of crocodiles, hippopotami, and fish, and the other containing nothing of the kind, just as is the case with the Tsád. The water of the black river overwhelms the white water of the dhannéo. Cross the river.

1 day. Tindírma, a large Songhay place. A long day.

1 day. Dire, one of the oldest places of the Songhay.

1 day. Dongoy, inhabited by Songhay, no Fúlbe; on the E. side of the river.

1 day. Tóyai, a Songhay village; the Tademékket rove in this neighborhood. Country level and without trees, being temporarily flooded.

2 days. Kábara, keeping close along the river, and crossing a small rivulet or creek.

Day.

1st. Síye.

L 1. From Hamda-Alláhi to Káñima.

2d. Niyakóngo, having passed the heat in the hamlet called Berber.

3d. Benne-ndugu or Konna, having passed the heat in N'amet-Alláhi (a long day's, if not two days' journey).

4th. Toy. Arrive before noon.

5th. A Songhay village or ksar.

6th. Konsa, a Fulbe village.

7th. A village inhabited by Fúlbe, Songhay, and Bámbara.

8th. Takóti.

9th. Sambejeráhit.

10th. Ungúma.

11th. Káñima, on a branch of the river coming from Bámbara (see ante, p. 249), end at a day's march from the latter place.

1st. Lábo.

L 2. Another short Itinerary from Káñima to Hamda-Alláhi.

2d. Dóra, a rúmde, or slave hamlet.

3d. Takóti, or Jengináre, both on the Bara-I ́sa, Jengináre lying a little to the S.W. of the former.

4th. Another town on the Niger, the name of which informant has forgotten, probably Sáre-feréng.

5th. Gulúmbu, on the widening of the creek Débu or Dóbu. (Another road leads from Káñima, by Labo, Langóma, Konse, and another place, to Gulúmbu). 6th. Doy or Toy, a large Songhay place.

7th. Karri, Konna, or Benne-ndugu, all names of the same place. On your way you pass Kori-ántsa, a large Pullo village.

8th. N'amet-Alláhi, a town of the Feroibe.

9th. Fatóma, the market-place (the market being held every Saturday) of Konári, not a large place.

10th. Hamda-Alláhi, a good day's march of ten hours.

M. List of towns in Jimbálla, Zánkara, and Aússa.

(A.) Towns in Jimballa, the district S. of the river, W. from the district Kíso: Ayun, Kúfa, Sáre-feréng (the town mentioned p. 689), probably the seat of government under the empire of Melle, Tési, A'rkoja, Hóre-ayé, Dangal, Bória, Ngorko or Goroñya, a considerable market-place between Zánkara and San-koré, and distant one and a half day's journey S. from Dári, Kúlesongho, Guddunga. The following places lie in the central region of Jimbálla: Tórobe, Gmoy, Gunki, Gungare, I'chi al Hábe, Séri, Segúl, Bugo-linchére, Gnórija.

It is a very remarkable fact that three places to which the origin of the Bambara nation is referred are said to be the oldest places in Jimbálla, viz., Kanembúgu, Jéngenabúgu, and Tsorobúgu.

The following are the tribes of the Fulbe in Jimbálla: Fíttobe, Sangho, Uralífoná, Búsurá, Kaya, U'ro-Módi, Dugurábe, Tongábe in Séri, Zukkáre, Toródi (probably settled in the locality called Tórobe), Nar-hau, Yaffóli. There is besides a tribe of Fulbe called Dongo, mixed with Rumá, settled in four places of Jimbálla, viz., Kurúm on the Máyo balléo, Sebi, Wáki, and Gong. In Sébi, the place mentioned p. 689, resides a chief of the Rumá, who formerly commanded the whole communication along the river, and with whom therefore Park had some business to settle this evidently being indicated by the words wrongly translated by Mr. Silame, "that they might cross the way of the river."

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South of Jimbálla is the district Sákkeré, under the dominion of the Fulbe, but chiefly inhabited by Zoghorán. Chief place Doko, one day from Koisa, and not far from U'ro-Bulo.

