S ROUTE TO TTMBUCTOO.

The hire of every camel was from ten to twelve ducats, at five shillings sterling per ducat ; as this route is through a very mountainous country, and the travelling is very bad, the charges were proportionally high ; the weight which every camel carried was between four and five quintals, the camels in this country being strong and very large.

Tafilelt is the place of general meeting of all the merchants who go to Timbuctoo.

*" The territory of Tafilelt contains no towns, but abounds in fortresses with mud-walls which the natives call El Kassar, and which contain from three to four hundred families ; in these fortresses there is a public market fin Arabic, soke every week, where the inhabitants purchase provisions, he. The natives of Tafilelt are descendants of the shereefs or princes of Marocco, and are therefore of the Imperial family.

This charge of carriage by the camels from Fas to Tafilelt, is equal to 55s. sterling per camel, to 1 Jd. per mile for each camel, and to one farthing and one third per quintal of merchandise per mile.

' That is for all who go from the Emperor of Marocco's dominions, north of the river Morbeya, which is called El Garb, or the North Western Division.

These mud walls are made in cases, and the mode of erecting them is called tabia. See Jackson's Account of the Empire of Marocco, &c. &c. 2d or Sd edition, page 298.

* Hence it is called Bled Shereefs i. e. the Country of Frinees.