CHAPTER X

.

_Languages of Africa — Various Dialects of the Arabic Language — Difference between the Berebber and Shelluh Languages — Specimen of the Mandinga — Comparison of the Shelluh Language with that of the Canary Islands, and Similitude of Customs._

Yareb, the son of Kohtan,[167] is said to have been the first who spoke Arabic, and the Mohammedans contend that it is the most eloquent language spoken in any part of the globe, and that it is the one which will be used at the day of judgment. To write a long dissertation on this copious and energetic language, would be only to repeat what many learned men have said before; a few observations, however, may not be superfluous to the generality of readers. The Arabic language is spoken by a greater proportion of the inhabitants of the known world than any other: a person having a practical knowledge of it, may travel from the shores of the Mediterranean sea to the Cape of Good Hope, and notwithstanding that in such a journey he must pass through many kingdoms and empires of blacks, speaking distinct languages, yet he would find men in all those countries versed in Mohammedan learning, and therefore acquainted with the Arabic; again, he might cross the widest part of the African continent from west to east, and would every where meet with persons acquainted with it, more particularly if he should follow the course of the great river called the Nile of the Negroes, on the banks of which, from Jinnie and Timbuctoo, to the confines of Lower Egypt, are innumerable cities and towns of Arabs and Moors, all speaking the Arabic. Again, were a traveller to proceed from Marocco to the farthest shore of Asia, opposite the islands of Japan, he would find the Arabic generally spoken or understood wherever he came. In Turkey, in Syria, in Arabia, in Persia, and in India, it is understood by all men of education; and any one possessing a knowledge of the Korannick Arabic, might, in a very short time, make himself master of the Hindostannee, and of every other dialect of the former.

The letters of this language are formed in four distinct ways, according to their situation at the beginning, middle, or end of words, as well as when standing alone; the greatest difficulty, however, to be overcome, is the acquiring a just pronunciation, (without which no living language can be essentially useful), and to attain which, the learner should be able to express the difference of power and sound between what may be denominated the synonymous letters, such as ط and ث with ت; ع with ا; ص with س; ض and ظ with د; ه with ح; ڧ and ك with خ; غ with ر.

Besides these, there are other letters, whose power is extremely difficult to be acquired by an European, because no language in Europe possesses sounds similar to the Arabic letters ع غ خ, nor has any language, except, perhaps, the English, a letter with the power of the Arabian ث. Those who travel into Asia or Africa scarcely ever become sufficiently masters of the Arabic to speak it fluently, which radical defect proceeds altogether from their not learning, while studying it, the peculiar distinction of the synonymous letters. No European, perhaps, ever knew more of the _theory_ of this language than the late Sir William Jones, but still he could not converse with an Arabian, a circumstance of which he was not conscious until he went to India. This great man, however, had he been told that his knowledge of this popular eastern language was so far deficient, that he was ignorant of the separate powers of its synonymous letters, and consequently inadequate to converse intelligibly with a native Arab, he would certainly have considered it an aspersion, and have disputed altogether that such was the fact. Considering how much we are indebted to the Arabians for the preservation of many of the works of the ancients, which would otherwise have never, perhaps, been known to us, it is really surprising that their language should be so little known in Europe. It is certainly very difficult and abstruse (to learners particularly), but this difficulty is rendered insurmountable by the European professors knowing it only as a dead language, and teaching it without due attention to the pronunciation of the before mentioned synonymous letters, a defect which is not likely to be remedied, and which will always subject the speaker to incessant errors.

To shew the Arabic student the difference between the Oriental and Occidental order of the letters of the alphabet, I shall here give them opposite each other.

