuits. In his punishments Niger was inexorable: he condemned ten of his soldiers to be beheaded in the presence of the army, because they had stolen and eaten a fowl. The sentence was heard with groans. The army interfered; and when Niger consented to diminish the punishment, for fear of kindling rebellion, he yet ordered the criminals to make each a restoration of ten fowls to the person whose property they had stolen. They were besides ordered not to light a fire the rest of the campaign, but to live upon cold aliments and to drink nothing but water. Such great qualifications in a general seemed to promise the restoration of ancient discipline in the Roman armies; but the death of Niger frustrated every hope of reform. Severus, who had also been invested with the imperial purple, marched against him; some battles were fought, and Niger was at last defeated A.D. 195. His head was cut off and fixed to a long spear, and carried in triumph through the streets of Rome. He reigned about a year.

a great river of Africa, supposed to have its origin near that of the Nile; but this is very uncertain. We are assured, however, that it is a river of very great extent: especially if we suppose, according to the opinion of the best modern geographers, that it has its source in the kingdom of Gorhan, not far from the confines of Upper Ethiopia; for then it will cross almost the whole continent of Africa, where it is widest. In its course it receives many considerable rivers, which swell it high enough to be able at all times to carry vessels of good burden; it splits itself into several branches, which uniting again form very large and fertile islands, well filled with towns and villages. It passes also through several lakes, and has many cataracts. After having run from east to west during a prodigious long course, it turns at last short to the south, at a league and a half distance from the western ocean; leaving but a very narrow tract between it and the sea, into which it opens its way in lat. 15° 55′ after having run about 25 leagues from north to south. Its mouth is sometimes half a league broad; but is shut up by a bank of quicksand, called the bar of Senegal, where the water is so shallow, that it is very difficult and dangerous to pass over it. The bar is formed by the mud and sand which the river brings with it during the inundation, and which the sea continually drives back upon the shore. This would effectually exclude all shipping, had not the violence of the current, and the weight of the waters, made two openings or channels, which are commonly called the passes of the bar. The largest of these is generally not above 150 or 200 fathoms broad, and about 10 feet deep, so that none but barks of 40 or 50 tons can get thro’ this channel; the other is so narrow and shallow, that it is passable by canoes only. These channels are not always in the same place; for the river, as it is more or less swollen, or the current more or less rapid, opens those passes sometimes in one place and sometimes in another. The bar itself also frequently shifts its place; so that the island of Senegal is sometimes four leagues distant from it, at other times only two. It is this bar only which hinders ships of 400 or 500 tons to go up the river. See Guinea and Negroland.