BERDOA, FEZZAN, The great ridge of mountains, with its different rami fications, are 'said to abound in gold, particularly in the west, opposite Bambouk and Mantling, and in the east, opposite to Wangara. From Tombuctoo, which is the mart of the Mandingo gold, it is distributed over the northern quarters of Africa, by the merchants of Tunis, Tripoli, Fezzan, and Morocco. Most of the countries bordering on these mountains, are supposed to partake of the gold which they contain, by means of rivers which carry it down along their banks.
1. Noli• AFRICA contains the following countries, the description of each of which shall form a separate article ; EGYPT, BARCA, TUNIS, TRIPOLI, ALGIERS, ROCCO, FEZ, TAFILET, BILED-UL-GERID, and the SAHA RA. All these countries are inhabited chiefly by Moors descended from the Arabs, and intermingled with the different nations, who at various times have established colonies in Africa. These Moors have overspread the habitable parts of the Desert ; extended their conquests and colonies towards the south, and driving before them the Negro Aborigines, have forced them, in several in stances, to retire beyond the great rivers. Yet the Ne
groes, addicted to agriculture, probably never possess ed any considerable portion of the Desert, which is mucilf better adapted to the wandering and pastoral life of the Moors. Even Herodotus fixes the boundaries of the Libyans and Ethiopians, or, in other words, of the Moors and Negroes, near the river Niger ; so that their rela tive situation appears not to have undergone, since his days, any material change.
2. Of WEST AFRICA, the two great divisions are GUI NEA and CONGO; the former of which may be subdivi ded into NORTH GUINEA 01' SENEGAL, containing the country of the JALOFS and FOULAHS, and the kingdom of the MANDINGOES; SOUTH GUINEA, containing the PEPPER COAST, the IVORY COAST, and the GOLD COAST; and EAs• GUINEA, or the SLAVE COAST, ill which are the kingdoms of WH1DAH, ARDRA, and BENIN. III CONGO are comprehended the kingdoms of LOANGO,