I shall then devote particular attention to the general map of the travels.
ART. I.
EARLY TRAVELS OF M. CAILLIÉ.
M. Caillié undertook his first excursion in 1819. From St. Louis, he repaired to Goree by the usual route, that is to say, he set out from Gandiolle, and followed the seashore without finding any opportunity for making new observations. The whole of this coast is perfectly well known from surveys by officers of the royal navy.
In 1819, he associated himself with M. Adrien Partarrieu, who was about to rejoin the expedition of Major Gray: the latter was then in the Bondou, reduced to grievous extremities, and he sent for M. Partarrieu, to bring him assistance, of which the expedition stood in the utmost need.[48] It is to be regretted that M. Caillié took no notes of his stages during this journey; the line of route crossed that of M. Mollien, as well as that subsequently followed by Captain Beaufort. The caravan passed Boulibaba, a town inhabited by the Foulahs, and the situation of which is unknown. This whole route indeed, deserves to be determined and traced out on the maps: M.Caillié is amply justified in not having noted these particulars, knowing that M. Partarrieu was in possession of more accurate materials; whatever accounts or geographical observations the latter traveller has transmitted being every way worthy of attention. Information is wanting respecting the desert space which on this side separates Cayor from the Ghiolof, respecting Potaco in the country of Bondou, and the whole transverse line from Gandiolle to Boulibané, the capital of that state. M. Caillié left Boulibaba for Bakel, and returned with his fellow-travellers to St. Louis by water, without having any new observations to make upon the road.
M. Caillié’s third journey is more important, not only on account of its object, his initiation into the African manners and customs, and his preparation for an expedition into the interior and all its attendant hardships but more particularly for the curious descriptions which he has given of the journeys of the Moors in the deserts, of their stations hitherto nearly if not wholly unknown, and of the running or stagnant waters which he met with. It is to be wished that it had been possible to trace these positions upon the map; but I had not the means of fixing them with sufficient exactness. It will be remarked in reading this relation that the residence of the King of the Braknas is continually varying; he frequently dwells in the vicinity of the river Senegal and of the station known by the name of the Braknas. But in the wet season he penetrates farther into the desert; and when he removes his camp the entire population travels with him. The extent of space subject to this powerful tribe has been hitherto known only from east to west; but we learn from this account how far it reaches towards the north.
It would be desirable to geographers to learn the precise position of lake Aleg, that of the mountain called Ziré (a word which however is a generic term), and the limits of the great tribe of the Abou-sebas or el-Abou-sebah, the name of which is very differently and incorrectly written upon the recent maps: those who have supposed that the article formed part of the word, and that the termination might be retrenched have made out of it the word labos. Two terminations have been used sebas and sebah; the last only is correct.
I shall confine myself to a remark upon the relative position of Adar and the lake Aleg. According to our traveller, the distance from the one to the other is seven days’ journey: how then shall we reconcile the situation assigned to Adrar, not far from Ouâd-noun, which is more than thirty days distant from the territory usually attributed to the Braknas? It would be requisite that this territory should extend northwards even to the extremity of the Sahara, which is contrary to our received ideas, but perhaps not to the fact.
M. Caillié, having returned in May 1824 to St. Louis, and despairing to obtain the means necessary for accomplishing his purposes, determined to remove to Albreda on the Gambia, and thence to Sierra-Leone, where he succeeded in collecting some resources, by availing himself of his already acquired information. On the 22nd of May, 1827, he embarked at Sierra-Leone for Rio-Nuñez, where he arrived on the 31st. By the 5th of August he was established at Rebecca (or Rabougga): where he employed himself at once in completing the observations and information already extant upon the neighbouring tribes, the Nalous, the Bacos, and the Landamas[49], and in making preparations for his great expedition. He soon quitted this place for Kakondy: his activity, his perseverance, uncommon intelligence, and finally the fortunate circumstances of which he so skilfully took advantage, enabled him to set out on the 19th of the same month for Kankan. Ignorant as the world was of the situation of this town, it would seem that a happy foresight guided him in making choice of this direction, as in following it he crossed the rivers with which it was most important to be acquainted, in such a manner as to enable us tolerably well to assign their position and their distance from the ocean.