46 



of Lake Tshad with the Tshadda river, which falls into the Kwarra or 

 Niger, at the confluence under Mounts Patteh and Stirling. It was to 

 verify the latter — to find out if the Binue and Tshadda were one and 

 the same stream, how far also it was navigahle — that the steam-ship 

 " Pleiad" was fitted out, under a contract between the Lords Commis- 

 sioners of the Admiralty and Mr. Macgregor Laird ; to fulfil which 

 object she steamed from Liverpool the 17th of May, 1854. I cannot 

 here enter into the particulars of her progress, any more than is con- 

 nected with the subject-matter of my present observations ; and when 

 I tell you that the whole of our 250 miles ascent above the limit of 

 former exploration was entirely through Filatah territoiy, you will see 

 how observations on the peculiarities of this remarkable race of people 

 will form a very interesting subject. I deem it may not be out of 

 place at this part to inform you, that in oui' exploratory voyage we 

 found that the Tshadda and Binue are one and the same stream ; 

 and that from the place of the river's confluence with the Kwarra 

 near Odokodo,* to the highest point of our navigation at Mount 

 Laird, it bears four names : the Tshadda, from the confluence to 

 Ojogo ; the Lihu at Rogan Koto ; the Nu at Anyaslii ; and the Binue 

 upwards from Gandiko. 



The Filatahs, as they are called by the Bomuese ; the Felanas, as 

 they are entitled by the Houssa people ; and the Foulahs, as they are 

 familiarly described by one another, are a race originally descended 

 from a mixture of Arabian and negro blood, and now carrying their 

 sway in Central Africa to such an extent that they have several pure 

 negro nations subservient to them, with all of whom the profession of 

 Mahommedauism is made essential. Some persons say that the 

 original Filatahs were descendants of the ancient Carthaginian race, 

 mixed with negro blood ; others that they came down from the Ai-abs 

 who invaded Eastern Africa from Asia in the seventh century. The 

 Bedouins of the desert, the Tuaricks, and the Pastoral Foulahs over 

 Africa, are of the same descent. An idea of their extent may be 

 gathered from Notes of Northern Africa, by W. B. Hodgson, pubhshed 

 iu New York, in which he writes : — " Throughout the whole extent 

 of Nigritia or Negroland, the Foulahs undoubtedly occupy pre- 

 eminence. They are found spread over a vast geogi'aphical region of 

 twenty-eight to thirty degrees of longitude (1,500 miles), and of seven 



• In former descriptions of the localities up the Niger this place is entitled Addakuda ; 

 but the origin of the name shews that this is the proper way of spelling it. It is derived 

 from three Yoruba words, " Odo" — water ; " Ko," meets ; " Odo," water. 



