STATE OF AFRICA. 
495 
ral, an annual journey. It forms the channel 
by which that city maintains its communications 
with all the countries, both of Western and Inte- 
rior Africa. Siwah, the ancient Amnion, and 
Augila, form the principal stations upon this route, 
which occupies about forty days. From Fezzan, 
two great caravans direct their course to the south- 
ward, one to Bornou, and the other to Cashna. 
The former performs its journey in fifty days, 
through the deserts of Bilma and Tibesti ; the 
latter requires sixty days, the route lying through 
Ganatt and Agades. A great body of the mer- 
chants who go to Cashna, continue their journey, 
cross the Niger on a raft at the ferry of Gongoo, 
and proceed along the mountains to the south as 
far as Ashantee. The last, and greatest caravan, 
is that from Morocco. It holds its rendezvous at 
Akka, or Tatta, and thence proceeds in a south- 
easterly direction to Tombuctoo. The journey 
occupies a hundred and twenty-nine days, more 
than half of which, however, is spent in rest. A 
circuitous route along the sea-coast is sometimes 
preferred. 
In enumerating the objects of African traffic, 
it is lamentable that the first place must be held 
by one equally degrading and disgraceful to human 
nature, — slaves. Why Africa should, from the 
earliest ages, have been ransacked for this unfor- 
tunate class of beings, is not very easily determin- 
