1820, No. 7. We need scarcely add, that it speaks in the highest terms of this excellent work. It is now translating into the French language; and a whale-fishery is to be established from France.

PRIZES.

57. Adjudication of the Copley Medal.-The President and Council of the Royal Society of London, have adjudged the Gold Medal on Sir Godfrey Copley's donation, to Mr John Christian Oersted, for his discoveries respecting the connection between Electricity and Galvanism. See this Number, p. 167.

58. Appropriation of Mr Keith's Legacy.-An account of the establishment of a scientific prize with part of the legacy left by the late Mr Keith of Ravelston, will be found in this Number, p. 191. See also Vol. I. p. 219,

ART. XXXVI.-List of Patents granted in Scotland since 11th August 1820.

9. TO O JOB RIDER of Belfast Foundry, Ireland: - For "certain improvements which produce a concentric and revolving eccentric motion applicable to steam-engines, waterpumps and other machinery." Sealed at Edinburgh 31st October 1820.

10. TO WILLIAM FRITH of Salford, county of Lancaster, dyer:-For "" great improvements in the method of dyeing and printing various colours, so as to fix or make the same permanent or fast, on cottons, linens, silks, in hair, worsted, and woollens, straw, chip and leghorn." Sealed at Edinburgh 23d November 1820.

P. NEILL, Printer.

THE

EDINBURGH

PHILOSOPHICAL JOURNAL.

ART. I.-Account of the Captivity of ALEXANDER SCOTT, among the Wandering Arabs of the Great African Desert, for a Period of nearly Six Years. Drawn up by T. S. TRAILL, M. D., F. R.S. E. (Continued from p. 54., and concluded.)

ABOUT

BOUT a month after their arrival on the Bahâr, the party to which Scott belonged, having taken leave of some of the pilgrims by shaking hands, and kissing the top of the head, left El Tah Sidna Mahommed El Hêzsh, embarking in the same boat which brought them thither, and which had been, in the interval, employed in carrying over passengers as they arrived.

Scott remarked, that the opposite shore of the lake was not visible, even in the clearest weather, from El Hêzsh, on account of the lowness of the land. There being more wind than when they came, and it being fair, they placed two oars across each other by way of a mast, and spread on them a long nar row blanket, such as they wrap round their bodies, as a sail. They left the shore of El Hêzsh, a little after mid-day, and arrived on the opposite side at day-break the next morning, (as he supposes, about six o'clock). In this voyage they had the advantage of sail and oars, and continued under way all night.

Scott had no conversation with the boatmen during this recrossing of the Bahâr. On account of his refusal to change his religion, he was not permitted to speak to them, and was refused every indulgence.

VOL. IV. NO. 8. APRIL 1821.

P

On landing, they found that several of the camels had died, owing, as Scott supposes, to their having swallowed stones and gravel while feeding on the low bushes, which are so close to the ground that the animals could scarcely feed without taking up gravel with them; and considerable quantities of it were found in their stomachs after they were opened. As soon as the hire of the boat was settled, (which amounted to three camels for every family taken over and brought back,) the party set out on its return, by the same route which they had followed in coming to the Bahâr. They travelled for a month without any particular occurrence, until they came to the wood before described. While going through it, they saw some of the black people called Bambarras, who were armed with bows and arrows, and quite naked. The Arabs attacked the Negroes, and a short contest took place, when several of the Arabs were wounded, but at last the blacks were beaten, and eight of them made prisoners. These were brought to the tents, bound hand and foot, and the next morning carried away by the Arabs, who pursued their journey. The Negroes were tattooed or marked by three diagonal cuts on each cheek, and a horizontal one across the forehead.

After this the caravan travelled for about a month and a half over hard ground, with small hills, covered with low wild bushes, but without trees of any size; but there were trees of considerable magnitude in the low ground through which they occasionally passed. About this time they came to a large valley, where there had been much rain, and a considerable quantity of fresh water was in it. The trees and shrubs were quite green; there grew no grass, but a herb like the green-sauce of England, a flower like the dog-daisy, and a yellow flower about eight or nine inches high, of which the camels, sheep, and goats ate. The "green-sauce" and goat's milk were here the principal food of the party. They remained about six moons in this valley, during which time the men frequently went out to fight, and brought back camels, corn, &c. which they had plundered. When this valley could no longer afford food to their cattle, they sent a party to look out for another place of encampment; and when they had discovered a suitable spot, the whole party set out for it, taking three days to reach this new

district. Here they remained two or three months without any thing remarkable occurring, until the trees began to lose their leaves, all the vegetables withered, and the ground dried up, when the whole caravan set out direct for El Ghiblah.

