506 
APPENDIX I. 
11th. Tishit, or as the place is called by its original inha- 
bitants, Shetu. These indigenous inhabitants of 
Tishit are the Masina, a section of the Aswanek, or 
Azer, consisting of two divisions, one of darker, and 
the other of lighter colour. These Masina are the 
founders of the kingdom of Masina, or Masin, whose 
centre was the island, or rude, formed by the Mayo 
Balleo and the Mayo Ranneo, with Tenengu as its 
chief place. It is still an important market-place. 
Tishit is said by the Arabs to have been founded by 
' Abd el Mumen about the fifth century of the Hejra ; 
but that means only that about the period indicated 
the Berbers took possession of the town, the original 
name of which they thus changed into Tishit. At 
present there live in the town, intermixed with the 
Masina, the Welad Bille, who about two centuries 
ago formed an extremely rich and powerful tribe, 
but part of whom, as stated before, have at present 
emigrated. The consequence is, that the town has 
decayed greatly, and seems scarcely to contain at 
present more than about 3000 inhabitants. Be- 
sides the Welad Bille, there live also in Tishit a cer- 
tain number of Zuwaye or Tolba, especially the A'hel 
Hindi Nislim. 
Tishit lies not far from the southern foot of the Kodia, 
which encircles El Hodh, and there is, at no great distance 
from it, a sebkha, where an inferior kind of salt is obtained. 
The only produce of the place are dates of various quality, 
the names of which are as follows : — Baseburk, Dermakul, 
Dermasuggin, Bataye, Mandinga, Geti, Habbes, Getfaf, 
Daram, Birkerawi, Zengit, Tamaraniye. All other articles 
of food are brought from Nyami, which forms the great 
market-place of Tishit and the surrounding country. 
There is another more westerly road, leading from Kasam- 
bara to Tishit, and reaching on the 4th day the well called 