(B.) Zánkara, the district S. of the river, inclosed between the latter and the districts of Kíso and Jimbálla:

Tomme, Chángará, Manjebugo, A'njau, Jebár, Báko, Bánikan, Jú, Jú-kárimá, Wáki, Tondo, Jindigatta, Wabango, Kúgu, Bádi, Gom. The capital of this province is Dári, or Dár e' Salám, residence of the governor 'Abd-Alláhi, son of Sheikh Ahmed. S.E. from Dári is Gannáti, a considerable market-place.

(c.) In Aússa (the province north of the river, between Timbuktu and Fermágha):

Tomba, Mékore near Gundam, Bankoriye, Jango, Akoire-n-éhe, Hammakoire, Kamba-dumba, Ungurúnne, Nyafúnche, Hardánia or Béllaga, Gnóro, Baba-danga, Báñaga, Tóndi-dáro, Gubbo, Dháhabi-koire, Síbo, Alwéli-koira, Gombo, Tommi, Gaudel, Kurbal, Kattáwen, Fadhl-illáhi, A'ttora, Núnu, Nyódogu, Gaude, another Mekore near Kurbal, Kábara-tanda, Duwé-kiré near Dongoy, Tásakál, Mánkalágungu between Dongoy and Kábara, Telfi, Koddisabári; Sobónne, I think, is not the name of a place, but of a section of the Fúlbe settled here.

I also think this a fit place to insert some lists of towns lying along the various routes traversing the territories of Fermágha, the province to which Yowaru belongs, and Bergu, the province bordering on the former toward the S., although I can not fully testify to the accuracy of the order in which the towns are mentioned. I will here also add that this district Bergu, as it is called by some of the natives, the original form of the name being probably Marka, and of which Yá-saláme is the chief place, is a very flat country, almost destitute of trees, and producing no crops, but, on account of its ample supply of water, affording fine pasture-grounds. Fermagha, on the contrary, is a well-timbered province. My informant is Dáud, the brother of the Pullo chief Mohammed ben 'Abd-Alláhi, whom I have mentioned in my journal.

Between Yowaru and Yá-saláme, along the western road, are said to lie the following places, beginning with the former: Bánghita, a village of learned men or m'allemín, Sáredína, Dógo, the place touched at in going from Yówaru to Niyakongo by way of Shay, Urúnde, Gogórla, Launyánde, Launérde, Meré-únuma, Urungiye (1st day) (Urungiye in the dry season is at half a day's distance from the river; it is still reckoned by some as belonging to Másina); Tanna, Kánguru, having crossed between these two villages a small creek, Heráwa, Bandáre, Chúki, Kalaségi, Gachi- (or Gasi-) lúmo, Nanka, Kárangérre, Surángo, Kúru (2d day); Módi Masanáre, Kunába, Júre, Ikáre, Búrburankóbe, Nyoji, Diggesíre, Yá-saláme, a considerable town inhabited by Aswánek and Fúlbe (3d day).

Between Yowaru and Yá-saláme, along the western road by Urungiye. After having passed Urungiye: Alamáye, Ucha-malángo, Ukánnu, Jowengéña, a village called Almáme, another called Fíttobe, Doroy, Sáre-yáru, Diggesíre, Yá-saláme. Between Ya-saláme and Saredína, a journey of three days: Kóra, Túguri, Jappéje, Sendekubi, a hamlet inhabited by slaves of the Fulbe and Jáka, Sende-kórrobe, Chube, Bú-deráje, Gánda, Gauye, Nomárde, Saredína. This road probably passes at no great distance W. of Tenéngu.

Between Yá-saláme and Konári, a journey of three days: Burtupédde, Geléji, Doko, not the one mentiond above, Jónyori (1st day); Kóle, Wandebute, Kollekómbe, Salsalbe (2d day); U'nguremáji, Konári.

Between Basikúnnu and Yá-saláme: Kussumáre, Jáfera, Jerri-Jáfera, a village inhabited by slaves (1st day, short march); Bínyamús, a place inhabited by Arabs, Terebekko, Sorbára, Kóllima, Túgguri (2d day); Túre-sangha, a place at present inhabited by Arabs (formerly by Songhay? túri = Mohammedan Máleki?), Kójole, Páche, Batawa, a place inhabited by hárratín, Káre (residence of?) Búgoné, chief of the Bowár, Búburankóbe, Um-muswéle, Yá-saláme.

