their wants are supplied, not-by the spontaneous productions
of nature, but by their .own^exertions; the labours pf the
field give ihem pretty full employment during the rains, and,
in the dry season, in the neighbourhood of rivers, they are
occupied in fishing. While the men are employed in these
pursuits, the women are very diligent in manufacturing cotton
cloth, which is coloured with a dye of indigo, mixed with a
lye of wood-aihes. The weaving is performed by the. men,
There are among the M andingos manufactures of leather and
iron, They tan the leather with great skill, and dye it of a
red or yellow colour. The iron is obtained from ore reduced,
in smelting: "furnaces. The women have the management of
domestic affairs; the Negro women are very cheerful and
frank in their behaviour; but they are by no means given to
intrigue, and instances of conj ugal infidelity are of rare oe±
eurrence.”
Long before the interior of Senegambia- had been explored
by Park, Mol lien, and other travellers, it had been .remarked*,
that the native region of the Mandingos must be an extensile,
and populous country. This inference was drawn from, the
extent of their conquests and of their eonnexioUp in the interior
of Africa to the northward of the line. “ From ibbir
mountains/’ says M. Golberry, “ the Mandingos (descended
in numerous tribes, and conquered and' colonised Bambouk
and the banks of the Gambia, from its sources as, fa/as thé
sea. On the right bank of the river, these^ polonies^ have
grown into kingdoms, the most celebrated of which‘Ure those
of Barra, Kollar, Badibou, and upper and lower Yani:
on the left bank, the Mandingo settlements are less numerous
and powerful.” M. Golberry has given an account of these
conquests,, collected from the traditions of the Mandtngos,
which throws some light upon the history of the African
nations.
The kingdoms of Barra, of Kollar, and of Badibou, were
founded by the first of those Mandingo colonies, which descended
from the sources of the river, and established themselves
towards its mouth. The Mandingos of the Gambia
have preserved the tradition of this event, and relate it in the
following manner:
“ Aboufiffeh'e.vjcormmèncement of the fHith (five . hundredth
the Hegiraf'-Amari-rSonlco, a celebrated Man-
-diid'gorw&TKqry l^^ètófed frpm/ the' mterior-Mf Africa at the
hèad öf more thaUitwënty thóbsaénd aimed men-, and-,- followed
by a *gre#t. -bum b a n d . m d ^ a h p i r t s / ravaged all the
northern? coast' of thé Gambia,*and arrived'’ towards the mpuih
m that river/where he- fought omany battles with the king of
^dlumj^be 'fihaliy^feidained coUque'ror, of the territOiiis/of
Barra; Kollar, and- Badibo^^d«
ThiS ; founder of thê^mpliéSl Mandingéf which
|t?ftablished thfems’elves bh'rthe banks?of # the Gambia, was at
oritoë an1 intrepid wlarrior, a/gpod- pPltj&icjani and an able merchants
He’-rèndèred himself formidable )|p' • the Iolofs, and
pie Bur^alum, and compelledfthis priüëë(to grant ihiifi/irre-
ydcably, the possession of hisjcon.que§te| which, at his death,
he’divided ^between his-||b|i|| sons. . .-The kingdom.^-' Barra
wëS^given'-to /the eldest-, - whose::descendants1 still h0.ld. tbe-
Efigal' póivdri s The family/of” the eldest ?Spn of Amari-Sonko
fs'divided intó five branches ; and -the eldest’; ^ each-branch
reigns successively. “ At the tinm when I was at Alhreda,”
;g|fys M. Golberry, p the Resumptive heir 'was ^a^ègr|j|iaamèd
ilnko-Ari, a cousin of the- reigning monarch. The king being
an idiot,' Ali Sonko, h,is uncle' was declared regent of the
kingdom of . Barra, which, ind786, he had gpyërned for seven,
years, with the wisdom, energy, and prudence of an enlightened
European. He was then sixty-five'iyéap-p of age, tall,
upright, and of majestic stature; his physiognomy was regular
and ëtgtéeabïe, and beamed with i-nteHigencg and reflect
tion, the expression which ire general distinguishes the Man-
dingo nation. His countenance was unfurrowed with wrinkles/
his eyes were large and lively; his mouth, well-formed, was
still ornamented with the finest Itpeth ; his character was replete
with benevolence and energy; in short, everything in this
Negro prince displayed, superior wisdom. His deportment
was always grave and serious, but still interesting; and even'
sometimes lively; he loved Frenchmen, and was sensible to
generous conduct, and disposed to friendship. Extremely
pure in his manners, and a.scrupulous observer of the Mo-’
hammedan religion, the first rays of the morning sun