1 Alif ا — 1 Alif ا

2 ba ب — 2 ba ب

3 ta ت — 3 ta ت

4 thsa ث — 4 tha ث

5 jim ج — 5 jim ج

6 hha ح — 6 hha ح

7 kha خ — 7 kha خ

8 dal د — 8 dal د

9 dsal ذ — 9 dth’al ذ

10 ra ر — 10 ra ر

11 za ز — 11 zain ز

12 sin س — 12 ta ط

13 shin ش — 13 da ظ

14 sad ص — 14 kef ك

15 dad ض — 15 lam ل

16 ta ط — 16 mim م

17 da ظ — 17 nune ن

18 ain ع — 18 sad ص

19 gain غ — 19 dad ض

20 fa ف — 20 ain ع

21 kaf ق — 21 r’gain غ

22 kef ك — 22 fa ف

23 lem ل — 23 kaf ق

24 mim م — 24 sin س

25 nun ن — 25 shin ش

26 waw و — 26 hha ه

27 he ه — 27 wow و

28 ya ي — 28 ia ي

29 lam-alif لا — 29 lam-alif لا

Besides this difference of the arrangement of the two alphabets, the student will observe that there is also a difference in the punctuation of two of the letters: thus—

Oriental. Occidental.

fa ف fa ڢ

kaf ق kaf ڧ

Among the Western Arabs, the ancient Arabic figures are used, viz. 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9: they often write 100 thus, 1 . .-200, 2 . .

To explain the force of the synonymous letters on paper would be impossible; the reader, however, may form some idea of the indispensable necessity of knowing the distinction by the few words here selected, which to one unaccustomed to hear the Arabic language spoken, would appear similar and undistinguishable.

ENGLISH. ARABIC. ARABIC.

Rendered as near to European pronunciation as the English Alphabet will admit.

A horse Aoud عودْ

Wood Awad اعوادْ

To repeat Aoud عَودْ

Fish Hout حُوتْ

A gun Mokhalla امُكْحلَ

A foolish woman Mokeela مُخيلهَ

A frying-pan Makeela مَڧلُ

A lion Sebah اَّلسبعْ

Morning Sebah اَّلصبحْ

Seventh Sebah اَّلسبعْ

Hatred Hassed احسَدْ

Harvest Hassed احصدْ

Learning Alem, or El Alem العالمْ or عالمْ

A flag El Alem الاعلامْ

Granulated paste Kuscasoe كسكْسُ

The dish it is made in Kuscas كسكاسْ

Heart Kul’b ڧلبْ

Dog Kil’b كلبْ

Mould Kal’b ڧالبْ

Captain Rice الرُايسُ

Feathers Rish الرُيش

Mud Ris الغيسْ

Smell Shim الشُمْ

Poison Sim ألسمْ[168]

Absent R’gaib الغايبْ

Butter milk Raib الرَّايبْ

White Bëad اْبيضْ

A black El Abd العبدْ

Eggs Baid البَيضْ

Afar-off Baid ابْعيدْ

A pig Helloof حلوڢْ

An oath Hellef احلڢْ

Feed for horses Alf العّلڢ

A thousand Alf الڢْ

It is difficult for any one who has not accurately studied the Arabic language, to imagine the many errors which an European commits in speaking it, when self-taught, or even when taught in Europe. Soon after my arrival in Africa, when I had not attained the age of eighteen, I happened one day to be in the house of an European gentleman who had then been in the country twenty years; an Arab of the province of Tedla came in, when the former (at all times desirous of exhibiting his knowledge of their language) addressed him, and after making a long speech, the Arab very coolly replied, “I entreat thee to speak Arabic, that I may understand thee (_tkillem Eaudie b’lorbea besh en fhemik_).” This was interpreted to me by a friend, who was present, and it made such a strong impression on my mind, that I resolved to apply myself assiduously to discover the reason why a person who spoke the language tolerably quick, should be altogether so little understood, and I was some time afterwards, by making various observations and trials, convinced that the deficiency originated in the inaccuracy of the application of the synonymous letters.

