KANO IN 1851.. PROGRESS OF THE AFRICAN MISSION.

HADEJIA A YAU!

Royal Geographical Society of London on

the 11th of January, the 24th of March, and the

10th of November, 1851.

Second Letter from Dr. Barth to Dr. Beke.

Kano February 23,1851. Without stopping to give any personal news, which you will doubtless hear from another quarter, I proceed at once to acquaint you with the result of my researches at this place, which would indeed have been much more extensive, if my material circumstances, in conjunction with a little sickness, had not taken up a good deal of my time. 

The present Sultan of the Fulani empire, or the Emir el Muminun Ali ben Bello, is represented as a man whose whole endeavour is only to a mass riches an example which is strictly followed by his officers. But as he never visits his provinces, and as the communication with them is very precarious, the governors are very independent, the office of some of them having even become hereditary. The Sultan himself is said to be able to collect a force of ten thousand horse. The name of the present Gedado is Abdu. Among the governors, who equally adopt the title of Sultan. 

1. The Governor of Kano has the greatest power, on account of the market, which enables him to send ten thousand cowries daily to Sokoto for the household of the Sultan. The name of the present Sultan of Kano is Othman ben Ibrahim Dabo, but his brother, the Galadima, has in fact greater influence and power, so that in reality there are at present two Governors, each of whom requires a considerable present. The Governor, who is said to have formerly had a force of 10,000 horse, is now not able to collect more than 7000. 

2. The second, as regards real power, after the Governor of Kano, is, as I am informed, Ibrahim ben Yakuba, the Governor of Bauchi, or Bautshi, who has his residence at Yakoba; for although he has a force of only 2000 horse, his troops of archers, the best known in Sudan, are numberless. 

3. The third rank belongs to the Governor of Zegzeg, Mohammed Sani, who resides at Zaria. He has about 3000 horse, and numbers of archers. Zegzeg is a province of great extent. 

4. Loul, the Governor of the extensive province of Adamawa comes next, who has his residence at Yola. Besides a large army of archers, he has a force of 2000 horse. 

5. The next in power is Ahmmedu, the Governor of Hadejha, who has a force of ahout 2000 horse. 

6. Next to him is Mohammed Bello ben Mallem Oumaro, the Governor of Katshina, with a force of not much more than 1000 horse. Katshina, on account of its vicinity to the hostile countries of Maradih and Gober, has greatly declined.

 7. Rather more powerful is Abder Rahman, the Sultan of Katagum, who is said to bring 1500 horses into the field. 

8. Next to him in power may be considered Yerima Ahmedu, the Governor of Messau, who is said to have 1000 horse at his command. 

9. Then follows Harder Lareima, the blind old Governor of Marma, who resides at Naenawa; his former residence, Birnin-Gorno, having been destroyed by the Bornuese. He is said to have about 700 horses. 

10. The tenth rank seems to be occupied by Ismaela, the Governor of Shera, brother of Abder Rahman 'of Katagum, with not more than 500 horse. 

11. Then follows Koiranga, the Governor of Boberu, having his residence at the place of the same name, with about 100 horse. 

The 12th, and last of all, is the free booting Governor of the ruined province of Daura, a man bearing the same name as the Governor of Katshina, Mohammed Bello, who, though he has but 400 horse, is feared by all his neighbours.

 Besides these twelve Governors, who receive their orders directly from Sokoto, there is the Governor of Zamfara, named Ahmedu, who, as the cousin of the Sultan, enjoys almost the same rights as the above-mentioned persons. He resides at Bakura, and is in command of a force of 300 to 4000 horse. 

In addition to the foregoing, there are still two important provinces belonging to the Fullanis, Nuffe and Alyori, as Yauri is commonly called; but they do not, like the others, pay tribute to the Sultan of Sokoto, but to Khalil, the Sultan of Gondu, and grandson of the conqueror Othman dan Fodi by his son Abdallahi. 

The present Governor of Alyori is named Thita. He resides at Afasa, and is able to bring into the field 5000 horse. The name of the present Sultan of Nuffe is Masaba, who resides at Ladi, the present capital; Raba having been destroyed by the Fullanis about five years ago, when it rebelled against them. The Governor of Nuffe has about 2000 horse.

