CH. 1. PEEPARATIONS FOR THE JOURNEY. S 



ship, we found but one serious omission to deplore. Two 

 mercurial barometers, provided by Hooker, had been 

 entrusted to Crump, and were by him left behind at the 

 last moment. Thus, in the important matter of deter- 

 mining heights, we were forced to rely upon aneroid baro- 

 meters and boiling water observations. It was fortunate 

 that Ball carried an excellent aneroid, by Secretan of 

 Paris, which has before and since been severely tested in 

 the Alps with very satisfactory results, and whose indica- 

 tions during our journey agreed closely with those given 

 by the thermometer in boiling water. 



Among the various preparations made for our journey 

 there was none more important for our purpose than a 

 manuscript catalogue of all the plants hitherto known or 

 believed to have been found in the Empire of Marocco, 

 which we owed to the kindness of our excellent friend M. 

 Cosson, the eminent French botanist. Up to that date the 

 information to be found in books was extremely scanty, 

 and scattered throughout various systematic works, and 

 the whole when summed up would have given a most in- 

 complete account of the two or three districts partially 

 explored by botanists. M. Cosson, by his unequalled 

 knowledge of the North African flora, and by careful study 

 of all the collections made in Marocco, many of which are 

 in his exclusive possession, was the only person who could 

 have supplied the materials which were so serviceable 

 throughout our journey. 



In the agreeable society of old friends and new acquaint- 

 ances, whom we met on board the rather crowded steamer, 

 the voyage to Gibraltar did not appear too tedious, but we 

 were well pleased when, on the afternoon of the 6th, the 

 moment came for landing. 



We were not destined to see much of the famous 

 ' Eock ' or its native ' scorpions,' whether biped or hexa- 

 pod. Scarcely had our voluminous baggage been trans- 

 ported to the hotel, when news reached us that an English 

 steamer was about to sail within two hours for Tangier, 



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