BARRA, a kingdom of Africa, situated on the north bank of the Gambia, at the mouth of that ri ver, and extending about eighteen leagues along the coast. As this kingdom is more worthy of notice than any of those upon the river Gambia, we shall present our readers with a very interesting account of it from Durand's Voyage to Senegal.
The kingdom of Barra is almost entirely peopled by strangers, as the natives of the country are there only few in number. The greatest population is that of the Mandingos or Mandings, so called from the name of their native country Mandin or Mandingue, which is situated about four hundred leagues to the east, and is prodigiously peopled, as is evident from the vast number of slaves which it furnishes every year, as well as from the colonies, which frequently proceed from it to extend their active industry to other quarters. It was thus that there arrived in the kingdom of Barra those who are considered as na tives, and AN lio have possessed themselves of the su preme power, and the whole of the commerce ; the king and his great men being Mandingos. They are the only well informed persons in the state ; for they know almost every thing, and can read and write. They have public schools, in which the Marabous, who are the masters, teach the children the Arabic tongue ; their lessons are written on small pieces of white wood : but they give the preference to the pa per which we have introduced amongst them. When they know the alcoran, they obtain the title of doc tors.
It is remarkable, that the Mandingos, who have all come from a republican state, have formed nothing but monarchies wherever they have established themselves ; but they have not invested their kings with unlimited authority. On all important occasions, these princes are obliged to convoke a meeting of the wisest old men, by whose advice they act, and without which they can neither declare war nor make peace.
. In all the large towns, the people have a chief ma gistrate, who bears the name of alcaide, and whose place is hereditary : his duty is to preserve order, to receive the tribute imposed upon travellers, and to preside at the sittings of the tribunal of justice. The jurisdiction is composed of old men who are free ; and their meeting is called a palaver : it holds its sittings in the open air, and with much solemnity. The af fairs which are brought for discussion, are investiga ted with much candour ; the witnesses are publicly heard ; and the decisions generally excite the appro bation of both parties.
They have no written laws, but decide on the cases according to their ancient customs ; nevertheless, they sometimes have recourse to the civil 'institutes of Ma hornet ; and when the Koran does not appear to them sufficiently perspicuous, they consult a commentary entitled Al Scharra, which contains a complete expo.
sition of the civil and criminal laws of Islamism. They have amongst them people who exercise the profession of counsellors, or interpreters of the laws, and who are allowed to plead either for the accuser or the accused, as at European tribunals : these negro.. lawyers are and have, or pretend to have, studied, with particular attention, the institutions of the prophet. In the art of chicanery they equal the most acute pleaders of civilized countries.
These people follow the laws of Mahomet, of which they are rigid observers most of them neither drink wine nor spirits ; and all fast with the utmost rigour during the Maradan or Lent. They breed no hogs, because their laws forbid the eating of their fled). ; though they might sell them to great advan tage. They are very affectionate amongst themselves, and always assist each other. It is not understood that they make slaves, as this punishment is only de creed by the king, and chiefly against the great peo ple who are guilty of crimes. In other respects they are more polished than the rest of the negroes ; are of a mild character, sensible, and benevolent : all which qualities may be attributed to their love for commerce, and to the extensive travels in which they are continually engaged. The ease with which they cultivate their lands proves their industry : they are covered with palm, banyan, fig, and other useful trees. The people have but few horses, though the country is well adapted to breeding them ; but they have a number of asses, which they use for travelling, and their territory abounds with wild buffaloes: The Mandingoes are particularly industrious in ma king salt, which 'they do in a peculiar manner. They put river water in the halves of calabashes, or in shal low earthen pots, and expose it to the sun, the heat of which produces crystals of salt, the same as in ordi nary pits : for the water is always much impregnated with the saline principle, as the sea mixes with it a considerable way up the river. In a short time after the calabashes have been exposed, a cream of fine white salt is formed on the surface, and this is taken off three or four times ; after which the vessels are filled again. They have also very abundant salt pits at Joal and Faquiou, and their produce forms an im portant branch of trade ; they load their canoes with it ; and ascending the river as far as Barraconda, they exchange it for maize, cotton stuffs, ivory, gold &c.