Nos. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. and IX.
Traditional Account of different Nations of Africa, &c.

“The kingdom of Malee is an ancient and flourishing country, and comprises two other provinces: one is Banbara, which contains rivers, woods, sands, a gold mine, and is occupied by the Soodan, who are still infidels, and possess great power; the other, on the west of it, is Foota, which is inhabited by the Towrood, and the Sarankali, or Persians. The Towrood people, it is said, were originally Jews, others say Christians; that they came from the land between the two rivers, the Nile[11] and the Euphrates, and established themselves next to the Jews who inhabited the island; and that whenever they oppressed or encroached upon the Jews, the latter had always recourse to the protection of the officers of the Sehabat (the immediate friends or companions of Mohammed), who then ruled over them; that they (the Jews) used to say to them: ‘We came to live in these islands to wait the coming of a prophet (after whom there will be no other); after whose coming and death a relation of his, named Aboo-Bakr, will succeed him; and Aboo-Bakr’s successor will be Amroo, whose troops will come upon the surface of this water (by which they meant Termes), protect us against you, and enable us to conquer your country[12].’

“This is what we found written in our books.”

N. B.—The above account, with the exception of the latter part, and a few small variations, has been already given to us in Sultan Bello’s Geographical Account. (See Appendix, p. 166, First Journey.)

A. S.

5. “The origin of the Felan tribe is stated to be as follows: When the army of the Sehabat, during the reign of Omar Ben El-khattab, penetrated into the Gharb, they arrived first at Termes; the Towrood people having seen them, went immediately under their protection, and became Mooslemeens, before the Jews who were waiting for them[13]; in consequence of which they were enabled to fight and subdue the Jews and Sarankali (Persians). When the Sehabat wished their troops to retire from the Gharb, the prince of the Towrood said to them: ‘You came to us with a faith of which we were ignorant, and you are now going away without leaving any one to instruct us in it and its laws.’ The Sehabat, hearing this appeal, left behind them, for their instruction, Okbat Ben Aamer. He married a daughter of the prince, named Gajmáa, and begot by her four sons, Dytá, Náser, Wáyá, and Rerebi. He afterwards returned to Egypt, and left his four sons behind with their mother. They grew up, and spoke a different language from that of their father, which was the Arabic, as well as from that of their mother, which was the old Towrood, called Wakoori. They married, and had sons and daughters, from whom the Felans descended; so that the father of the Felans was an Arabian, and their mother a Towrood.

“This we found recorded in our books[14].”

6 “The country of Barghoo is situated on the right side of the river; it is woody and sandy, and inhabited by tribes of the Soodan, who, it is said, are descended from the slaves of the Felans, who were left behind when their masters crossed the river; and thus they peopled those countries. They are insubordinate and stubborn, as also very powerful in magic; and it is recorded that, when the equitable Prince Hadgi Mohamed Allah-kaja ruled over this province, he could gain no advantage over them.

“Next to Barghoo, the province of Ghoorma lies; it is extensive, mountainous, woody, sandy, and has various rivers. Its sultan is named Boojujú, and the inhabitants are almost of the same description as those of Barghoo, robbers, and depraved.

“On the west of Ghoorma, the country of Mooshier, or Mooshee, is situated. It is extensive, and contains a gold mine, rivers, woods, and mountains. It is inhabited by tribes of the Soodan, who possess plenty of swift horses, very tall asses, and are very powerful in war. Their sultan is named Wagadoogo, and their asses are imported to Ghoonja to carry the drums of the army.

“On the right of Mooshér the territory of Asantí lies, which is very extensive.”

N. B.—The above account, with the exception of a few small variations, has also been given to us in Sultan Bello’s geographical account. (See Appendix, p. 165-6, First Journey.)

7. Itinerary.

“From Sira to Boogho is a distance of twenty days; thence to Mooshkoom-Foosh, to Sary, to Sarwa, to Indam or Indag, to Warshá, to Booshrá, to the mountain called Kaghoom, to Mount Kinghá, to Mount Dooziyat, to Mount Aboo-Talfan, to Mount Aboo-Zarafat; then to Rooga, to Dygo, to Kájá, to Katoonú; then to the mountain of Nubia, to the gold mine called Tagly, which has no less than ninety-nine mountains, the name of each of which begins with F; but three only of these mountains are known, whose names are as follow: Fazooglú, Fafaklú, and Foondooflú. In two days from this place, you will get to the Nile of Sonnar; but from Tagly to Egypt, or Cairo, which lies northward on the left side of it, is a journey of forty days, travelling continually by the bank of the Nile; while from Tagly to Sawaken, which is on the sea coast (the Red Sea), is a distance of thirty days only.”

