possible protection and encouragement ; as they were fully
sensible that it was for their interest to support it : the navigation
of the river was secure, and the officers at the fort
upon the most friendly footing with the inland powers.
By commencing our operations from the Gambia in the
manner proposed, we should have the important advantage
of experiencing the least possible opposition from our
rivals and inveterate enemies, the Moors ; whose influence
naturally diminishes in proportion as we recede from the
Desert : and if we were once established on the Niger, oui'
superior advantages in trade, would render nugatory any
attempts which they might make to resist our further
progress.
P. S. The writer of this Memoir thinks it right to disclaim
all pretensions to any superior or exclusive knowledge
of African geography. There appeared to him to
be something inconsistent in the magnitude of the Niger as
represented by Mr. Park at Bammakoo, and its sources
according to our maps; and being in possession of a paper
which seemed to throw some little light upon the subject, he
has ventured to give it to the public, accompanied with a
few remarks; and will feel highly gratified, if they should
have the effect of engaging the attention of some person
capable of doing justice to an inquiry which is certainly
interesting and important.
A P P E N D I X . No. II.*
TTiie whole of the population of Western Barbary may
be divided into three great classes (exclusive of the Jews)
viz. B e r r e b b e r s , A r a b s , and M oors. The two former
of these are in every respect distinct races of people, and
are each again subdivided into various tribes or communities
; the third are chiefly composed of the' other two
classes, or of their descendants, occasionally mixed with
the European or Negro races.
In the class of B e r r e b b e r s , of which I shall first treat,
I include all those who appear to be descendants of the
original inhabitants of the country before the Arabian conquest
; and who speak several languages, or dialects of the
* T h is original an d interesting Sketch o f th e Population o f Western Barbary
grew o u t o f some observations made b y th e E d ito r to M r. D u p u is, up o n th e
freq u en t indiscriminate u se o f th e names o f Arab an d Moor, in speaking apparen
tly o f th e same people : an d th e explanation o f these terms (as well as o f the
te rm Shittuh, see p. 150, N o te 56) h aving led M r. Du p u is into a longer detail
th a n could b e conveniently comprised in a No te on th e Narrative, h e kindly
consented, a t the E d ito r’s request, to extend his R em arks to all th e classes o f
th e inhabitants o f th e Em p ire o f M o ro cco ; and th e E d ito r is h ap p y to have
permission to p resen t these Remarks, in th e ir present entire form, to th e reader.