486 Itinerary of a Journey across Africa. [Jan. I, 
his purpose, when he saw the poverty 
of the Twarik’s country, and how ill 
they were disposed to charity. They are 
a warlike wandering race;and almost all 
profess Islamism, but, in general, are 
cool in their attachment to it, and ac¬ 
cording to Boubeker, in their hearts 
are Kafirs. 
He determined therefore to return to 
the banks of the Joliba, and arrived 
at Jennee, ten days after leaving Tim- 
booktoo. He considers both these 
cities as constituting a part of Bambarra, 
and judges them pretty nearly under 
the same meridian. Jenne has a great 
trade ; the negroes in it outnumber the 
Moors, but the latter retain the juris¬ 
diction and authority. From Jenne, 
in an easterly direction, lie travelled in 
thirty and odd days, to Houssa, a 
large city, two days journey from the 
Joliba. The first part was in a canoe 
on the river, and the remainder on 
foot, through the kingdoms of Kabi 
and Noufi. 
The country known by the name of 
Houssa has five or six other states com¬ 
prehended within it. Formerly the 
Houssians were the only inhabitants, 
but now the Twariks and the Foulahs 
are in possession of the greater part of 
it, with a certain proportion, however, 
of Moors. The Foulahs occupy the 
western part almost exclusively, and 
on that account, it is frequently called 
Foullan. These Foulahs, in complexion, 
features and language, exactly resem¬ 
ble those of Fouta Toro ; among them¬ 
selves they assume the name of Dho- 
mani. The Houssians are black like 
the Jolofs or the Serracolis; they 
seem ill adapted for the labours of cul¬ 
tivation or of tending flocks ; while the 
Foulahs, according to Boubeker, are 
the most intelligent shepherds and la¬ 
bourers in the world. The country of 
Foulah is one of the best cultivated that 
he saw; in this respect, he places 
it immediately after Egypt. The do¬ 
mestic animals are in greater number 
and better condition than he had ob¬ 
served elsewhere. There are no sugar 
canes nor any great variety of fruits as 
in Egypt and Syria, but wheat, barley, 
and two species of maize are' in great 
abundance. Hemp and cotton are in 
excellent culture ; of these they fabri¬ 
cate their stuffs, and they also grow the 
indigo with which they dye them. The 
Foulahs of (his country can dye not only 
blue, but all sorts of colours. The 
city of Houssan has less trade with 
Timbookfoo and Jenne, than with the 
countries that lie eastward. The Sul¬ 
tan that resides there is the most power¬ 
ful of all the sovereigns in the western 
part of Houssan. 
Boubeker was informed that a little 
before his arrival, a foreign merchant 
had visited the country, who could 
make himself understood in the Twa- 
rik, though it was not his maternal 
language. He professed to come from 
a Mussulman country, a great distance 
to the north. He was in indigent cir¬ 
cumstances, but wished to continue his 
route, and demanded guides to conduct 
him into Bambarra. The King ol 
Houssa had consented, at first, to let 
him pass through his country ;but find¬ 
ing that the stranger was generally con¬ 
sidered as a spy, he altered his pur¬ 
pose, and sent out horsemen in pursuit 
of him: they overtook him on the banks 
of the Joliba. He was brought back 
to Houssa and thrown into prison, but 
Boubeker does not remember whether 
the Sultan put him to death or sold him 
for a slave. 
Our pilgrim set out from Houssa, 
and proceeding in an easterly direc¬ 
tion, in about a month, arrived at Kas- 
sina, the most considerable town on 
the banks of the Joliba. It is fif¬ 
teen or twenty times larger than St. 
Louis, in Senegal, and is the capital 
of the eastern part of Houssa, to which 
it gives its name. He there met with 
merchants from very distant countries, 
among others, Turks from Tripoli, who 
were readily distinguished by their fair 
complexions and rich apparel. He 
also noticed a number of Twariks and 
Foulahs. The Houssians are the pri¬ 
mitive inhabitants of the country, and 
more numerous in Kassina than in the 
Foullan. From Kassina he advanced 
to Born on ; the position of this town he 
places exactly east of Kassina, the river 
Joliba crossing the whole kingdom, of 
which it is the capital. 
The natives of Bornou are black 
complexioned, like the Houssians, 
whom they resemble in manners and 
customs, but speak a different language, 
and are reckoned more courageous and 
adroit. The Sultan is very powerful, 
and commands a numerous and veteran 
cavalry. 
From the town of Bornou he went 
on to the country of Wadae ; here he 
had no longer the river Joliba at a 
little distance on his right. He made 
frequent enquiries as to where this river 
terminated, 
