No. V. A Letter from the Sheikh o f Bomou to the Sultan of Kanou. “ Praise be to God, and prayers and peace be unto the Apostle of God (Mohammed). “ From the slave of the high God, Mohammed El-ameen ben Mohammed El-kanemy, to the head of his land and the leader of his people, the learned Mohammed Daboo, lord and master of Kanou : Perfect peace, and the mercy and blessings of God, be unto you. “ Hence, the bearer, who is going to you, is our friend Mohammed EI- wardy, in whose company he has some Englishmen ; who came to the land of Soodan for the purpose of seeing and delighting themselves with the wonders it contains, and to examine and see the lakes and rivers, and forests, and deserts therein. They have been sent by their king for this purpose. “ Between their nation and the Mooslemeen, there have existed, since the times of their fathers and great grandfathers (ancestors), treaties of religious amity and friendship, special to themselves out of all the other nations that have erred, and are at variance with the doctrine of Aboo Hanifa*. There never was between them and the Mooslemeen any dispute; and whenever war is declared by the other Christians against the Mooslemeen, they are always ready to help us, as it has happened in the great assistance they gave to our nation when they delivered Egypt from the hands of the French. They have, therefore, continually penetrated into the countries of the Mooslemeen, and travelled where- ever they pleased with confidence and trust, and without being either molested or hurt. They are, as it is stated, descendants of the ancient Greek emperor Heraclius, who received and esteemed the letter sent to him from the Apostle of God (Mohammed), whom may God bless, by Dahi-yah El-kalbee, containing his exhortation to him to embrace the Moosleman faith; and who, on receiving that sacred epistle, preserved it in a gold case,—though it is stated, in the books of history, that he did not become a Mooslem. * Aboo Hanifa, or Imam Kanafee, was one of the four great imams or high priests, founders of the four orthodox rites o f Mohammedanism; and whose doctrine, it seems, is followed by these people. A. S. “ Thus, if God permit them to reach you in safety, be attentive to them, and send guards to conduct them to the country of Kashna, safe and unhurt ; for they are at the mercy of God, and at the honour of his Apostle; and you are well aware of the Alcoraanic sayings upon the subject of the observance of honour. And peace be with you.” Dated "Wednesday, the 6th day o f Rabee-ul-thani, 1239,” (Corresponding to January, 1824.) No. VI. A Letter from, the Sheikh ofBornou to Mohammed Bello, Sultan of Hoossa. “ Praise be to God, and prayers and peace be unto the Apostle of God, (Mohammed). « To the honoured and accomplished, the virtuous and munificent, the pattern of goodness and the standard of benevolence, head of the Soodanic kingdom, and ruler of the country of Hoossa, our friend, the learned Mohammed Bello, son of the intelligent sheikh Ossman, whose soul may God shelter with the clouds of mercy and peace. “ Our kind salutation, accompanied with affection as strong as the odour of musk, and as perpetual as the movement of the globe, and with the mercy and blessings of God, be unto you. " Hence, the cause of writing this letter and the purpose of its lines, is to acquaint you. that the bearers are English travellers ; whose nation, out of all the other Christians, has maintained with the Mooslemeen uninterrupted treaties of religious amity and friendship, established since ancient periods, which they inherited from their forefathers and ancestors ; and, on this account, they penetrate into the Mooslemeen countries whenever they please, and traverse all provinces and lands, in confidence and trust, without fear. They came to our country, sent to us by our virtuous and accomplished friend, the Lord Yousuf Pashâ, master of Tripoli, to see and delight themselves with the wonders of the land of Soodan, and to become acquainted with its rarities, as lakes, rivers, and forests (or gardens) ; equal to which are seldom seen in any other countries.
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