204 KEPORT— 1872. 



to that of the Pyi-enees ; while in these we find represented two nearly parallel ranges 

 at an average distance of sixty or seventy miles, ot which the northeriiniast alone ter- 

 minates near the j^lgerian frontier, its axis lying exactly in the line of the great 

 shallow lakes or chotts that occupy a great part of the high plateau of southern 

 Algeria, while the southern range, with some slight interruption, is continuous 

 with the elevated zone that forms the northern limit of the Algerian Sahara. The 

 details, however, as given in these recent maps are strangely discordant, especially 

 in regard to the region lying E. and N.E. from the city of Morocco, and connecting 

 the main range with the mountains of North ^Morocco. 



It is not surprising that such discrepancies should exist, when it is known that 

 the best maps have been compiled with no better materials than the reports of 

 natives, and that none but a very small portion of the entire region has ever been 

 traversed by civilized men. In regard to Gerhard Rohlfs, one of the most remark- 

 able of recent African travellers, it must be remembered that he was forced to 

 maintain a rigid disguise, to associate constantly with natives, and to suit his move- 

 ments to theirs. He was unable to make more than scanty and occasional notes, 

 and was altogether debarred from the use of instruments. It is not surprising that, 

 iinder such conditions, his contributions to the topography of a region never before 

 visited by European traveller tend more to excite than to satisfy curiosity. 



During the spring of last year the Sultan of Morocco, at the request of the British 

 Minister, Sir John Drummond Hay, granted permission to Dr. Hooker, the eminent 

 Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew, to explore the portion of the Great Atlas 

 subject to the Imperial authority; and although the main object of the party, con- 

 sisting of Dr. Hooker, Mr. Maw, and myself, was to investigate the flora of the 

 mountains, it was not unreasonable to expect that we should be able to make some 

 considerable addition to existing geographical knowledge in regard to a region so 

 little known. 



Those who are best acquainted with Morocco will be least surprised to learn that 

 in this respect the expedition has not borne abundant fruit. The obstacles which 

 stood in the way were partly anticipated by us, but were in great measure 

 insuperable. 



The authority of the Sultan extends over but a small portion of the region included 

 under the denomination Great Atlas ; it is, in fact, limited to the northern declivity 

 of the main chain, and only throughout the western part of this, for it extends to a 

 distance at the utmost not more than 120 miles E. of the city of Morocco. The 

 time at our disposal was too limited to enable us to explore even the limited field 

 that was thrown open to us. The cares and responsibilities attaching to his 

 official duties prevented Dr. Hooker from prolonging his stay in and near the 

 mountains beyond about three weeks, and the private engagements of Mr. Maw 

 compelled him to separate from us and to return to England at a still earlier date. 

 But by far the most serious obstacle which we encountered arose from the persistent 

 though covert opposition of all the persons holding local authority, aggrav<ated and 

 not seldom stimulated by the chief of our escort, whose charge, as we had been 

 assured, was to remove all impediments from our path. 



But for the difficulties incessantly placed in our way, we should undoubtedly have 

 attained several of the higher peaks, and could not fail to have learnt a good deal 

 respecting the disposition of the greater masses and the direction of the main 

 ralleys in the territory which we could not actually traverse. 



In point of fact we were able to make but two considerable ascents. On the first 

 occasion, when we ascended the Tagherot Pass in a storm of snow and hail that 

 completely intercepted all distant view, the cold was so severe that we willingly 

 turned our faces from the storm when only Mr. IMaw, the foremost of the party, 

 had actually' set his foot upon the summit, about 12,000 feet above the sea-level. 

 On the second occasion, after I\Ir. Maw had left us, we attained a conspicuous 

 peak, called Djebel Tezah, about 11,500 feet in height, in a much lower part of 

 the range than that previously visited. In addition to the very limited results of 

 personal observation, we naturally availed ourselves of every promising opportunity 

 for obtaining topographical information from natives. Mucli of the information 

 obtained in this way appears to me utterly unreliable, especially when derived from 

 persons holding local authority j but the particulars supplied by a very intelligent 



