IS
WITH PERMISSION,
RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,

BY

HIS MAJESTY'S
MOST DUTIFUL SUBJECT
AND SERVANT,
JAMES GREY JACKSON.

INTRODUCTION.

The person who communicated the following intelligence respecting
Timbuctoo and Housa, is a Muselman, and a native of Tetuan, whose father
and mother are personally known to Mr. Lucas, the British Consul. His
name is Asseed El Hage Abd Salam Shabeeny. His account of himself is,
that at the age of fourteen years he accompanied his father to
Timbuctoo, from which town, after a residence of three years, he
proceeded to Housa; and after residing at the latter two years, he
returned to Timbuctoo, where he continued seven years, and then came
back to Tetuan.

Being now in the twenty-seventh year of his age, he proceeded from
Tetuan as a pilgrim and merchant, with the caravan for Egypt to Mecca
and Medina, and on his return, established himself as a merchant at
Tetuan, his native place, from whence he embarked on board a vessel
bound for Hamburgh, in order to purchase linens and other merchandize
that were requisite for his commerce.

On his return from Hamburgh in an English vessel, he was captured, and
carried prisoner to Ostend, by a ship manned by Englishmen, but under
Russian colours, the captain of which pretended that his Imperial
mistress was at war with all Muselmen. There he was released by the good
offices of the British consul, Sir John Peters[a], and embarked once
more in the same vessel, which, by the same mediation, was also
released; but as the captain either was or pretended to be afraid of a
second capture, El Hage Abd Salam was sent ashore at Dover, and is
now[b], by the orders of government, to take his passage on board a
king's ship that will sail in a few days.

In the following communications, Mr. Beaufoy proposed the questions, and
Mr. Lucas was the interpreter.

Shabeeny was two years on his journey from Tetuan to Mekka, before he
returned to Fas. He made some profit on his merchandise, which consisted
of haiks[c], red caps, and slippers, cochineal and saffron; the returns
were, fine Indian muslins[d] for turbans, raw silk, musk, and
_gebalia_[e], a fine perfume that resembles black paste.

He made a great profit by his traffic at Timbuctoo and Housa; but, _he
says_, money