Turkish soldiers; and at his palace, not far distant, he announced a superb entertainment, to which he invited all the principal officers, civil and military, who held their commissions from Constantinople. Three hundred of these unfortunate victims were strangled, one by one, as they entered the skiffer or hall-a long passage with small dark rooms or deep recesses on each side, in which a hidden guard was placed. The soldiers assassinated the Turks one by one as they arrived, and dragging the bodies out of sight, removed all ground of suspicion until the whole had fallen under their hands. Those, too, who remained in the city, were next day found murdered, no doubt by order of the new pacha; but no inquiry was anywhere made, with the view of discovering those who had perpetrated such horrid deeds. Only a few of the proscribed class survived to tell the dreadful tale. Large presents, it is said, were immediately sent to Constantinople, to appease the grand seignior; and in a day or two no one dared to speak of the Turkish garrison which had been butchered with so much cruelty and premeditation. From that period the direct influence of the Porte was greatly lessened, the government being seized by the Moors, who have ever since retained the principal authority, though they continue to acknowledge the Ottoman emperor as their sovereign paramount.*

The reign of Hamet was distinguished for great talent and activity. He carried his arms into the interior, reduced Fezzan to his obedience, and the still more savage districts of Ghariana and Messulata. He had moreover the merit of encouraging ingenious foreigners to settle in his dominions, and thereby improved many sources of national wealth, particularly the manufacture of woollens and the preparation of the finer kinds of leather. He lived till the year 1745; and upon his demise the supreme power was intrusted to his second son, by whom it has been transmitted, though not in a direct line, as the hereditary right of the family who now occupy the throne.t

*Tully's Letters, vol. i., p. 70.

+ Blaquière, vol. ii., p. 86. The following are the principal of ficers of state at Tripoli

The Pacha's eldest son has the title of Bey, and usually acts as commander-in-chief.

Fezzan, which still continues tributary to the descendants of Hamet the Great, is bounded by Tripoli on the north, by the Desert of Barca on the east, and by the Sahara on the west and south. The greatest length of the cultivated country, from north to south, is about 255 miles, and its breadth 200 miles, from east to west. According to Hornemann, this small state contains 100 towns and villages, of which Moorzuk is the capital. There is also Zuila, which, as narrated by old travellers, possessed magnificent ruins, though none of these wonders have been seen by the moderns. During the south wind, the heat is scarcely supportable even by the inhabitants, who on such occasions find it necessary to sprinkle their rooms with water, in order that they may be able to breathe. The winter, however, is not so mild as might be expected, owing to a cold piercing north wind, which completely chilled the natives when Hornemann was among them, and obliged this enterprising discoverer himself, inured as he was to the more frigid climate of Europe, to have recourse to a fire. Rain, which seldom falls here, is enjoyed only to a very limited extent; though the atmosphere is frequently disturbed by hurricanes, and darkened with clouds of dust and sand from the contiguous waste. In no part of the country is there any river or stream worthy of the slightest notice; but there are numerous springs which supply sufficient water for the purposes of irrigation. The whole of Fezzan, indeed, abounds in that

The Aga commands all the Turkish soldiers in the Pacha's pay, now not exceeding 100.

The Kaya or Chiah is Grand Judge; presiding all day, except from twelve till three, at the castle-gate.

The Hasnadar Grande is the chief officer of the treasury. The Hasnadar Piccolo is Treasurer of the Household. The Sheik el Bled administers the laws of the city as head magistrate.

The Mufti is the head of the priesthood.

The Kadi is judge in matters respecting the Mohammedan

faith.

The Mufti and Kadi assist the Pacha in the administration of justice when in full divan.

The Kaids are the governors of districts, and have power to raise taxes and enforce the laws.

The Hajjis are private secretaries to his highness, of whom he has generally two or three.

element at a moderate depth under ground, derived, no doubt, from the rains which moisten the hills on the confines of the Desert, and spread over the plain among the loose strata near its surface.

The population has been estimated by recent travellers at 60,000 or 70,000, obviously composed of a mixed people, as is made manifest by the variety of their complexions. The indigenous race is of middling stature, of little vigour, of a brown colour, black short hair, a regular countenance, and a nose less flattened than that of the negro. As to religion, the majority are Mohammedans, though it is remarked that they live on good terms with such as still adhere to the rites of paganism. Their houses, we are told, are built of sun-dried bricks, made of calcareous and argillaceous earth; they are extremely low, and receive light only by the door. Dates are the natural produce and staple commodity of this country; figs, pomegranates, and lemons, also come to perfection. A great quantity of maize and barley is cultivated; but as the inhabitants do not raise wheat sufficient for their own consumption, they receive a great part of what they use from the Arabs, who, in some respects, are much better husbandmen. We have already mentioned that caravans are sent hence to Tripoli, Timbuctoo, and Bornou, who trade chiefly in gold-dust and black slaves; in pursuit of which objects they proceed, it is probable, as far as the coast of Guinea.