The ain ع and the غ r’gain cannot be accurately pronounced by Europeans, who have not studied the language grammatically when young, and under a native; I have, however, heard an Irishman,[169] who did not understand it grammatically, but had acquired it by ear, pronounce the latter equally as correct as any Arabian; but this was a rare instance. He was in England whilst Elfie Bey was here, who, as I was afterwards informed, had declared, that he was the only European whose Arabic he could easily understand. The aspirated _h_, and the hard _s_, in the word for _morning_ (sebah), are so much like their synonymes, that few Europeans can discern the difference; the one is consequently often mistaken for the other; and I have known a beautiful sentence absolutely perverted through an inaccuracy of this kind. In the words rendered _Hatred_ and _Harvest_, the two synonymes of س and ص or _s_ hard and _s_ soft, are indiscriminately used by Europeans in their Arabic _conversations_, a circumstance sufficient to do away the force and meaning of any sentence or discourse.

The poetry as well as prose of the Arabians is well known, and has been so often discussed by learned men, that it would be irrelevant here to expatiate on the subject; but as the following description of the noblest passion of the human breast cannot but be interesting to the generality of readers, and without any exception to the fair sex, I will transcribe it.

“Love (العشك) beginneth in contemplation, passeth to meditation; hence proceeds desire; then the spark bursts forth into a flame, the head swims, the body wastes, and the soul turns giddy. If we look on the bright side of love, we must acknowledge that it has at least one advantage; it annihilates pride and immoderate self-love: true love, whose aim is the happiness and equality of the beloved object, being incompatible with those feelings.

“Lust is so different from true love (العشك), and so far from a perfection, that it is always a species of punishment sent by God, because man has abandoned the path of his pure love.”

In their epistolary writing, the Arabs have generally a regular and

## particular style, beginning and ending all their letters with the

name of God, symbolically, because God is the beginning and end of all things. The following short specimen will illustrate this:

Translation of a letter written in the Korannick Arabic by Seedy Soliman ben Mohammed ben Ismael, Sultan of Marocco, to his Bashaw —— of Suse, &c. &c.

“Praise be to the only God! for there is neither power, nor strength, without the great and eternal God.”

[L.S. containing the Emperor’s name and titles, as Soliman ben Mohammed ben Abdallah, &c. &c.]

“Our servant, Alkaid Abdelmelk ben Behie Mulud, God assist, and peace be with thee, and the mercy and grace of God be upon thee!

“We command thee forthwith to procure and send to our exalted presence every Englishman that has been wrecked on the coast of Wedinoon, and to forward them hither without delay, and diligently to succour and attend to them, and may the eye of God be upon thee!”

26th of the lunar month Saffer, year of the Hejira 1281.

(May 1806.)[170]

The accuracy of punctuation in the Arabic language is a matter that ought to be strictly attended to; thus they maintain writing to be the first qualification of a scholar, and that, from a want of a due knowledge of punctuation, the Christians have misunderstood the word of God, which says, “I have begotten thee, and thou art my son.” This passage, they say, first stood as follows, (which if the Scriptures had been originally written in Arabic would have had some plausibility.)

“I have adopted thee, and thou art my prophet.” The difference of punctuation in one word makes all this difference in signification, for—

ٮٮ punctuated thus بن signifies _son_, and

ٮٮ punctuated thus, نب signifies _prophet_.

It has been already observed, that the Mohammedans believe in Jesus Christ, and that he was a prophet sent from God; but they acknowledge no equal with God. The doctrine of the Trinity is incomprehensible to them, hence they will not admit of the punctuation بن but allow that of نب.

The foregoing observations will serve to prove the insufficiency of a knowledge of this language, as professed or studied in Great Britain when unaccompanied with a practical knowledge. These observations may apply equally to the Persian language.[171]

If the present ardour for discovery in Africa be persevered in, the learned world may expect, in the course of a few years, to receive histories and other works of Greek and Roman authors, which were translated into the Arabic language, when Arabian literature was in its zenith, and have ever since been confined to some private libraries in the cities of the interior of Africa, and in Arabia. Bonaparte, aware of the political importance of a practical knowledge of this language, has of late given unremitting attention to the subject, and if we may believe the mutilated accounts which we receive occasionally from France, he is likely to obtain from Africa in a short period relics of ancient learning of considerable value, which have escaped the wreck of nations.

