Timbuctoo is the great emporium for all the country of the blacks,
and even for Marocco and Alexandria.
The principal articles of merchandise are tobacco, kameemas[35],
beads of all colours for necklaces, and cowries, which are bought
21 at Fas by the pound.[36] Small Dutch looking glasses, some of which
are convex, set in gilt paper frames. They carry neither swords,
muskets, nor knives, except such as are wanted in the caravan. At
the entrance of the desert they buy rock-salt[37] of the Arabs, who
bring it to them in loads ready packed, which they carry as an
article of trade. In their caravan there were about 500 camels, of
which about 150 or 200 were laden with salt. The camels carry less
of salt than of any other article, because (being rock-salt) it
wears their sides. They pay these Arabs from twenty to fifteen
ounces[38] of Barbary money per load. An ounce of Barbary is worth
about _6d._, and a ducat is worth about _5s._ sterling. They sell
this salt at Timbuctoo upon an average at 50 per cent. profit; it
is more profitable than linen. They take no oil from Barbary to
Timbuctoo as they are supplied from other places with fish-oil used
for lamps but not for food; they make soap with the oil. The
returns are made in gold-dust, slaves, ivory, and pepper; gold-dust
is preferred and is brought to Timbuctoo from Housa in small
leather bags. He bought one of these bags of gold-dust and pieces
of rings for 90 Mexican dollars, and sold it at Fas for 150. The
merchants bring their gold from Timbuctoo in the saddle-bags, in
22 small purses of different sizes one within the other. The bag which
Shabeeny purchased was bought at Housa, where it sells for seven or
eight ducats cheaper than at Timbuctoo. On articles from Marocco
they make from thirty to fifty per cent. clear profit. Cowries and
gold-dust are the medium of traffic. The shereefs and other
merchants generally sell their goods to some of the principal
native merchants, and immediately send off the slaves, taking their
gold-dust with them into other countries. The merchants residing at
Timbuctoo have agents or correspondents in other countries; and are
themselves agents in return. Timbuctoo is visited by merchants from
all the neighbouring black countries. Some of its inhabitants are
amazingly rich. The dress of common women has been often worth 1000
dollars. A principal source of their wealth is lending gold-dust
and slaves at high interest to foreign merchants, which is repaid
by goods from Marocco and other countries, to which the gold-dust
and slaves are carried. They commonly trade in the public market,
but often send to the merchant or go to his house. Cowries in the
least damaged are bad coin, and go for less than those that are
perfect. There are no particular market days; the public market for
provisions is an open place fifty feet square, and is surrounded by
shops.[39] The Arabs sit down on their goods in the middle, till
23 they have sold them. The pound weight of Timbuctoo is about two
ounces heavier than the small pound of Barbary, which weighs twenty
Spanish dollars; they have also half and quarter pounds; by these
weights is sold milk, rice, butter, &c. as well as by the measure.
The weights are of wood or iron under the inspection of a
magistrate called in Barbary _m'tasseb, i.e._ inspector of weights
and measures, and if the weights are found deficient, he punishes
the offender immediately; they have also a quintal or cwt. They
have a wooden measure called a _m'hoad_[40], equal to the small
_m'hoad_ of Barbary, where a _m'hoad_ of wheat weighs about 24 lb.
Both the weights and measures are divided into 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and
1/16.
[Footnote 35: _Kameema_ is the Arabic word for the linen called
_plattilias_. They are worth 50 Mexico dollars each, at
Timbuctoo.]
[Footnote 36: Called, in Amsterdam, _Velt Spiegels_, and in
Timbuctoo, _Murrâih de juah_.]
[Footnote 37: This salt is bought at Tishet, at Shangareen, and
at Arawan, in the south part of Sahara; for which see the Map
of Northern and Central Africa, in the new Supplement to the
Encyclopædia Britannica, Article _Africa_.]
[Footnote 38: _Okia_ is the Arabic name for this piece of
money.]
[Footnote 39: Similar to the corn-market at Mogodor.]
[Footnote 40: The _m'hoad_ is no longer used in Barbary. There
is a _krube_, of which sixteen are equal to a _saa_, which,
when filled with good wheat, weighs 100 lbs. equal to 119 lbs.
English weight.]