The oasis of Augila, as well perhaps as that of Siwah, likewise belongs to the Tripoline sovereignty. The town, which is the residence of a bey, is described as small and mean, having no public buildings but such as are of a yery wretched aspect. All the interest attached to the latter state, indeed, arises from its being the site of the celebrated temple of Ammon, the access to which, in ancient times, was considered as almost entirely impracticable. It afforded a convenient station for the trade which the Cyrenians carried on with the central parts of Africa, whence they are supposed to have drawn the gold, silver, and precious stones, of which they formed the jewellery and those other works of taste and elegance wherein they excelled. The votive columns, ornamented with dolphins, which are found on the route leading from Cyrene to Ammon; the similarity in the architecture of both countries; and the journey of the Cyrenians, who acted as guides to Alexander in his visit to the temple of the Libyan deity,

prove that in fact the relations between them were established long before the reign of the Macedonian hero, since at that period they appear to have been masters of the oasis. The extent of this singular territory in the midst of an appalling wilderness, the excellence of its thermal waters, the fertility of its soil, and its advantageous position for commerce, explain the interest which it constantly excited in the civilized nations who occupied the coast. It will, as M. Pacho remarks, be the same again, should civilization ever revisit the regions which it has so long abandoned.

There is a set of men at Tripoli whom Mr. Blaquière considers as the descendants of the ancient Psylli or Serpenteaters, who, assuming a sacred character, are regarded at times with a species of veneration. Of this extravagant class of religionists we have a very good account in the pages of Captain Lyon, who witnessed one of their periodical exhibitions when on his journey in Northern Africa. The marabouts, he tells us, are of two denominations; idiots, who are allowed to say and do whatever they please; and men possessed of all their senses, who, by juggling and performing many bold and disgusting tricks, establish to themselves the exclusive right of being great rogues and nuisances. There are mosques in which these people assemble every Friday afternoon, where they eat snakes and scorpions, affect to be inspired, and commit the most revolting extravagances.

In the month of January their annual festival begins, and continues three days with all its barbarous ceremonies. Before the day on which it commences, the great marabout is supposed to inspire such as are to appear in the processions, and these, according to their abilities, are more or less mad and furious. The natural fools are always ready for the exhibition; and it is amusing to observe their looks of astonishment at being on this occasion more than any other brought into public notice. During the time they parade the streets, no Christian or Jew can with any safety make his appearance, as he would, if once in the power of these wretches, be instantly torn in pieces. Indeed, if any person professing either of the hated religions shows himself on a terrace or at a window, he is sure to be saluted by a plentiful shower of stones from the boys who follow the progress of the infuriated saints.

The captain, who was in the dress of the country, ventured

to go in the company of his dragoman to the mosque from which the procession was to set out. He felt that his situation was a dangerous one; but, being resolved on the attempt, he dashed into the crowd, and succeeded in getting near the performers, who, with dishevelled hair, were rapidly turning round, and working themselves up into a most alarming state of phrensy. A band of barbarous music was playing to them, while several men were constantly employed in sprinkling them with rose-water. When they were sufficiently excited, they sallied out into the streets. One had a large nail run through his face from one cheek to the other; and all of them had bitten their tongues in so violent a manner as to cause blood and saliva to flow copiously. They were half naked, uttering, at short intervals, groans and howls; and as they proceeded-sometimes three or four abreast, leaning on each other-they threw their heads backward and forward with a quick motion, which caused the blood to rise in their faces, and their eyes to project from their sockets in a frightful manner. Their long black hair, which grew from the crown of the head-the other parts being closely shaven-was continually waving to and fro, owing to the violent agitation in which they indulged. One or two, who were the most furious, and who continually attempted to run at the crowd, were held by a man on each side with a rope, or by means of a handkerchief tied round the middle. Captain Lyon observed, that whenever the marabouts passed the house of a Christiar., they affected to be ungovernable, and endeavoured to get near it, pretending they had made the discovery by smelling out unbelievers.

Two parties were, at the same moment, traversing the town; but being of opposite sects, and at war with each other, it was so arranged that they should take different routes. That which our countryman did not see was the principal one, and took its departure from under the walls of the castle. It was headed by a man named Mohammed, who had been much at the house of the captain, going errands, and attending his horses; and who, before the time of the procession, had been confined in a dungeon, in consequence of his becoming furious. When all was in readiness for the ceremony, the pacha took his station at the balcony overlooking the arsenal; and this man was no sooner set at liberty, than he rushed on an ass, and with one thrust pushed his