For a week or two they went over hard ground, and then came to sandy valleys, quite barren, and without any vegetable on them, except the palm-like tree El Myrreh before noticed. In little more than a week they got over this sandy district, and in about another week again arrived at El Ghiblah, but not in the exact spot from which they had taken their departure.

They pitched their tents, however, by some wells, and seemed to consider themselves at home. They always avoided going too far to the northward, for fear of being taken by the "Moors" or subjects of the Emperor of Morocco, between whom and the wandering Arabs, or Moors of the Desert, there is a deadly hatred and perpetual war. The tribe with whom Scott lived

was often at war also with Arabs to the southward *. At El Ghiblah, the black prisoners taken in their contest with the Bambarras, were sold to some people from Wadnoon, who gave 80 dollars for each.

The tribe was now held in much greater estimation by their neighbours than before their journey into the interior, and the men were called Sidi El Hêzsh Hezsh. To Scott, however, this journey was a source of trouble; for since his refusal to turn Mahommedan, they treated him much more cruelly, beating him almost daily with sticks. This he acknowledges, however, sometimes arose from his sleeping too long in the morning, when they thought that he should be attending to their cattle.

Scott states, that the district in possession of the Arabs commences some distance from Wadnoon, and is divided into

• During these long journeys Scott saw various animals, not noticed in the preceding pages, as monkeys, squirrels, porcupines, wolves, foxes, leopards, which are cowardly animals, hares, deer, with and without horns, various kinds of wild eattle, and an animal like a bear. Birds were seen of the eagle species,a large one of this kind Scott has seen to carry off young kids. There were dif ferent kinds of hawks and crows. He saw a bird like an eagle, but larger, which preys only on hares. There were many ostriches, peacocks, cranes, red-legged partridges, parrots, "green and red birds with long tails," a large green bird, with the under part of the bill like a spoon.

four parts. The northern Till lies about 100 miles south of Wadnoon, and has a small river called Ourerah, and a ward or valley running through it. The western part is named Sachal, is divided from Till by the large wad called Zerrohah, the one being from the other ten or twelve days journey *. This wad is only a part of a much larger district called also. Zerrohah, which lies to the eastward of Till and Sachal. It is a high, but not mountainous land, and sends down a large wad, as above mentioned, which reaches to the sea.

The fourth division El Ghiblah lies to the south, and is divided from Sachal by the wad Seyghet. The tribes are in general terms distinguished by the name of the district they usually occupy, as the Tille-eêns, the Sachal-eens, the Ghiblaheens. In each of those divisions, however, there are particular tribes scattered, the special names of some of which he recollects, viz. the Mujatts, and Zurghiêm tribes, which dwell in Till, are always at war with the Ulled D'Leims. The El Arosiem and Ulled Missebah, which belong to Zerrohah. Those of Toborlet (into whose hands Scott fell when cast away,) of Lemmiheir, Fyeketts, Ulled Tiderary, Ulled Emouksor, and Ulled Emiâra, are all of Sachal, or, as it is sometimes called Sachara, and are considered a very peaceable people. In El Ghiblah are the tribes of Ulled D'Leim, Ulled Edouochala, Ulled Teggadow, Ulled Emouss. Scott mentions also the Arab tribes of Orghebets and the Scarnas, who belong to El Sharrag, near the Bahâr El Tieb. These distant tribes he has seen, the former often, the latter sometimes, in El Ghiblah and in Sachal, having come there on fighting expeditions, or for corn. This appeared to him less extraordinary, because his own master was once absent for more than twelve months on an expedition of some kind; and the people of El Ghiblah sometimes go far to the southward, to a place called Llumgaufra, the chief man of which is called Wildibacaab, and whence the

In this account there is some indistinctness, as we have not been able to ascertain from what point in Till to what point in Sachal this computation extends.

+ It was on the coast of Sachal that the Montezuma was wrecked.

In spelling this name, the Welsh double Ll has been adopted to give an idea of the sound.