400 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
the persons employed in cleansing 
it, threw dust from the street upon 
the mire in the canal, and then, 
with their hands, into panniers up- 
on asses, and thus removed it to a 
proper distance.—Such is the boast- 
ed industry of the Egyptians. 
I have seen neither wind nor wa- 
ter-mill here. A few large mills 
there are, which are moved, by 
oxen turning a post that forms the 
axle-tree of a large wheel. The 
poorer people have only hand-mills 
to grind their corn; and these they 
use also in breaking the beans with 
which the asses are fed. 
Recourse is had to the impres- 
sion of the elements in the manage- 
ment of no other machine. Oxen 
are employed in working the oil- 
mills, saffron-presses, &c. Among 
the different manufactures of Egypt, 
that of saffron merits particular no- 
tice; the process by which the 
Egyptians prepare this article gives 
it a livelier colour than what is made 
elsewhere. 
a 
‘Account of some New Discoveries in 
the Interior Parts of Africa, 
HE association for promoting 
the discovery of the interior 
parts of Africa, having received 
some intelligence since they printed 
their proceedings, have given an 
additional chapter to them, from 
which we extract the following in- 
formation :— 
An Arab of the name of Shabeni 
excited the attention of the Com- 
mittee of this society, by the ac- 
count he gave of an empire on the 
‘banks of the Niger: for he said, 
“That the population of Houssa, 
its capital, where he resided two 
years, was equalled only (so far as 
his knowledge extended) by that of 
London and Cairo: and, in his rude 
unlettered way, he described the 
government as monarchical, yet 
not unlimited; its justice as severe, 
but directed by written laws ; and 
the rights of landed property as 
guarded by the institution of certain 
hereditary officers, whose functions . 
appear to be similar to the Canon- 
goes of Hindostan, and whose im- 
portant aud complicated duties im- 
ply an unusual degree of civiliza- 
tion and refinement. 
‘“* For the probity of their mer- 
chants he expressed the highest re- 
spect; but remarked with indigna- 
tion that the women were admitted 
to society, and that the honour of 
the husband was often insecure. 
* Of their written alphabet he 
knew no more than that it was 
perfectly different from the Arabic 
and Hebrew characters; but he 
described the art of writing as very 
common in Houssa. When he 
acted the manner in which their 
pottery is made, he gave, unknow- 
ingly to himself, a representation of 
the ancient Grecian wheel. 
** In passing to Houssa from 
Tombuctoo, in which last city he 
resided seven years, he found the 
banks of the Niger more numer- 
ously peopled than those of the Nile 
from Alexandria to Cairo; and his 
mind was obviously impressed with 
higher ideas of the wealth and gran- 
deur of the empire of Houssa, than 
of those of any kingdom he had 
seen, England alone excepted.” 
The existence of this city and 
empire was confirmed by letters 
from the English consuls at Tunis 
and Morocco; who added, that the 
eunuchs of the seraglio at those 
places, were brought from the city 
of Houssa. 
In 
