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1st, That the ancient island of Atlantis was formed 
by a chain of mount Atlas: 
2d, That there is in the middle of Africa a mediter- 
ranean sea, which, like the Caspian sea in Asia, ex- 
ists by itself, and without communicating with other 
seas. 
After so many systems or conjectures as to the spot 
which was occupied formerly by the island of Atlantis, 
it will perhaps appear chimerical to start again a ques- 
tion which has been so often debated, and which in our 
days has fallen into oblivion. As it is connected with 
the coinciding idea of the existence of an inland sea in 
the interior part of Africa, the digression may be excu- 
sed. The indulgent reader, as he reads this chapter, is 
requested to consult the general map of the northern 
part of Africa, which accompanies this work. 
Though no European traveller has yet travelled so far 
as to pass the great desert of Africa, called Sahhar, in its 
centre, we have, how r ever, much information, which 
makes it almost nearly certain that there is ino chain of 
mountains passing through it from north to south which 
could unite Mount Atlas with the mountains of Kong, 
and with those that are on the south-eastern part of the 
desert, and which extend in a south-west direction into 
Abyssinia. 
At the eastern extremity of the chain of the Atlas, 
we find the deserts that border on Godemesh and Trip- 
oli, those of Soudah and Barca, which touch on one 
side the Sahhara, and on the other the Mediterrane- 
an sea. Hence the chain of the mountains of Atlas, 
which at the north and west are surrounded by the Me- 