Between Basikúnnu and Yówaru, a journey of five and a half days: Barkánne or Barkánnu (1st day); another road goes by Jéppata; Shám, Lére (2d day); Nimmer, a creek called by the Arabs "el má hammer," "the red water," where you pass the heat, Dogoméra, Nyenche, Báya (3d day); Karúnna, Gungu, Saléngurú, Chillunga, Gasi-lúmo (leaving Gasi-Jerma toward the N.) (4th day); Kalasége, Chúki (5th day); Yówaru.

Between Ikannu, a town lying one day W. of Urungiye, and the town of Gundam: Séda, Bundúre, Sabére-lóde, Tánuma, Jamwéli, Tómoró (both of these villages in

habited by Songhay and Aswánek conjointly), Surángo, Jábatá, Lére, Gasi-Jerma, Nósi, Káti, Kábara, situated to the east of a large pond or dhaye, Kokónta, a Songhay village, Kat'awó, Sumpi, Tákají, Nyódogó, Hóro, Téle, Gundó or Gundam. N. Route from Timbúktu to Sansándi by way of Basikúnnu, from the information of Shekho Weled A'mmer Waláti.

2d day. Gundam, having passed by Kábera (not necessary, but most people do so); Tásakant or Tásakalt, another village or ádabay, a village called Duwékiré, and Dunge, a village inhabited by Rumá.

3d. Téle, a creek or rijl, with many villages.

4th. Térijít, a village on a creek of the river.

5th. Kat awó, another village inhabited originally by Tawárek.

6th. Kábara, or, to distinguish it from the other village of the same name, Kábara Tanda, inhabited by Songhay.

7th. Janga, a place inhabited by Aswánek.

8th. Lére.

9th. Barkánni, a well, frequented by Arabs; a long day's march.

10th. Basikúnnu, a middle-sized place or ksar, inhabited by Arabs, especially the Welád 'Alúsh, a very warlike tribe, mustering about 700 armed people; but the chief part of the inhabitants consists of the slaves of the latter. Basikúnnu lies in the district called Eríggi, and is distant nine or ten days from Kasambára.

14th. Kíri, a well not far from the town of Kála, which informant intended to avoid, the direct road passing close along the western wall of that town.

15th. Saradóbi, a deserted place.

16th. Falambúgu, a place inhabited by Bámbara.

17th. Swéra, a considerable place.

18th. Sansándi.

O. Route from Sansándi to Timbuktu, deviating a little from the general track for fear of the Fullán. Informant Sidi A'hmed el Mazúki el Bágheni.

1st day. Asér (probably identical with Swéra, the latter being the diminutive form), a village inhabited by Bámbara. You arrive a little after sunset, having started from Sansándi in the afternoon.

2d. A place with a dhaye or tank. Pass the heat of the day in a deserted place, leaving Karadúgu a little to the E. This whole country is pillaged and laid waste by continual forays, owing to the feud between the Benáber or Bambara and the Fullán.

3d. Akór, a deserted place or ksar.

4th. Encamp in a spot in the wilderness, having passed the heat of the day in a place called by the Arabs Akumbu jemel; leave the considerable place Kála, inhabited by Bambara, to the W.

5th. Encamp in the wilderness.

6th. Sáre-bála, a place formerly inhabited by the Welád 'Alúsh and the Idélebó, but at present deserted.

7th. Gello, a village in the neighborhood of a large "dhaye" or pond, two days from Yowaru, at present inhabited by the Teghdaust.

8th. Bír el Háj 'Omár, a well with an occasional encampment of the Zuwaye. The road, which in the first part of the journey was almost from S. to N., here turns more to the E.

9th. Lére, a village or ksar of the Welád Zayem, an Arab tribe dependent on the Fullán. A branch of the river skirts its east and south side. Even in the dry season, immense sheets of water are here collected, as is the case with the whole of Fermágha. The latter, which comprises this whole tract of country, is a larger province and better inhabited than Aússa.

