From Agadez to Cashna is seventeen days; which, at fifteen miles per day, give a distance of two hundred and fifty-five miles. The bearing is said to be South South West. Cashna, then, will stand in or about the latitude of 16° 20′ North, and about a degree and half West from Tripoli.
D’Anville’s Casseenah (undoubtedly meant for Cashna) is placed about thirty-seven miles to the North West of the position assumed in the accompanying Map; whence I consider mine as a near approximation, especially as the distance from Mesurata is upwards of nine hundred and seventy miles.
Cashna may be regarded as the central kingdom of the great body of Africa; and as a part of the region named Soudan, of which at present but few particulars are known.
Ghanah, or Ghinnah, is placed, in respect of Cashna, according to M. D’Anville’s Map. It does not appear whether he had any authority for placing it ninety miles to the North East of Cashna: but its position, in respect of the City of Nuabia, (antiently Meroé, on the Nile) is on the authority of Edrisi. This Author also allows twelve days between Agadez and Ghanah: and by my construction, they are two hundred and eight miles asunder. See Geog. Nubiensis, p. 39. Ghanah was in the twelfth century a city of the first consequence. Wangara and Kanem, were also known to Edrisi.
The river known to Europeans by the name of Niger, runs on the South of the kingdom of Cashna, in its course towards Tombuctou; and if the report which Ben Alli heard in that town, may be credited, it is afterwards lost in the sands on the South of the country of Tombuctou. In the Map, only the known part of its course is marked by a line; and the suppositious part by dots. It may be proper to observe, that the Africans have two names for this river; that is, Neel il Abeed, or River of the Negros; and Neel il Kibeer, or the Great River. They also term the Nile, (that is, the Egyptian River) Neel Shem: so that the term Neel, from whence our Nile, is nothing more than the appellative of River; like Ganges, or Sinde.
From Cashna the road leads Westward to the Kingdom of Gonjah, ninety-seven days journey from the former. Gonjah, is, from circumstances, the Conche of M. D’Anville, and the Gonge of M. Delisle; and the similitude of names, however great, is the least proof it: for the Itinerary of the Shereef Imhammed says, that eighteen or twenty days from Gonjah, towards the North West (or between the West and North) lies the Country of Yarba: and eight days farther West, that of Affow. Now the countries of Yarra and Yaffon, will be found in Delisle’s Map of Senegal (1726), nearly in the position that Yarba and Affow take in respect of Gonjah; supposing D’Anville’s Conche to be meant for it. It is extremely difficult to assign a ratio for the decrease of the horizontal distance, on so extended a line as ninety-seven days journey; and therefore it would be losing time to attempt it. Gonjah, by circumstances, is about eight hundred and seventy miles from Cashna, which allows only nine miles for each day. I therefore conclude that the road is very circuitous.
Gonjah is reported by the Shereef to be forty-six days journey from the Coast of Guinea, to which the Christians trade. It is probable that the Gold Coast is the part meant, and that may be taken at five hundred and thirty miles from D’Anville’s Conché. The ratio, at thirteen per day, would give near six hundred. Here again, it would be losing of time, to reason on such a point of uncertainty, since neither of the extreme points of the line of distance are correctly known. The Reader must therefore determine for himself. Of this space of forty-six days travelling, from Gonjah towards the Coast, the Shereef had travelled only the first ten days, to the City of Kalanshee, a dependency of the Kingdom of Tounouwah; the capital of which, according to his report, is Assentai (the Assianté of D’Anville) situated midway between Kalanshee and the sea coast: that is, eighteen days journey from each. The Shereef also reports, that there is no communication between this coast (which we may suppose to be the Gold Coast) and the country of Gonjah: for that the King of Assentai, who possesses the space between, prohibits his Inland Neighbours from passing through his country.
But Mr. Norris, a gentleman who resided many years in Whydah, &c. reports differently: for he says, that there are other States, (that is, the Fantees, and their confederates) lying between Assentai and the sea; and that the Assentais have often attempted, but without success, to open a communication with the Coast.
To return to the route from Cashna to Gonjah. There are between them some extensive kingdoms or states, most of which appear to preserve their antient religion. I have generally marked the progress of the Mahomedan Religion, by a crescent; and the Caffre States by an arbitrary mark of a different kind.
It will appear by a slight inspection of the Map, that the Mahomedan Religion, as far as respects the Interior Part of the Country, has spread southward, to about the parallel of twelve degrees of North latitude. Probably though, in some of those countries where the Court religion is Mahomedan, the bulk of the people may profess the antient religion.