pence; several new officers are created, as matters of course; and this Report mentions two, which were not in contemplation of the Legislature; these are theCloset Keeper," and the "Receiver and Distributor of the Fund, allotted by Parliament to this object." The propriety of bringing such appointments before the Legislature by official Reports is obvious: it cannot now be said that these officers are unknown, or (if admitted by Parliament) unsanctioned. The following reasons justify their appoint

ment:

The Narrative of Robert Adams, a Sailor, who was wrecked on the Western coast of Africa, in the year 1810, was detained three years in slavery by the Arabs of the Great Desert, and resided several months in the city of Tombuctoo, 4to. pp. 231, price 25s. With a Map, Notes, and Appendix. London, printed for John Murray, 1816.

ignorant, we always form magnificent ON subjects concerning which we are ideas, says a proverb; and this is one The two last mentioned Places were source of the miseries discovered by created by the Lord Chief Commissioncr; experience, in human life. The perfinding that the Clerks appointed under the suasion that immense wealth is placed authority of the Act of Parliament, had so here, by nature, in the form of the much necessary occupation at places dis-precious metals, and elsewhere, in the tant from the Jury Court Office, and find-form of most valuable commodities,—in ing that the business of Suitors might be impeded, unless there was a constant atten- foreign countries, is very prevalent dance at Office hours there; and that much among maskind. The abundance of other necessary business arose, which could gold found by Columbus in America, only be done by a person who could has directed all eyes, ever since, in give constant attendance to the demands search of that splendid ore, under latiof the Suitors, he thought it incumbent on tudes more or less corresponding with him to appoint a Closet Keeper (the uame those visited by that discoverer. Interior given to an Officer of his description who Africa has long furnished gold in payacts in similar duties under the Clerks of ment for goods obtained from the merthe Court of Session); and he considered chants of the North; a considerable porthe payment of £150 a year, as there is a prohibition to receive Fees similar to that tion also of the returns made to the facimposed in the 38th Section of the Act of tories on the West has been in gold; Parliament, respecting the other Officers of and much more, since the cessation of Court, as a fit Salary to be paid to a Clo- the slave trade. set Keeper. He likewise considered it as fit to appoint a Receiver and Distributor of the Fund provided by the 12th Section of the Act of Parliament, with a Salary of £50 a year. Both these Salaries are paid out of the Fund provided by the Act of Parliament creating the Court,

Accounts received from slaves brought from the interior of Africa contributed to establish a persuasion that, that vast continent contained great cities, well policied, and highly civil zed; with a swarming population, especially in the neighbourhood, and along the banks, of fertilizing rivers; and, though it was By the last mentioned Section of the Act of Parliament, the Jury Court is empowered known, that immense deserts covered to hold its sittings in either of the Court much of the surface, yet conjecture Rooms of the Divisions of the Court of made ample amends, by affirming that, Session, or in the Court-room of the Ex-elsewhere the numbers of the human chequer. The expense and remuneration race were incalculable. attending which, is to be defrayed out of the fund of the Court. The expense of Circuits, and lighting, heating, stationary, &c. &c. and the Court expenses, are to be defrayed out of the fund of the Court. Theserts, agreed sufficiently with previous expense of providing a Mace and Seal of Court, ordered by an instrument under the Sign Manual of The Prince Regent acting for and in behalf of His Majesty, has been paid out of the fund of the Court.

What descriptions could be obtained from merchants who travelled in caravans which penetrated across the de

reports, and these authorities and not fail to add entertaining improvements calculated to excite the attention of those Europeans to whom the discoveries were addressed. In short, as the

antients concluded that beneath the Tropics the climate was too sultry to allow human life to exist-which we know to be false; so later days have been in danger of erring on the contrary side, and of believing that the richest, and the best peopled part of the Globe, was the inaccessible regions of interior Africa.

objects of comparison describe that as wonderful, which was to them uncommon; and that as superb, which exceeded the appearance of a miserable hut in their desert.

Surrounded by a wide waste of sand, the slightest verdure appears a beautiful meadow, by the force of contrast, to the impatient and suffering traveller. A town of moderate size easily passes for a city, to the eye which for thirty, or forty, or fifty days in succession, has sought in vain for any trace of human existence. A small degree of animation in manner, with a slight hyperbole in description, raises ideas in the mind of a hearer which incalculably exceed the truth, though for a while, they cannot be distinguished from it.

