after the rains, he would send me to the governor of Zeg Zeg, with orders to convey me to the coast. Having heard of our newspapers, he desired me to send for them, calling them the “ Huber el dineah,” or “News of the world.” Being set to read extracts from them, I happened to mention that thousands of them were printed daily, when he exclaimed, ft God is great; You are a wonderful people.” He asked me about the Greeks, and inquired if they were joined by any other Christians; the discussion of which subject I contrived to evade. He then remarked, “ You were at war with Algiers, and killed a number of the Algerines.” I assured him that they were a ferocious race, never at peace amongst themselves (having even killed three of their own deys in one month), and persisting in the practice of making slaves of Europeans, until forcibly compelled by us to relinquish it. In this conversation, he repeated “You are a strange people, the strongest of all Christian nations : you have subjugated all India.” I said, we merely afforded it our protection, and gave it good laws. I mentioned, particularly, that many Mahometan states had put themselves under our protection, knowing we were a people that never interfered with the rights of others, whether civil or religious, but caused the laws to be impartially administered among all sects' and persuasions. The King of England, I often told him, had, in fact, as many Mahometan subjects as the Grand Signor; and I took care to enlarge upon the favourite topic of several ships conveying the inhabitants of India annually to Mecca. The sultan again drew on the sand the course of the Quarra, with the outline of the adjoining countries. I now requested him to order one of his learned men to make me a chart of the river, on paper, which he promised to have done. The sultan re-stated that Fundah is the name of the place where the Quarra enters the sea, during the rainy season; and that Tagra, a town on the sea-coast, where many Felatahs reside, is governed by one of his subjects, a native of Kashna, named Mohamed Mishnee. In the evening I saw him again, when he told me that he was going on an expedition against some of his enemies, but would not be away more than five days, desiring me not to be uneasy during his absence, and assuring me that I should want for nothing. To announce to the people any public measure, such as the present expedition, the city crier is sent round, who first proclaims, “ This is the will of the sultan ;” the people replying “ Whatever the sultan does, is good; we will do i t t h e crier stops in like manner at the end of every sentence, when the people renew the same assurances of submission. The crier always commences at the sultan’s gate, from which he proceeds to the market-place. It was proclaimed on this occasion, that all those who were to accompany the expedition must provide themselves with eight days’ provisions. At eight in the evening, the sultan left the capital with his army. March 28.—This forenoon I had a visit from a famous Marauboot, or holy man : he was accompanied by a great retinue, and repeated the Fatha at his entrance, for the first time this ceremony had been performed before me in Haussa. He began by asking me, abruptly, to become a Moslem : I said, “ God willing, I might; but I require much previous instruction in religious matters before I can think of changing my faith.” At this answer the bystanders began to laugh immoderately, to the evident discomposure of the holy man’s gravity: for my part, I could not discover any wit in what I said, although it had the effect of relieving me from further impertinent questions on religious subjects ; and he soon left me, rather disconcerted at his want of success. After sunset I had a visit from Ateeko, the brother of the sultan, to whom I had sent a present of a scarlet jacket, breeches, and bornouse: when he was seated, and the usual compliments were over, I apologized on the score of ill health, and the remoteness of his abode, for not having already paid him a visit. He now told me he had a few things which belonged to the o
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