nd notwithstanding
that in such a journey he must pass through many kingdoms and
empires of blacks, speaking distinct languages, yet he would find
356 men in all those countries versed in Muhamedan learning, and
therefore acquainted with the Arabic; again, he might cross the
widest part of the African continent from west to east, and would
every where meet with persons acquainted with it, more particularly
if he should follow the course of the great river called the Neel
El Abeed, on the banks of which, from Jinnie and Timbuctoo, to the
confines of lower Egypt, are innumerable cities and towns of Arabs
and Moors, all speaking the Arabic. Again, were a traveller to
proceed from Marocco to the farthest shore of Asia, opposite the
islands of Japan, he would find the Arabic generally spoken or
understood wherever he came. In Turkey, in Syria, in Arabia, in
Persia, and in India, it is understood by all men of education; and
any one possessing a knowledge of the Korannick Arabic, might, in a
very short time, make himself master of all its various dialects.

[Footnote 204: This Kohtan is the Joktan, son of Eber, brother
to Phaleg, mentioned in Genesis. Chapter x, verse 25.]

The letters of this language[205] are formed in four distinct ways,
according to their situation at the beginning, middle, or end of
words, as well as when standing alone; the greatest difficulty,
however, to be overcome, is the acquiring a just pronunciation,
(without which no living language can be essentially useful;) and
to attain which, the learner should be able to express the
difference of power and sound between what may be denominated the
357 synonymous letters, such as [A] and [A] with [A] and [A] with [A]
and [A] with [A] and [A] and [A] with [A] and [A] with [A] and [A]
with [A] and [A] and [A] with [A].

[Footnote 205: The Oriental punctuation is here adopted.]

[Footnote A: Arabic character; cannot be displayed in this
file format.]

Besides these, there are other letters, whose power is extremely
difficult to be acquired by an European, because no language in
Europe possesses sounds similar to the Arabic letters [Arabic:], nor
has any language, except, perhaps, the English, a letter with the
power of the Arabian [A]. Those who travel into Asia or Af