Oeenoterce.--Though the Sahara only supplies three commercial pro duets, salt, gum-arable, and ostrich-feathers, a considerable traffic is carried on between the countries north and south of the desert, which is frequently traversed by cafilaa, or caravans, consisting of from 200 to 500 person", and of from 500 to 2000 camels. A camel's load Is 500 lbs. The caravans export from the countries situated on the Mediterranean chiefly goods of European manufacture, Each as fire arma, gunpowder, and some cotton stuffs, to which are added some articles manufactured at Fez, and tobacco, dates, &c. Their returns include gold, ostrich-feather,, and ivory. In traversing the desert they usually-lay large quantities of salt, which they sell in Soodan at a great profit. Several routes across the Sahara are traversed by the adios. A caravan route traverses the Libyan Desert, beginning In Soodan at Wars, the capital of the country of Dar-Zaleh, or Wadal, and traversing Bergen and Magi in a north-western direction. From the last-meutioued place it runs westward to the great road that leads from Bornou to Tripoli. The moat eastern caravan road that traverses the Sahara connects Dar-Fur with Egypt. [Doe-Foal Salt is got in great abundance at three places in the Sahel : at Toudeny, which is situated near 21° 30' N. 1st, 4°W. long.; at Hoden, or Waden, near 20° N. lat., 13° W. long. ; and at Shingarin, near 17° 30' N. 1st, 4° W. long. The town of El Arawan sends the abundant pro duce of the rock-salt mines of Toudeny to the countries on the banks J of the Joliba, especially to Sansanding and Yamina, and receives in return ivory, gold, slaves, wax, honey, cloths of Soodan, and cured provisions. The salt obtained from the rock-salt mines of Hoden and Shingarin is carried to the same places and to Sego by the caravans of the merchants of Walet, a town which is said not to be inferior in extent and population to Timbuctoo. The caravan route from Timbnctoo to Renown in Ludamar passes through Walet.
An extensive fishery is carried on along the coast of the Sahara by the Inhabitants of the Canary Islands. This fishery commences on the north at Cape Nun ; the fishermen seldom venturing to go farther north, although fish are equally abundant there, from fear of the Moors on that part of tho coast, who possess boats. The fish taken are porgy, mullet of several kinds, rock-cod, and red snapper. The fish are very abundant, and weigh from 8 lbs. to 60 lbs. each. This fishery gives employment to between 400 and 500 men from the island of Lanzerote, to about 250 from Fuerteventora, and to a considerable number from the other islonds. Fish constitutes the principal food of the poorer inhabitants of the Canaries. Tho fishermen frequently land, not only to procure water, but to barter their fish with the inhabitants of the desert for wool and orchilla.
nature of the Sahara opposes insuperable obstacles to the progress of a conqueror. The Greeks and Romans were ouly
well acquainted with the oases of tho Libyan Desert, which are at no great distance from the western edge of the valley of the Nile, and with those which are contiguous to the rocky region that divides tho desert from the Mediterranean, as the Ammonium (now Siwah), Augila, and Cydanium (now Gadamea). The coast of the Sahara was discovered by the Portuguese between 1412 and 1443 [AFRICA, vol. 1, eols.106-107], but the interior of that country was unknown up to the end of the 19th century, with the exception of what knowledge might be derived from a few notices In the writings of Leo Africanus. The first impulse to discovery in the interior of Africa was given by the establishment of the African Association In 1789; but before their labours produoed any important result, Browne had succeeded (in 1793) in penetrating to Dar-Fur, with the Soodan caravan, through the oases which lie west of the valley of the Nile. Before he published his ' Travels' (1800), 5Iungo Park had returned from the banks of the Joliba, where he had collected some information respecting the south-western districts of the Sahara, though he had only been on the borders of the desert. Two years afterwards the travels of Hornemann were published, who had penetrated from Egypt to Fezzan by the way of Siwah and Augila. In 1819 Captain Lyon entered Africa from Tripoli, and although he did not add much to our knowledge of tho Sahara, he collected much interesting information, which was published in 1821. Denham, Clipperton, and Oudney (1822-1824), following the same route, not only traversed the desert in all its width from Tripoli to 13ornon, but discovered a considerable extent of Soodan. These important discoveries were to be enlarged by the travels of Major Laing, who in 1825 likewise departed from Tripoli, and passing through the oasis of Oedemas, traversed the whole width of the Sahara, and reached Timbuctoo ; but on attempting to return to Marocco by the way of El Arawan, ho was murdered by the natives before he reached El Arawan. Two years afterwards Cailli6, a Frenchmen, who in 1827 had traversed the southern portion of Senegambia between 10' and 12' N. 1st, and then passed through the western countries of Soodan to Timbuctoo, departed from the last-mentioned place, and reached Fez by the route which is frequented by the caravans that carry on the trade between Soodan and Mar0000. A statemeut respecting recent explorations in the Interior of Africa, Including a journey across the Great Desert, is given in the article AFRICA, vol. L, cols. 115-117.
All the nomadic tribes which inhabit tho Sahara are independent ; but Fezzan and Oedemas are subject to Tripoli, and tho oases along the western edge of the Talley of the Nile, as well as Siwah, depend on the Pasha, of Egypt.