from
the British public; the many things therein stated, which are daily
gaining confirmation, although they were doubted at the period of their
publication, have contributed in no small degree, to the production of
the following sheets, in which I can conscientiously declare, that truth
has been my guide; I have never sacrificed it to ambition, vanity,
avarice, or any other passion.

The learned, I am flattered to see, are now beginning to adopt my
orthography of African names; they have lately adopted _Timbuctoo_ for
the old and barbarous orthography of _Timbuctoo_; they have, however,
been upwards of ten years about it. In ten years more, I anticipate that
_Fez_ will be changed into _Fas_, and _Morocco_ into _Marocco_, for this
plain and uncontrovertible reason,--because they are so spelled in the
original language of the countries, of which they are the chief cities.
Since the publication of my account of Marocco, I have seen Arabic words
spelled various ways by the same author (I have committed the same error
myself); but in the following work I have adopted a plan to correct this
prevailing error in Oriental orthography, which, I think, ought to be
followed by every Oriental scholar, as the only correct way of
transcribing them in English; viz. by writing them exactly according to
the original Arabic orthography, substituting _gr_ (not _gh_, as
Richardson directs) for the Arabic guttural [Arabic] grain, and _kh_
for the guttural _k_ or [Arabic]--

_Note._ We should be careful not to copy the orthography of Oriental or
African names from the French, which has too often been done, although
their pronunciation of European letters is very dissimilar from our own.

CONTENTS.

_An Account of a Journey from Fas to Timbuctoo, performed about the year
1787, by El Hage Abd Salam Shabeeny._ Page 1

Route to Timbuctoo.--Situation of the City.--Population.--Inns
or Caravanseras, called Fondaks.--Houses.--Government.--Revenue.--Army.
Administration of Justice.--Succession to Property.--Marriage.--Trade.
Manufactures.--Husbandry.--Provisions.--Animals.--Birds.--Fish.--Prices
of different Articles.--Dress.--Time.--Religion.--Diseases.--Manners
and Customs.--Neighbouring Nations.

_Journey from Timbuctoo to Housa_ 37

The River Neel or Nile.--Housa.--Government.--Administration
of Justice--Landed Property,--Revenues.--Army.-