vour to give some description of our morning’s amusement. The bashaw was mounted on a milk-white Arabian, superbly caparisoned, with saddle of crimson velvet richly studded with gold nails, heavy stirrups of the same, and trappings of embroidered cloth hanging down on each side nearly to the horse’s fetlock jo in t; he was preceded by six chaoushes, or officers, also mounted and richly caparisoned, armed with long guns, swords, and pistols, and a white silk barracan thrown loosely and gracefully round their bodies. His highness was supported on each side by a favourite black slave, whose glittering vest, light bornouse, and white turban, formed a pleasing contrast to the costume of the Arabs. We proceeded in a westerly direction ; and on arriving at the desert, parties of six and eight dashed forward, with the rapidity of lightning, several hundred paces, fired, immediately halted in a most surprising manner, and with loud cries rushed back again to the main body, when instantly the same ceremony was repeated by another party. Their superior skill in the management of their horses is really beautiful; and the way they manoeuvre their long musket, by repeatedly spinning it over their heads at full speed, has a most picturesque effect. Near the bashaw’s person rode Sidy Ali, his third son, although second in succession, in consequence of the banishment of the eldest; he also was attended by his particular guard of Arabs, distinguished not only by their superior and determined appearance, but by their figured muslin bor- nouses. Sidy Ah is the bashaw’s favourite son, and is particularly handsome, although what we should call too fat, and is said to resemble very much what the bashaw was at his age : he is allowed great privilege and liberty, which is indeed proved by his saying, the other day, to his father, “ I shall succeed you as bashaw.” “ How do you mean ?” “ How ? why, by taking the same steps you did yourself,” said the youth. I was invited, with my colleagues, to pass a day about five miles from Tripoli, at the garden of Mahomed D ’Ghies, to whom I brought letters from his son, who was residing in London, much noticed and respected. This old gentleman had been minister for foreign affairs to the bashaw, but had retired from' office some time, on account of a complaint in his eyes. He is a most respectable man, and particularly kind to all European travellers who visit Tripoli; and so well known throughout Northern Africa, that letters of credit from him are sure to be duly honoured. Nothing could exceed the hospitality and attention with which we were received: haying regaled ourselves with sherbet, coffee, and tobacco, several times in the course of the day, and partaken of an excellent dinner, á la Turque, in a grove of lemon and orange trees, we returned in the evening to Tripoli, well pleased with our day’s excursion. Tripoli has been so often described, that I shall pass it over in silence. Its Jews, its Arabs, its Moors, and Maraboots ; the slave population, and the bashaw’s family; are all so well painted to the life in “ Tully’s Letters,” as to require no further notice from me as a casual visitor. Neither is it my' intention to enter into a minute description of the country between Tripoli and MourzukY the surface of which is not essentially different from that between Mourzuk and Bornou, and has already been noticed by Captain Lyon, and in the communications to the African Association. On the 5th March, 1822, I left Tripoli for Benioleed *, to join my two * Benioleed, a rich valley, bounded on all sides by whitishbrown hills, capped in many places with green stone and amygdaloid, or yesicular lava, rugged .villages, and ruinous castles, on every point, some overtopping the coluipnar green stone, and scarcely distinguishable from it. The hills possess a very interesting structure, ..The,.height does not exceed 400 feet, and limestone is the prevailing rock. On the north side the whole of the range, tilj. within a.mile of. the western extremity, is limestone: at that point above the limestone is a thick bed of columnar greenstone, with thick layers of vesicular lava. , On the southern side, most of the hills have their, tops covered with lava and columnar green stone, and have a structure similar to that of the one I have delineated. A little difference is here and there observable, but not so much as to be worthy of notice. The tops .o f,the hills on this side form an extensive, black, dreary-looking plain, strewed over with loose stones, extending eastwardly as far as the eye can discern. The upper, or, as I would call it,, the .lavaceous crust, appears as if a layer left by a flowing fluid, and therefore of more recent formation than the rock on which it rests. This is seldom more than a few feet in thickness, and spread over the subjacent rock. The rocks dip in various directions, but generally at an angle of 18°, The Jibel Gulat is one of the highest hills we have yet comedo. It is about six hundred feet high: its top is tabular, and its sides, exceedingly rugged, from an amazing number of detached pieces. The lowest exposed,, stratum is a calcareous tufa, containing, or indeed almost formed of sea-shells; the most abundant are a species of oyster and limpet, in a very entire state. „ A,boye,. beds of soft carbonate of lime, like whiting, and falling into dust on the slightest touch, and in which is imbedded a large quantity of lamellar calcareous spar. Above,.and apparently.extending to the summit, tolerably fine marble. The quantity of debris, and the size and.,appearance of ¡the masses, might make one believe that an earthquake had been thqcause of that rent statp.; but, it appears to me more probable that the undermining, by the mouldering of the soft stratum under
27f 24
To see the actual publication please follow the link above