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PERSONAGES OF ZINDER. 
I visited some of the principal personages this 
afternoon, with the interpreter of the Sultan. This 
interpreter is a Shereef, and has been a sailor, in 
which capacity he has seen Malta, and many Euro- 
pean countries. He is now married to a daughter 
of the Sultan of Zinder, and is established here in 
the confidence of his father-in-law. It appears, 
then, that even common Moorish sailors make their 
way in these black countries. 
The first person we visited was one of the viziers, 
called Mayana, a native of Damagram, a place one 
day east, from whence the greater part of the 
population of Zinder is drawn. This personage 
was sufficiently polite. He gave me permission to 
see the interior of his house, and his harem. The 
harem was full of fine, handsome Haussa slaves, 
attending on his four wives ; they were all polished, 
and apparently clean, lying about on the floors of 
the huts, and in the court-yards, in the most 
strenuous idleness — one cleaning, polishing, and 
decorating another. One was bolder than the rest, 
and beckoned me to come to her. 
This house of this vizier contained many huts of 
bee-hive shape ; one or two were built of sun-dried 
earth, but all were small. Few carpets, or even 
mats, were seen : these people of Zinder are most 
dearly fond of squatting on the naked dust. 
Afterwards I visited the Grand Vizier, or Mus- 
tapha Gadalina (a title). This personage, a man 
of great age, was polite, but did not permit me to 
