The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1920-11-25
unIETTERS REVEAL LOST
CHAPTER IN WORLD
HISTORY

rava preserved the secrets of Ro-
nan civilization in Pompeii; tombs
srotected the records Of ancient
psvnt's culture; and now there is pros
1T that some long neglected letters
sov reveal one of the most fascinat-
,.c chapters in the historic trail of the
rowish people, and incidentally show
l.hot Africa loomed larger in the mid
AZ ages than modern historians have
realized.
hitherto Africa has figured not at
~ in medieval history. 1t still was
]. udark continent" when Stanley and
livingstone penetrated it less than a
,antury ago. Yet, in view of remark
,ble documentary discovery made by
charles de la Ronciere, librarian of
the national library in France, it
would seem Jews OF the fifteenth cen
mry had trading posts in northwest
africa. and carried on a vast COM
MERGE with the natives from the Sa-
b.ra TO the Atlantic and from Algeria
to the Niger.
Antonio Malfante, Genoese citizen,
ayersed this region and wrote his
descriptive letters, in 1447, from Tim
buktu and Touat. Timbuktu was the
chicago of the west African plains;
md Touat the center of the camel
caravan traffic. that exchanged the
wheat and barley of Egypt for the
Dovdered gold of Timhuktu and the
urecious salt from Teghazza.
All the places visited by Malfante
we're so well known to the Jews of
his time that they were listed in
Catalan atlas prepared three-quarters
Of a century earlier for Charles v,
according to Nj. Ronciere. But short
IL after Malfante's visit the Jews were
driven out of Spain. and since the
Jews we're the only ones in Europe
who knew of the Nigeria country and
apparently permitted no Christian to
enter there except Malfante the Jew
jsh knowledge was lost in Europe. Not
until DR.. Gerhard Rohlfs began his
explorations in Algeria and Morocco
in 1850 did the rest of the world again
form contact with the extensive re-
aons of Malfante's travels.
Landing at point west of Algiers,
Malfante worked his way south to
Touat, which Rohlfs believed himself
10 have been the first European to WIS.,
It. Yet Malfante dated his first letter |
from there four centuries earlier.
Touat was an oasis, containing from
$50 to 200 villages, which together |
formed a vast commercial center |
Each had q chief Travellers became
the guests of these chiefs and Nal |
fante reported their protection SUI |
perior to that in states like Tlemcen |
and Tunis. One Of these towns was |
Tametit. now a decayed village, whose |
people still recall the Jewish epoch.
Arabian invaders earlier had routed
the Jews, who were masters Of the
Sahara and whose empire extended
south to the Niger. Tametit. Malfante
wrote sheltered both Jews. and Mo-
who lived in harmony.
The native negroes valued copper
highly, Malfante stated, and used it
or money. Profiteering, apparently.
5 not modern vice. Malfante COM
'lained, "The people here do not want
o transact any business if they do not
make commission of 100 per cent"
md their business was on big scale,
It that. Half million head Of cattle,
Q mention but one item. were brought
Q market in the caravan season.
Pushing on to Timbuktu, Malfante's
'oSt was the brother of captain OF
lesert Industry, man Of great wealth
'nd possessed of trade information
'oncerning all Of north Africa. From
I'm Malfante learned of such flourish
ae places as Teghazza, famous for
" salt mines and i1piuuo for IFS arcn1-