Probably the strong desire of the sheikh to improve the state of his country, and the habits of his people, cannot be better exemplified than in his having given me the designs for three coins, which he entreated might be laid before the king of England, with his request to have the stamp and apparatus for striking money, so that he might introduce a more convenient medium of exchange than the one at present in use amongst them; one of these pieces of money he intended should be of gold, a second of silver, and the third of iron. This chief, also, as well as all the principal people, entreated that some one of our party should remain in their country, “to receive,” as they said, “the English merchants that were coming.” And it was under the idea of securing to ourselves the great advantages we had gained, by so firm a footing in the very centre of Africa, as the sheikh’s friendship enabled us to boast of, that I recommended Mr. Tyrwhitt’s remaining at Kouka, with all the privileges granted to Barbary consuls, until the pleasure of His Majesty’s Government should be known.

I consider the establishment of a friendly intercourse with this potentate beyond the Great Desert, by whose means the unknown parts of Africa may at no distant period be visited, of the greatest importance, in every point of view. By encouraging a commercial intercourse, all the objects of African discovery must be advanced: not alone will the cause of science and research be benefited, but the real philanthropist must see, that an opening is now made, by means of which, with judicious arrangements, thousands of his fellow beings may be saved from slavery.

Until introduced by the Moors, the trading in slaves was little known amongst them; the prisoners taken in battle served them, and were given as portions to their children, on their marriage, for the same duties; but they were seldom sold. Even now the greater part of the household of a man of rank are free, with the exception of the women, who often die in the service of the master of their youth. They are treated always like the children of the house, and corporal punishment is a rare occurrence amongst them. I have more than once known a Bornouese, on his morning visit to my hut, say, with tears, that he had sent a slave to be sold, who had been three years a part of his family: then he would add, “but the devil has got into her, and how could I keep her after that?”

In short, it is to the pernicious principles of the Moorish traders, whose avaricious brutality is beyond all belief, that the traffic for slaves in the interior of Africa not only owes its origin, but its continuance. They refuse all other modes of payment for the articles which they bring with them; they well know the eagerness with which these articles are sought after; and by offering what appears to the natives an amazing price, tempt them to sell their brethren, to the most inhuman of all human beings, while they gain in Fezzan, Bengazi, and Egypt, sometimes a profit of 500 per cent. I am not, however, without hopes, that a more extended intercourse with Barbary might detach even the proverbially unfeeling Moor from dealing in human flesh; and it was with feelings of the highest satisfaction that I listened to some of the most respectable of the merchants, when they declared, that were any other system of trading adopted, they would gladly embrace it, in preference to dealing in slaves: knowing, too, how often we interfered to ameliorate the situation of any of these unfortunates, when they were oppressed or ill-treated, they would continually point out to us, as if to excite our approbation, how well dressed, and well fed, their own slaves were, in comparison with those of others, as we traversed the Desert, on our return to Tripoli.

D. D.

FOOTNOTES:

[63]Tirab, his favourite Shouaa chief, was intrusted with this duty, and acquired the name of Bagah-furby, Gatherer of horses.

A horse of the best breed in this country, which was sent by the Sheikh of Bornou as a present to His Majesty, is described by Mr. Sewell as possessing great strength, to be supple, and extremely active. He also adds, “His movements remind me strongly of the brown Dongala horse, whose picture I have.”

[64]The articles most in request amongst the Negro nations are:—

Writing paper, on which the profit isenormous.
Coral barrelled, and imitationcoral.
Printed cottons of all kinds, with agreat deal of red and yellow in the pattern.
Coloured silks, in pieces for largeshirts and shifts, of the most gaudy patterns.
Imitations of damask, worked with goldthread, and flowers.
Common red cloth.
Green do.
White barracans, purchased inTripoli.
Small looking-glasses.
White bornouses, purchased inTripoli.
Small carpets, five or six feet long,purchased in Tripoli.
English carpets of the same size wouldsell better, and might be bought at one-third of the price ofTurkish ones.
Ornamented cheap pistols, with longbarrels.
Common razors.
Red caps, purchased in Tripoli.
Turbans of all descriptions, large amber,for the Kanemboo women, and the Shouaas.
Common China basins, much esteemed.
Coffee cups.
Brass basins, tinned in the inside.
Red breeches, made up.
Cotton caftans, striped, made up.
Pieces of striped cotton.
Handkerchiefs, and coarse whitemuslin.
Large shirts or tobes, ready made, ofstriped cottons, and white calico.
Coarse white calico.⎱
⎰		much esteemed.
Fine do.do.
Frankincense,⎫
⎬
⎭		purchased of the Jewsin Tripoli, or Leghorn.
Ottaria,
Spices,
The beads most in demand, indeed the onlyones that they will purchase, are:—
H’raz-el mekka, white glass beads,with a flower.
Merjan tiddoo, mock coral.
Quamur, white sand beads.
Quamar m’zein, small black beads,with yellow stripes.
H’raz-el pimmel, ant’s head bead,with black stripes.
Contembali, red and white.
Hazam el bashaw, the bashaw’ssash.
Sbgha m’kerbub, red pebble, fromTrieste.
Sbgha toweel, long bead.
H’shem battura, Arab’s nose, a largered bead.
Arms of all descriptions, of an inferiorquality, will always meet with a ready sale, as well as balls oflead, and what we call swan-shot.