The Osceola times., 1879-12-13
TIMBUCTOO.
The Mysterious City Of Africa.

Perhaps no foreign name is bette
known in America-it we except Meso
potamia, which il supposed TO be relig
ious word-than Tmbuctoo. And ye
a very few persons can tell exactly wha
Mesopotamia is; still fewer have any
definite notion of Timbuctoo, excep
that it is mysterious city somewhere
in Central Africa, which may be riva
of Pekin, and may be of no more con
sequence than Barkhamsted. And it il
only fair 10 say that the world at large
even the gcographers, have not much
more definite information about II!
But the Geographical Society at Oran
in Algeria has Just been 70 fortunate ~
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 those in the in
terror. We know what this is: it is a
collection of mud houses, thatched per
haps with grass or straw, with narrow
alleys and dark and dirty bazars. II
has no white inhabitants except tran
sient travellers: the residents are all Fou-
lad negroes. II contains about fifty
thousand people, being larger, it is said,
than Oran, which is six miles around
and smallar than Mcrrules. 1t is, in
fact, a collection of small villages, cx-
tending over very considerable area.
1t is situated in the midst of a very
rich country, and lies about mile north
of the Niger, which there flows from the
west to the southwest, and IL very broad.
The natives call il the "Nile," or in Ara
bic El Bor (the seal. 1t overflows its
banks periodically, like the Nile, the
Hood extending up to the walls of the
town, and fertilized the land, and the
land which is not so irrigated is not culti-
vatable. But with this inundation the
soil is very fertile, and produces crops
of sorgho, millet, rice, tomatoes, onions,
and turnips; indigo grows wild. Toerc
are near by forests of valuable timber,
many cocoanut trees, and gum tree
from which the natives get oil for illu-
limitations, The river supplies fish in
abundance, and the natives navigate it
by means OF cared barges and RATS con-
structed of pieces of wood bound to-
gether with cords.
The present ruler of the country is
Sultan Mahomet-el-Bckoc who resides
at the capital. There is large town of
which we have not before heard. called
hmet-Allah, sitnated about twelve
leagues north of Timbuctoo, and con-
tains population of about one hun
dred thousand. The highway connect
ing these two cities must be very pleas.
ing and picturesque, as it is lined all
the way with villages and gardens. Tim
buctoo is governed by kaid. who has
full authority, and has under him rig
Orous tax collector. There appears to
be no spot in the world where a pilgrim
could escape taxes.
The sultan has no regular army, but
everybody is soldier on n'omergency;
the lighting is done with bows and ar
rows, only the chiefs carrying guns, pis-
tolls and sabrcs. The liveliest trade is in
slaves, which is conducted on very
large scale Salt is valuable import, n
slave often being exchanged for a kilo-
gramme or two. Trade is carried on by
barter, or by means of strings of shells
the fiat money OF the country, and
quite the greenbackers ideal. The CARA
vans, which seem to be largely conduct
ed by Jews from North Africa, who cross
the Sahara, bring in cotton and linen
goods, glass trinkets, arms (mostly of
English manufacture), knives, needles,
ETC.; and carry out rice, sorgho, millet.
ostrich feathers, gold dust, gum, ivory,
lead and coffee. 70 the north of Tim
buctoo, large quantities of camels are
reared and on the plains to the south,
the native tribes wander about, after
the fashion of the Bedouin Arabs, with
herds of sheep and cattle. 1t see ms a
pity that white emigration should ever
disturb this serene and comfortable
black civilization. Ii they would follow
the example Of the United States and
Spain, and give up slavery, we should
have no call to interfere with this col.
ored paradise.