First published in 1883 by
Trbner & Co Ltd
Reprinted in 2000 by
Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Transferred to Digital Printing 2007
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
1883 Robert Needham Cust
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
A Sketch of the Modern Languages of Africa
ISBN 0-415-24453-6
Africa: 3 Volumes
ISBN 0-415-24283-5
Trbners Oriental Series
ISBN 0-415-23188-4
A SKETCH
OF THE
MODERN LANGUAGES OF AFRICA.
BY
ROBERT NEEDHAM CUST,
BARRISTER-AT-LAW,
AND
LATE OF HER MAJESTYS INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE.
VOL. I.
I speak of Africa and golden joys.
Shakespeare, Ancient Pistol.
LONDON:
TRBNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL.
1883.
[All rights reserved.]
Hic est quem non capit Africa, Mauro
Perfusa Oceano, Niloque admota tepenti;
Rursus ad thiopum populos, aliosque elephantos.
Juvenal x.
_________
Giace alta Cartgo: appena i segni
Dell alte sue ruine il lido serba:
Muiono le citt: muiono i regni:
Copre i fasti, e le pompe, arena ed erba:
E luom desser mortal par che si sdegna
! Nostra mente cupida e superba !
Tasso, Gierusalemme.
_________
Alli o mui grande reino est de Congo,
Per ns j convertido f di Christo,
Per onde o Zaire passa claro e lungo,
Rio pelos antiguos nunca visto.
Camoens, Os Lusiadas.
Preface.
How shall I render thanks to all who have helped me in this enterprize and without whose sympathetic help and cordial co-operation I could have done nothing? This book is especially the idea of one person, and the work of many. The only person, whose opinion on any particular does not transpire, is the Compiler, who is merely a funnel, down which the accumulated research and stored knowledge of scores of forgotten, unknown, and unvalued Scholars and Christian Labourers have been poured into a vessel, from which all may drink. Some of my personal friends and helpers, like Steere, Krapf, Schlenker, Cooley, Reichardt, and Moffat, opere in medio, have passed away, leaving their notes in my portfolio, their books on my shelves, and their kindness in my memory. Some I have never seen in the flesh, nor am likely to see, but I seem to know their train of thought, and enjoy a greater degree of intimacy in correspondence, than exists with others whom I meet daily. Some great names of departed Scholars have lived again for me, and I seem to argue with them, and in my dreams and meditations to discuss points with them, always deferring to their judgment. Such are Barth, Bleek, Norris, Logan, Prichard, Clarke, and Rebman. Even old figures long since buried and forgotten, Ludolf, Brusciottus, Cannecattim, W. J. Mller, and Lichtenstein, seem to start up and encourage me to give a new chance of life to their forgotten names. Old Scholars, like Schn, Latham, Koelle, S. Crowther, and F. Newman, have helped with their advice. Young Scholars have pressed forward to take up particular portions of the subject, and have been encouraged to publish their experiences. I return hearty thanks to all. The main assistance has been in the supply of books, answers to inquiries, or indications of sources of information. Among many others I would mention the following:
ENGLAND: Dr. Rost, Librarian of the India Office Library, Mr. Vaux, Secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society, Mr. Rye, Librarian of the Royal Geographical Society, Messrs. Trbner, and Williams and Norgate, Oriental Publishers, the Church Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, the Wesleyan Missionary Society, Dr. Underhill and Miss Saker of the Baptist Missionary Society, Dr. Grorge Smith of the Free Church of Scotland Missionary Society, the Established Church of Scotland Missionary Society, the United Scotch Presbyterian Missionary Society, the Universities Mission to East Africa, Sir Bartle Frere and Sir Henry Barkley, Governors of the Cape Colony, Miss Lloyd, Sister-in-Law of Dr. Bleek, Sir J. Kirk, and Consul ONeill.
FRANCE: M. DAbbadie, M. Halvy, M. Hovelacque, Gen. Faidherbe, and M. Duveyrier.
GERMANY: Prof. Lepsius, Dr. Fredk. Mller, Prof. Reinisch, Herr Krause, Prof. Trumpp, Dr. T. Hahn, Revd. J. F. Schn, Revd. Dr. Zahn of Bremen, Revd. J. C. Christaller, Prof. Schuchardt, Dr. Bastian, Dr. Nachtigall, Dr. Schweinfurth, Dr. Buchner.
ITALY: Signor Vedova, Secretary of the Italian Geographical Society, Signor Di Gregorio, Abb Beltrame.
SPAIN: Seor Don Garcia Ayuso.
SWITZERLAND: Pasteur Berthoud.
UNITED STATES: Prof. Whitney, Dr. J. O. Means, Mr. Sanders, Revd. J. R. Wilson, and Revd. S. D. Ferguson.
I return particular thanks to Herr E. G. Ravenstein for the Language-map. Those who thrust aside and condemn my Book should think twice before they condemn the Map, every entry of which is vouched by Authority, and based upon the latest information. The Map by itself is worth the price of the Book. But Herr Ravenstein has done more for me than draw my Map: he has been my Geographical Adviser, with whom hard questions have been discussed, and difficulties hammered out. Two years ago he prepared a Linguistic and Tribal Map for exhibition by me at the Venice Geographical Congress. It was honoured with a Certificate of Merit, and I was informed that, had the Map been engraved, and thus become public property, it would have received a Gold Medal. Since then every portion of the Map has been revised, and an entirely new one drawn to comprise all the names, which our united reading had collected, and which, under the strict conditions laid down, were entitled to admission. If entries are sometimes made, which to the eye of a severe Geographer may seem errors, they are mine, as compelled by Linguistic considerations I have occasionally differed from my adviser, and had my own way. In a few years the progress of discovery, and the evidence of new facts, will place this revised Map out of date also.
