Fresh Batch #27: The State of Africa in 1670

From the Perspective of a Turkish Spy in Paris

Fair Use: Pictures are for educational purposes only

Mahmut explained the state of Africa in 1670 as he gave advice to his exiled friend, “Go, make the speediest Retreat thou canst out of the Limits of the Ottoman Empire, that thou may’st forget thy Cares and Fears. Take not the Way by Barbary, nor covet to see the Place where ancient Carthage was situated; be not curious to enquire after Queen Dido, Æneas, or Hannibal; or to hear some Stories of the famous Scipio. Nor would I counsel thee to pass the Kingdoms of Morocco and Fez. For, tho’ those Realms pay no Obedience to the Sultan, yet they are his Allies; and that Reflexion will always keep thee in Pain. Besides, the Sight of Mussulmans will terrify thy Mind, and fill thee with a thousand Apprehensions.

“Go rather the directest Way thou can’st, unto the Kingdoms of the Negroes, or Black People inhabiting the Torrid Zone. But, take this Rule: Be sure to coast along the River Nile, as near as the Roads of Afric will permit: That so thou mayest avoid the horrible and affrighting Deserts of Lybia, Nubia, and Zanfar, with other inhospitable mountainous Parts between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equinox. For, thou wilt not find it very pleasant to encounter and converse with none but Dragons, Basilisks, and other Monsters of those Regions. And yet, for ought I know, ‘tis better, than to fall into the Hands of human Savages.

Become a member to access the rest of this article.