CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE HISTORY OF SONGHAY. 593 
Songhay. 
A. P. 
A.H. 
Neighbouring Kingdoms. 
1448 
852 
The Portuguese Company for 
opening the trade along the 
coast of Africa is established. 
Timbuktu, or Tumbutu, an impor- 
tant entrepot for the salt trade. 
1454 
860 
Melle, in the account of Aloise 
Ca da Mosto, still a very pow- 
erful kingdom, the most pow- 
erful in the whole of Negro- 
land, including the whole of 
the Gambia, and most import- 
ant for the commerce of gold, 
the trade in which divided in- 
to three branches ; one pro- 
ceeding from Melle towards 
Kukia, and thence to Egypt ; 
the other from Melle to Tum- 
butu, and thence to Tawat ; 
the other likewise by way or 
Tumbutu, but thence toWadan 
(Oden), which then was a very 
important place, not only for 
gold but also for the slave 
trade.* Timbuktu already at 
that time was a very important 
entrepot for the salt, which 
all came from the mines of 
Teghaza. 
Sonni 'Ali, son of Sonni Mohammed 
Daii, " the great tyrant and fa- 
mous miscreant," but a king of the 
highest historical importance for 
Negroland, the sixteenth of the 
Sonni, ascended the throne in 
Gagho, and changed the whole i 
1460 
1464-5 
865-6 
869 
The town of A'gades, built ac- 
cording toMarmol (see Vol. I. 
p. 459.), and nothing is more 
probable than that this com- 
mercial entrepot was built 
about this time, perhaps a few 
years later, as it is Sonni 'AH 
who is said to have destroyed 
the very important market- 
place of Tademekka, which for 
many centuries had carried on 
the commerce between the 
Niger and Egypt. 
* Ca da Mosto, Prima Navigazione, c. 13. 
VOL. IV. 
With regard to Oden, see c. 10. ; for Timbuktu, c. 12. 
Q Q 
