A MYSTERIOUS CITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 47, 24 February 1880, Page 2

A MYSTERIOUS CITY IN CENTRAL AFRICA.

Perhaps no foreign name—- thanks to the rhyme of " hymn-book too " — ia moreknown in America if we except Mesopotamia, whioh is supposed to be a religioua word, than Timbootoo. And yet a very few persona oan exactly tell what Mesopotamia is, so atill fewer have any definite notion of Timbuetoo, except that it is a mysterious oity somewhere in Central Africa, which may be a rival of Pekin, and may be of no more consequence than Barkamsted. And it is only fair to say that the world at large, even the geographere, have not tnaeh more definite information abont it. Bat the geographical society "at Oran, in Algeria, has just been so fortunate as to catch a Jewish Rtbbi, on his way from Paria to Timbuetoo, who has twice traversed Central Africa and was able to give some definite information about this mysterious city. According to Rabbi, Timbuotoo is an Arab city in every respeot, built like all those in the interior^ We know what this is ; it is a collection of mud houses, thatched, perhaps with grass or straw, with narrow alleys and dark and dirty hasaars. It has no white inhabitants except transient travsllera; the residents are all Foulah negroe*. In contains about 50,000 people, being larger he aays, than Orao (which is sis milea round), an! smaller ihin Marrulles. It is, in fact, a collection «f small villages, extending over a considerable area. It is situated in the midst of a very rich country, and lies about a mile north of the Niger, which there flows from the west to the south-east and is v«ry broad. The natives call it " the Nile," or in Arabic, El Bor (the sea). It overflows its banks perioiieally like the Nile, the flood ext'nding np to the walls of the town, and fertilises the land; ani the land which is not so irrigated is not cultivated. But with this inundation the aoil ia very fertile, and produces corps of the sorgho, millet, rica, tomatoes, onions and turnips ; indigo grows wild. There are, near hr, forests of valuable timber, many coconut trees and a gum tree from which the natives get oil for illumination. The river supplies fish in abundance, anl the natives navigate by meaos of barges and rafts constructed of pieces of wood bound together with cords. The present ruler of the oountry is Sultan Mahomet el-Bekoe, who resides at the capital. This is a large town, of which we have not before heard, called Ahmet Ellah, situated about twelve miles north of Timbaetoo, and contains a population of about 100,000. The highway connecting these two cities must ha very pleasing »qd piotqreeque, as it is lined all the way with villages and gardens. Timbuctoo is governed by a Eaid, who has full authority, and has under him a rigorous tax collector. There seems to be no spot in the world where a pilgrim* coqld. esejme taxeg. The £fulta.n, ha.g qq regular army, but everybody is a soldier on an emergency ; the fighting is done with bows and arrows, only the ohiefs carrying guns, pistols, and sabres. The liveliest trade is in slaves, which ia conducted on a very large scale. Salt ia ft

valuable import, a slave often being exchanged for a kilogramme or (wo. Trade is carried on by barter, or by means of strings of shells— >the flat money of the oountry, and quite the greenbackera 1 ideal. The caravans, which seem to be conducted largely by Jews from North Africa, who cross the Sahara, bring ia cotton and liaen goods, glass trinkets, arms (mostly of English manufacture) knives, needles, &c ; and oarry oat rice, sorgho, millet, ostrich feathers, gold dust, gum, ivory, lead, and coffee. To the north of Timbuctoo large quantities of camels are reared, and on plains to the sooth the native tribes wander about after the fashion of the Bedouin Arabs, with herds of sheep and cattle. It seems a pity that white civilization should ever disturb this serene and comfortable black civilisation. If they would only follow the example of the United States and Spain, and give np slavery, we should have no call to interfere with this colored paradise.— 'Hartford Courant.