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but immense plains of loose shifting sands of a yel- 

 lowish-white colour.' From the point where Caillig 

 quitted the Niger, to Cabra, the port of Timbuctu, a dis- 

 tance of three miles, he passed along a narrow canal, and 

 as he remarks that ' the negro slaves hauled the canoe 

 along by a rope, as the pole would not have been suffi- 

 cient to move it,' the natural inference is that he was pro- 

 ceeding up the stream. Between Cabra and Timbuctu he 

 passed two lakes. These appearances coincide with the 

 statements of Arabian geographers that a wady, filled 

 during the rainy season with a stream of water, extends 

 from north-east of Timbuctii, and, passing to the south of 

 that town, disembogues into the Niger to the south-west 

 of it. The same authorities mention a number of similar 

 wadys at a distance of eight or ten days' journey to the 

 north-east of Timbuctu, extending over a tract of country 

 nearly 60 miles iu breadth, and all apparently converging 

 as they descend towards it as to a central point. TheGozen 

 Zair, which falls into the Niger a short way to the south- 

 east of Kabra, flows from the west. All these circum- 

 stances concur to indicate a strong analogy between the 

 great northern curve of the Niger south of Timbuctu and 

 the great northern bend of the Hoanghu. Both rivers, 

 descending from elevated mountain ridges in a general 

 northerly direction, are encountered by the slope of an ex- 

 tensive elevated plain, run some time in a direction from 

 west to east at its side, and then turning to the south flow 

 off through mountain defiles. It is this peculiarity in the 

 structure of the plain on which Timbuctu is situated that 

 has rendered that site from a remote antiquity the meeting- 

 place of so many converging lines of traffic. It is the 

 nearest point at which the traders from the commercial 

 di.-tricts that skirt the coasts of the Mcditenanean west of 

 Barca, and of the Atlantic north of Cape Nun, can strike, 

 after crossing the great desert, the fertile lands extending 

 to the south-east and south-west along the Upper and 

 Lower Niger. 



Leo Africanus states that Timbuctu was built by Mansa 

 Suleiman, about the year 610 of the Hejira (A.D. 1214), and 

 that it soon became the capital of a powerful state. See- 

 ing however that Ptolemy places towns of the name of 

 Kiipha K<p(() and Nigeira Metropolis (Niysipa MqrpoiroXif ), 

 tlu' former nearly in Hie probable meridian ol Timbuctu, and 

 the latter somewhat to the east, at the confluence' oi a tri- 

 butary with the Niger, there can be little doubt that the 

 town built by Mimsa Suleiman was not the first, important 

 commercial station iu those regions. Indeed an author 

 quoted by Cooley (Negroland <>j the Arabs, p. 68) would 

 load us to believe that a town bearing the name Tombuti 

 ' (1 in those regions as early as the year 297 of the 

 Hejira. Rulers with the title Mansa continued to govern 

 Timbuctu from 610 to 792 of the Hejira. 



The chiefs of Marocco and Fez rendered Timbuctii tri- 

 butary, and from that time the communications of the 

 Arabs with that country became more frequent and re- 

 gular. Leo Africanus mentions that the grand mosque of 

 tin- town and the palace of the king were built by an ar- 

 chitect from Granada. The Arab conquerors allowed how- 

 ever the native dynasty to remain on the throne. The ex- 

 jiulsion of the Arabs from Spain, and the weakening of the 

 Arab power in North Africa by the Turkish conquests in 

 Tunis, Tripoli, and Algiers, in the course of the fifteenth 

 iry, increased the impunity of the predatory nomade 

 hordes; and about the same time, or a little later, the for- 

 mation of settlements on the west coast of Africa, first by 

 the Portuguese and afterwards by the English and French, 

 by creating a new line of traffic with the interior, diminished 

 the importance of Timbuctu as a commercial entrepot. 

 About the year 1500 a negro general of Soniheli, king of 

 Timbuctii, raised the standard of revolt on the death of his 

 master, overturned the Moorish supremacy, conquered a 

 number of the neighbouring provinces, and recalled to Tim- 

 buctii a part of the trade which had left it for Jenne. on the 

 r. When Leo Africanus visited this part of Africa, the 

 ones of Abu-Bekr-Ishieh, the negro conqueror, ex- 

 tended nom Agadez on the north to Kashnah on the south. 

