Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-04-01

"Antonia Malfante, a Genoese citizen.
traversed this region and wrote his
descriptive letters, In 1A7 from Tim
buktu and Touat. Timbuktu was the
Chicago of the west African plains: and
Touat the center of the camel caravan
traffio that exchanged the wheat and
barley of Egypt for the powdered gold of
Timbuktu and the precious salt from
Teghazza.
"All the places visited by Malfante were
30 we'll known to the Jews Of his time
that they were listed in a Catalan atlas
prepared three-quarters of n century
earlier for Charles V, according to NJ.
Ronciere. But shortly after Malfantes
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 permitted no Christian to
enter there except Malfante. the Jewish
knowledge was lost to Europe Not until
DR.. Gerhard Rohlfs began his explora-
lions in Algeria and Morocco in 1860 did
the rest of the world again form con-
tact with the extensive regions of NAL
fantes travels
| Landing at n point west of Algiers,
Malfante worked his way south to Touat,
which Rohfs believed himself to have
been the first European to visit. Yet
Malfante dated his first letter from there
four centuries earlier.
| '"Touat was an oasis. containing from
$50 to 200 villages, which together formed
vast commercial center. Each had u
! chief. Travellers became the guests of
these chiefs. and Malfante reported their
protection superior to that in States like
Tlemcen and Tunis. Zone of these towns
was Tamentit. now a decayed village,
xr-l,< ba Ian igh
epoch. Arabian invaders earlier had
routed the Jews who were masters of the
Sahara and whose empire extended south
to the Niger. Tamentit, Malfante wrote,
sheltered both Jews and Mohammcdans
who lived in harmony
THE native negroes valued copper high
ly, Malfante stated, and used it for
money. Proiteerlng. apparently, is not
n modern vice. Malfante complained,
| The people here do not want to transact
any business. IL they do not make com
mission of 100 per cent And their bust
ness was on big scale, at that. Half a
million head of cattle to mention but one
item, were brought to market In the
| caravan season.
| Pushing on to Timbuktu, Malfante s
host was the brother of a captain Of
desert industry. a man of great wealth,
ana possessed or trade information con-
corning all of north Africa. From him
Malfante learned Of such fourishing
places as Teghazza, famous for it's salt
mines, and unique for its architecture
The houses were made of rock salt
Malfante noted that 1t never rained there
or the houses would have melted away
! Another town was famous for It's
magicians 1t was attacked by numerous
troops from the south under the King OF
Dahomey. Fifty Mohammedan defenders
took refuge on a hill and by night they
were encircled by a human Gordon
which, lit by camp fires, looked like q
girdle Of flame. They thought Themselves
lost. Their king was a magician He
proposed a duel with his opponent r
which both Of them should be transform
ed into goats But he was defeated and
all his followers were killed. The town
which abounded in riches, was totally
ruined.
"A census of Timbuktu and Gao. :
rival city, was made. Malfante stated. as
tho result of wager regarding which
was larger.
ITO the south OF the Mohammedar
kingdoms we're many States inhabited
solely by savages. One of these tribe:
worshipped a mirror. believing that ir
the reflection of their faces they saw ?
Deity.