Chap. LXVI. POLITICAL SITUATION OF TIMBUKTU. 433 
at the end of the sixteenth century, Timbuktu, 
on account of its greater proximity to Morocco, 
became the more important place, where gradually 
the little commerce which still remained in that 
distracted region of the Niger was concentrated. 
But, nevertheless, during the age of anarchy which 
succeeded to the conquest of the country by the 
Rumd, and owing to the oppression from the Tawarek 
tribes on the one side, and the B&mbara and Fiilbe 
on the other, the state of affairs could not be 
very settled; and the town, shaken as it was to 
its very base by that fearful struggle of the inha- 
bitants with the Kaclhi Mustapha, with massacre, 
rapine, and conflagration following in its train, could 
not but decline greatly from its former splendour; 
yet under the alternately predominating influence 
of paganism, represented most strongly by the warlike 
tribe of the Bambara, and of Mohammedanism re- 
presented by the Arab tribes*, it struggled on, till 
in consequence of its being conquered by the Fiilbe of 
Masina, in the year 1826, a few months before the 
unfortunate Major Laing succeeded in reaching the 
town, it was threatened with the loss of all its com- 
merce. For these people, owing to the impulse given 
to Mohammedanism in this part of Negroland by their 
* This condition of the town explains the great divergence of 
reports as to the creed prevalent in Timbuktu; but it is unintel- 
ligible that a person could actually visit the town without be- 
coming aware that it contained several mosques, and very large 
ones, too, for such a place. For particulars, see the Appendix. 
VOL. IV. F F 
