The journal of Frederick Horneman's travels, from Cairo to Mourzouk, the capital of the kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa ... / in the years 1797-8.

Friedrich Hornemann

Date:: 1802

Credit: The journal of Frederick Horneman's travels, from Cairo to Mourzouk, the capital of the kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa ... / in the years 1797-8. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$base of ;which the sand: had quickly gathered before the winds, ‘and formed a mound, as if heaved up by a root. The colour of the petrified: wood. is in general black, or’ nearly so; but in’ some’ in- stances it is of a light gray, and’ then‘so much resembling the wood in its-natural state, that our ‘slaves would often collect, and bring it in; for the purposes of firing. MY These petrifactions are’sometimes scattered in single pieces, but are oftener found in irregular layers, or re covering ethos a considerable. rp of cian H [ : \ milf here yet remains ‘any trace of a’ western branch of the Nile, as mentioned by ancient writers,* it is probably to be discovered in some part of this Desert.’ 1 observed no channel, ‘or vestige of such course of river, on the route taken by the caravan. I would direct the researches of any future traveller specially to the tract of coun- try round where we encamped on'the nights when we halted at the foot of the sand hill west of Wadey-el-Latron, ‘and in the district of Mubabag: these places we reached not till after sunset, and depart- ing before day, 1 myself had no opportunity of examining the coun- try. The term: Babr-bella-ma, commonly rendered river without water, by no means designates or points to any specific channel or tract in whichvany ancient:channel may be more probably ‘dis- covered : for if petrified trees fit for masts, or petrified timbers suited’ to other purposes. of ‘ship-building, said to be found in the * Pécs yap ex Asbing o NétAgs, nor phony. rave Aibinv. Herodot. Euterpé, § 33. The Editor rather supposes that Herodotus using the term Lybza, comprised all Africa, west of Egypt and _Ethiopia ; ; and that the river, or branch of river, alluded to, is the ‘great stream flowing from the west, described by the Nasamones, and supposed to be a part of the Nile, by Etearchus? \in-such case the traveller may ‘in’™ vain look for. itsochannel; in the country suggested by Mr. Horneman, it being undoubtedly far to the south,—the Joliba or Niger. C$