Chap. LXVI. HA'j MOHAMMED A'SKIA. 
415 
It is of no small interest to a person who en- 
deavours to take a comprehensive view of the various 
races of mankind, to observe how, during the time 
when the Portuguese, carried away by the most heroic 
enterprise and the most praiseworthy energy, having 
gradually discovered and partly taken possession of 
the whole western coast of Africa, and having at 
length doubled its southernmost promontory, under 
the guidance of Almeida and Albuquerque, founded 
their Indian empire, that at this same time a negro 
king in the interior of the continent not only extended 
his conquests far and wide, from the centre of Hausa 
almost to the borders of the Atlantic, and from the 
pagan country of Mosi, in 12° northern latitude, as far 
as Tawat to the south of Morocco, but also governed 
the subjected tribes with justice and equity, causing 
well-being and comfort to spring up everywhere 
within the borders of his extensive dominions*, and 
* It is not to be wondered at that Leo, who visited Negroland 
just at the time when this prince was aspiring to power, and who 
must have written the greater part of what he relates of him and 
his conquests from information which he had received after he had 
left the country, should treat this usurper, whose identity with his 
Ischia cannot be doubtful, with very little indulgence ; and it even 
seems as if he purposely intended to give a bad interpretation to 
everything which the king undertook, a fact which is clearly evi- 
dent from what he relates with regard to his proceedings in 
Hausa. That the taxes imposed by him upon his subjects may 
have been heavy, I concede may be true, as without a considerable 
revenue he was not able to keep up a strong military force ; but at 
least they evidently must have been much less than they were in 
the time of Sonni 'AH, when almost the whole population was 
engaged in war. We find a very heavy duty upon salt, from each 
load 51. 
