Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-12-21
HISTORY TOLD
IN old LETTERS
Jews of the 18th Century Alone
Had Trading Posts in North- j
west Africa. a
INTERESTING DISCOVERY MADII
Africa Loomed Larger in the Middle
Ages Than Modern Historians /
s1ave ReaIized-Jews Forced s.
W Out of Spain. sN

| y out OF Spain. Sc
WaSh1ngton.-SLava preserved tfie
secrets of Roman civilization in Pom,
pei; tombs protected the records of
ancient Egypt's culture; and now
there is prospect that some long
neglected letters may reveal one Of
the most fascinating chapters in the
historic trail Of the Jewish people, and
incidentally show that Africa doomed
larger in the middle ages than modern
historians have realized"
| with this Introduction the National
Geographic society in a bulletin makes
the hrst announcement in this country
OF remarkable documentary dfscoy.
cry made by Charles de la RoncIere.
librarian of the National library in
France.
Hitherto" says the librarian, Africa
mas figured not at all in medieval his
tory. 1t still was a dark continent
when Stanley and Livingstone pene-
trated it less than a century ago. YET
1T would seem the Jews of the fifteenth
century had trading posts in north
west Africa and carried on a vast
commerce with the natives from the
Sahara to the Atlantic and from Al
geria to the Niger.
Medieval Natives of Africa.
These native peoples, who finally
resisted the inroads of Christian. Jew
and Mohammedan, possessed sources
OF wealth in grain and gold. Some
tribes lived in rock salt houses. Actual
history in one case parallels the legend
airy account OF the defense of Troy.
primitive religions and strange CHS
toms fourished in common with a civ
1ilzatlon advanced enough to take &C
curate census of cities.
"Antonia Malfante, a Genoese citi-
zen, traversed this region and wrote
his descriptive letters in 1447. from
Timbuktu- and Touat. Timbuktu was
the Chicago of the West African
plains, and Touat the center of the
camel caravan traffic that exchanged
the wheat and barley of Egypt for
the powdered gold of Timbuktu and
the percfous salt from Teghazza.
All the places visited by Malfante
were so well known to the Jews of his
time that they were listed in q Catalan
atlas prepared three-quarters of CEN
fury earlier by Charles V. according
TO NJ. Ronciere. But shortly after NAL
fante's visit the Jews were driven out
OF Spain, and since the Jews were the
only ones in Europe who knew of the
Nigeria country, and apparently per-
.ltted no Christians to enter there ex-
cept Malfante, the Jewish knowledge
was lost to Europe. Not until DR..
Gerhard Rohlfs began his explorations
in Algeria and Morocco in 1880 did the
rest of the world form a contact with
the extensive region a. Malfante's
ravels :.AA
Landing at q pois-t west of AIgiers.
worked his way south to
fouat, which Rohlfs believed himself
o have been the first European to
7isit. Yet Malfante dated his first let
er from there four centuries earlier.
An African Commercial Center.
lou t was an oasis, containing
rom 100 to 200 villages, which togeth-
: formed a vast commercial center.
ZACH had chief Travellers became
he guests &C these chiefs, and Nal
ante reported their protection SUI
er1or to that in states like Tiemcen
nd Tunis. One of these towns was
amentlt, now decayed village,
nose people still recall the Jewish
ooch. Arabian invaders earlier had
'bbed the Jews, who were masters
the Sahara and whose empire ex-
nded south to the Niger. Tamentit.
alfante wrote, sheltered both Jews
Id Mohammedans, who lived in har-
ony.
1.-The native negroes valued copper
ghly, Malfante stated, and used it
r money.
Pushing on to Timbuktu, Malfante's
st was the brother of captain of
sert industry, man of great wealth
q possessed of trade information
ncerning all of North Africa. From
Malfante learned of such flour
ing places as Teghazza, famous for
salt mines and unique for its
,h1tecture. The houses were made
rock salt. ATalfante noted that if
yer rained there or the houses would
We melted away.
10 the south of the Mohammedan
gdom were many states inhabited
ely by savages. One of these tribes
rshiped mirror, believing that in
rejection of their faces they saw
city.
To Dumb ForgetfuIness a Prev.