Truth, as usual lies in the medium. We are not convinced that the mines south of the bed of the river, in the territory of Tombuctoo, are so rich, that the persons who are daily employed in working them, receive as a perquisite, or as remuneration for their labours, all lumps not weighing two ounces of solid gold;---while they deliver to the Sultan, all above that weight; which he adds to his already The adventurer whose narrative is enormous heaps, in his royal palaces." contained in this volume, beheld TomWe are not convinced, that Tombuctoo buctoo under no prejudice in its favour. may boast of an extensive library, con- Though an ignorant man, unable to read sisting of Manuscripts in various lanor write, he had seen the cities of Ameguages; with "probably, many trans-rica, perhaps of Europe; and not gifted lations from Greek and Latin authors at present unknown to Europeans." Says Mr. Jackson,

with the power of observation beyond the most ordinary degree, yet some things he must have remarked, some occurrences he must have noted, some distresses he must have felt, and after making all allowances for the agitation of his mind on various occasions, and the torpidity of it on various others, we may be allowed to consider his report as containing much that is true, intermingled among much that is not intentionally false, but only incorrect by reason of imperfect recollection.

The police of this extraordinary place is extolled, as surpassing any thing of the kind on this side of the Desert; robberies and house-breaking are scarcely known; the peaceable inhabitants of the town each following their respective avocation, interfere with nothing but what concerns them. The government of the city is entrusted to a Divan of twelve Alemma, or men learned in the Koran, and an umpire, who retain their appointments, which they receive from the king of Bambarra, three years. The power of the Alemma is great, and A mind previously stored with knowtheir falling into the mass of citizens after ledge, and in the habit of observation, the expiration of the above period, obliges must have been by far too ill at ease to them to act uprightly, as their good or bad have taken advantage, except of casual administration of justice either acquits or opportunities: the hardships of a desert condemns them after the expiration of their life, and of a state of slavery, a scorchtemporary power. The civil jurisprudenceing sun, a burning sand, a harsh masis directed by a Cadi, who decides all judicial preceedings according to the spirit of the Koran; he has twelve talbs of the law, or attornies, attending him, each of whom has a separate department of justice to engage his daily attention.

Now it should be recollected, that these accounts are derived from barbarians, slaves, who regret their own country, in which recollection depicts every thing as great and excellent; or from Moorish traders, who having no

ter, with scanty fare, and exacted labour, would indispose the strongest mind;-if indeed, the strongest mind could support them equally, with the hardy, but thoughtless, sailor; whose bodily wants would be fewer, while his mental wants would be unfelt.

The pains taken by the Editor to establish a confidence in Adams's narration are greatly to the credit of his diligence, and of his anxiety after truth. Perhaps,

the most remarkable incident of the whole is, his being discovered in Loudon at that point of time, when Tombuctoo was the object of research; when the nation by its government had fitted out expeditions to explore the regions and rivers leading to that Emporium of Commerce, in order to accomplish by perseverance that attempt in which Mungo Parke had unfortunately failed.

This incidental mention of Mungo Parke, induces us to explain the extremely slight tenure of that hope, at which our newspapers and others have anxiously caught, of the preservation of that intrepid traveller. They have been induced to this from the following paragraph.

Among the negro slaves at Wadinoon

was a woman, who said she came from a place called Kanno, a long way across the desert, and that she had seen in her own country, white men, as white as bather," meaning the wall, and in a large boat with two high sticks in it, with cloth upon them, and that they rowed this boat in a mauner different from the custom of the negroes, who use paddles: in stating this, she made the motion of rowing with oars, so as to leave no doubt that she had seen a vessel in the European fashion, manned by white people.

faces are covered to the eyes, by their turbaus folding round their necks and faces, Their weapons are swords, bows. arrows, and lances. When they engage in battle, each man selects an autagonist, they therefore never risk an engagement unless they think themselves superior in number, or at least equal to their enemy, resembling in this respect the Chinese. They are represented as a grossly superstitious people; their bodies as well as their horses being covered with herrez) charms, or amulets.

