306 THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION. 
been reduced to an insignificant occasional present. 
The revenues of the king arise from the duties up- 
on merchandise, and the taxes of the towns, vil- 
lages, gardens, and date fields. Gold-dust is the 
medium of commerce. No national forces are 
maintained in Fezzan ; but it is supposed that a- 
bout 20,000 armed men may be raised on an emer- 
gency. Fezzan is separated from the domains of 
Tripoli on the north, by the black barren desert of 
Soudah, the soil of which is chiefly composed of a 
soft stone, which gives rise to no vegetable but the 
talk- tree and a species of broom. 
Gadamis, an oasis of much smaller extent, lies 
on the N. W. of Fezzan, about N. lat. 32. It is 
situated 24 journeys to the south of Tunis, and 48 
to the north of Agadez in Cassina, and is tributary 
sometimes to Tripoli, but more frequently to Tunis. 
The soil is dry and barren, producing great quan- 
tities of dates, but little corn. The domestic ani- 
mals are camels and goats. The Gademsis carry 
on a considerable trade with the negroes by the 
routes of Fezzan, Taboo, and Tuat, a similar oasis, 
which lies 20 journeys to the south-west of Gada- 
mis. Morgan relates, that he was told by a Ga- 
demsi, at Algiers, that his countrymen spoke the 
ancient original African language, and that there 
was a remarkable fountain in Gadamis, alternating 
from hot to cold, like that which is said, by Lucre- 
tius and Pliny, to have been situated in the coun- 