The court at Sokoto consists of nine persons. The next person after the Sultan, or Governor serki, is the Galadima, his first minister, and the natural Vice- Governor, a person sometimes of greater authority than the Governor himself. Next follow the Serkin dawokki, who has the command of all the horse in Kano; the Barden-Kano, the chief or general who leads the army ; the Al-Kalli or principal judge; the Chiroman Kano, who exercises the power in the southern part of the province; the Serkin-baye, who has the northern part of the province under his authority; the Gado or minister of the treasurer; and finally, the Serkin-Shano, literally the master of the oxen; the oxen as the principal carriers of luggage in Sudan being an important part of a court or army in this country. When the Sultan leaves the place for any length of time, accompanied by his first minister and his captains, the Gado and the serkin-Shano have the authority. 

I now proceed to give a short account. of the quarters and the gates of' the town of Kano, which Clapperton, though he made such a long stay here, has not, as far as I am aware, made known. In enumerating the different quarters of the town, I shall begin from the mountain named Dala the most characteristic feature of the town. At the southern foot of which the houses commence, stretching down towards the S. with very irregular outskirts. From this point I shall proceed eastwards, returning afterwards to the W., and so on. In this order the names of the quarters are as follows:

Dalla, Kutumbawa, Gerke, Madabo, Yantandu, Adakawa, Koki Seta, Limanchi. Then turning S. to W., Yandoyea, Jibjin, Yellabu, another Limanchi with a large mosque, Masukiani, Tuddum-Makera, Yamrotshe, Mararaba bokoi, Bakin-rua, Runfawa, Yellua. Next, turning again towards the E., Rimingirajire, Maggoga, Maggogi, Unguankare Dendalin-Ware, another Limanchi, Dukkarana, Riiffogi, Derma. 

All these quarters are principally, if not exclusively, inhabited by the Habe, and they all lie to the N. of the Jakara, the ill-famed waterpool which separates the southern half of the town from the northern; while the following quarters are almost exclusively inhabited by Fullanis- Yaaleria, Mariri, Agadesawa, Yola (the madakin Kano), El Kantara, Uaitaka, Sheriffe-Dodo, Tokobei, Dukkawa, Saghidarnse, Shafushi; then, returning from E. to W., Sherbale, Madabo, Kurna, Sheshe, Dirimin Kai-kai Rejiyan-lemu, Kualli, Al Fendeki, Sorandinki, Rimi-n- Kira, Toji (where the palace of the Governor is), Yakasai, Mandauari, another Marmara with the surname of Danturku, Sabansara, Kudedefawa, Jingo, Disoe, Warure, Gwale, Kurmawa, Hawsawa, Ungua Makama, Galadancshi, Shahuchi (where the elder son of the Governor, or the Chiroma, lives), Yerserki. Kurmawa, Kusserua, Udelawa (lying S. of the palace), Rimin kira, Karaka, Dugarawa, Yeakase, Nasserawa, Abdelawa.

 The importance of these ditferent quarters of Kano is the greater as in some cases they are entirely separated from one another by the spacious places or the numerous quarries which interrupt the groups of houses. Of the whole character of the town, which is indeed quite picturesque and interesting on account of the number of palm and other trees waving over its surface, I will not say a word, but will merely mention the gates in the extensive town-wall, which, like that of Katshina and Zaria, leaves a very wide open space, in some directions two miles in extent, round the town. The names of the gates, going from N. to W. and round from S. to E., are as follows : —Kofa Mazugerl, Kofan-rua, leading to Zinder, Kofan adama, Kofan gudan leading to Katshina, Kofan Kansakkeli on the direct road to Sokoto, Kofan Kaboga, Kofan-dukawia on the road to Zaria, Kofan gadan Kaiya, Kofan Kura leading to Katah, Kofa dan agundi, Kofan nassarawa, Kofa Wanbai on the direct road to Borno, and Kofa mata. These gates are shut every night and opened every morning; while the gate called Tawaieu Kofa (the gate of the enemies) is walled up, because, as they say, a prince, who left the town by that gate, died, but, as the name seems to indicate, because the enemy the Fullanis—made their entrance by it.