[Pyobjfs-users] nifying a Distillation.)--State of

[Slipp <alp...@bo...>]

The mummy coffins with the bodies of the deceased. For much of the
knowledge collected respecting Africa, we are indebted to the catacombs
of Egypt, and we must not hope to know much more, whilst our ignorance
of the Arabic language is so manifest; we must travel far out of the
precincts of Greek and Latin lore, before we shall procure correct
histories of African affairs! Our knowledge of Hebrew, in Europe I
apprehend, is almost as much confined and as imperfect as that of
Arabic! By the assistance, however, of the latter, what store of
learning might we not expect from complete Arabic translations of many
of the Greek and Latin authors, _viz._ of the _complete_ works of Livy,
Tacitus, and many others. I recollect conversing with Abdrahaman ben
Nassar, bashaw of Abda, (a gentleman deeply versed in Arabian
literature,) about the close of the last century, who mentioned
circumstances, which gave me reason to suppose that there is extant a
complete Arabic translation of Livy as well as of Tacitus, as the bashaw
assured me there was, and that he had read them, and they were to be
found in the recondite chests of the Imperial library at Fas, in which
it is more than probable that there are many valuable transcripts in
Arabic of ancient authors, quite lost to erudite Europe! A knowledge of
the Arabic language in this country is so indispensable, and is held in
such high estimation, that every one who does not understand it, is
denominated _ajemmy_, _i.e._ barbarian or European.--St. Paul in the
same spirit says, I Corinth. ch. xiv. v. 11., "He that speaketh
unintelligibly, is unto us a barbarian."] [Footnote 116: See Genesis,
xv. 16. Deuteron. xx. 17. Judges, i. 34.] [Footnote 117: Some persons
consider several tribes of these Berebbers to be colonies of the ancient
Phenicians.] On the morning of the 20th June, we struck our tents at six
o'clock, and pursued our journey to L'Araich, and soon entered the
territory that belongs to the agriculturists of El Kassar Kabeer, a 125
beautiful country not unlike that of Ait-Amor in appearance, but bearing
t