5. Bagrarmee [Arabic] Begarmee.
492
The African traveller should be precise in his attention to the
sound of these words, otherwise he will be quite unintelligible to
the Africans, and to the Muhamedans.
Richardson, in his Arabic Grammar, is certainly incorrect, when he
says, the letter [Arabic] _grain_ should be pronounced _gh_. No
one acquainted _practically_ with the Arabic language, could
possibly be of this opinion; _gh_ having no more resemblance to the
sound of the letter [Arabic] _grain_, than _g_ has to _h_: and
every traveller going to Africa with this erroneous opinion, will,
undoubtedly, be unintelligible to the Africans.
Finally, the Arabic document, if it may be permitted to call it
Arabic, facing page 128 of this interesting work of Mr. Bowdich, is
a most miserable composition of _Lingua franca_, or corrupt
Spanish, of unintelligible jargon, consisting of many words quite
unintelligible to the Africans, whether Negroes or Moors, or
others. The language of this document, although it has some Arabic
words in it, is worse, if possible, than the scrawl in which it is
written; neither is it a correct translation of the English which
precedes it. But purporting to be a letter issued from the
_accredited servants of the King of the English_, it is certainly a
disgrace to the country from whence it issues, and a rare specimen
of our knowledge of the Arabic language.
JAMES GREY JACKSON.
493
_Commercial Intercourse with the Interior of Africa._
TO THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL OF TRADE, &c.
Sir, Eton, June 30, 1818.
The last expedition from Sierra Leone, in addition to many others
sent out for the purpose of _exploring the interior of Africa_,
having failed, and the enterprising and persevering Mr. Burckhardt,
having frustrated the well grounded hopes of the African
Association, by his having paid the debt of nature, it is not
improbable that His Majesty's government _will now direct their
attention with energy to the only plan that can possibly make that
interesting and extraordinary country a jewel in the British
crown_.
This important discovery, which would immortalise the prince, who
should cherish it to its maturity, _can be effected only through
the medium of commerce_. But it should be attempted not only with
energy and decision, but with _dispatch_, before the enterprising
and commercial spirit of a foreign power (seeing how abortive our
efforts have been), shall snatch from us the glorious opportunity
now offered of _laying open the interior regions of Africa_ to the
commercial enterprise of Great Britain.