Having said thus much with regard to the Arabic of the western Arabs, which, with little variation, is spoken throughout all the finest districts of North Africa, I shall proceed to say a few words respecting the other languages spoken north of Sahara: these are the Berebber and its dialects, viz. the Zayan and Girwan, and Ait Imure; the Shelluh of Suse and South Atlas, all which, though latterly supposed by some learned men to be the same, differ in many respects; any one possessing a knowledge of the Berebber language might, with little difficulty, make himself understood by the Zayan of Atlas, the Girwan, or the Ait Imure; but the Shelluh is a different language, and each so different from the Arabic, that there is not the smallest resemblance, as the following specimen will demonstrate:

BEREBBER. SHELLUH. ARABIC. ENGLISH.

Tumtoot Tayelt Ishira A girl

Ajurode Ayel Ishire A boy

Askan Tarousa Hajar A thing

Aram Algrom Jimmel Camel

Tamtute Tamraut Murrah A woman

Ishiar Issemg’h L’abd A slave

Aouli Izimer Kibsh A sheep

Taddert Tikimie Dar House

Ikshuden Asroen Lawad Wood

Eekeel Akfai Hellib Milk

Tifihie Uksume El Ham Meat

Buelkiel Amuran Helloof A hog

Abreede Agares Trek A road

Bishee Fikihie Ara Give me

Adude Asht Agi Come

Alkam Aftooh Cire Go

Kaym Gäuze Jils Sit down

Imile Imeek Serire Little

SPECIMEN OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ARABIC AND SHELLUH LANGUAGES.

SHELLUH. ARABIC ENGLISH.

Is sin Tamazirkt Wash katarf Shelluh Do you understand Shelluh?

Uree sin Man arf huh I do not understand it

Matshrult Kif enta How are you?

Is tekeete Marokshe Wash gite min Are you come from Marockshe Marocco?

Egan ras Miliah Good

Maigan Ala’sh Wherefore?

Misimmink As’mek What is your name?

Mensh kat dirk Shall andik How much have you got?

Tasardunt Borella A mule

Romi Romi An European

Takannarit Nasarani A Christian

Romi Kaffer An infidel

Misem Bebans Ashkune mula Who is the owner?

Is’tkit Tegriwelt Wash jite min Are you come from Tegriwelt Cape Ossem?

Auweete Imkelli Jib Liftor Bring the dinner

Efoulkie Meziana Handsome

Ayeese El aoud A horse

Tikelline El Baid Eggs

Amuran Helloof Hog

Tayuh Tatta Camelion

Tasamumiat Adda Green lizard

Tandaraman Ertella b’hairie Venemous spider

Tenawine Sfune Ships

Marmol says, the Shelluhs and Berebbers write and speak one language, called Killem Abimalick,[172] the name of the person who was accounted the inventor of Arabic letters; but the foregoing specimen, the accuracy of which may be depended on, clearly proves this assertion to be erroneous, as well as that of many moderns who have formed their opinion, in all probability, on the above authority. Now, although the Shelluh and Berebber languages are so totally dissimilar, that there is not one word in the foregoing vocabulary which resembles its corresponding word in the other language, yet, from the prejudice which Marmol has established, it will still be difficult, perhaps, to persuade the learned that such an author could be mistaken on such a subject. My account therefore must remain for a future age to determine upon, when the languages of Africa shall be better known than they are at present; for it is not a few travellers occasionally sent out on a limited plan that can ascertain facts, the attainment of which requires a long residence, and familiar intercourse with the natives. Marmol has also misled the world in saying that they write a different language; the fact is, that when they write any thing of consequence, it is in the Arabic, but any trifling subject is written in the Berebber words, though in the Arabic character. If they had any peculiar character in the time of Marmol, they have none now; for I have conversed with hundreds of them, as well as with the Shelluhs, and have had them staying at my house for a considerable time together, but never could learn from any that a character different from the Arabic had ever been in use among them.

