The journal of Frederick Horneman's travels, from Cairo to Mourzouk, the capital of the kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa, in the years 1797-8Hornemann, Friedrich
History
The journal of Frederick Horneman's travels, from Cairo to Mourzouk, the capital of the kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa, in the years 1797-8
Hornemann, Friedrich
Berber languages; Fezzan (Libya) -- Description and travel; Libyan Desert -- Description and travel
It is proper in this place to restate and correct the line of
distance between _Gana_ and _Dongola_; which will be found in the
Proceed. Afr. Assoc. for 1798, p. 122. There it appears, that
Kauga is given by Edrisi, at 30 journies, equal on his scale,
to 570 G. miles from Dongola; and it is found by Mr. Browne’s
statement, to fall at 578. Again, Mr. Horneman says, that Fittré,
(or Kauga,) is 40 journies to the eastward of Kashna, (See above,
p. 138.) This interval of distance, taking Kashna as it is placed
in the Map of 1798, is 653 G. miles; equal to 16⅓ per day; and is
perfectly satisfactory. Edrisi allows 36 journies between Gana and
Kauga; so that by this account, Gana ought to be nearer to Kauga,
by four journies, than Kashna is. In the Map of 1798, Gana is placed
eight miles too far to the east. (See the Proceed, p. 121.) This
corrected, Gana will be 82 from Kashna; which, however, is still
too much for four journies, and agrees better to five.
The interval thus corrected, between Gana and Kauga, is 575 G. miles
in _direct distance_; which allows no more than 15½ per day, for
Edrisi’s 36 days; whilst his ordinary scale is 19. If therefore,
the report of Edrisi is right, Gana must either lie more to the west,
or the course of the Niger, along which his route leads, to within ten
journies of Kauga, must form a very deep curve to the south, after
passing the dominions of Houssa, (of which Gana makes a part.) That
it does decline to the south, Mr. Horneman was repeatedly informed, as
may be seen above, pages 115, 117, but whether in a degree sufficient
to occasion the difference above-mentioned, is not ascertained.
M. D’Anville also had an idea, and so describes it in his Map of
Africa, 1749, (possibly from actual information), that the Niger
declined to the south beyond Gana; so that the termination of it,
in the lake of Semegonda, was 3½ degrees of latitude to the south of
Gana; and which, by the bye, would place the lake of Semegonda, about
the same parallel with the _Bahr Hemad_ of Mr. Browne. At present,
however, we must be content with proportioning the distance between
Gana and Kauga; which, admitting a curvature to the south, allows a
rate of 16⅓ or 16½; or that of ordinary caravan travelling. It has
been shewn that Horneman’s report of the distance between Kashna
and Fittré, is very consistent: and there can be no question, that,
of the two, we ought to prefer Horneman’s report, from its being
less subject to error than the other, which has passed through so
many hands, in its way to us.]
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