47 



to ten degrees of latitude (or 500 miles). They extend from the 

 Atlantic Ocean, from the mouth of the Senegal and Senegambia on the 

 west, to the kingdoms of Bornu and Mandara on the east ; from the 

 desert of Sahara on the north, to the mountains of Guinea or Kong on 

 the south. This wide superfices contains an amount of square miles 

 equal to the fourth part of Europe, and the tenth part of the immense 

 continent of Africa ;" a continent which measures north to south, from 

 Cape Bianco to the Cape of Good Hope, 4,302 miles, and east to west, 

 from Cape Asser to Cape Verde, 4,127 miles. Now, as this work was 

 published in America fourteen or fifteen years back, and, as the 

 Filatahs have since gone on grasping territory, there is no doubt of 

 their dominion being at the present day more extensive. In Mr. 

 Hodgson's time nothing was known, save by rumour, of the mighty 

 kingdoms of Adamawa, Kororoofa, Bautshi, and Hamarruah, by whose 

 banks the " Pleiad " lately passed in her exploring voyage. The only 

 work I am aware of having been published about these people is a little 

 volume which I saw last week in the library of the Royal Geographical 

 Society in London, entitled Histoire et Origine cles Foidahs ou Fellans, 

 par Gustave d'Eichtal, which is published at the Libraire Orientale, 

 8, Rue des Pyramides, Paris. 



When Dr. Barth was at Kano, " The London of Sudan," and at 

 Kuka, the capital of Bornu, he received a good deal of information 

 about the Filatah provinces, some of wdiich was published under the 

 editorship of Mr. Petermann, previous to the doctor's visit to Sakatu 

 and Timbuktu. We must, however, wait till his arrival to get the 

 most perfect history of these people ever yet given to the public. 

 Meanwhile, we may enjoy the knowledge we have so far received from 

 him, with the little I shall endeavour to add to it confirmatory of his 

 discovery. 



Emir El Mumenim Ali Ben Bello was at the time of our voyage up 

 the Tshadda, the head Filatah Sultan, and resided at Sakatu. Within 

 the limits of his own kingdom he was able to collect a force of 10,000 

 horse. He had twelve governors over different parts of his dominion, 

 or different provinces, who adopt the title of Sultan as well as himself; 

 and who, receiving their orders from Sakatu, must necessarily, with a 

 force of 24,000 horse, their aggregate strength, and a large number of 

 archers, liold sway over a considerable portion of the African continent. 

 To the best of my recollection Dr. Barth does not enumerate amongst 

 these the Sultans of Hamarruah, of Bautshi, and of Kororoofa, all of 

 whom acknowledge allegiance to the great man at Sakatu. Under all 

 these, too, there are subordinate chiefs of villages and districts who are 



