The obscurity of this recital must be confessed: it arises chiefly from the different ways of reading proper names, in supplying the orthographical signs often wanting in manuscripts. Thus Burckhardt has read تغاري Tegherry, the same name which Kosegarten had read تغازا Taghazza, which would bring the traveller into the country of Fez very far from the Sahara. Tas-hala, a commercial town is perhaps Tychyt: Aboulaten ابولاتن is confounded with Eyoulaten ايولاتن or Oualet. Maly or Mala ماي is perhaps Sala سالي, Nekda نكدا for Tagada تكدا &c.

The places in the neighbourhood of Timbuctoo, according to Ben-Batouta, are Kabera and Zaghah. We still know Cabra, and the second of these names reminds us of the Meczara of el-Edricy, and the Mar-Zaghah or Marzarah of other accounts. Thus the distance of the places with which M. Caillié became acquainted, and which in consequence I have placed upon the general map of the Travels, Tychyt, Oualet, Sala, Cabra, and Timbuctoo, would nearly agree with the description of Ben-Batouta: I say nothing here respecting the direction of the rivers.

Few itinerary distances are to be found in the relations compiled from the discoveries of the Portuguese on this coast of Africa. They have carefully concealed the positive documents which they may have collected, lest the other nations of Europe should rival them in their commerce. We read in the Decades of Barros that they had much intercourse with the two kingdoms of Toucourof and Timbuctoo. It is not demonstrated that the first of these names is identical with Takrour,[31] and consequently this passage will not prove that the countries of Takrour and Timbuctoo are distinct.

In the time of Leo Africanus, who travelled in the early part of the sixteenth century, the prosperity of Timbuctoo had declined in favour of the town of Djenné, which is still, by the report of M. Caillié, more considerable and commercial than the former city. According to Leo, the river which runs near Timbuctoo takes a westerly direction. “We navigated,” says he, “coming from the kingdom of Tombuto, to the east, and following the course of the stream, towards the kingdom of Ghinea, and as far as the kingdom of Melli, which are both to the west of Tombo.” This assertion is not confirmed by the French traveller. Even if we suppose that one of the two branches, which he saw near that city was a tributary, and not a derivative branch, and that he had not perceived the distinction, (which must appear very extraordinary), this hypothesis would be contradicted, since it was reported to him by the inhabitants that this arm rejoined the principal stream at some distance.

With the exception of Leo, (who was a Moor born at Grenada), and the Portuguese, concerning whom we have but uncertain accounts, transmitted by Marmol and Barros, the first European who reached Timbuctoo was Francis Paul Imbert, born at Sables-d’Olonne, in the native province of Réné Caillié; his journey was anterior to the year 1670. He accompanied his master, a Portuguese renegado, sent to Timbuctoo by the governor of Tafilet. From the little that is known of his travels, we learn that the distance from Morocco to Timbuctoo is four hundred leagues, and that it is considered a two months’ journey. This route was nearly the same as that followed by M. Caillié, at least as far as Tafilet: the time also is the same. Again, the calculation of four hundred leagues agrees very well with that of M. Caillié. Three other routes have been attempted by Europeans for penetrating to the centre of Northern Africa; that of the Senegambia, that of Tripoli, and that of Egypt and the Upper Nile. The first is certainly the shortest; the second is full of obstacles; and the last, though the longest, will probably be one day preferred by the intelligent traveller, as the most instructive, the most fruitful in discoveries, and for other reasons. I say nothing of a fourth course, that of the Gulph of Benin, which at this time engages the attention of England, but which, notwithstanding the numerous rivers terminating in that part, seems to offer very little prospect of success. To penetrate into the interior by the Rivers of Senegal, Gambia, or Sierra-Leone, was the most natural enterprize, not only on account of the proximity, but also with a view to the necessity of tracing to its source that vast stream which runs near Timbuctoo: a question of no less importance than the problem of the sources of the Nile, and, which is become almost as celebrated with the moderns, as the other was amongst the ancients. It is also observable that of forty-two European travellers, twenty-two are supposed to have taken this route, independently of six Europeans shipwrecked on that coast, carried into the interior by the Moors, and who have collected information respecting either Timbuctoo or other central countries. These travellers not having for the most part pursued the same track with M. Caillié, and an abridged history of their discoveries having been already compiled by M. Walckenaer and other learned geographers, I consider it altogether superfluous to review them. The reader will have double cause to rejoice in the curtailment of these observations, and in being at the same time directed to such excellent sources of information. I shall only state from these various authorities, the epoch and extent of the principal journeys, succinctly analyzing those which present a line of route crossed by that of M. Caillié, or which have something in common with it. The reader will thus have before him a striking picture of the several efforts made, with admirable perseverance, by Europeans, during the last two centuries and a half.

