_Translation of a Letter from the Sultan, Seedi Muhamed Emperor of
Marocco, to the Governor of Mogodor_.
"Praise be to God alone,
"I order my servant Alkaid Muhamed ben Amran, to deliver the
treasure and the merchandise to the Christian merchants at Mogodor,
which is in the possession of the Jews, Haim Miram, and Meemon ben
Isaac Corcos, and others of the Jews, friends of the Christian
merchants. God assist you, and peace be with you. 23d of the month
Jumad Ellule, year of the Hejra 1203.
"By order of the Sultan, empowered by God. Written by Talb El
Huderanie."
The courier who receives the letter is ordered by the minister whom
to deliver it to. It is then inclosed in a blank leaf or sheet of
paper, without any address, and not sealed. It is presumed, that
the courier or messenger will not dare to open it, or discover the
contents to any one; such a breach of confidence might cost him his
head, if discovered.
406
_Doubts having been made in the Daily Papers, concerning the
accuracy of the two following Translations of the Shereef Ibrahim's
account of Mungo Park's Death; the following Observations, by the
Author, are laid before the Public in elucidation of those
Translations_.
The following is a copy of a letter, supposed to be a description
of Mungo Park's death; brought to England from Ashantee in Africa,
by Mr. Bowdich; and that gentleman assured me, about six months
after his arrival in England, and a few days previous to the
publication of his interesting account of a mission to Ashantee,
that he had by every means in his power endeavoured, but
ineffectually, to get this manuscript _decyphered_ and translated
into English; that he had sent it to several persons, who had
retained it in their hands a considerable time, but had returned it
without a decypher, or even a complete translation. When delivered
into my hands, I transmitted him a _decypher_, and a translation
immediately. The following is my translation, which, in that
gentleman's account of Ashantee, is coupled with another
translation, _not perspicuous, but unintelligible_; for which see
Bowdich's "Account of a Mission to Ashantee," Appendix, No. 2.
The original Arabic document, of which I have given a decypher in
407 the work before mentioned, is, (for the information of gentlemen
desirous of referring to the same,) deposited in the British
Museum. There are also, in the same work on Ashantee, several
papers decyphered by me, of certain routes in Africa. Now I think
it expedient here, to declare to the public, that whenever the
British Government, the Court of Admiralty, or private individuals,
have stood in need of translations, and decyphers from the Arabic,
they have invariably found it expedient, ultimately, to apply to me
for the same, after having, however, endeavoured ineffectually to
procure their information at the Universities, the Post Office, and
elsewhere: but as this declaration may appear to many incredible, I
will mention three instances in elucidation of this my assertion,
which, as they are all on record, will place this fact beyond
doubt.
1st. A vessel under Marocco colours, was, during last war, taken by
a British cruiser, and sent or brought into Plymouth, or other
port, in England. The captain and the ship were detained a
considerable time here; the former, at length, whose patience
became exhausted, expostulated at his detention, and insisted on
being released, if no interpreter in this commercial nation could
be found competent to translate his passport. _Mr. Slade, an
eminent proctor in Doctors' Commons_, then applied to me, after a
detention of, I believe, two months, and I translated the passport.
408 Mr. Slade very liberally told me, that whatever I chose to charge
for this service, which he had _sought in vain to accomplish_,
should be gratefully paid. I charged five guineas; and it was
instantly paid. The passport consisted of two lines and a half.
This was in the Court of Admiralty. Mr. Slade, who is an honourable
and respectable man, will of course not hesitate to corroborate the
accuracy of this statement.
2d. A letter was written by the present Sultan Soliman, emperor of
Marocco, &c. to our late revered sovereign, George III., in a more
courteous style than is usual for Muhamedan potentates to write to
Christian kings; with liberal offers on the part of the Sultan,
courting an augmentation of friendly intercourse, &c. This letter
(contrary to the usual courtesy of European courts) was neglected
some months, no answer being returned to it. It was sent to the
Universities for translation, but ineffectually; then to the Post
Office; and, at the expiration of some months, it was accidentally
transmitted to me, through the hands of the Right Honourable
Spencer Perceval, at that time Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I
delivered, at the request of that gentleman, a translation of it in
English. This letter was ten or fifteen times as long as the
passport before mentioned, and I charged thirty pounds for the
service. But the Treasury thought ten pounds a sufficient
remuneration, which I accepted!!
409
This service was rendered to the British government, and I have
letters and documents in my possession, which corroborate this
fact.
3d. Was the translation of an Arabic manuscript, respecting Mungo
Park's death; delivered gratuitously to a private individual, viz.
Mr. Bowdich, before mentioned; to satisfy the curiosity of my
country, whose interest was excited respecting the fate of that
enterprising and indefatigable African traveller. Mr. Bowdich, who
is an honourable man, will undoubtedly confirm the truth of this
statement, to any gentleman who may be desirous of ascertaining the
fact.
_The Shereef Ibrahim's account of Mungo Park's Death_.
(THE AUTHOR'S TRANSLATION.)
"In the name of God, the Merciful and Clement!
"This narrative proceeds from the territory in Husa, called Eeaurie
or Yeaurie. We observed an extraordinary event or circumstance, but
we neither saw nor heard of the river which is called Kude. And as
we were sitting we heard the voice of children; and we saw a
vessel, the like to which in size we never saw before. And we saw
the king of Eeaurie send cattle and sheep, and a variety of
vegetables, in great abundance. And there were two men and one
woman, and two slaves; and they tied them in the vessel. There were
410 also in the vessel two white men, of the race called Christians:
and the Sultan of Eeaurie called aloud to them, to come out of the
vessel, but they would not. They proceeded to the country of Busa,
which is greater than that of the Sultan of Eeaurie. And as they
were sitting in the vessel, they hung[232], or were stopped by the
cape, or head-land of Kude."
[Footnote 232: Probably by an impetuous current.]
"And the people of the sultan of Busa called to them, and poured
their arms into the vessel; and the vessel reached the head-land or
cliff, and became attached or fixed to the head of the mountain or
projection in the river, and could not pass it. Then the men and
women of Busa collected themselves hostilely together, with arms of
all descriptions; and the vessel being unable to clear the
head-land, the man in the vessel killed his wife, and threw the
whole of her property into the river; they then threw themselves
into the river through fear. The news of this occurrence was then
conveyed to the Sultan Wawee, until it reached, by water, the
territory of Kanjee, in the country of the Sultan Wawee. And we
buried it in its earth; and one of them we saw not at all in the
water. And God knows the truth of this report from the mouth of the
Shereef Ibrahim. The end."