a large prop of wood placed
in the inside slopingly against them. There is a dry ditch, or
excavation, which circumscribes the town, (except at those places
which are opposite the gates,) about twelve feet deep, and too wide
10 for any man to leap it. The three gates of the town are shut
every evening soon after sun-set: they are made of folding doors,
of which there is only one pair. The doors are lined on the outside
with untanned hides of camels, and are so full of nails that no
hatchet can penetrate them; the front appears like one piece of
iron.

[Footnote 19: The tabia walls are thus built: They put boards
on each side of the wall supported by stakes driven in the
ground, or attached to other stakes laid transversely across
the wall; the intermediate space is then filled with sand and
mud, and beat down with large wooden mallets, (as they beat the
terraces) till it becomes hard and compact; the cases are left
on for a day or two; they then take them off, and move them
higher up, repeating this operation till the wall is finished.]

[Footnote 20: El Kibla signifies the tomb of Muhamed: in most
African towns there is a Kibla-gate, which faces Medina in
Arabia.]

POPULATION.

The town is once and a half the size of Tetuan[21], and contains,
besides natives, about 10,000[22] of the people of Fas and Marocco.
The native inhabitants of the town of Timbuctoo may be computed at
40,000, exclusive of slaves and foreigners. Many of the merchants
who visit Timbuctoo are so much attached to the place that they
cannot leave it, but continue there for life. The natives are all
blacks: almost every stranger marries a female of the town, who are
so beautiful that travellers often fall in love with them at first
sight.

[Footnote 21: That is about four miles in circumference. Tetuan
contains 16,000 inhabitants; but, according to this account,
Timbuctoo contains 50,000, besides slaves, a population above
three times that of Tetuan: now, as the houses of Timbuctoo are
more spacious than those of Tetuan, it is to be apprehended
that Shabeeny has committed an error in describing the size of
Timbuctoo.]

[Footnote 22: Who go there for the purposes of trade.]

INNS