10th. Gasi e' Sáheli or Gasi-Jerma, distant one and a half day's march to the north from the more important place Gasi-Ghúma or Gasi-Lumo, the great marketplace of the "killa" or coarse colored stuff of mixed cotton and wool, and the second place of the province of Fermágha, next to Yówaru. Gasi-Ghuma lies on the backwaters of the river running parallel with the main branch between Lake Débu and Gundam, and joining the river near Salga, while a branch runs from here to Gasi-Jerma, and thence to Lére. Gasi-Jerma has no great commercial activity, but a good supply of corn; shells are not current. It is inhabited by Songhay and Zoghorán, and is distant five days from Basikúnnu, toward the east.

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11th. Sudfi, a place inhabited by Songhay, and belonging to Aússa. You pass the heat of the day in the ksar Nyeddugu.

12th. No place.

13th. A village or ksar on a branch of the river. You pass the heat of the day near the dhaye Hór, and then keep along this sheet of water, which is a branch of the Rás el Má, and, according to my informant, extends as far as Gasi-Ghúma. 14th. Gundam. N.B.-Perhaps one station has been left out, viz., Télé. 17th. Timbuktu.

P. Route from Timbuktu to Waláta.

1st day. Farsha, a locality at the foot of a hill.

2d. Mújerán, a lake in connection with the river, by means of the branch which separates from the latter between Betagúngu and Toga-bango, and encircled by hills. A short day's march. Gúndam from here S.S.W. The Kél-antsár of the I ́gelád, whose chief is Thaher, encamp here.

3d. Geléb el Ghánem, a fertile locality, with a high mount seen from Gundam, situated on the bank of a branch of the river. You pass between nine and ten o'clock in the morning Abánko, a small place, inhabited by slaves and a few Songhay.

4th. A'm-gunnán, a favored spot, where the slaves of the Tawárek cultivate the ground. "A'm" is not pure Arabic, but of Semitic origin.

5th. Rás el má ("the head of the water"), called "A'raf-n-A'man" by the Tawárek or I'móshagh, the outlying creek where the traveler from the north on his way to Waláta seems formerly to have first reached the river. This creek is stated by tradition to have been dug by the Bashá Jódar and his musketeers or "ermá." On the south side of this basin, already mentioned by El Bekrí,* there are small villages or "ádabay” (pl. “tadebít”) inhabited by the I'délebó, a poor Moorish tribe, said to be related to the Shemman-A'mmas. It is an important fact that all the wheat consumed in Timbuktu is cultivated round the Rás el má, and not brought from the north, as Caillié stated (Travels to Timbuctoo, vol. ii., p. 20).

From Rás el má, which appears to be a little S. from W. of Timbuktu, the direct road to Waláta leaves the basin of the river, and reaches that place in seven good days' marches, or even in traveling as a courier in five; direction a little N. from W. In the dry season there is no water along this road, but in the rainy season plenty of tanks or "dhaye" are met with, so that at that time of the year some people prefer traveling at their leisure, performing the distance in ten or twelve days.

Our road keeps at some distance from the outlying backwaters of the river and reaches, with a long march.

6th day. Ulákiás, a very deep well, about twenty fathoms deep. On the way you pass the locality "Tádemét," called by this name from a group of "tédumt," as the baobab is called by the people of Timbuktu.

7th. A'dar, a well, with a small dwelling-place or "ksar" inhabited by Songhay and slaves of the I'délebó.

8th. Bír e' Selem, a well.

9th. Bú-Seribe, a well; a long day's march. You pass another well called Zegzig.

10th. Basikúnnu.

15th. Waláta, as the town is called by the Arabs and Tawárek, or Bíru, as it is called by the blacks, especially the Azér, a section of the Aswánek, who are the original inhabitants of the place. It is a considerable town, consisting of houses built carefully of a good species of clay, with a rough-cast of plaster, as it would seem. But the situation of Waláta, at the eastern border of the district El Hódh, at the foot of a range of hills called "Dháhar Waláta," which encircle it on this side, while a large valley, richly clad with trees, skirts the north and east side, is considered as extremely unhealthy, and on this account is called "kháneg el haye," "the throat of the snake," the district El Hódh being considered as the snake. Thus in this respect Waláta entirely resembles Ghánata, or the capital of the empire; but besides being a hot-bed of disease, the town is now also the seat of poverty and misery, which Ghánata, at least during its prime, certainly was not. For, as we have seen (Chronolog. Tables, p. 665), in the course of the fifteenth century

• El Bekri, p. 160.

all the commercial importance of that place was transferred to Timbuktu, and nothing remained except the trade in provisions, especially negro corn or "éneli."

