The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-11-27
Timbuctoo...The Mysterious City Of
~ Africa.

Perhaps no foreign name-thanks to
the rhyme of "hymn-book-too"- us
better known in America-if we except
Mesopotamia, which is supposed to be
q religious word, than Tmbuctoe. And
yet very few persons can tell exactly
what Mesopotamia is; so still fewer
have any definite notion of Timbuctoo,
except that it is q mysterious city some
where in Central Africa, which may be
a rival of Pekin, and may be of no more
consequence than Barkhamsted. And
it is only fair to say that the world at
large, even the geographers, have not
much more definite information about it.
But the Geographical Society at Oran
in Algeria, has just been so fortunate as
to catch a Jewish Rabbi, on his way
from Paris to Timbuctoo, who has twice
traversed Central Africa, and was able
to give some definite information about
this mysterious city. According to the
rabbi, Timbuctoo is an Arab city in
every respect, built like all those in the
interior. We know what this is; it is
collection of mud-houses, matched per-
haps with grass or straw, with narrow
alleys and dark and dirty bazaars. 1t
has no white Inhabitants except tran
sient travellers; the residents are all
Foulah negroes. 1t contains about 5O,-
900 people. being larger. he says, than
Oran, (which is six miles around) and
smaller than Marrulles. 1t is, in fact,
q collection of small villages, extend
ing over considerable area. ....
It is situated in the midst of very
rich country, and lies about q mile
north of the Niger, which there flows
from the west to the southeast and is
very broad. The natives call it the
"Nile," or in Arabic Ell Bor (the sea.)
1t overHows its banks periodically, like
the Nile, the flood extending up to the
walls of the town, and fertilizes the
land, and the land which is not so irri-
gated is not culivatable. But with this
inundation the soil is very fertile, and
produces crops of sorgho. millet, rice,
tomatoes, onions and turnips; indigo
grows wild. There are near by forests
of valuable timber, many cocoanut
trees, and a gum tree from which the
natives get oil for illumination. The
river supplies fish in abundance, and
the natives navigate it by means of
Dared barges and RATS constructed of
pieces of wood bound together with
cords. .....-..-
The present ruler of the country is
Sultan Mahomet- -Bekoe, who resides
at the Capital. This is q large town of
which we have not before heard, called
Ahmet- Elijah, situated about twelve
leagues north of Timbuctoo, and con-
tains population of about 100, 900.
The highway connecting these two
cities must be very pleasing and pic
turesque, as it is lined all the way with
villages and gardens. Timbuctoo is
governed by q kaid, who has full au-
thority, and has under him rigorous
tax collector. There seems to be no
spot in the world where apilgrim could
escape taxes.
The Sultan has no regular army, but
everybody is soldier on an emergen-
cy; the fghting is done with bows and
arrows, only the chiefs carrying guns,
pistols and sabers. The liveliest trade
is in slaves, which is conducted on a
very large scale. Salt is a valuable inn
port, a slave often being exchanged for
q kilogramme or two. Trade is car.
ried on by barter, or by means of
strings of shells-the fat money of the
country. The caravans, which seemto
South Africa, who cross the Sahara,
bring in cotton and linen goods, glass
trinkets, arms (mostly of English manu-
facture), knives, needles, etc.; and
carry out 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 the plains to the south the ma
tive 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 this serene and comfortable
black civilization. If they would only
follow the example of the United States
and Spain, and give up slavery, We
should have no call to interfere with
this colored paradise.