 ^Etnol ', 1">73; describes the commerce of Timbuctu as in 

 a flourishing coiniilion in his day. According to the infor- 

 mation collected by Mr. Jackson, Timbuctii would appear, 

 about Hi(jH or I07U. to have fallen under the dominion ot 

 the king of Bambana: for Mullah Arshid, of Talilet. 

 having driven Sidi Ah of Suz from his territories, the 

 live was protected by the king of Bambarra, and created 



by him commandant of Timbuctu. Sidi AH made his 

 peace with Mullah Ismael, successor of Mullah Arshid, 

 and the consequence was that Timbuctii became tributary 

 to the prince of Tafilet. This connection terminated with 

 the death of Mullah Ismael (1727), and since that time 

 Timbuctu appears to have been governed by a negro ruler, 

 that is, by one who is neither an Arab, nor a Tuarik, nor a 

 Fellatah. The security of person and property, and the 

 commerce of Timbuctii, appear to have fallen off since 

 the accession of the negro dynasty. 



Caillie estimates the permanent inhabitants of Timbuctu 

 at from 10.000 to 12,000. After the arrival of the caravans 

 the town assumes for a portion of the year a much more 

 populous and probably a much more bustling appearance. 

 During his stay it was dull and listless. The streets are 

 clean, and wide enough to allow three horsemen to pass 

 abreast. The houses are of sun-dried bricks, and consist 

 entirely of a ground-floor ; in some a sort of closet is con- 

 structed over the entrance ; the apartments are built on 

 the four sides of an open court in the centre. Both within 

 the town and round about it there are numerous straw huts 

 of a conical form. The town is not walled. In the centre 

 of the town is a square surrounded by circular huts, and 

 planted with a few trees: in the middle of it a large hole 

 is dug as a receptacle for filth. Two enormous heaps out- 

 side of the town appeared to be accumulations of rubbish. 

 Some buildings on the east side of the town are over- 

 whelmed with sand. There are seven mosques ; two of 

 them large, and part of the largest apparently of consider- 

 able antiquity ; each is surmounted by a brick tower. To 

 the west-south-west of the town are large excavations from 

 35 to 40 feet deep, which collect in the rainy season the 

 supplies of water which serve the inhabitants for drinking 

 and culinary purposes throughout the year. There is no 

 spontaneous vegetation near the town except some stunted 

 mimosa-trees. Near the reservoirs are some small planta- 

 tions of bad tobacco. The inhabitants of Timbuftn draw 

 from Jenne their supplies of millet, rice, vegetable butter, 

 honey, cotton, Soudan cloth, pepper, onions, dried fish, 

 pistachias, &c. Fire-wood and timber for building, and 

 provender for cattle, are brought from Cabra. They pur- 

 chase cattle from the nomades of the tribe of Zawat, who 

 -s the country two days' journey distant from Tim- 

 buctu to the north-east ; from the people of'Sala, ten days 

 journey to the east; and from the Tuariks, who are thp 

 most powerful race, on all sides. They procure salt. I'oi 

 their own consumption and for the trade with Soudan from 

 Tadeini, which lies twenty days' journey north-west of the 

 town. 



The negro and Arab inhabitants of Timbuctii are ex- 

 clusively engnared in trade. Great part of the MOP 

 from the sea-einist ; they start with an adventure to Tim- 

 buctu, reside for some years there, and when they have 

 acquired enough, return to their native country. The negro 

 inhabitants dress like the Moors, and are zealous Moham- 

 medans. They have several wives, whom, as well as their 

 slaves, they employ in menial affaire. The Moors, who are 

 only temporary residents, cohabit with their slaves. Caillie 

 represents all classes of the inhabitants as cleanly both in 

 their persons and houses. Several villages on the Niger 

 are subject to Timbuctu. Cabra, the port of Timbuctu, is. 

 secured against the inundations by being slightly elevated 

 above the marshes; the sandy desert commences imme- 

 diately to the north of it. This place appeared to Caillie 

 to contain about 1000 or 1200 inhabitants, all of the 

 poorer class, engaged in the service of the merchants of 

 Timbuclu. The dwellings are either mean houses or small 

 huts; the street is neat, but the landing-place is dirty. 

 The merchandize is conveyed between the port and Tim- 

 buctii on asses and camels : these belong in general to the 

 inhabitants of Cabra ; but sometimes the poorer Tuariks 

 hire their camels for the purpose. The Tuariks are the 

 terror of the surrounding country: they exact tribute from 

 the inhabitants of Timbuctii, and tolls from all merchant*; 

 who pass to the town overland or by the Niger. The 

 nomade Arab tribes appear to stand in awe of them : the 

 Fellatah to the south keep their ground against them ; 

 but as they surround Timbuctii for some distance on all 

 sides, they hold the entire trade of these regions at their 

 mercy. 



(C. Ptolemaei Oeographia, lib. viii. ; James M'Queen, 

 A Geographical Surrey of Africa ; C. A. Walckenaer, 

 Recherches GSographiques sur I'Interieur de FAfrique ; 



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