In addition to these languages, there is another spoken at the Oasis of Ammon, or Siwah, called in Arabic (الواح الغاربي) El Wah El Garbie, which appears to be a mixture of Berebber and Shelluh, as will appear from the list of Siwahan words given by Mr. Horneman,[173] in his Journal, page 19, part of which I have here transcribed, to shew the similitude between those two languages, whereby it will appear that the language of Siwah and that of the Shelluhs of South Atlas are one and the same language.

ENGLISH. SIWAHAN, SHELLUH. as given by Mr. Horneman, p. 19.

Sun Itfuckt Atfuct

Head Achfé Akfie

Camel Lgum Arume

Sheep Jelibb Jelibb

Cow Tfunest Tafunest

Mountain Iddrarn Iddra[174]

Have you a horse? Goreck Ackmar Is derk Achmar?[175]

Milk Achi Akfie

Bread Tagor Tagora[176]

Dates Tena Tenie (sing.)

Tena (plural.)

South of the Desert we find other languages spoken by the blacks; and are told by Arabs who have frequently performed the journey from Jinnie to Cairo, and the Red Sea, that thirty-three different Negroe languages are met with in the course of that route, but that the Arabic is spoken by the intelligent part of the people, and the Mohammedan religion is known and followed by many; their writings are uniformly in Arabic.

It may not be improper in this place, seeing the many errors and mutilated translations which appear from time to time of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian papers, to give a list of the Mohammedan moons or lunar months, used by all those nations, which begin with the first appearance of the new moon, that is, the day following, or sometimes two days after the change, and continue till they see the next new moon; these have been mutilated to such a degree in all our English translations, that I shall give them, in the original Arabic character, and as they ought to be spelt and pronounced in the English character, as a clue whereby to calculate the correspondence between our year and theirs. They divide the year into 12 months, which contain 29 or 30 days, according as they see the new moon; the first day of the month Muharam is termed راس العام Ras Elame, i.e. the beginning of the year.

As we are more used to the Asiatic mode of punctuation, that will be observed in these words.

Muharam مُحَارَمْ

Asaffer اَصاَفرْ

Arabia Elule الَّرابيع الَّوله

Arabea Atthenie الَّرابيع الَّثاني

Jumad Elule جوماد الول

Jumad Athenie جوماد الَّثاني

Rajeb راجب

Shaban شعبان

Ramadan رامدان

Shual شوال

Du’elkada دُلكعدهَ

Du Elhagah دُلحاجَهْ

The first of Muharram, year of the Hejira 1221, answers to the 19th March of the Christian æra, 1806.

Among the various languages spoken south of the Desert, or Sahara, we have already observed that there are thirty-three different ones between the Western Ocean and the Red Sea, following the shores of the Nile El Abide, or Niger: among all these nations and empires, a man practically acquainted with the Arabic may always make himself understood, and indeed it is the language most requisite to be known for every traveller in these extensive regions.

The Mandinga is spoken from the banks of the Senegal, where that river takes a northerly course from the Jibel Kumera to the kingdom of Bambarra; the Wangareen tongue is a different one; and the Houssonians speak a language differing again from that.

_Specimen of the difference between the Arabic and Mandinga language; the words of the latter extracted from the vocabularies of Seedi Mohammed ben Amer Soudani._

ENGLISH. MANDINGA ARABIC.

