“Next to Sanghee, on the west side, and north of Barghoo, the country of Malee is situated. It is a very extensive province, and inhabited by the Soodan, who, it is said, originated from the remnants of the Copts of Egypt. Among its inhabitants, some of the Tow-rooth, the Falateen, the Arabs, the Jews, and the Christians, are found. It is likewise supposed that their origin was from Sarankaly, or the Persians. It contains a gold mine, and has an anchorage or harbour for ships sent by two Christian sovereigns, since former periods. This country has always been in a flourishing state from times immemorial. It embraces the province of Banbara, which is very extensive, and contains rivers, forests, and a gold mine. The Soodan who inhabit it are very powerful, and to this time still infidels.
“Near to Banbara there is the province of the Tow-rooth, and that of Footá; which are extensive, and inhabited by their own people, and by those of Sarankaly, or Persians. The Tow-rooth nation, it is said, originated from the Jews, others say from the Christians, and others make them to be descendants of the Soodan of Banbara.
“Beyond the last mentioned countries there is only the province of Dámlá, or Damloo, which lies on the coast of the ocean. In it Mooslimanism is not known; and its inhabitants presume to hear the sound of the sun on reaching the meridian at noon. This country contains many wonderful, rare, and extraordinary things, which we are prevented from detailing by the pressure of time.
“Thus we now conclude what we intended to insert in this extract, for the purpose of giving an outline of the geography of the kingdom of Tak-roor.”
END OF PART FIRST.
N. B. The next, or Second Part, contains only the details of the actions and battles that took place when Bello’s father conquered these countries.
Observation.—It is proper here to explain, that the only deviation I made from the original is in dividing the Pamphlet into two parts, and separating the geographical from the military account.—A. S.
FOOTNOTES:
[73]On referring to the History of Yemen, by Mass-oodi, to ascertain the period at which these two sovereigns reigned, I find that the author of this pamphlet has made a mistake in asserting that Africus reigned anterior to Hemeera; whereas Hemeera ruled Yemen many hundred years previously to Africus, and that “Africus was the sovereign who removed the Barbars from Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, to their present countries.”
From the above-mentioned history (if it can be relied upon) it appears, that the reign of Hemeera was after the demise of the Prophet Heber, and that Africus reigned soon after the death of Alexander the Great. A. S.