THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION. 
stripes of sandy desert, and produces rice, maizej 
beans, cotton, hemp, and indigo, in abundance. 
Few dates grow in Bornou ; but grapes, apricots, 
pomegranates, lemons, limes, and melons, abound. 
Among the native productions of the soil is the 
Kedeynah, w^hich, in form and height, resembles 
the olive, and in its leaf the lemon. It produces 
a nut, the kernel of which is highly esteemed, and 
an oil is extracted from the shell, which is em- 
ployed as a substitute for the oil of olives. Do- 
mestic animals are the sheep, the goat, the camel, 
the horse, the buffaloe, and horned cattle. Bees 
are numerous. The wild animals are the lion, leo- 
pard, wolf, fox, wild-dog, civet-cat, elephant, cro- 
codile, hippopotamus, and giraffe, or camelopar- 
dales. In the cities of this empire, the houses are 
built with stone and clay, but not disposed in a 
very regular order. Bornou, the capital, which 
is larger than Tripoli, is surrounded by a ditch 
and strong wall, fourteen feet in height. The 
natives are reported to be hospitable and hu- 
mane. They divide the labours of the field with 
the women, and their principal amusements are 
draughts and chess. The rehgion of the sove- 
reign and of the predominating tribe is Mahome- 
tanism, but the majority of the people adhere to 
the superstitions of their fathers. The king is 
elected by three of the principal chiefs, but, as in 
Cassina, their choice is restricted to the royal fa° 
