'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎198] (307/496)

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advantage that is almost universally taken of the liberal allowance of
wives sanctioned by the Prophet, and the prolific character of the Somali
females, is of itself a strong argument to that effect; but it would be idle
to attempt to put down any fixed number as the population of this part
or N. E. Africa, and I much doubt if all the tribes were computed se
parately, from report, whether we should even then obtain an approx
imate of the truth.
With this brief memoir of the Somali Tribes to the Westward of the
town of Meyet, I now beg to offer what information I have been able to
gather relative to the Southern Tribes bordering on the river Webbi.
To the South and S. S. West of Berbera, on the road to Hurrur, the
kafilas pass through the country of the Burtirrhi and Girrhi, the two
most western branches of the family of Darrood. Of these two tribes
little is known. The Emirs of Hurrur have for many years intermar
ried with the Burtirrhi, and this gives them a certain degree of influence,
but they no not visit the sea coast so commonly as the other tribes, and
appear to be a pastoral race, occupied solely in tending their flocks and
herds, and in planting the coffee tree on the low ranges south-east of
Hurrur.
They are bordered on the S. E. and E. by the province of Agahdur,
—a country of considerable extent, bounded on the south by the Webbi,
and on the east by Murreyhan. From Berbera to Agahdur is nine days,
of which I am assured that four are without water. The fertile valley
of the JSTogctl passes Agahdur on its northern side; and throughout the
province generally the ground is cultivated, and large quantities of white
jowari is grown, forming the common food of the people.
Agahdur is stated to be a level country, possessing excellent pasturage
for cattle, with abundance of water, which is procured by diggiug wells
six to eight feet in depth. The soil is remarkable for its redness, but
the purity of the air is highly extolled. From the number of their flocks
and herds, the inhabitants, as might be expected, export large quantities
of ghee from Berbera, and carry on a regular trade with the Gfalla tiib
to the southward of the Webbi Shebeyli, through the intervention of f 16
people resident at Gunana, who act as brokers on the occasion. ^
goods carried down for barter are white and blue cloth, cowries a
beads, on which last an enormous profit is realised. The gums aie p lU
chased by the skin of sixty lbs., ostrich-feathers by the pound, and n 0
hy the frasila of twenty lbs.-—if of large quality, and good of its kin
jjie Gfalh 1
oiiaiiitance is
w
cheap
Putta,Lamoo,
the river Web
ditional instar
that on myen
returned from
from tbe stre<
gation on a i
doubtless der
Somali langin
of a river in v
it, I found, by
inland from I
“running stre;
this part of th
existing relatu
number of
0Ill y-tlie hi
^iShebey;
worthy,