fics al 
‘) [Mareh 1, 
PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC SOCIETIES. 
—=>>—— 
INSTITUTE OF FRANCE. 
SYNOPSIS of GEOGRAPHICAL RE- 
SEARCHES respecting the INTERIOR 
of NORTHERN AFRICA, by M. WALC- 
KENAER,. 2 
HE task assigned to the author by 
the academy was to examine an 
itinerary from Tripoli to Timbuctou, 
translated by a French Morocco consul 
from theArabic of the Cheyk-Hagg-Cas- 
sem; this was an aged agent that served 
as a guide to the caravans in their jour- 
neys to Timbuctou. 
M. Silvestre de Sacy being in pos- 
session of another itinerary from Tri- 
poli to Timbuctou, written in the vul- 
gar Arabic, translated it at my request. 
The annexed words by the author, ter- 
minate his itinerary, “ Composed by 
me, Mohammed, the son of Ali, the 
son of Foul; my father was a free citi- 
zen, my mother a black slave; my 
country is Teraoubez and Tomboctou.”’ 
These two itineraries are of consi- 
derable importance for the geography 
of Africa, and I inten! to publish 
them," accompanied with a map or 
chart: this last differs in many essen- 
tial points from all thathave hitherto 
appeared, 
The regions in the interior of ‘Africa, 
known by the name of Soudan, are rich 
and abundant in gold and ivory, and 
fertilized by large rivers and consider- 
able lakes, interspersed with an im- 
mense population. 
Mahometanism, which has overthrown 
and founded so many states, kingdoms, 
and empires, has effected - important 
revolutions in the centre of Africa, 
The northern parts of the continent 
bordering on the Mediterranean were 
from very ancient times inhabited by 
civilized nations: and the Pheenicians, 
Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans 
flourished there in commerce and the 
arts, while the tribes of the interior, 
separated by vast barren spaces re- 
mained barbarous. 
Mahometanism, in subjecting all the 
north of Africa to a nation accustomed 
to traverse immense desarts, has proved 
a potent cause of ¢ivilization. The 
Arabs transported the camel with them 
into Africa, and the Moors that led a 
wandering life and had issued origi- 
* It has not yet appeared, but is an- 
nounced as on the eve of publication. : 
nally from Arabia, hailed their con- 
querors, whose language and customs 
were similar, as compatriots and not as ~ 
usurpers. Till then, obstacles almost 
insurmountable were opposed to any 
civilized nation that would penetrate 
into the Soudan. 
The Arabs without difficulty com- 
menced a direct intercourse with the 
rich regions beyond the Great Desart, 
and from which gold had long been 
departed. They-sent regular caravans, 
which appear to have passed at first 
through the Fezzan and Agadez, as in 
that direction the desart is intersected 
by a considerable number of oases, or 
fertile spots insulated in the midst of 
sands. But afterwards, when the em- 
pire of the Khaliphs had extended to 
the western extremities of Africa, and 
even into Spain, other caravans took 
a direction through the vallies of Sus, 
Darah, and Tafilet, which lie to the 
south of the kingdom of Morocco. 
Colonies of Moors,and Arabs were 
speedily established in various regions, 
and zealous missionaries penetrated into 
them. -Human sacrifices were abolish- 
ed, and the religion of Mahomet was a 
commencement of civilization among 
the negroes.. This horrid superstition, 
however, is still practised in countries 
more to the south, approximating to 
the gold coast, to Guinea, and to 
Congo. “ 
The empire of the Khaliphs had its 
revolutions, and these, together with 
the wars between the Spanish Khaliphs 
and the African, of the dynasty of 
Zeirites produced more frequent trans- 
migrations to the countries beyond the 
Great Desart. 
On the HEIGHTS of the CHAIN of 
HIMALAYA, and the limitation of its 
perpetual SNOWS, by the BARON CU- 
VIER, perpetual Secretary. 
A skilful English engineer, Mr. 
“Webb, having measured, trigenome- 
trically, the highest peaks of the great 
chain of the Himalaya, that bounds 
India on the north, some were found 
more elevated than any till then known. 
The height of one is 7,820 metres, 
which as much surpasses .the Chimbo- 
rasso, as Mont Blanc does Mont Perdu. 
The exactness of this measurement, 
however, has been controverted, chiefly 
because in the northern reverse of the 
chain 
