CHAP. IV. 
MORZOUK. 
195 
state, could not accompany me far, and to proceed alone would have 
been actual madness, until the necessary arrangements for my 
future operations, and regulatiwis as to pecuniary matters had been 
fully understood and arranged. Under all these circumstances, 
therefore, and to my great regret, I could only resolve on a short 
progress into the Interior. 
As soon as we recovered sufficient strength to get up stairs, I 
opened Mr. Ritchie's sitting-room, where we found only a few 
scattered papers, an unfinished journal, and some letters. These I 
collected, and in Belford's presence burnt all which were private ; 
but every other document bearing Mr. Ritchie's handwriting I care- 
fully preserved. We were both much astonished at his having left 
so few memoranda, as we felt confident, that though for many 
months he had, from repeated illness, been unable to write, that iit 
least, prior to his arrival in Morzouk, he must have made many 
notes, as well as composed a regular journal. 
I knew that he had always trusted much to his singularly 
retentive memory, and was also aware that he expressed great im- 
patience for the arrival of more cool weather, when he might, with 
less inconvenience, commit his ideas to paper ; and these reasons 
might probably account for his having left so few mementos of the 
scientific mind with which he certainly was gifted. It is also to be 
regretted that Mr. Ritchie, during his illnesses, would never avail 
himself of my repeated offers to take down in writing any observa- 
tions which he might have considered worthy of note ; and from this 
unfortunate circumstance much, very much valuable information 
has been lost. 
I caused all the chests of merchandise to be removed into our 
large room, and with Belford's assistance opened them, in order to 
ascertain their contents. They had been packed before my arrival 
in Tripoli, and Mr. Ritchie had determined that they should not 
c c 2 
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