OF THE

BREBER OR SHILOA OF BARBERY,

The defcendants of the ancient PERSIANS or SCYTHIANS, mentioned by SALLUST, PROCOPIUS, &c.

THE African Pyrates called Fomoraigh are faid to have haraffed this colony of Nemedians in their Western fettlements, and to have followed them to Ireland.

REMARK S.

Fomoraigh Afrik, is a general name in Irish history for the Carthaginians; the name fignifies Marine Heroes or Princes; but here I take Fomoraigh to imply that body of Perfians, who, according to the Punic annals given us by Salluft, as before recited, did not quit Africa with the great body of Nemedians, but fettled towards the ocean. These people would naturally endeavour to share the benefit of the lucrative trade carried on by the colony settled at Gadiz: and being as expert mariners as their brethren, would endeavour alfo to pursue them to the British ifles, from whence a more lucrative trade was eftablished by the Spanish colonists. This conjecture correfponds with the following account of these people, delivered to me by Maj. Tifdal, who received it from Capt. Logie, the English conful at Morocco.

A manu

"A manuscript of a most ancient date is now in the poffeffion of the Emperor of Morocco, defcribing the people of the province of Sudan in South Barbary. Their features, complexion, and language, differ totally from thofe of any other people on that continent."

Although this manuscript is so old, it corref ponds exactly with the character of the prefent inhabitants of that country."

"It relates, that a part of these people being once oppreffed by their Prince, croffed the Mediterrannean into Spain; from thence they travelled North, and found means to provide veffels from those shores, in which they embarked, and landed in a mountainous part of fome of the British ifles. At this prefent moment the people of Sudan always fpeak their own language, (unless in their intercourse with the Moors) and this language has a great affinity with the Irish and Welfh dialects."

"They are red haired, freckled, and in all refpects a stronger bodied, and more enterprizing people than the Moors. Their language is called Shiloagh; they wear a checked woollen covering, put on in the fame manner as the Highlanders ufually wear the Kelt."

"They are the greatest travellers, and moft daring people of the Morocco dominions, and conduct all the Caravans. (e)

(e) Mrs. Logie, the Conful's wife, was a native of Wales, and informed Maj. Tifdal fhe understood many words spoken by these people, and fometimes whole fentences.

From

From the Travels of G. HOST, Danish Conful at Morocco, from 1760 to 1768, tranflated from bis Works published in the Danish Language, in 1785.

OF THE BREBER.

"They who are fatisfied with conjectures, may perhaps derive the primitive inhabitants of Morocco from Cham, fon of Noah ; because one of the provinces is to this day called Chus, the name of Cham's fon: there is alfo a Sebta or Sabta in this country, which was the name of Chus's fon, but the Moors call the defcendents of these old inhabitants Breber and Shlah. We shall pass over these and other fabulous stories told of Neptune, Atlas, Anteus, &c and fhall only obferve, that the inhabitants confift of various people, who have arrived here from the Eaft, at different periods, and who, by force or intermarriages, have thrust the original inhabitants to the mountains; but at what period and in what order this came to pafs, is not eafy to determine. Something may be gathered from Salluft and Procopius, which are the moft circumftantial accounts I have met with. The words of Salluft are thefe, &c. &c." (f)

"The Breber are well grown, tall and lean; they fuffer the hair to grow long behind, and

(f) See this paffage quoted before.

fhave the forepart to the top of their heads. A kind of Kefeb or Shirbil conftitutes their dress; they feldom wear fhirt or breeches. They are light, brifk and airy, and handle their fire arms with uncommon dexterity, twirling them round in the air and catching them as they defcend: their muskets are sometimes highly ornamented with filver and ivory to the price of fixty or eighty du

cats."

They live in the mountains in great square buildings, which commonly contains a family in each fide; the building is generally provided with a lofty tower or fpire, fometimes with two, from which they defend themselves; and if they find the enemy too strong, the alarm is given from the tops of the towers, and inftantly they gather from all quarters to oppofe the enemy. They call fuch a house or barrack Tagmin or Tigmin: (g) they are built of stone, clay, and lime. Befides these buildings they have many towns, and in these refide the principal Amr-gar." (h)

"The name of Breber may have been given to this mountainous part of the country by the Arabs, in whose language Ber fignifies country, and Burr or Bureut, a defert; or it may come from the Latin, Barbaria, or the Greek BapBapos."

"The Breber are certainly the old inhabitants of the country called Morocco; probably they were the ancient Gatuli, who were diftinguifhed from the Melone Gatuli or Blacks that lived towards Guinea. The Gatuli feem to have been

(g) In Irish Teagher Tigh, a house; Muin a mountain. (h) Amr, or Emir in Irifh, a chief. See ch. 2. Amr-gar or Gart, the head Emir or Chief.

Philistines, Sabæans and Ægyptians; the name of Goliah (i) is well known among them, for the children cry out to one stronger than themselves in fighting, you are a Galiah. Dapper cites Marmol, that the Jews of Barbary were the first inhabitants of the Eafterly defarts of Africa, the defcendants of the Sabæans, who were conducted to this fpot from Arabia felix, by their leader Melek-Ifrike. (k) The Arabs pronounce it Afrikia, but thofe Gætuli who live in Tingitania, Numidia and Lybia, are called Breber-Xilober."

They call themselves Amazing (1) or Amazirg, perhaps from Mazr, by which they may mean Egyptians; the Moors call them promifcuoufly Breber or Shilka. In fhort it is almost impoffible to get a perfect knowledge of this people; the remote and retired fituation of their places of abode; their zeal for their religion and their enmity to chriftians, cuts off all communication with us."

"The Breber have a language peculiar to themfelves. J. Leo calls it Tamefet instead of Tamazirgt; it has little or no affinity with the Moorish or Arabic; they now use the Arabic character, which they learned of their Mahomedan paftors. But, whether this language is the old Gætulian, Numidian, Phænician, Turkifh or Ægyptian, or

(i) Golamh or Golav, a common epithet in Ireland for a strong man: this is no proof of their knowledge of the fcriptures.

(k) NOEN Melach-Ipharkia, Nautæ Dux, pro Melaehim, Nautæ, a Salfa fic diéti. (Thomaffin.) Irish Mellach, a failor, Mil-a-Bhreac, or Sim Breac, as before. Africa was known by the name of Barca. (Hyde.)

Hence

(1) Arab, Al-Mazun, Nauræ. See before. They write the saine Amazing.