It has been already observed, that the Mohammedans believe in Jesus Christ, and that he was a prophet sent from God; but they acknowledge no equal with God. The doctrine of the Trinity is incomprehensible to them, hence they will not admit of the punctuation بن but allow that of نب.

The foregoing observations will serve to prove the insufficiency of a knowledge of this language, as professed or studied in Great Britain when unaccompanied with a practical knowledge. These observations may apply equally to the Persian language.[171]

If the present ardour for discovery in Africa be persevered in, the learned world may expect, in the course of a few years, to receive histories and other works of Greek and Roman authors, which were translated into the Arabic language, when Arabian literature was in its zenith, and have ever since been confined to some private libraries in the cities of the interior of Africa, and in Arabia. Bonaparte, aware of the political importance of a practical knowledge of this language, has of late given unremitting attention to the subject, and if we may believe the mutilated accounts which we receive occasionally from France, he is likely to obtain from Africa in a short period relics of ancient learning of considerable value, which have escaped the wreck of nations.

Having said thus much with regard to the Arabic of the western Arabs, which, with little variation, is spoken throughout all the finest districts of North Africa, I shall proceed to say a few words respecting the other languages spoken north of Sahara: these are the Berebber and its dialects, viz. the Zayan and Girwan, and Ait Imure; the Shelluh of Suse and South Atlas, all which, though latterly supposed by some learned men to be the same, differ in many respects; any one possessing a knowledge of the Berebber language might, with little difficulty, make himself understood by the Zayan of Atlas, the Girwan, or the Ait Imure; but the Shelluh is a different language, and each so different from the Arabic, that there is not the smallest resemblance, as the following specimen will demonstrate:

SPECIMEN OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ARABIC AND SHELLUH LANGUAGES.

Marmol says, the Shelluhs and Berebbers write and speak one language, called Killem Abimalick,[172] the name of the person who was accounted the inventor of Arabic letters; but the foregoing specimen, the accuracy of which may be depended on, clearly proves this assertion to be erroneous, as well as that of many moderns who have formed their opinion, in all probability, on the above authority. Now, although the Shelluh and Berebber languages are so totally dissimilar, that there is not one word in the foregoing vocabulary which resembles its corresponding word in the other language, yet, from the prejudice which Marmol has established, it will still be difficult, perhaps, to persuade the learned that such an author could be mistaken on such a subject. My account therefore must remain for a future age to determine upon, when the languages of Africa shall be better known than they are at present; for it is not a few travellers occasionally sent out on a limited plan that can ascertain facts, the attainment of which requires a long residence, and familiar intercourse with the natives. Marmol has also misled the world in saying that they write a different language; the fact is, that when they write any thing of consequence, it is in the Arabic, but any trifling subject is written in the Berebber words, though in the Arabic character. If they had any peculiar character in the time of Marmol, they have none now; for I have conversed with hundreds of them, as well as with the Shelluhs, and have had them staying at my house for a considerable time together, but never could learn from any that a character different from the Arabic had ever been in use among them.

In addition to these languages, there is another spoken at the Oasis of Ammon, or Siwah, called in Arabic (الواح الغاربي) El Wah El Garbie, which appears to be a mixture of Berebber and Shelluh, as will appear from the list of Siwahan words given by Mr. Horneman,[173] in his Journal, page 19, part of which I have here transcribed, to shew the similitude between those two languages, whereby it will appear that the language of Siwah and that of the Shelluhs of South Atlas are one and the same language.

South of the Desert we find other languages spoken by the blacks; and are told by Arabs who have frequently performed the journey from Jinnie to Cairo, and the Red Sea, that thirty-three different Negroe languages are met with in the course of that route, but that the Arabic is spoken by the intelligent part of the people, and the Mohammedan religion is known and followed by many; their writings are uniformly in Arabic.

It may not be improper in this place, seeing the many errors and mutilated translations which appear from time to time of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian papers, to give a list of the Mohammedan moons or lunar months, used by all those nations, which begin with the first appearance of the new moon, that is, the day following, or sometimes two days after the change, and continue till they see the next new moon; these have been mutilated to such a degree in all our English translations, that I shall give them, in the original Arabic character, and as they ought to be spelt and pronounced in the English character, as a clue whereby to calculate the correspondence between our year and theirs. They divide the year into 12 months, which contain 29 or 30 days, according as they see the new moon; the first day of the month Muharam is termed راس العام Ras Elame, i.e. the beginning of the year.

As we are more used to the Asiatic mode of punctuation, that will be observed in these words.

The first of Muharram, year of the Hejira 1221, answers to the 19th March of the Christian æra, 1806.

Among the various languages spoken south of the Desert, or Sahara, we have already observed that there are thirty-three different ones between the Western Ocean and the Red Sea, following the shores of the Nile El Abide, or Niger: among all these nations and empires, a man practically acquainted with the Arabic may always make himself understood, and indeed it is the language most requisite to be known for every traveller in these extensive regions.

The Mandinga is spoken from the banks of the Senegal, where that river takes a northerly course from the Jibel Kumera to the kingdom of Bambarra; the Wangareen tongue is a different one; and the Houssonians speak a language differing again from that.

Specimen of the difference between the Arabic and Mandinga language; the words of the latter extracted from the vocabularies of Seedi Mohammed ben Amer Soudani.

