_Charges_.--Hire of 50 camels to Akka, at 18 dollars each.
Stata to ditto, 1 dollar per load, to be paid by Sheik Aly ben
A----r.
_Copy of the Letter accompanying the foregoing Remittance._
Praise be to God alone; for there is neither beginning nor
strength, without God, the eternal God.
To my friends, L'Hage Zeyd and L'Hage Abdrahaman Elfellely. Peace
be with ye, and the mercy of the High God; and after that, know,
that I have sent to our agents at Akka, by the autumnal caravan, 50
camel loads of gum-sudan, being 100 skins; in each skin of gum I
have packed 5 skins of gold dust, and 1 bar of gold. L'Hage Tahar
ben Jelule will deliver to our agent at Akka, for you, 10 very
handsome cotton covers for beds, of Sudan manufacture. May all this
arrive safe, with the blessing of God. I will inform you by the
spring caravan what merchandize to send here next autumn. I refer
you to a long letter, which I have sent to you by L'Hage Tahar.
Peace be with you, and the blessing of God be upon you.
349
Written at Timbuctoo, the 29th Duelhaja El Huram, year 1204.
L'HAGE HAMED ELWANGARIE.
[203]God protect him.
[Footnote 203: The Muhamedans, in signing their name, always
invoke the protection, mercy, or providence of God upon
themselves.]
_Food of the Desert._
The people, whose interest induces them to cross the desert, (for
there are no travellers from curiosity in this country,) obviate
the objection to salt provisions, which increases the propensity to
drink water, by taking with them melted butter, called _smin_; this
is prepared without salt. They also cut beef into long pieces,
about six inches long, and one inch square, without fat; these are
called _el kuddeed_, which are hung on a line, exposed to the air
till dry; they then cut them into pieces, two inches long; these
are put into (_buckul_) an earthen pot; they then pour the _smin_
into the _buckul_ till it is covered. This meat and butter, besides
being palatable, is comprised in a small compass, and feeds many.
When this butter has been thus prepared and kept twelve or fifteen
years, it is called _budrâ_, and is supposed to contain penetrating
active medicinal qualities. I have seen some thirty years old.
_Antithesis, a favourite Figure with the Arabs._
Mahmoud, sultan of Ghezna in the beginning of the eleventh century,
350 though the son of a slave, was very powerful. He sent to the khalif
Alkader, requesting a title suited to his exalted dignity. The
latter hesitated; but fearing the power of the sultan, sent him at
the expiration of a year the ambiguous title, _Uly_, i.e. a prince,
a friend, a slave. Mahmoud penetrated the khalif's meaning, and
sent him immediately 100,000 pieces of gold, with a wish to know
whether a letter had not been omitted. Alkader received the
treasure, and took the hint, instantly dispatching letters patent
in full form, creating him _Uäly_ which signifies, without
equivocation, a sovereign independent prince.
_Arabian Modes of Writing_.
The Arabs have various modes of writing, the principal of which is
that used by the Koreish, the most learned of all the Western
tribes, and is denominated the _Niskhi_, or upright character: if
this is understood, the others may be easily comprehended. This is
the character in which the Koran was originally written. In the
seventh century, the Arabs adopted the invention of Moramer ben
Morra, a native of Babylonian Irak, which was afterwards improved
by the Kufik. The Kufik and the Niskhi are synonymous. Richardson,
in his Arabic Grammar, p. 4. say, "The Mauritannick character,
which is used by the Moors of Marocco and Barbary, descendants of
351 the Arabians, differs in many respects _considerably_ from the
other modes of writing." But this is incorrect; for the
Mauritannick alphabet, excepting in the order of the letters, is
precisely the same with the Oriental, as now written and spoken,
with the exception only of the letters _Fa_ and _Kaf_, and the
formation even of these characters are alike. The punctuation only,
differs in the West, that is, west of the Egyptian Nile. The
Western punctuation of _Fa_, is one point below the letter, and the
punctuation of the letter _Kaf_ is one point above. In the East,
the former letter has one point above, the latter has two. This is
the only difference between the Eastern and the Western alphabets.
