The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-10-24
The Ha.nSSaS.

Haussa is a vast country of the Sou
dan or Western Central Africa, watered
by the Niger in that part of its course
where it is known as the Quorra; and
the Haussa language, like French, is a
cosmopolitan tongue, in which traders
and diplomatists of many countries are
accustomed to converse when they are
on their travels. The sultan of Haussa
was once a great monarch; but Gilman,
the famous prophet of the Foulas or
Felatahs. conquered their country, and
made one of their towns, SokOto, the
capital of a military empire, which IS at
present beginning to decay. A pro-
vince of Haussa, called katsena, has
always preserved its independence. The
most important city of Haussa, and, in
deed, of negro Africa, is Kano, inhabi-
ted by Haussas, and governed by Fela-
tabs. It is known for it's manufacture
of indigo-dved cloths, and the fields far
and wide round the city are covered
with cottOn-plants, displaying their
beautiful yellow flowers, or white -turfed
seed-vessels. Immense quantities OF
cloth are exported from Kano to Tim
buctoo, and even across the desert to
Morocco and Tripoli. The imports are
various, and the market is q celebrated
sight. There one may see Manchester
dry-goods, Sheffield cutlery, red cloth
from Saxony, fancy ware from Nurem-
berg, French double-barreled guns,
writing-paper, copper, from Tripoli,
crude antimony and tin, products of the
country, sword blades from Malta,
Egyptian linen striped with gold, scls-
sors and knives of native workmanship,
md English gingham umbrellas. The
European traveller there meets Arab
merchants, who will cash at once his
bills on the consul at Tripoli, payment
being made in cowries, a shell which is
the money of the country. The popu-
lation of Kano is about thirty thousand ;
but, during the fairs, a hundred thou
sand people are sometimes present In
the town: and, in such crowd, a
Haussa recruiting sergeant from Lagos
would find many candidates for the
queens shilling. In fact, if it were
desired TO organize an African army,
nothing would be more easy ;the Haus-
sas are numerous enough, and their
neighbors of Bornou and Bagirml could
be made equally efficient.
Cotton is King in Hausea, and occu.
pies all classes the women spin 1t, and
the men weave it. The cotton is spun
out of basket, or a slender spindle,
and this basket always contains a small
mirror, which the spinster uses at least
once every five minutes for admirlng
herself. The weaver's loom is very sim
pie, having fly and treadles like ours,
but no beam; the warp, fastened to
stone, is drawn along the ground as
wanted; the shuttle is passed by the
hand.
The Haussas are exceedingly polite.
Both sexes chew snuff. The women dye
their hair and eyebrows, and also then
hands and feet blue, SO that they look
at a distance as if they were wearing
blue gloves and boots. Their teeth are
dyed red. When bride is first con-
Quoted to the house of the bridegroom,
she is attended by great number OF
friends and slaves bearing presents OF
melted fat, honey, wheat, and cloth, as
her dowry. The Haussas are Moham.
medans in religion, but have retained
| many pagan customs, and are always
| buried in their houses. Mall Ga
| zette.