FOULAHS FOUNDER. 



241 



Africa, described by captain Clapperton, the Fella- 

 tahs are esteemed the most remarkable. The publi- 

 cation of his first journey to Soudan represented this 

 people as inhabiting the country of the Negroes, but 

 differing from them essentially in physical character. 

 They have straight hair, noses moderately elevated, 

 the parietal bones not so compressed as those of the 

 Negro, nor is their forehead so much arched. The 

 colour of their skin is a light bronze, like that of the 

 Wadreagans, or Melano-Gaetulians, and by this char- 

 acteristic alone can they be classed in the Ethiopian 

 variety of the human species. The Fellatahs are a 

 warlike race of shepherds, and have, within a short 

 period, subjugated an extensive portion of Soudan. 

 The lamented major Laing, who arrived at Tiinbuc- 

 too, assures us that they were in possession of that 

 far-famed city. It was an order from the Fellatah 

 governor which compelled him to leave Timbuctoo, 

 and to his instigation or connivance is his death pro- 

 bably to be attributed. Mungo Park was killed by 

 a party of these people, while descending the Quorra. 

 They may be supposed to occupy the banks of this 

 unknown river, from its rise to its termination." 

 They are known on the confines of Senegal and 

 Gambia as Foulahs and Pauls. Mungo Park describes 

 them under the first denomination, and M. Mollien 

 under the second. "The Fellatahs will probably 

 erect one vast empire in Soudan ; and the influence 

 this power may exercise in the great question of 

 African civilization gives to them no ordinary im- 

 portance. If sultan Bello should be induced to 

 abolish slavery, the most efficient means will have 

 been discovered for its entire suppression. The 

 example of so great an empire, or the menace of its 

 chief, would effectually check the inhuman cupidity 

 or barbarism of the lesser tribes of the coast. Such 

 an event would cause a great revolution in the com- 

 merce of these countries, and the arts of civilized 

 lite would speedily be adopted. Morocco, Algiers, 

 Tunis, and Tripoli, would lose their lucrative trade 

 in slaves, which, being no longer objects of barter, 

 commerce would seek the more convenient markets 

 of the Atlantic coast, in preference to encountering 

 the horrors and perils of the desert. This view of 

 the subject has not escaped the Moorish statesmen, 

 who, it is known, have been using their influence 

 with the Negro governments to obstruct the free 

 access of Christians among them. The colony of 

 Liberia is destined to have an agency in such a revo- 

 lution of commerce, and will participate in the great 

 advantages thence to result." 



The second journey of captain Clapperton, from 

 the Bight of Benin to Sockatoo, gives additional in- 

 formation respecting this people. Rene Caillie, the 

 modern traveller through Central Africa to Timbuc- 

 too, says, " In the course of conversation with the 

 Foulah Guibi, the latter observed that the Foulahs 

 were the whites of Africa, and the Mandingoes the 

 negroes, by which he meant to impress upon me the 

 superiority of the former. The Foulahs of Fouta 

 are, in general, tall and well made. Their manner 

 is noble and dignified ; their colour is bright chest- 

 nut, somewhat darker than that of the wandering 

 Foulahs ; they have curly hair, like the negroes, a 

 rather high forehead, large eyes and aquiline noses, 

 thin lips, and the face a little elongated. In short, 

 as te their features, they approximate to the Euro- 

 pean physiognomy. They are all Mahommedans, 

 and extremely fanatical. In their mountains they 

 cultivate rice, maize, and millet ; and also cotton, of 

 which they manufacture stuffs in pieces only five 

 inches wide. These narrow strips are used for cover- 

 ing their nakedness. The principal trade of the coun- 

 try is in salt and cotton cloth. They go to Kakondy 

 to barter rice, leather, wax, and millet, for salt, with 



which they afterwards purchase stuffs at Kankan and 

 Sambatikila. The Foulahs are warlike, and ardently 

 love their country," &c. (See London edition, vol. i. 

 page 222 et seq.) The Foulahs are very suspicious 

 of Christians, and believe the object of such as visit 

 them to be, to get possession of their mines and their 

 country. 



In the communication of Mr Hodgson, quoted above, 

 a short vocabulary of the Foulah language is given j 

 and the writer then observes, " This vocabulary shows 

 that the Fellatahs are not of Arabic origin, as sug- 

 gested by the Revue Britannique (January number, 

 1829), nor of Berber, as M. Mollien seems inclined 

 to think. This nation issued, probably, from the 

 elevated plateau about the sources of the Niger. 

 As the Fellatahs are found in the vicinity of Abys- 

 sinia, they would be identified with the Falashas of 

 that country, if their language should be ascertained 

 to be the same. Bruce says that the Falashas are 

 Jews, and speak the ancient Ethiopian. About this 

 language little is known. Negro languages possess 

 a peculiar character. An investigation of the idioms 

 of Tibbou, Boniou, Houssa, and Timbuctoo, discovers 

 that they have no distinctions of gender and number. 

 Perhaps verbs are not inflected. If the complex lan- 

 guages of the Tuaricks on the north, and the Fellatahs 

 to the south, which nations occupy coextensive par- 

 allels of latitude, be compared with the simple, rude 

 dialect of Soudan, it might be inferred that the great 

 Author of the universe has made as broad a differ- 

 ence in the speech as in the skins of men." 



As this people may become of importance in the 

 history of the progress of Christianity and civilization 

 in Africa, we annex this vocabulary, which the stu- 

 dent of general philology may find a useful addition 

 to the vocabularies given by Caillie. 



water, 



fire, 



sun, 



moon, 



man, 



woman, 



head, 



eye, 



hand, 



dog, 



cow, 



house, 



horse, 



cat, 



bird, 



day, 



night, 



year, 



Singular. 

 deam. 

 gheabingol 

 nandjee. 

 lauro. 

 porkoo, 

 debbo, 

 horee, 

 yeteree, 

 djungo, 

 rawano, 

 naga, 

 todo, 

 putcho, 

 musoro, 

 sondo, 

 handee, 

 djemma, 

 dungoo, 



gorbai. 



eroubai. 



koiee. 



gitee. 



djundai. 



dj 



dawaree. 

 nai. 

 ouro. 

 putchee. 

 musodee. 

 chmllee. 

 nyandee. 

 baldee. 

 year, aungoo, doobee. 



Adjectives suffer no change of gender. The pronouns 

 personal are 



mee, I; meenorn, we 



an, thou; anoon, ye. 



kanko, he; kambai, they. 



Possessive pronouns are thus ; 



horee-am, my head. 



djutigo-an, thy hand. 



sodo-mako, his house. 



FOUNDATION, in architecture, is that part of 

 a building which is under ground, and which Palladio 

 makes as deep as one fourth part the height of the 

 whole building, unless there be cellars, when it may 

 be somewhat lower. 



Foundation, in ecclesiastical or political matters, 

 is a donation or legacy, in money or lands, for the 

 maintenance or support of some charitable institution, 

 as an hospital, a school, &c. 



FOUNDER; to sink or go down; the fatal 

 situation of a ship which is no longer able to keep 

 above water, through accident, or the violence and 

 continuation of a storm, and the extent of the leaks 

 that fill her with water. 



FOUNDER; an artist who casts metals in various 

 forms, for different uses, as guns, bells, statues, 

 printing characters, &c. 