One Kalen Wahud

Two Fula Thanine

Three Seba Thalata

Four Nani Arba

Five Lulu Kumsa

Six Uruh Setta

Seven Urn’klu Sebba

Eight Säae Timinia

Nine Kanuntée Taseud

Ten Dan Ashra

Eleven Dan kalen Ahud ash

Twelve Dan fula Atenashe

Thirteen Dan seba Teltashe

Nineteen Dan kanartée Tasatash

Twenty Mulu Ashreen

Thirty Mulu nintau Thalateen

Forty Mulu fula Arbä’in

Fifty Mulu fula neentan Kumseen

Sixty Mulu sebaa Setteen

Seventy Mulu sebaa nintan Sebä’in

Eighty Mulu nani T’ammana’een

Ninety Mulu nani neentaan Tasa’een

One hundred Kemi Mia

One thousand Uli Elf

This Neen Hadda

That Waleem Hadduk

Great Bawa Kabeer

Little Nadeen Sereer

Handsome Nimawa Zin

Ugly Nuta Uksheen (k guttural)

White Kie Bead

Black Feen Abeed, or khal

Red Williamma Hummer

How do you do? Nimbana mountania Kif-enta

Well Kantée Ala khere

Not well Moon kanti Murrede

What do you want Ala feeta matume Ash-bright

Sit down Siduma Jils

Get up Ounilee Node

Sour Akkumula Hamd

Sweet Timiata Helluh

True Aituliala Hack

False Funiala Kadube

Good Abatee Miliah

Bad Minbatee Kubiah

A witch Bua Sahar

A lion Jatta Sebaâ

An elephant Samma El fele

A hyæna Salua Dubbah

A wild boar Siwa El kunjer

A water horse Mali Aoud d’Elma

A horse Suhuwa Aoud

A camel Kumaniun Jimmel

A dog Wallee Killeb

Hel el Killeb or the Hel Wallee Hel El Killeb dog-faced race

A gazel Tankeen Gazel (g guttural)

A cat Niankune El mish

A goat Baâ El mâize

A sheep Kurenale Kibsh

A bull Nisakia Toôr

A serpent Saâ Hensh

A camelion Mineer Tatta

An ape Ku’nee Dzatute

A fowl or chicken Susee Djez

A duck Beruee El Weese

A fish Hihu El hout

Butter Tulu Zibda

Milk Nunn El hellib

Bread Mengu El khubs (k guttural)

Corn Nieu Zra

Wine Tangee Kummer (k guttural)

Honey Alee Asel

Sugar Tobabualee Sukar

Salt Kuee Mil’h

Ambergris Anber Anber

Brass Tass Tass

Silver Kudee Nukra

Gold-dust Teber Tiber

Pewter Tass ki Kusdeer

A bow Kula El kos

An arrow Binia Zerag

A knife Muru Jenui

A spoon Kulia Mogerfa

A bed El arun El ferrashe

A lamp El kundeel El kundeel

A house Su Ed dar

A room Bune El beet

A light-hole or Jinnee Reehâha window

A door Daa Beb

A town Kinda Midina

Smoke Sezee Tkan (k guttural)

Heat Kandia Skanna (k guttural)

Cold Nini Berd

Sea Bedu baba Bahar

River Bedu Wed

A rock Berri Jerf

Sand Kinnikanni Rummel

The earth Binku Dunia

Mountain Kuanku Jibbel

Island Juchüi Dzeera

Rain Sanjukalaeen Shta

God Allah Allah

Father Fa Ba

Mother Ba Ma

Hell Jahennum Jehennume

A man Kia Rajil

A woman Musa Murrah

A sister Bum musa Kat (k guttural)

A brother Bum kia Ka

The devil Buhau Iblis

A white man Tebabu Rajil biad

A singer Jalikea Runai (r guttural)

A singing woman Jalimusa Runaiah (r guttural)

A slave June Abeed

A servant Bettela Mutalem

Having now given some account of the languages of Africa, we shall proceed to animadvert on the similitude of language and customs between the Shelluhs of Atlas and the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands. The words between inverted commas are quotations from Glasse’s History of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands.

“The inhabitants of Lancerotta and Fuertaventura are social and cheerful;” like the Shelluhs of Atlas; “they are fond of singing and dancing; their music is vocal, accompanied with a clapping of hands, and beating with their feet:” the Shelluhs resemble them in all these respects; “Their houses are built of stone, without cement; the entrance is narrow, so that but one person can enter at a time.”

