5^8 



A. D. 1800. 



coes ftriped with blue and white, woolen cloths, glafs, imitations of 

 coral, beads, and India goods. The trade from Tripoli is conduiled 

 chiefly by the merchants of Sockna, alfo an intermediate flation, and 

 by a few belonging to Tripoli and Fezzan ; and they import paper, falfe 

 corals, fire arms, labres, knives, and a kind of cloth called abbes. The 

 caravans from the fouth and weft confift of the merchants of Agadez, 

 a diftridl: between Fezzan and the River Niger, who bring flaves, oftrich 

 feathers, zibette (or civet), fkins of tigers, and gold in duft and in 

 grains, to be made into ornamental articles for the Negro country *. 

 The Tibboes of Bilma, a country fouth-eaft from Fezzan, bring great 

 quantities of copper from Bornou, an extenfive country lying fouth 

 from them. Befides thefe principal caravans, feveral fmaller troops of 

 traders alTemble at Mourzouk during the trading feafon. 



Mr. Horneman's lateft communication to the fociety was dated on 

 the 6'" of April i8co : and on that day he was to join a caravan for 

 Bournou, from which place he propofed to proceed weftward for Cafhna, 

 a town near the north bank of the Niger, and about 800 miles to the 

 eaftward of the termination of Mr. Pai-k's travels. He expeded to be 

 able in five years (reckoning from the end of the year 1798) to give 

 the fociety more ample accounts of the inland nations of Africa, the 

 knowlege of which, the fociety are confident, ' will be of advantage to 

 * Great Britain^ to Africa, and to the World.'' 



July — The grand jundion canal, which completes the inland navigable 

 communication of the Thames, the Severn, the Merfea, and the Humber, 

 the four principal rivers of England, with each-other, was opened in 

 June. The company of proprietoi's having refolved to borrow /^ 100,000 

 in order to fupply Paddington with water, and execute fome other ad- 

 ditions to the original plan, availed themfelves of the high opinion of 

 the public refpeding the utility, and confequently the profitablenefs, of 

 their undertaking, to fell the right of fubfcribing to their loan by auc- 

 tion. They divided the fum into 400 lots of ;^25o each, to be paid by 

 inftallments before the end of September 1803, which fhould entitle 

 the purchafers to intereft at five per cent, reckoned from the times of 

 advancing the money, and repayment on or before the 25"' of March 

 1812, with an option of converting their debts into canal ftock, at the 

 rate of ;^25o for a fhare of ;/^ioo, any time before the 25'" of March 

 1808. And, though the company had not yet obtained' an ad for 

 charging this loan on the tolls of the canal, and, in failure of obtaining 

 it, only engaged to return the money advanced with intereft and the 

 premium, fuch was the eagernefs of the purchafers, that the lots fold 

 (at Garraway's 7"", 9"", and 1 1'\ of July) at premiums of from £2% to 

 ^31 :io; whereby he, who converts his debt into canal ftock in the 



* The tnanufaflure of ornamental trinkets re- competent to the work : fo Fezzan is not entirely 

 quires the ingenuity and induftry of goldfmiths deftitute of thofe qualities. 



