Itinerary of a Journey across Africa, 
485 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ITINERARY Of HADJI BOUBEKER, an 
African, from t SEljr,o-PALEL, a town 
in the country of foua, to MECCA, 
compiled and edited in 1820, in SENE¬ 
GAL, by M. P. ROUZEE. 
T il [S Itinerary records a journey 
traversing Africa from tlie French 
possessions on the western coast to the 
Arabic Gulph in the East ; it was un¬ 
dertaken about or during the years 
1810, 1811, &c. 
Europeans have no authentic ac¬ 
counts respecting the countries situ¬ 
ated between Houssa and Darfour. 
Uncertain data, collected from differ¬ 
ent quarters, have given rise to differ¬ 
ent hypotheses concerning those parts 
of the continent ; nor is there any por¬ 
tion of the globe so variously represent¬ 
ed in our charts. Where Major Rennell 
places a vast marshy region, other geo¬ 
graphers delineate a desart, others a 
range of mountains, and others a great 
lake. 
But we have now a kind of solution to 
this question from the interesting iti¬ 
nerary of Hadji Boubeker. This Pil¬ 
grim in his journey to Mecca, traversed 
Africa from west to east, proceeding 
from the French settlements to Suakem, 
on the shore of the Red Sea ; of course, 
lie traversed the whom space com¬ 
prised between Houssa and Darfour. 
An European, in a similar journey, 
would not only have illustrated the 
geography of these countries so little 
known, but he would probably have 
resolved some capital problems, unde¬ 
termined for ages, as to the mouths of 
the Niger, and wdiether it communi¬ 
cates with the Nile ; also the direction 
of a river called Nile by the negroes. 
The relation of the negro Boubeker, 
though not realising these objects, con¬ 
tains documents leading to useful in¬ 
ferences which will nor fail to be ob¬ 
served. Boubeker has the surname of 
Ansari, from an ancient town of Fouta 
Toro, called Anzar, whence his family 
originated. He was born and lives at 
Seno Palel, a town in the same coun¬ 
try ; his maternal language is the Foulle, 
but his communications witli the editor 
were in Arabic. 
In departing from his native tow r n, 
he repaired first to Ojaba, and thence 
to the city or great town of Tjilogu, the 
capital of Fouta Toro. After receiv¬ 
ing the benedictions of the Almamy, 
lie hastened to pass the frontiers of 
Fouta, and speedily arrived in the king¬ 
dom of Cagnaga, inhabited by the Ser- 
racoulis. He remained some weeks at 
Javvar, one of the principal towns of 
the country; then slowly traversing 
the province of Kasso, about three 
months after his departure from Seno 
Palel, he reached Jarra, a large town 
to the NE. of Jaw T ar, capital of the 
country of Bagona. Jarra belonged 
formerly to the King of Karta, but is 
now subject to the Moors, and its po¬ 
pulation chiefly consists of merchants 
of that nation. It has a considerable 
trade, part of which lies in salt brought 
thither from the town of Tishit, near 
which are considerable salt pits. 
His journey from Jarra to Segoo, 
took up a month and some days ; the 
country is overrun with forests, with 
a scanty population, and but few signs 
of culture. Segoo, the capital of Bam- 
barra, lies east of Jarra, on the two 
banks of the river Joliba. The coun¬ 
try of Bambara is fertile throughout; 
the districts cultivated by the Foulahs 
are in general the most productive. 
The most numerous class in the coun¬ 
try is what gives name to it. The 
Foulahs are the next most considerable, 
being scattered throughout the king¬ 
dom, and in possession of whole 
provinces: the Moors are seldom met 
with, except in the large towns. 
From Segoo this traveller proceeded 
directly to Timbooktoo, by land, and 
reached it in seven and twenty hours. 
This city is situated to the NE. of Se¬ 
goo, at a small distance from the Cai- 
loum, a considerable river which he 
conceives to be a branch of the Jaliba. 
Timbooktoo is as large and populous 
as Segoo, but richer and more commer¬ 
cial. A great part of the population 
are Moois; the Twariks are also very 
numerous, and are often at variance 
with the Moors for superiority of power. 
Boubeker represents the Tw^ariks as 
oppressive and injurious, in these dis- 
- sensions. Those seen at Timbooktoo 
are originally from Twart, an arid 
territory, the capital of which is named 
El-Walin, and is the residence of a 
Twart Sultan who is very much 
dreaded. 
Boubeker had intended to pass 
through the kingdom of Twart, situated 
totheNE. of Timbooktoo, to wait in 
Fezzan for the caravan of Barbary 
pilgrims that were repairing to Mecca, 
through Egypt; but having no means 
of subsistence on his route, but the 
alms of pious Mussulmans, he changed 
his 