The houses of the Shelluhs are sometimes built without cement, but always with stone; the doors and entrances are low and small, so that one person only can enter.

“In their temples they offered to their God milk and butter.”

Among the Shelluhs milk and butter are given as presents to princes and great men: the milk being an emblem of good will and candour.

“When they were sick (which seldom happened) they cured themselves with the herbs which grew in the country; and when they had acute pains, they scarified the part affected with sharp stones, and burned it with fire, and then anointed it with goat’s butter. Earthen vessels of this goat’s butter were found interred in the ground, having been put there by the women who were the makers, and took that method of preparing it for medicine.”

The custom of the Shelluhs on similar occasions is exactly similar; the butter which they use is old, and is buried under ground many years in (bukul) earthen pots, and is called budra: it is a general medicine, and is said to possess a remarkably penetrating quality.

“They grind their barley in a hand-mill, made of two stones, being similar to those used in some remote parts of Europe.”

In Suse, among the Shelluhs, they grind their corn in the same way, and barley is the principle food.

“Their breeches are short, leaving the knees bare;” so are those worn by the Shelluhs.

“Their common food was barley meal roasted and mixed with goats milk and butter, and this dish they called Asamotan.”

This is the common food of the Shelluhs of Atlas, and they call it by a similar name, Azamitta.

The opinion of the author of the History and Conquest of the Canary Islands, is, that the inhabitants came originally from Mauritania, and this he founds on the resemblance of names of places in Africa and in the islands: for, says he, “Telde,[177] which is the name of the oldest habitation in Canaria, Orotaba, and Tegesta, are all names which we find given to places in Mauritania and in Mount Atlas. It is to be supposed that Canaria, Fuertaventura, and Lancerotta, were peopled by the Alarbes,[178] who are the nation most esteemed in Barbary; for the natives of those islands named milk Aho, and barley Temecin, which are the names that are given to those things in the language of the Alarbes of Barbary.” He adds, that

“Among the books of a library that was in the cathedral of St. Anna in Canaria, there was found one so disfigured, that it wanted both the beginning and the end: it treated of the Romans, and gave an account, that when Africa was a Roman province, the natives of Mauritania rebelled and killed their presidents and governors, upon which the senate, resolving to punish and make a severe example of the rebels, sent a powerful army into Mauritania, which vanquished and reduced them again to obedience. Soon after the ringleaders of the rebellion were put to death, and the tongues of the common people, together with those of their wives and children, were cut out, and then they were all put aboard vessels with some grain and cattle, and transported to the Canary islands.”[179]

The following vocabulary will shew the similarity of language between the natives of Canaria and the Shelluhs (inhabitants of the Atlas mountains south of Marocco).

LANCEROTTA SHELLUH AND OR FUERTAVENTURA LYBIAN ENGLISH. DIALECT. TONGUE.

Temasin Tumzeen Barley

Tezzezes Tezezreat Sticks

Taginaste Taginast A palm-tree

Tahuyan Tahuyat A blanket, covering or petticoat

Ahemon Amen Water

Faycag Faquair Priest or lawyer

Acoran M’koorn God

Almogaren Talmogaren Temples

Tamoyanteen Tigameen Houses

Tawacen Tamouren Hogs

Archormase Akermuse Green figs

Azamotan Azamittan Barley meal fried in oil

Tigot Tigot Heaven

Tigotan Tigotan The Heavens

Thener Athraar A mountain

Adeyhaman Douwaman A hollow valley

Ahico Tahayk A hayk or coarse garment

Kabehiera Kabeera A head man or a powerful

Ahoren — Barley meal roasted

Ara — A goat

Ana — A sheep

Tagarer — A place of justice

Benehoare, the name of the natives of Palma.

Beni Hoarie, a tribe of Arabs in Suse between Agadeer and Terodant.[180]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 167: This Kohtan is the Yoctan, son of Eber, brother to Phaleg, mentioned in Genesis.