Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-11-21
-imhuctoo.


Perhaps no foreign name-thanks to
the rhyme of "hymn- book-too"- is better
known in America, if We except Mesopo-
tamia, which is supposed to he Il relig-
ious word, than Timbuctoo. And vet II
very few persons can tell exactly what
! NIesopotamia is, So still fewer have any
definite notion Of Timbuctoo, except that
it is mysterious city somewhere in Cen
| trail Africa, which may bea rival of Pekin,
and may be of no more consequence than
Barkhamsted. And it is only fair 10 say
| that the world at large, even the geograph-
ers, have not much more definite nfor-
/ nation about IT.
But the Geographical society al Oran,
in Algeria, has Just been so fortunate as
TO catch n Jewish Rabbi, on his way from
/ Paris to Timbuctoo, who has twice tray-
ersed Central Africa and was able to give
some definite information about this mys-
/ terious city. According tn the Rabbi,
| Timhuctoo is an Arab city IN every re
spect. built like all those in the interior.
/ We know what this is ii Is a collection
of mud houses, thatched perhaps with
/ grass or straw, with narrow alleys and
dark and dirty baZaars 1t has no white
| inhabitants except transient travellers
the residents are all Foulah negroes. 1t
contains about 30, ,O00p people, being larger,
he says, than Oran (Which is six miles
around) and smaller than Marrullcs. 1t
is in fact collection Of small villages,
extending over Il considerable area
1t is situated in the midst of Il very
rich country, and lies about mile north
of the Niger, which there flows from the
west to the southeast and is very broad
The natives call it 'fhe Nile, or i'll Ara
bia, El Bor (the sea-. 1t overtlows its
banks periodically like the Nile, the flood
extending mp to the walls of the town,
and fertilizes the land and the land
which is not So irrigated is not cultlvable.
But with this inundation the soil is very
fertile. and produces crops of sorgho,
millet, rice, tomatoes, onions and tumps;
indigo grows wild. There are near by
forests of valuable timber, many cocoa
nut trees, and gum tree from which the
natives get oil for illumination The river
supplies fish IN abundance. and the ma
tiyes navigate it by means of cared barges
and rafts constructed of pieces Of wood
bound together with cords.
The present ruler of the country is
Sultan Mahomet el-Bekoe who resides at
;ht Capital. This is a large town of which
" have not before heard. called Ahmet
Elijah. situated about twelve miles north
oi Tinhuctoo. and contains popula-
ton of about 1000 The highway con
nect!nG these two cities must be very
pleasing AMI picturesque. as 1t is lined
all the way with villages and gardens. !
Timbuctoo is governed bya Raid, who !
has full authority and has under him u
rigorous tax-collector. There seems to he
no spot in the world where apilgrim could |
escape taxes.
The Sultan has no regular army, but |
everybody is Il soldier on an emergency ; |
the fighting is done with bows andarrows,
only the chiefs carrying guns, pistols and ,
sabres. The liveliest trade is i'll slaves, |
which is conducted on very large scale |
Salt is valuable import. slave often |
being exchanged for kilogramme or
two. Trade is carried OH by barter, or by |
means of strings of shells-thc fiat mon
ey Of the country, and quite the green
hackers ideal The caravans, which seem
to he conducted largely by Jews from |
North Africa. who cross the Sahara, bring |
iii cotton and linen goods glass trinkets, |
arms (mostly of English manufactured, |
knives, needles. etc aud carry out rice, |
sorgho, millet, ostrich feathers, gold dust, |
gum. ivory, lead and coffee To the north .
of Timbuct"o large quantities of camels .
are reared, and on the plains tothe south,
the native tribes wander about, after the .
fashion Of the Bedouin Arabs, with herds .
of sheep and cattle 1t seems a pity that |
white civilization should ever disturb tins
serene and comfortable black civilization.
If they would only follow the example Of
the United States and of Spain, and give
up slavery, we should have no call to in
telfere with this colored paradise