DISCOVERIES, &C. 37 
celebrated people, their commercial habits, their 
zeal in the pursuit of geographical science, all im- 
pelled them to direct their steps into the yet un- 
known regions of interior Africa. The desert, 
that barrier which deterred all former approach, 
appeared far less formidable to an Arabian explor- 
er. It recalled to him the image of his native 
country, where he had long been familiar with 
every expedient, by which such an expanse could 
be traversed in safety. The camel, transported 
into a congenial soil, afforded the means not on- 
ly of effecting a passage once for the purpose of 
discovery, but of establishing a regular and con- 
stant communication across it. The first route ap- 
pears to have been from Fezzan, by way of Agades, 
being the one still followed by the Cassina cara- 
van. The passage is less difficult at this than at 
any other point ; the immense breadth of the de- 
sert being broken by the large oases of Fezzan and 
Agades, and by several others of lesser magnitude. 
After passing it, they found a shore, whose fertility 
and beauty were probably much heightened in their 
view by the length of the dreary approach to it. 
But the eyes of this commercial people were pe- 
culiarly attracted by a commodity, which, precious 
in itself, has always been much overrated in the 
opinion of mankind. From the regions immediate- 
ly to the south was brought in abundance gold, 
not disguised in chemical combinations, which could 
