Leo says, p. 248, 249, that the merchants of his country (I conceive he means Barbary) call the country in question, Gheneoa; that its proper inhabitants call it Genni: but the Portugueze, and other Europeans, Ginea.[120] He says that it is situated to the west of Tombuctoo, that is between Tombuctoo and Gualata:[121] that it has an extent of several hundred miles along the Niger, even to the place where it discharges itself into the sea. Again, says he, the kingdom of Melli borders on Ginea, southward; and on the west, are vast forests, which extend to the sea. And finally, he places the kingdom of Gago to the east of Melli.
Now nothing is more certain, than that the space on the west of Tombuctoo and Gago, is occupied by nations, very different from those of Ginea (by which Ghana is to be understood) and Melli: as also that the space assigned by Leo, to Ginea, is a remarkably dry, sandy, country; being either adjacent to, or forming a part of the Sahara: whereas Ginea is described by him to be a tract, which, during the inundations of the Niger, in July, August, and September, is inclosed like an island.
It is however not improbable, that Leo, who it appears had visited Tombuctoo (but who certainly never saw the Niger, which is about 12 miles beyond it), might confound the city of Jenné, which is situated in a small island in the Niger, and to the west of Tombuctoo, with the kingdom of Ghana (his Ginea), on the east: but as to Melli, that is quite out of the question, in respect of any mistake of the like kind; and could only be placed on the west of Gago, in order that it might preserve its southerly position in respect of Ginea. Thus one mistake seems to have produced the other.
The position of Ghana (or Ginny according to Mr. Matra), at 40 journies to the eastward of Tombuctoo, has been already detailed, in [page lix.] And this is, no doubt, the Ginea intended by those, from whom Leo collected his information respecting the country itself, whose geography he has so much erred in.
The kingdom of Melli had been reported to Cadamosta, when he made inquiries concerning the interior of Africa, about the year 1455. He was told that Tombuctoo, (whose general position was not ill described to him, at about 60 journies inland from Arguin,[122]) was supplied with mineral salt from Tegazza, 40 journies to the westward. That the same salt mine supplied Melli, 30 journies beyond Tombuctoo, the salt passing through the latter place.[123] (We must here suppose that the capital of Melli, called by the same name as the country, is meant as the term of this journey). Hence we should naturally look for Melli on the eastward of Tombuctoo, as will presently appear, and not on the SW, as is expressed in Astley.[124] No doubt, SE was meant: for Edrisi has a city of the name of Malel, at 10 journies to the south of Berissa,[125] and 12 from the city of Ghana: and this position actually falls at 30 journies to the ESE of Tombuctoo; agreeing to the distance reported by Cadamosta.
But Edrisi does not call the country Melli, but Lamlem. However, it can be no other than the Melli of Leo, and Cadamosta: for Edrisi says (p. 8 and 11), that it is situated to the south of Ghana and Berissa, and has on the east the country of Wangara (Vancara), which agrees to the tract in which Malel is situated. Hartmann supposes, (p. 39,) with great appearance of truth, that Lamlem is a transposition of Melli: and I have met with similar instances in the translation of Arabic words and numbers. Thus Leo’s ideas were evidently wrong, respecting the situations of Ghana and Melli; which lie to the eastward of Tombuctoo, although he places them to the west. The place of Melli is occupied, in his description, by Guber (which Mr. Beaufoy learnt, was to the south of Wangara); whilst that of Ghana remains unoccupied; unless we suppose it to be included in the empire of Tombuctoo, which is implied (p. 254), when he speaks of Wangara (Guangara) as being troubled on the west by the King of Tombuctoo, and on the east by him of Bornou: and as he also speaks of Tombuctoo as the largest empire in Nigritia, (p. 4.)
In the position of Wangara,[126] he is right; for it lies between Zanfara, and Bornou: but he seems not to have known that it was intersected by the Niger, and formed of its alluvions, as Edrisi points out to us.[127] But Leo learnt one important particular as a merchant, that the southern quarter of it, produced gold, in abundance. As I shall have occasion to speak more fully of this country, when the course of the Niger comes under consideration, it will be unnecessary to say more of it, in this place.
Kassina is removed by Leo, from the banks of the Niger, its proper situation, far inland, to the east of Cano, or Ganat,[128] (p. 253.) This is another proof of his writing from hearsay. Kassina is not heard of, in Edrisi; it no doubt was included in Ghana, at that day.
Leo is silent respecting Tokrur or Tekrur. This appears to have been the metropolis of the great central empire of Africa, in the time of Edrisi and Abulfeda; and must have existed in later times; as the Tukorol, to whose prince the Portugueze sent an ambassador about the year 1493, may be taken for the same place. It may, however, have been swallowed up in the empire of Tombuctoo, which was founded after the time of Edrisi, and before the date of Leo’s writing. But as the city of Tombuctoo gave name to the empire, so might Tokrur; and this latter may have fallen so much to decay, as to be little known in the present times: and this may account for Mr. Park’s not being able to learn any tidings of it. And finally, as Leo had not heard of Houssa, we may conclude that it is a city of a yet later date; and which may possibly have superseded Tokrur. Such a fluctuation of names, serves as much to confound geographers in the political division of Africa, as the various opinions of those who have written on the physical geography, do, respecting the relative position of places, and the courses of its rivers.