Richardson, (see his Grammar, page 5,) also says, that "the purest
Arabic is spoken at Grand Cairo," but this is not correct: the
language of Grand Cairo and of Tunis, Tripoli, Algiers, and Marocco
are much alike, but none of them are the pure Koraisch or Korannick
Arabic, which is only spoken at Mekka, and among some of the tribes
of Bedouins in the West. The language of the Woled Abbusebah, of
the Howara, and of the Mograffra is the pure Arabic. Finally, in a
note in Richardson's Grammar, page 18, it is said, "Some of our
European writers, and amongst others Voltaire, substitute _Koran_
for _Alcoran_, but perhaps improperly, as D'Herbelot and other
learned Orientalists, write uniformly _l'Alcoran, il Alcorano_, the
Alcoran." We have been too apt to copy the orthography of Oriental
names from the French, whose pronunciation of the Roman or European
352 characters differs from ours. There cannot be a doubt that
D'Herbelot is incorrect. The word _Koran_ (for there is no _c_ in
the Arabic language) is derived from the verb _Kora_, to read;
_koran_, reading: _Al_ is the article; but, in this instance,
D'Herbelot uses this article twice, which is certainly erroneous,
for _l'_ is the French article in the word in question, and _al_ is
the Arabic article; whereas _one_ article only should precede a
noun. _L'Alcoran_ and the _Alcoran_ are therefore equally
incorrect; for the word in French should be _Le Coran_; in English,
_the Koran_; therefore Voltaire was correct. I have thought it
expedient to make these observations, because standing in
Richardson's Grammar on the authority of _learned orientalists_,
they are calculated to mislead the Arabic student.
_Decay of Science and the Arts among the Arabs_.
The literary fire of the Arabs and Persians has been extinguished
upwards of 300 years; but before that period, the encouragement to
learning in the East was unprecedented, and has never been equalled
by any European nation either before or since that period. Kadder
Khan, king of Turquestan, was the greatest support to science. When
he appeared abroad, he was preceded by 700 horsemen, with silver
battle-axes, and was followed by an equal number bearing maces of
gold. He supported with magnificent appointment a literary academy
353 in his palace, consisting of 100 men of the highest reputation.
Amak, called Abu Näib El Bokari, who was the chief poet, exclusive
of a great pension and a vast number of slaves, had, in attendance
wherever he went, thirty horses of state richly caparisoned, and a
retinue in proportion. The king before-mentioned used to preside at
their exercises of genius, on which occasions, by the side of his
throne were always placed four large basons filled with gold and
silver, which he distributed liberally to those who excelled.
Lebid suspended over the gate at Mecca a sublime poem; Muhamed
placed near it the opening of the second chapter of the Koran,
which was conceived to be something divine, and it gained the prize
of the _Ocadh_ assembly.
The remains of this custom of suspending over gates Arabic poems,
is perceived at this day among the western Moors. The gates or
entrances to Mogodor, Fas, Mequinas, Marocco, &c. have writing over
them, which is a kind of Arabic short-hand, that none but the
learned understand; these writings, however, are not moveable,
being engraven on a square table on the stone itself.
_Extraordinary Abstinence experienced in the Sahara_.
The Arabs or inhabitants of the Sahara, can support the most
extraordinary abstinence. Occasions occur, wherein they will travel
354 several days without food. After suffering a privation of a day or
two, they tie their (_hazam_) belt round their loins, every morning
tighter than the preceding day, thereby preventing, in some
measure, that action of the bowels which promotes appetite. A
Saharawan will thus go five or six days without food of any kind,
in which case, when he reaches a habitation, or a (_wah_)
cultivated spot in the Desert, he will drink about half-a-pint of
camel's milk; this remains on the stomach but a short time: he then
takes another draught, which, with some, remains and gives
nourishment, but with others _it_ is also rejected by the stomach;
_a third draught is then taken, which restores the exhausted
traveller!_ I have been assured, that instances have been known in
Sahara, wherein a man has been without food of any kind for seven
days, and has afterwards been restored by the foregoing regimen!
355