N. B.—This is the last of the seven papers which, it appears, were written in Captain Clapperton’s memorandum book, by order of Sultan Bello, and are dated “the 5th of Sháában, 1242, A.H.;” about the 3d of March, 1827, A. D.

A. V. S.

8. “The people of Nefé came originally from Kashná, and their prince, Thoodyar, from Atághér. He first conquered the territory of Beni, from the river called Bakoo to that which is named Kaduná; then the territories of Booduor Boodi, and of Bassa or Boosa. He thence embarked on the river Kowárá, and subdued the people on its bank, called Abágha; after which he conquered the country of Abbi (in which we now are[15]), and that of Kanbari, in conjunction with the Prince of Yaouri. The river of these countries is called Kantagoora. From Yaouri he proceeded to the great mountain, or mountains, where Nefé, Beni, and Fatti-attu are: he then went to the river Katha, or Kasha, and conquered the countries thereabouts; which are, Ghoor-noofu, Koográ, Jemma, Doonfee, Taboo, and Aza, or Azai. This prince was succeeded by Ithshab, whose successor was Ithkootoo; and the whole number of princes who ruled over this kingdom were thirteen. The rest of the eastern parts, as far as Katáná, are in possession of a prince named Bakoo.

“About the right of Atághér the country called Nafry lies, by the side of a river larger than that of Kowárá.

“The people of Beni are now extremely poor. They are submissive to their princes, till and cultivate the lands of others, and pay capitation tax. Sheep, goats, oxen, horses, and fowls, are scarce in their country; and as to asses, there are none, except what are imported from other countries. They have, however, plenty of elephants.

“The river in the territory of Kowárá lies west, on the right hand side; and that of Kaduná is in the centre; while the river Bakoo, or Gakoo, is in the east.”

9. “The tribes who inhabit Noofee, it is said, were originally from Beni; others say from Takra; and some assert that they came from the middle of the river, perhaps an island. Their first town was Jemma; but afterwards they inhabited Kafath or Kifath, Ayaki, Karkena, and the eastern Kowárá, by a river called Matny. They had also Kasoo or Kashoo, Zeer, the west of Malee or Moulee, Abyou, and Wádá.

“The river of Kowárá runs through mountains, and a great many woods and forests; and has mountains on the north and the east. This great river issues from the Mountain of the Moon; and what we know of it is, that it comes from Sookan to Kiya, to Kabi, to Yaouri, to Boossa, to Wá-wá, and to Noofee; but in that place there is another river which springs from Zirmá, to Ghoober, to Zeffra, to Kory or Koora, and then enters Noofee; its name is Kaduna. On the north of it Kanbari lies; on the east is Kory; on the south are Cankan and Kafath; and on the west is Bassoa, or Bashwa. About the centre of it is the kingdom of Noofee, with that of Abyou.

“Noofee was once subject to the Felans; but when Edrees, a prince of the Felans, ruled over it, and committed so many excesses as even to violate its virgins, the people rose up against him, sword in hand, and freed themselves; and thus they are now at war with the Felans. Amongst them there are Mahomedans; but the greater part are infidels, without either religion or law: they are drunkards and oppressors; they neither pray, nor worship any god. They walk with you during an hour as friends, while in the next they do not hesitate to kill you. When one of them dies, they fasten the arms across the chest, place the body in a sitting position in the grave, and one of them lies by it, while another sits at the entrance. They have a large and extensive cavern, in which they place their dead; but those who guard this cavern, though they are something like priests, are the most depraved persons. They sometimes send messengers to call the relatives of the dead, enjoining them to bring with them the best of every thing they have; and when these innocent people arrive at the cavern, they are immediately plundered of what they take there; and if they be females, their chastity is violated.

“This is the life and habits of these infidel Pagans; and consequently the roads about Noofee are very dangerous and perilous.

“When their king dies, they enter his house, and live in it.”

N. B.—It is proper here to observe, that the above two papers, Nos. 8 and 9, are written, or rather scrawled out, unorthographically and ungrammatically, and their composition is no more than a sort of incoherent jargon. The translation, therefore, I have given of them is mostly made out by conjecture. There is no doubt, however, that Clapperton, who made some residence among these people, has given some further account of them.

A. S.

A VOCABULARY OF THE YOURRIBA TONGUE.

METEOROLOGICAL TABLE.