Observations on an Historical Account of Discoveries and Travels in Africa, by the late John Leyden, M.D. by Hugh Murray, Esq. F.R.S.E.

Cursory Observations on African Names

Letter to the Author from Hugh Murray, Esq. F.R.S.E.

On the Two Niles of Africa, or the Niger and the Nile

APPENDIX.

Historical Fragments in Elucidation of the foregoing Pages

First Expedition on Record to Timbuctoo--Timbuctoo and Guago captured by Muley Hamed (Son of Muley Abdelmelk, commonly called Muley Melk, or Muley Moluck) in the Sixteenth Century (about the Year 1580)

A Library of 3000 Arabic Manuscripts taken by the Spaniards.--Contests among Christians reprimanded

Muley El Arsheed (a Second Expedition to Timbuctoo and Sudan)

Third Expedition to Timbuctoo and Sudan

DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.

Map of the Tracks across the Sahara to Timbuctoo,
to face page 1..

Map of the Empire of Marocco

Larger format

AN

ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY

FROM

FAS TO TIMBUCTOO,

PERFORMED IN OR ABOUT THE YEAR 1787, A.C.

BY

EL HAGE ABD SALAM SHABEENY.

The Moors always prefer the spring and summer for travelling, because they suffer very much from the severe cold of the mornings in winter. They generally leave Fas in the beginning of April to proceed to Timbuctoo, and they leave Timbuctoo to return to Fas in the month of January.

The Mecca caravan takes its departure from Fas the beginning of March.

In travelling, the Moors hire their camels from stage to stage. Shabeeny's first stage was from Fas ¹ to Tafilelt, which is generally performed in about twenty days.

Footnote 1:(return) This is a journey of crooked and rugged roads across the Atlas mountains, where they often sojourn in spots which invite the traveller, so that it takes a longer time to perform it than the distance would indicate.

The hire of every camel was from ten to twelve ducats, at five shillings sterling per ducat; as this route is through a very mountainous country, and the travelling is very bad, the charges were proportionally high; the weight which every camel carried was between four and five quintals, the camels in this country being strong and very large. ²

Tafilelt is the place of general meeting of all the merchants who go to Timbuctoo. ³

The territory of Tafilelt contains no towns, but abounds in fortresses with mud-walls ⁴, which the natives call El Kassar, and which contain from three to four hundred families; in these fortresses there is a public market (in Arabic, soke) every week, where the inhabitants purchase provisions, &c.

The natives of Tafilelt are descendants of the shereefs ⁵ or princes of Marocco, and are therefore of the Imperial family.

Footnote 2:(return) This charge of carriage by the camels from Fas to Tafilelt, is equal to 55s., sterling per camel; to 1-1/2d. per mile for each camel, and to one farthing and one third per quintal of merchandise per mile.

Footnote 3:(return) That is for all who go from the Emperor of Marocco's dominions, north of the river Morbeya, which is called El Garb, or the North Western Division.

Footnote 4:(return) These mud walls are made in cases, and the mode of erecting them is called tabia. See Jackson's Account of the Empire of Marocco, &c. &c. 2d or 3d edition, page 298.

Footnote 5:(return) Hence it is called Bled Shereef, i.e. the Country of Princes.

Shabeeny's next stage was to Draha ⁶, which he reached in six days. The expense per camel was about six ducats, or thirty shillings sterling. The district of Draha abounds in the small hard date ⁷, which is very fine; from four to six drahems ⁸ (equal to two to three shillings sterling) is the price of a camel load of these dates.

The province of Draha is larger than that of Tafilelt, its circumference being about four or five days' journey. The natives