About fifteen (erbellat) journies east of Timbuctoo, is an immense lake, called (El Bahar Soudan) the Sea of Soudan; on which are decked vessels, and the borders of it are inhabited by the above people; they brought, in or about the year 1793, some of their decked vessels to Timbuctoo, and transported thence goods to Jinnie; but as they were ascertained to be neither Arabs, Moors, Negroes, Shellubs, nor Berebbers, the boatmen of Timbuctoo complained to the Cadi, that if these people were permitted to go to aud from Jinnie, they would lose their business, as their boats performed the passage at less expense, and in half the time. On this suggestion the Cadi ordered them out of the country: some report that they were all poisoned, and their boats broken to pieces, and that since then none of their vessels have been used westward of this lake: the boats are described to be about forty cubits in length, eight in breadth, having the planks Mr. Cock, the Editor, in a note on this fastened together by shreet, or bass rope, passage, points out the inconsistencies of and carry one hundred and fifty or two Isaaco's story of Parke's death; but hundred men, and forty tons of goods; they have no sails, but when the wind is concludes with a hopeless inference. favourable, two oars are set up perpendicu The notion of any reference to Parke,arly on each side of the boat, to which is in this woman's statement, must have vanished before a paragraph in Mr. Jackson's account of Tombuctoo, which as it brings us acquainted with a people extremely singular, and is unexpectedly confirmed by this testimony in Adams's narrative, we readily submit to our readers.

In some part of the country between Timbuctoo and Casina, or Cashua, which is called (Beb Houssa) the Entrance of Houssa, is discovered a race of people, whom the Arabs compare to the English, alleging, that they speak a distinct language of their own, different from all the others known in Africa, and that it resembles the whistling of birds, to which they compare the English language! The people ride on saddles, similar to those of England, and wear rowelled spurs, the only nation in Africa that does, without shoes. Their

fastened a large hayk, or spreading garment, which serves as a substitute for a sail: these couts are rowed by sixteen oars: at night they come to anchor by throwing a large stone overboard tied to a rope or cable, as before mentioned, which serves as au au

chor.

Whether a better acquaintance with these navigators, might not prove ample gratification for all our research in obtaining a communication with them, is not within the compass of our present enquiry: we therefore return from this digression to Adams.

The ship Charles, John Horton, master, of 280 tons, sailed from New York, June 17, 1810, with provisions for Gibraltar.

The number of the crew, among which was Adams, was nine; the cargo was discharged at Gibraltar, ano

ther was taken on board, with an additional sailor. The Captain steered southward along the coast of Africa, stating that he was bound to the Isle of May. October 11, the vessel struck on a reef of rocks, that extended about three quarters of a mile into the sea. The place, according to the Captain's reckoning, was about four hundred miles north of Senegal. At day break, they were made prisoners by Moors, who divided the captives among them. Adams, with a youth named Stevens, a Portuguese, was carried inland, across tedious desert, where these Arabs waylaid a negro village, watching for slaves, but were detected and taken. From hence they were sent to Tombuctoo. It was in this character that Adams, with his fellow prisoner, reached that

town.

a

The dress of the King was a blue nankeen frock decorated with gold, having gold epaulettes, and a broad wristband of the same metal. He sometimes wore a When he walked through the town he was turba; but often went bare-headed. generally a little in advance of his party. His subjects saluted him by inclinations of Upon their arrival at Tombuctoo, the the head and body; or by touching his whole party was immediately taken beforehead with their hands, and then kissing the King, who ordered the Moors into pri- their hands. When he received his subson, but treated Adams and the Portuguesejects in his palace, it was his custom to sit boy as curiosities; taking them to his house, on the ground, and their mode of saluting where they remained during their resi-him on such occasions was by kissing his dence at Tombuctoo.

For some time after their arrival, the Queen and her female attendants used to sit and look at Adams and his companion for hours together. She treated them with great kindness, and at the first interview offered them some bread baked under

ashes.

The King and Queen, the former of whom was named Woollo, the latter Fatima, were very old grey-beaded people. The Queen was extremely fat. Her dress was of blue nankeen, edged with gold lace round the bosom aud on the shoulder, and having a belt or stripe of the same material half way down the dress, which came only a few inches below the knees. The dress of the other females of Tombuctoo, though less ornamented than that of the Queen, was in the same short fashion, so that as they wore no close under garments, they might, when sitting on the ground, as far as decency was concerned, as well have had no covering at all. The Queen's headdress consisted of a blue nankeen turban; but this was worn only upon occasions of ceremony, or when she walked out. Besides

the turban, she had her hair stuck full of

boue ornaments of a square shape about the size of dice, extremely white; she had large gold hoop ear-rings, and many necklaces, some of them of gold, the others made of beads of various colours. She

head.