The inhabitants of Waláta are a mixed race of blacks and whites. The former, at present greatly reduced in numbers and their moral standard considerably lowered, belong to the widely-scattered nation of the Swanínki or Azér; the whites are Berbers and Arabs, the Arabs belonging to various tribes, but especially to the tribe of the Méhajíb, who, even among themselves, make use almost exclusively of the Azéríye idiom, this being the indigenous language.

About one mile west from Bíru are the ruins of an ancient place called Tezúght, formerly inhabited by the Berber tribe of the Idáw el Háj, who were the chief propagators of Islam over these parts of Negroland, and ruled them for a long time. Among the ruins much gold is said to be found occasionally at this very day. At that time Bíru was only inhabited by native blacks. All circumstances taken into account, although the whole district called El Hódh was once thickly covered with towns or "ksúr," it can not be denied that the double town of Tezúght-Bíru is more fully entitled than any other place to be identified with the celebrated capital of the Ghánata empire.* The distance of Ghánata from Rás el má-the five days being taken at the rate of a courier-and that from Amíma, or Míme, or, as the name is generally pronounced, Maima, a locality still bearing this name, although the place is at present deserted, a little to the west of Lére, correspond exactly; the distance of three days from that place to the river (at Safnakú or Safeku) does not harmonize exactly with the present state of the country, the smallest distance of Waláta from the river being five days, but it is not impossible that the outlying creeks eight centuries ago approached a little closer the site of Waláta.

As for the distance of twenty days between Ghánata and Silla, which is certainly the town on the bank of the Niger visited by Mungo Park, it is to be considered at the rate of marching with loaded caravans. Silla was a very important.place, and gave its name to the Sillát, that section of the Swanínki or Aswánek which is most distinguished on account of the antiquity and purity of its Islám, but the town has recently been destroyed in the wars between the Bambara and Fullán.

There is a spacious mosque in Waláta, of high antiquity, but certainly wrongly attributed to Sídi 'Ukba el Mustajab.

Between Waláta and A'rawán ten days are counted, in an east-northeasterly direction, through the "A'kela," the very name given to a portion of the old Ghánata, A'kela being nothing but another form of the name Aúkár, a district consisting of light isolated sand-hills, full of excellent shrubs for the camel, but entirely destitute of water, the tribe of the Kóbetát, who are wandering hereabout, not less than their camels, subsisting entirely on water-melons, which grow here in great plenty, and contain a sufficient supply of the aqueous element.

Q1. Routes from Waláta to Sansándi.

Most people who undertake this journey go from Waláta to Basikúnnu, and thence to Sansandi, along the track described above; for the direct route which I am now about to communicate, according to the statements of my two informants, leads through a district much frequented by Arabs from El Hódh, whom peaceful travelers endeavor to avoid. I first give the route according to Shekho Weled A'mmer Waláti.

1st day. Simberínne, a spot in the sand-hills only a short, or rather half a day's march.

2d. Ríni, a well.

3d. E' Shemín, a well of great depth.

4th. Sigánneját, a group of shallow wells dry in summer.

5th. Dendáre, a large tank or dhaye, site of a former ksar, with an extensive forest or "ghába."

6th. Kork, a wooded and hilly locality.

7th. El Barúk, a well.

8th. Búgla, a deep well surrounded by fine groups of the tédum or baobab. You pass on the road the wells El Ghánimát and Jelluk.

9th. El Tréik, a well, or El Mákrunát, a little farther on.

I here can not omit to express my admiration of Mr. Cooley's critical judgment, who, from the incomplete materials which he at the time possessed, arrived at the same conclusion in his researches on the Negroland of the Arabs. See especially p. 43.