Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 5 (of 5) : being…
"Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 5 (of 5) : being…." by Henry Barth is a travel narrative and geographical account written in the mid-19th century. This final volume likely continues an overland expedition across the Sahara and along the Niger, centered on Timbuktu and the middle Niger. It combines field diary with analysis of river hydrology, commerce, and local politics, especially among Tuareg, Fulani, and Arab merchant factions.
Expect meticulous notes on caravan trade, materials culture, and the practical realities of river and desert travel. The opening of the volume finds the narrator in Timbuktu at the start of a new year, eager to depart but repeatedly delayed by illness, intrigue, and the anomalous high water of the Niger. He records daily life with his protector Sheikh El Bakáy, debates on religion, a sudden fever, and then offers a substantive explanation of the Niger’s seasonal rise and its effects around Timbuktu. He sketches the city’s economy—little manufacturing, heavy reliance on river-borne staples, and far-reaching trade in gold, salt from Taödénni, and kóla nuts—while noting European goods arriving via Morocco and Ghadámes. As February advances, tensions mount: Tuareg–Fulani frictions, the arrival of powerful Fulani envoys, the coming of El Bakáy’s elder brother, and a tightening political vise culminate in a tense night of armed vigilance and appeals to allied Tuareg groups, with departure still uncertain. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Barth, Heinrich, 1821-1865 |
|---|---|
| Contributor | Newman, Francis William, 1805-1897 |
| Contributor | Nicholson, John, 1808-1886 |
| Contributor | Petermann, A. (August), 1822-1878 |
| Illustrator | Bernatz, Johann Martin, 1802-1878 |
| Title | Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa, Vol. 5 (of 5) : being a journal of an expedition undertaken under the auspices of H.B.M.'s Government, in the years 1849-1855 |
| Original Publication | London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts, 1857, copyright 1858. |
| Credits | Galo Flordelis (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Getty Research Institute and Smithsonian Libraries) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 70.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | DT: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Africa |
| Subject | Africa, Central -- Description and travel |
| Subject | Africa, North -- Description and travel |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76320 |
| Release Date | Jun 16, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 294 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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