112 HORNEMAN. 



the soMereign's hand, and took his station behind, where the 

 whole assembly joined in a chant of pious gratitude. 



Ffzzan, according to Horneman, has a length of 300 and 

 a breadth of 200 miles, and is much the largest of all the 

 oases which enliven the immense desert of northern Africa. 

 It relieves however, in only an imperfect degree, the parched 

 appearance of the surrounding region. It is not irrigated 

 by a river or even a streamlet of any dimensions ; the grain 

 produced is insufficient for its small population, supposed 

 to amount to 70,000 or 75,000 inhabitants ; and few animals 

 are reared except the ass, the goat, and the camel. Dates, 

 as in all this species of territory, form the chief article of 

 land produce ; but Fezzan derives its main importance from 

 being the centre of that mimense traffic which gives activity 

 and wealth to Interior Africa. Mourzouk, in the dry sea- 

 son, forms a rendezvous for the caravans proceeding from 

 Egypt, Morocco, and Tripoli to the great countries wa- 

 tered by the western rivers. Yet the trade is carried on 

 less by the inhabitants themselves than by the Tibboos, the 

 Tuaricks, and other wandering tribes of the desert, con- 

 cerning whom our traveller collected some information, but 

 less ample than Lyon and Denham afterward obtained 

 from personal observation. Of Timbuctoo he did not learn 

 much, Morocco being the chief quarter whence cara- 

 vans proceed to that celebrated seat of African commerce. 

 But respecting the eastern part of Soudan he received in- 

 telligence more accurate than had hitherto reached Europe. 

 Houssa was for the first time understood to be, not a single 

 country or city, but a region comprehending many king- 

 doms, the people of which are said to be the handsomest, 

 most industrious, and most intelligent in that part of Africa, 

 being particularly distinguished for their manufacture of 

 fine cloths. Among the states mentioned were Kashna, 

 Kano, Daura, Solan, Noro, NyfTee, Cabi, Zanfara, and 

 Guba. Most or all of these were tributary to Bornou, 

 which is decidedly the most powerful kingdom in Central 

 Africa ; and it was so regarded even before the rise of the 

 Fellatah empire, which has caused, in this respect, a re- 

 markable change. The Niger, according to the unanimous 

 belief in the northern provinces, was described as flowing 

 from Timbuctoo eastward through Houssa, and holding the 

 same direction till it joined or rather became the Bahr-el- 



