CHAPTER V.
ETHNOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL AFRICA TO THE NORTHWARD OF
THE EQUATOR CONTINUED— MIDDLE DIVISION - INTERIOR
OF AFRICA.
S e c t io n I.— Of the earliest accounts of Sudan.
T h e traveller who pursues his way from the country of the
Mandiugos to the eastward descends from the highlands of
Senegamhia into the vast plains, through which the river Niger
takes its course till it turns southward towards the Bight of
Benin: These plains are the commencement of a level region,
of great extent, which may be termed the lowlands of Central
Africa. They almost traverse the AfricaiLcontinent, being
divided from the region of Atlas by the Sahara, and everywhere
limited towards the souths as we have already observed, by
the Mountains of the Moon, and the high countries of which
those-mountains are said to form the northern boundary. In
this inland region of Africa there are several Negro kingdoms
or empires, the subjects of which have embraced more of less
generally the Mohammedan religion, and have made a considerable
advancement in civilization. I shall now briefly survey
the history of these Negro communities, which occupy the
interior of Africa, from Senegamhia almost to the confines of
Abyssinia* or at least to the high country whieh rises to the
eastward of Bomu, and separates the basin of Lake Tschad
from the valley of the White River, or the Bahar-el-Abiad*
The earliest sources of the history of the interior of Africa
are the works of Arabian geographers and travellers, among
the most celebrated of whom are Edrisi, Ibn Batata, and Leo
Africanus. Edrisi, the most ancient of these writers, who is
m The region now to be described is sometimes comprehended by the Arabians,
S
under the term S6dan, meaning Dar Sddan, or the Land of Blacks.
The name is adopted with some variety in its limitation. I shall use it as com-
prehending all the countries occupied by Mohammedan states within the region
above defined.
Supposed to have been bom at Ceuta, pursued his studies at
Cordova. He-never travelled iMo^&he interior of Africa: his
greatfwork on geography^* whlbh WHs:written about 1150| a .d .
contains a compilation of Arabian notices and traditions, and
that part of it which relates- to African comprises the earliest
historical notices ;of Sudan. - Ibn Batuta- travelled* through
many countries/of <Asia and Africa. His last journey was
through the intfewor of Africa, tty Sfegelmessa and the SAkata*
to Sego and Tombuktu., His travels, which1'were written by
-himself at Tah^iors;. his native town, contain much interesting
matter>; relating to various parts »of the world.f’- But^jtff4 iiiost
copious and valuable information1 wMatfng^ to Afriea is contained
in the1 work of Joannes Leo Afrieamss, which was written
at Rome, and published in Latin, in 15.3G4;-5ibeO describes
* The great work of Edrisi, nr Sheriff Mohammed A1 IdrlsI, or ratheri that portion
o f it relating to Africa, was. published |n 8vo. at Goettingen', in 1796.' • A
translation of the first part, with critical notices, appeared in the first and second
numbers of the Annals of Oriental Literature.
> -f-; The‘ entire work of Ibn Batuta is only known'by'report, but there ‘is 'an
abridgment, of which; several manuscripts exist in -Europe, three" being in the
library of the University of Cambridge, a bequest of Buickhardt Kosegarten and
Apetz of Jena, have published some parts of this abridgement in Germany. We
are indiebted to Professor Lee for a translation of the whble, with very valuable
and learned notes, which appeared in 1829.
•From the account given by the author <?f the abridgement, it appears that Shick
Mohammed Ibn.Batfita, left his native city, Tangiers, in 725 .the Hegira, or
A, D. 1324-5. He terminated his travels In 1353 or 1354. ;
$ Joannis Leonis Afticani, de totius Africse descriptione, lib.hx, Antverp, 1556.
Leo was a Spanish Moor, born at Grenada, who, when his oountiy was conducted
by Ferdinand aud Isabella, fied to Africa, and at Fee devoted himself.-to study.
He afterwards was sent by the sultan of Fez on various embassies ip to .different
parts of Africa. Having been captured by a pirate near the island of Zerbi, and
brought to Rome, his fame as a learned geographer obtained him a'diSdbguishe’d
reception on the part of Leo X. He there embraced Christianity, in the profession
of which he died. His geographical work was written originally in Arabic, and was
translated into Latin, and published in 1556. I have extracted these particulars
from the preface by Floriarius to the first edition. It has been observed by Professor
Ritter, that Leo, although he wrote an account of what' lie had himself seen, yet
suffered himself to be'misled by the authority of writers on geography, and thus to
give a sanction to their mistakes. For instance, although he-had Jhimsfelf sailed on
the Niger, near Tombuktfi, he declares that the stream flows thence, not eastward
as it is known to do, but towards the west to Genia on Jenn6, Notwithstanding
such blemishes, the work of Leo. is most valuable. It gives the only account extant
of the foundation of the Negro empires of Stidau.