TRIPOLI. 



TRIPOLI. 



890 



nearly thirty miles, when it again sinks nearly to the level of the sea, 

 but has Band-hills a short distance from it. There are here several 

 small bays, and one iu particular at Hammah, in which boats may find 

 shelter. Five miles eastward of Hammah the coast is hilly, but soon 

 declines again to the low sandy beach which continues to Has How-y- 

 jer, having a range of hills about two or three miles from the coast. 

 lias How-y-jer is a bluff rock, which stands at the entrance of a 

 spacious bay, formed between it and a bold rocky promontory called 

 HMjMmdi In this bay ships may find shelter from east to west- 

 north-west, and boats may land in the sandy bay with almost all winds. 

 Beugerwad is about 60 feet high, but east of it the coast gets low, and 

 email sandy baya are formed between very low rocky fiats, some of 

 which project a mile into the sea, and are not more than a foot above 

 water. Towards the most southern extremity is a low rocky islet 

 called Busboifs, Sachrin, at the bottom of the gulf, is in 30 16' 

 X. lat. ; and hence the coast trends to the north-east. From Sachriu 

 to Uartubbcih is a sandy beach, but the general appearance of the 

 coast is hilly. Near Gartubbah is Mersa Braiga, the only place in the 

 Qulf of Sidra that is entitled to the name of a port; and here the 

 protection is made by breakers. A rocky point runs into the sea, and 

 within this point there is always safe landing. From Braiga the coast 

 trends north-east by east, is rocky and slightly indented, and the shore 

 generally speaking is high and billy. Has Tabilba is a bold promon- 

 tory with a sandy bay on each side of it. The high rocky coast ter- 

 minates opposite the rock of lihaifa, from which some reefs extend 

 tu the island of Gara, which is small, but tolerably high and steep. 

 The low coast, which begins near Ishaifa, trends north-east to Shawhan, 

 and thence to the west of north to Carcora : it is sandy, and does not 

 otter a place of refuge even for a boat ; but the coast near Carcora ia 

 much indented, and there are two small places somewhat sheltered 

 by projecting points, which otter protection for boats with northerly 

 or easterly winds. From Carcora to Bengazi the shore is low and 

 sandy, out it rites as it recedes from the coast, and is covered with 

 vegetation. 



Bengazi, which is situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Sidra, has 

 a safe port, which however is fast filling up with sand. [BENGAZI.] 

 The coast north of that port trends in general to the east-north-east 

 as far as Cape lias Sem, and is low and Bandy, with the exception of a 

 few small liill.-. '1 hi-, coast has no harbour, except east of a rocky 

 promontory near the ruins of the town of Tohueta, where a small 

 bay otters a conveuient landing for boats, except with the wind on 

 t-hure. A few miles east of Tolmeta the mountains, which extend 

 over the interior of Barca, come close up to the shore of the Mediter- 

 ranean iu fct/eep precipices from 600 to 800 feet high. This part of 

 the coast, extending about 30 miles in length, is inaccessible both by 

 Ma and land, and terminates at Cape Has Sem. Between this cape 

 and that called lias-el UUal is a large open bay, in which is a small 

 in t. ntauou called Meraa Suea Uammdui, near which are the ruins of 

 the ancient town of Apollouia. It has at present no harbour, but 

 boats find some shelter behind the islet that lies off the town. Ou 

 the east side of Kas-el-Hilal is a bay about three-quarters of a mile 

 deep, iu which vessels may ride with the wind any way from the 

 southward to westward. The coast between Kas-el-Hilal and Cape 

 BujL-bara is also vtry high and rocky, but the mountains do not run 

 in an uubrukeu line, as they do west of lias Sem, being broken by 

 deep chasms, which extend far inland. Still the landing is very bad, 

 except in a small sandy nook two miles west of Cape Bujebdra. From 

 Cape Bujebitra the same rocky coant continues, but the ravines are 

 few, ana the mountains somewhat farther removed from the coast. 

 At Uvrua is a good roadstead, about a mile aud a half off shore, and 

 some shelter for email craft close in shore with the wind from uorth- 

 uortu-west to north-east Cape liazat, or liazatu, which is east of 

 Dtrua, is a vaat promontory rising to a considerable elevation : farther 

 east the coast grows lower, but continues rocky ; it recedes to the 

 south so as to form a wide bay, called the Bay of Bombah, which is 

 laid to contain good anchoring-grouud. The boundary-line between 

 Tripoli and Kgypt i.t considered to be east of the Buy of Bombah. 



The coast-lino of Tripoli probably exceeds 1000 miles, and hardly 

 contains three or four harbours in which vessels of moderate size can 

 find tolerable shelter. There is perhaps no other coast-line on the 

 globe of equal extent which is so little favourable to intercourse with 

 countries by sea. 



Surface and Soil. We are very imperfectly acquainted with the 

 int nor of Tripoli. The western districts, or those which are situated 

 west of the Uulf of tSidra, are known in a few directions ; but of the 

 country surrounding the gulf nothing ia known except the districts 

 contiguous to the sea-shore ; and as to the countries east of the Gulf 

 of Sidra our knowledge extends hardly anywhere farther than about 

 20 miles inland, if we except two oases, which are situated far to the 

 south, in the Desert. 



