MR PARK'S FIRST JOURNET. 
345 
pose a sort of bread, which resembles the sweetest 
gingerbread in colour and flavour. The water, 
sweetened with the juice of the lotus berry, forms 
a pleasant gruel, which is the common breakfast in 
many parts of Ludamar. The lotus shrub is found 
at Tunis, and seems evidently to be the plant 
which nourished the Libyan Lotophagi of Homer 
and Pliny, and with which, according to Pliny, ar- 
mies were sometimes supported. 
From Funingkedy, Mr Park proceeded by Sim- 
bing to Jarra, a large town situated at the foot of 
some rocky hills, in N. lat. 15° 5', and was attend- 
ed on his route by numerous fugitive Kaartans, . 
who fled from the arms of Bambara. Notwith- 
standing the uniformity of the negro wars, that of 
Kaarta derives considerable interest from the ami- 
cable character of the chief of that country. It 
originated in a contest concerning the restitution 
of some cattle that had been stolen by the Moors 
from Bambara, and sold to the chief of the Kaar^ 
tan village. Mansong, king of Bambara, who had 
been long jealous of the prosperity of Kaarta, 
availing himself of this pretext, sent a message to 
king Daisy, desiring him to direct his slaves to, 
sweep the houses, and have every thing pre- 
pared, as the king of Bambara, with 9000 men, 
would visit Kemmoo in the dry season. This in- 
sulting message was accompanied with a hierogly- 
phical present. It consisted of a pair of iron 