Having now given some account of the languages of Africa, we shall proceed to animadvert on the similitude of language and customs between the Shelluhs of Atlas and the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands. The words between inverted commas are quotations from Glasse’s History of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands.

“The inhabitants of Lancerotta and Fuertaventura are social and cheerful;” like the Shelluhs of Atlas; “they are fond of singing and dancing; their music is vocal, accompanied with a clapping of hands, and beating with their feet:” the Shelluhs resemble them in all these respects; “Their houses are built of stone, without cement; the entrance is narrow, so that but one person can enter at a time.”

The houses of the Shelluhs are sometimes built without cement, but always with stone; the doors and entrances are low and small, so that one person only can enter.

“In their temples they offered to their God milk and butter.”

Among the Shelluhs milk and butter are given as presents to princes and great men: the milk being an emblem of good will and candour.

“When they were sick (which seldom happened) they cured themselves with the herbs which grew in the country; and when they had acute pains, they scarified the part affected with sharp stones, and burned it with fire, and then anointed it with goat’s butter. Earthen vessels of this goat’s butter were found interred in the ground, having been put there by the women who were the makers, and took that method of preparing it for medicine.”

The custom of the Shelluhs on similar occasions is exactly similar; the butter which they use is old, and is buried under ground many years in (bukul) earthen pots, and is called budra: it is a general medicine, and is said to possess a remarkably penetrating quality.

“They grind their barley in a hand-mill, made of two stones, being similar to those used in some remote parts of Europe.”

In Suse, among the Shelluhs, they grind their corn in the same way, and barley is the principle food.

“Their breeches are short, leaving the knees bare;” so are those worn by the Shelluhs.

“Their common food was barley meal roasted and mixed with goats milk and butter, and this dish they called Asamotan.”

This is the common food of the Shelluhs of Atlas, and they call it by a similar name, Azamitta.

The opinion of the author of the History and Conquest of the Canary Islands, is, that the inhabitants came originally from Mauritania, and this he founds on the resemblance of names of places in Africa and in the islands: for, says he, “Telde,[177] which is the name of the oldest habitation in Canaria, Orotaba, and Tegesta, are all names which we find given to places in Mauritania and in Mount Atlas. It is to be supposed that Canaria, Fuertaventura, and Lancerotta, were peopled by the Alarbes,[178] who are the nation most esteemed in Barbary; for the natives of those islands named milk Aho, and barley Temecin, which are the names that are given to those things in the language of the Alarbes of Barbary.” He adds, that

“Among the books of a library that was in the cathedral of St. Anna in Canaria, there was found one so disfigured, that it wanted both the beginning and the end: it treated of the Romans, and gave an account, that when Africa was a Roman province, the natives of Mauritania rebelled and killed their presidents and governors, upon which the senate, resolving to punish and make a severe example of the rebels, sent a powerful army into Mauritania, which vanquished and reduced them again to obedience. Soon after the ringleaders of the rebellion were put to death, and the tongues of the common people, together with those of their wives and children, were cut out, and then they were all put aboard vessels with some grain and cattle, and transported to the Canary islands.”[179]

The following vocabulary will shew the similarity of language between the natives of Canaria and the Shelluhs (inhabitants of the Atlas mountains south of Marocco).

CHAPTER XI.

The city of Marocco, besides its trade with the various districts of the interior, receives the most considerable supplies of European merchandize from the port of Mogodor, which is distant from it four days journey, caravan travelling;[181] some of the more valuable articles, however, are transported from Fas to the Marocco market, such as muslins, cambricks, spices, teas, pearls, coral, &c. and the elegant Fas manufactures of silk and gold. There is a considerable market held at Marocco every Thursday, called by the Arabs Soke-el-kumise,[182] which all articles of foreign as well as home manufacture are bought and sold, also horses,[183] horned cattle, slaves, &c. Samples of all kinds of merchandize are carried up and down the market and streets of the city by the Delels, or itinerant auctioneers, who proclaim the price offered, and when no one offers more, the best bidder is apprised of his purchase, the money is paid, and the transaction terminated.

The shops of Marocco are filled with merchandize of various kinds, many of which are supplied by the merchants of Mogodor, who receive, in return for European goods, the various articles of the produce of Barbary for the European markets. The credit which was given by the principal commercial houses of Mogodor to the natives has of late considerably decreased owing to the change of system in the government; for, in the reign of the present Emperor’s father, the European merchants were much respected, and their books considered as correct, so that a book debt was seldom disputed, and every encouragement was given to commerce by that Emperor; but Muley Soliman’s political principles differ so widely from those of his father, that the most trifling transaction should now be confirmed by law, to enable the European to be on equal terms with the Moor, and to entitle him to recover any property, or credit given; these measures have thrown various impediments in the way of commerce, insomuch that credit is either almost annihilated, or transformed into barter, which has necessarily thrown the trade into fewer hands, and consequently curtailed it in a great degree. For the purpose of showing at once the traffic carried on in the port of Mogodor, I shall here give an accurate account of its exports and imports during the years 1804, 1805, and the first six months of 1806, which are carefully extracted from the imperial custom-house books.

IMPORTS INTO MOGODOR IN 1804.

EXPORTS FROM MOGODOR IN 1804.

IMPORTS INTO MOGODOR IN 1805.