196 CAILLIE. 



Cailli^ left Timbuctoo on the 4th May, and in six days 

 arrived at Aroan or Arouan, which he found rather a well- 

 built town of 3000 inhabitants, supported solely by the pas- 

 sage of the caravans from Barbary, and from the salt-mines 

 of Taudeny, which usually halt here before and after pass- 

 ing the desert that extends to the northwards. The envi- 

 rons of Aroan are of the most desolate aspect, and all its 

 provisions are drawn from Jenne by way of Timbuctoo. 

 The neighbourhood does not afford an herb or a shrub, and 

 the only fuel consists of the dried dung of camels. The 

 springs of water, which alone render it habitable, are abun- 

 dant, but of bad quality. The town also carries on a con- 

 siderable trade in light goods directly with Sansanding and 

 Yamina. Walet was mentioned as a great emporium, situ- 

 ated to the west-south-west, in a position somewhat differ- 

 ent from that assigned by Park ; but the data in both cases 

 are very vague, and we do not see the slightest ground for 

 M. Jomard's conjecture that there are two Walets. 



Our traveller departed from Aroan on the 19th May, in 

 company with a caravan of 120 camels laden with the pro- 

 ductions of Soudan. He had the prospect of crossing a 

 desert of ten days' journey, in which there was scarcely 

 a drop of water. " Before us appeared a horizon without 

 bounds, in which our eyes distinguished only an immense 

 plain of burning sand, enveloped by a sky on lire. At this 

 spectacle the camels raised long cries, and the slaves 

 mournfully lifted their eyes to heaven." M. Cailli^, how- 

 ever, departed in high spirits, animated by the idea of being 

 the lirst European who should, from the southern side, have 



becomes manifest in the line from Galia to the mouth of the Debo, 

 35 miles of which are stated to run north-east, without a single move- 

 ment in a contrary direction ; yet M. Jomard has manceuvred to make 

 the last position tlie most xcesterly of the two. If the route from Jenne to 

 Timbuctoo lies as much to the northward as M. Caillie represents, where, 

 indeed, he in some measure agrees with the delineation of D'Anville, it 

 must be somewhat farther west than our maps place it, but not nearly so 

 far as INI. Jomard fixes it. In regard to the observation of latitude at- 

 tempted by the traveller, M. Jomard's claims are indeed very moderate, 

 since he merely argues, that in the absence of any other, this is not 

 wholly to be neglected ; yet even this seems too much, when he at the 

 same time admits, that all the observations made by him in a similair 

 manner are of no value whatever. Under these circumstances, we con- 

 ceive that it would be premature to change, in our map, the position of 

 Timbuctoo from that foruierly fixed by Major Reitnel 