Wettern Region. Two ranges of mountains traverse this part ol 

 Tripoli from west-north-west to east-south-east, running nearly parallel 

 to thu vea. The northern of these two ranges is called the Ghurian, 

 Gharian, or AVahryun range, and is visible from the sea, being onlj 

 from IS to 20 miles distant from it. The southern range is suppoaec 

 to be about 30 miles farther to the south, and is called the Sudan, or 

 Black Mountains, where it is traversed by the road leading from 

 Tripoli to Fezzan. The commercial town of Ghadamia is situatet 



within this range, and rather on its southern declivity. The name 

 ' Black Mountains' is derived from the colour, as nearly the whole of 

 the range is covered with lava and basalt. The Ghnrian Mountains, 

 south of the town of Tripoli, seem to have a considerable elevation, 

 probably however not exceeding 4000 feet above the sea-level In 

 proceeding farther east the range lowers considerably, and its most 

 eastern offsets, which occur about five or six miles south-west of the 

 towfl of Mesurata, terminate only in high hills. Several minor ridges 

 branch off from the eastern portion of this range on its northern side, 

 and approach close to the Mediterranean between Cape Sciarra and 

 the ruins of the town of Lebda. The most western of these minor 

 ranches is called the Tarhoona Mountains: it hardly attains a 

 ihousand feet above the sea. 



The country which is inclosed on the east by the Tarhoona Moun- 

 tains extends southward to the base of the Ghurian range, and on the 

 west reaches the boundary of Tunis : it is a low and level plain, about 

 60 miles long and 16 miles on an average width. It is by nature 

 divided into two sections, the fertile district and the Desert. The 

 'ertile district, called Mesheea, occupies only about 15 miles along the 

 lea-coast, and the greater part of it is to the east of the town of 

 Tripoli; its width nowhere exceeds five miles. Though the soil is 

 ight and contains a great portion of sand, and is destitute of rivers 

 and springs, it possesses a high degree of fertility, which, by means of 

 rrigation derived exclusively from tanks and cisterns, produces rich 

 crops of wheat, barley, dhurra, aud Indian corn. The whole of the 

 Mesheea is planted with palm-trees arranged in long rows, which are 

 cept in the finest order. Their number is stated to exceed ten 

 millions, and the annual value of the produce of each tree is estimated 

 at a Spanish dollar. The plantations of olive-trees are also extensive, 

 and the oil is considered superior to the best oils of Italy. There are 

 several kinds of oranges, of which the sweet orange is reckoned finer 

 ;hau that of China. The pomegranates, lemons, limes, figs, aud 

 Indian figs are highly prized. There are two kinds of apricots, several 

 sorts of fine plums, and some very high-flavoured sweet grapes and 

 peaches. Water-melons are particularly excellent and plentiful, 

 from November to March the country is refreshed by abundant rains, 

 which fill the numerous tanks and cisterns ; aud in this season the 

 thermometer descends frequently to 40 and even to the freezing- 

 mint in the night-time, whilst in the day it sometimes rises to 70 

 and even higher. In the remainder of the year, and especially from 

 the middle of May to September, rain occurs rarely, and sometimes 

 not a drop falls for several months. The heat is then so intense, that 

 even the hardy Arab, mured to the climate, at ten iu the morning 

 retires from his work, and all his beasts of labour are put under the 

 shade. A sudden cool breeze arises from the sea regularly every 

 afternoon during these intense heats; but the air brought by it from 

 the sea is so damp that it rusts all sort of steel-work, even iu the 

 pocket, and wets a person's dress entirely through in a few minutes. 

 The Moors then retire to the ten aces on the top of their houses, 

 where they sleep for hours. In this season of the year a strong laucl- 

 wiii'l sometimes blows incessantly for several days, and as it blows 

 over the heated sands of the Desert, which lie south of the Mesheea, 

 the heat of the atmosphere ia increased to such a degree that respira- 

 tion is rendered difficult, and death sometimes occurs. The air is at 

 the same time filled with burning sand, which darkens the sky, aud 

 the natives wear a silk handkerchief tied over the face when they 

 walk the streets. In spite of this disadvantage the climate is very 

 healthy ; no kind of disease except ophthalmia is common, and many 

 people are said to reach the age of 110 and 130 years. The Mesheea 

 is very thickly peopled, so that the population of this district is suid 

 to amount to 800,000. They live dispersed over the country in iso- 

 lated dwellings or in villages. 



The Mesheea is surrounded on all sides, except the sea, by a desert, 

 whose surface consists of loose sand. This long sandy tract begins on 

 the east on the banks of a small river called Wody'm Seyd, and 

 thence stretches westward to the Ghurian Mountains, occupying 

 nearly the whole of the space between the mountains aud the sea 

 west of the town of Tripoli. Its western portion has no springs nor 

 running water. Where it borders on the Mesheea, and at the distance 

 of several miles from it, the sand rises in irregular hills, and is totally 

 barren. But in approaching the mountains small spots covered with 

 shrubs and grass occur, which afford pasture to the flocks of the 

 Beduins, and near the base of the mountains the pasture-grounds 

 are nearly contiguous, and frequently interspersed with corn-fields. 

 The eastern districts of the Desert, or those near the Tarhoona range, 

 are also covered with high sand-hills, which reach to the base of the 

 mountains, but they are traversed by two small perennial streams, 

 called Wudy Ramleh and Wady'm Seyd, which run in rather narrow 

 valleys, considerably depressed below tho general level of the Desert. 

 These valleys are covered with bushes, and between them corn-fields 

 often occur. Barley and dhurra are cultivated. 



The Ghurian Mountains, south of Tripoli, occupy a tract 12 or 15 

 miles in width. The northern declivity appears to be very irregular, 

 several hills of basalt being dispersed over their base. The mountains 

 rise with a rather steep ascent, but on the top they spread out in 

 plains of moderate extent, which are divided from one another by 

 hilU, many of which have a conical form. The plains are in a high 

 state of cultivation. They ore covered with coru and saffron fields, 