The King's house, or palace, which is built of clay and grass, (not white-washed) consists of eight or ten small rooms on the ground floor; and is surrounded by a wail of the same materials, against part of which the house is built. The space within the wall is about half an acre. Whenever a trader arrives, he is required to bring his merchandize into this space for the inspection of the King, for the purpose, Adams thinks, (but is not certain,) of duties being charged upon it. The King's attendants, who are with him all the day, generally consist of about thirty persons, several of whom are armed with daggers and bows and arrows. Adams does not know if he

had any family.

In a store-room of the King's house Adams observed about twenty muskets, apparently of French manufacture, one of them double-barreled; but he never saw them made use of.

For a considerable time after the arriv al of Adams and his companion, the people used to come in crowds to stare at them; and he afterwards understood that many persons came several days' journey on pur pose. The Moors remained closely con. Portuguese boy had permission to visit fined in prison; but Adams and the Por.

* Adams's expression.

them. At the end of about six months, there arrived a company of trading Moors with tobacco, who after some weeks ransomed the whole party. Adams does not know the precise quantity of tobacco which was paid for them, but it consisted of the lading of five camels, with the exception of about fifty pounds weight reserved by the Moors. These Moors seemed to be well known at Tombuctoo, which place, he understood, they were accustomed to visit every year during the rainy season.

Tombuctoo has no walls, nor any thing resembling a fortification; it is built in a straggling manner; the houses are square boxes, made of sticks, clay and grass; the rooms are all on the ground floor; they have no furniture, except earthen jars, wooden bowls, and grass mats, on which the people sleep. It does not stand on the great river Neele, 'or the Joliba, but ten or twelve miles distant from it, on a stream that runs into it.

The natives of Tombuctoo are a stout, healthy race, and are seldom sick, although they expose themselves by lying out in the sna at mid-day, when the heat is almost insupportable to a white man. It is the universal practice of both sexes to grease themselves all over with butter produced from goat's milk, which makes the skin smooth, and gives it a shining appearance. This is usually renewed every day; when neglected, the skin becomes rough, greyish, and extremely ugly. They usually sleep under cover at night; but sometimes in the hottest weather, they will lie exposed to the night air with little or no covering, notwithstanding that the fog which rises from the river descends like dew, and in fact, at that season, supplies the want of rain.

Except the King and Queen and their companions, who had a change of dress about once a week, the people were in general very dirty, sometimes not washing themselves for twelve or fourteen days together. Besides the Queen, who, as has been already stated, wore a profusion of ivory and bone ornaments in her hair, some of a square shape and others about as thick as a shilling, but rather smaller, (strings of which she also wore about her wrists and ankles) many of the women were decorated in a similar manner; and they seemed to consider hardly any fa-, vour too great to be conferred on the person who would make them a present of these precious ornaments. Gold ear-rings were much worn. Some of the women had also rings on their fingers; but these appeared to Adams to be of brass; and as many of the latter had letters upon them (but whether in the Roman or Arabic characters, Adams cannot tell) he concluded both from this circumstance, and from their workmanship, that they were not made by the Negroes, but obtained from the Moorish traders.

It does not appear that they have any public religion, as they have no house of worship, no priest, and as far as Adams could discover, never meet together to pray. The only ceremony that appeared like an act of prayer was on occasion of the death of any of the inhabitants, when their relatives assembled and sat round the corpse. The burial is unattended with any ceremony. The deceased are buried in the clothes in which they die, at a small distance to the south west of the town.

Adams does not believe that any of the Negroes could write. He can form no idea of the population of Tombuctoo; but thinks that on one occasion, he saw sembled. He did not observe any shops; as many as two thousand inhabitants ashe never saw the Negroes find any gold; but he understood, that it was procured out of the mountains, and on the banks of rivers to the southward; no doubt, in the manner described by Parke. He saw no rain, except a few drops just before his departure; yet there is rain in winter. He never saw the Joliba; but had heard it mentioned. Moors are not settled in this city; they are only al

All the males of Tombuctoo have an incision on their faces from the top of the forehead down to the nose, from which proceed other lateral incisions over the eyebrows, into all of which is inserted a blue dye, produced from a kind of ore which is found in the neighbouring mountains. The women have also incisions on their faces, but in a different fashion; the lines being from two to five in number, cut on each cheek bone, from the temple straight downwards they are also stained with blue. These incisions being made on the faces of both sexes when they are about twelve months old, the dyeing ma-lowed to trade there.

terial which is inserted in them becomes scarcely visible as they grow up.

Very different are these particulars from those formerly in circulation; they