CHAPTER XIII. Commercial Relations o f the Empire o f Morocco with Timbuctoo, and other Districts o f Soudan— Route o f the Caravans to and from Soudan— O f the City o f Timbuctoo— The Productive Gold Mines in its Vicinage— O f the navigable Intercourse between Jinnie and Timbuctoo ; and from the latter to Cairo in Egypt : the whole being collected from the most authentic and corroborating testimonies o f the Guides o f the Caravans, Itinerant Merchants o f Soudan, and other creditable sources o f Intelligence. T im b u c t o o ,* the great emporium o f central Africa, has From time immemorial carried on a v e ry extensive and lucrative trade with the various maritime States o f North Africa , v iz . Marocco, Tunis, A lg ie r , Tripoli, Egypt, 8cc. b y means of (akkabaahs) accumulated caravans, which cross the great Desert o f Sahara, generally between the months o f September and A p r il in c lu s ive ; these akkabaahs consist o f several hundred loaded camels, accompanied b y the Arabs who let them to the merchants, for the transport o f their merchandize to Fas, Marocco, 8cc. at a v e ry low rate. During their route, they are often exposed to the attacks o f the roving Arabs o f Sahara, who generally commit their depredations as they approach the confines o f the Desert. * See the author’s letter to Sir Joseph Banks in Proceedings of the Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, in 2 vols. 8vo. vol. ii. page 364.
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