ial intercourse, and
its accompanying civilisation.
271
Much might be done if all the African societies were to unite their
interest, knowledge, and abilities for this desired object. If the
African Company would unite their energies with the African
Association, and with the African Institution, such an union would
promote the civilisation of the African continent, and the
conversion of the Negroes to Christianity.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE MOSQUES.

The architecture of this country is of the Gothic character. The
mosques are built somewhat like our churches: the body of the
mosques are covered with green glazed tiles; the steeples are
invariably an exact square, the sides being ten or twelve feet, not
tapering as those of Coventry, but the top having the same
dimensions as the base. At the top is erected a smaller square,
with a flag-staff similar to a gallows, to which is suspended every
day at noon, a white flag, the signal of preparation for prayers;
but on Fridays, the Muhamedan Sabbath, a dark-blue one is
substituted for the same purpose. Some of the mosques are paved
with white and black chequered marble, some are tessellated
pavements, consisting of white, blue, and green glazed tiles, about
two inches square, a very pretty mode of paving, extremely clean,
and has a very cool appearance; others are terrassed, which is lime
272 and small stones beaten down with wooden mallets. They excel in the
art of making terras. The houses are all flat roofed, so as to
resist the heaviest rains: the declivity of the terrasses is so
imperceptible, that it is just sufficient to give the rains a
tendency to the great conduit or pipe that leads to the mitfere
underneath the house, which is underground, and has a terras
bottom, impervious to the water. Here is collected water sufficient
for the family or household during the year; the lime that washes
into the mitfere from the terrassed roof, purifies the water, and
preserves it from worms and other insects. They have no ornaments
in their mosques; but the place where the Mufti or Fakeer reads
prayers, is covered with mats or carpets; the rest of the floor is
bare, and the respective individuals prostrate themselves on the
bare floor, or on an antelope's or _Elhorreh_[180] skin, or the
skin of a lion or