In 1588,Thompsonreached Tendaby the Gambia
1620,Robert Jobson—idem.—idem.
1670,Paul Imbert—Timbuctoo—Morocco
1698,De Brué—Galam—Saint-Louis
1715,Compagnon—Bambouk—idem.
1723,Stibbs—„—Gambia
1731,Moore—Bambouk—the Gambia
1742,De Flandre—„—Saint-Louis
1749,Adanson—„—idem.
1784,Follier—„—Coasts of Nun.
1785,Sanguier—„—idem.
1785,Brisson—„—idem.
1786,Ruband—Galam—Saint-Louis
1787,Picard—Fouta-Toro—idem.
1791,Houghton—L-Oud-Amar—Gambia
1792,Browne—Darfour—Egypt
1794,⎰Watt⎱—Timbo—Rio-Nuñez
⎱Winterbottom⎰
1795,Mungo Park—Silla on the Dhioliba—Gambia
1798,Hornemann—Nyffé—Egypt
1805,Mungo Park—Boussa—Gambia
1809,Roentgen—„—Magador
1810,Robert Adams—Timbuctoo—the western coast of Africa
1815,Riley—„—idem.
1817,Peddie—Kakondy—Rio-Nuñez
—Campbell—Pandjicotte—idem.
—Badia—„—Egypt
1818,Mollien—Timbo—Saint-Louis
1818,⎱Gray—Fouladou—Gambia
1819,⎰
—Dochard—Yamina—idem.
—Bowdich—Coumassie—Gold Coast
—Ritchie—Fezzan—Tripoli
—Lyon—„—idem.
1820,Cochelet—Ouad-Noun—west coast of Africa
1822,Laing—Falaba—Sierra-Leone
1823,⎰Oudney⎱—⎰
⎱		Mandara
Saccatoo		⎱
⎰		—Tripoli
Denham
⎱Clapperton⎰
1827,⎰Clapperton⎱—Saccatoo—Gulph of Benin
⎱Lander⎰
1827,Laing—Timbuctoo—Tripoli
1827,
1828,		⎱
⎰		Réné Caillié—⎰Timé⎱—Senegambia
Jenné
⎱Timbuctoo⎰

To this list may be added Ledyard and Lucas, in 1788, Nicholls, in 1805, Seetzen and Tuckey, in 1816, and P. Rouzée, in 1817, who took different routes, and did not succeed in penetrating into the interior.

Twenty-five Englishmen figure in this list, with fourteen Frenchmen, two Americans, and one German: but there are few of them, alas! since Major Houghton, who have not fallen victims to their heroic devotion, in the midst of their career.

Before setting out on his great journey M. Caillié had visited the interior of the deserts frequented by the Brakna and Dowich Moors; he had also accompanied M. Adrien Partarrieu, attached to the expedition of Major Gray.

He then followed or traversed the route of Major Houghton, going to the Ludamar of Mungo Park, (or rather the country of Eli-Oud-Amar[32]) and those of Major Gray and Surgeon Dochard, the one to Falimé, the other to Yamina. But, as he kept no regular notes of his peregrinations in this portion of Africa, I have no means of comparing them with those of the three former travellers. It is otherwise with the routes of Watt and Winterbottom, who in 1794 arrived at Timbo and Labé by the Rio-Nuñez; there they learnt that a four months’ journey would lead them to Timbuctoo, by way of Belia, Bouria, Manda, Sego, Sousundou and Genati[33].