Chinahar. 143 



cided on the hazardous alternative of returning to Tripoli, and 

 he describes his journey in these words : — 



" In pursuance of my intentions, wliicli you were made ac- 

 quainted with by my letter from Mourzouk, I left that place on 

 the 19ih of May, and after 23 days of \&:y great fatigue ar- 

 rived here (Tripoli) on the 11th of last month. One Arab 

 Sheikh and two camels composed, with myself, the caravan. 

 Our usual time was from 14 to 16 hours in the 24 on the march; 

 and in })assing tlie Deserts (three and four days in length) al- 

 ways IS hours; the camels I scarcely ever allowed to rest; 

 the halt we always made in the middle of the day to allow the 

 camels to come up, was by far the most trying part of the 

 journey, exposed to the burning heat of the mid-day sun, 

 where nature had not jirovided sliade sufficient for a grass- 

 hopper; lying on a scorching sand,and with notliing to alleviate 

 our parching thirst l)ut wretched water which had been se- 

 veral days in beastly skins, was a liiisery I hail no conception 

 of before. At night Ave generally got a little kouscacous, with 

 some fat and salt, no bad supper ; but a cup of tea was luxury 

 supreme, as it satisfied thirst, and took off the edge of the pu- 

 trid taste of the bad water; our fire, which was always made 

 by scraping together the camels' dung which we foiuid, was 

 consequently uncertain, and we sometimes could not find more 

 than was necessar3' for boilhig a little water. I had a tent 

 with me, but seldom pitched it; we were all too tired, and 

 my Arab thought it quite useless; we slipt off our horses when 

 nearly sleeping witli fatigue and heat, the j;ose-bag was put 

 over the poor animal's liead, and a cord round his two lore 

 legs ; the loose stones were soon cleared from a space large 

 enough to receive oui" carcases, and rolled up in a bornouse, 

 in two minutes all our troubles v.ere forgotten." 



Fresh arrangements having l)een now made, by which it is 

 hoped all the difficulties, except those of climate, may be 

 avoided, Major Denham has again set forward to rejoin his 

 associates, and in a subseciuent letter says, " I shall certainly 

 make the attempt at returning home by way of Egypt." 



CINNAHAU. 



The following is M. Kirchoff's method of preparing this 

 article in the humid way: — 



Trituiate in a porcelain cuji, with a glass pestle, 300 parts 

 of mercury with (58 of sulphur, moistened with some drops of 

 a solutionof potash, till a black proto-snlphuret is formed, and 

 then add IGO parts of potash dissolved In an equal quantity of 

 water. Heat over the (lame of a candle the cup contahiing 

 the mixture; continuing tlie trituration without intermission. 



Add 



