cavalry is already collected here, pour out of the gates to pay their compliments; and then come crowds of the lower classes of citizens, with their rude bagpipes, which scream discordantly.  The horsemen galloped hither and thither in the plain whilst the interview between the great men took place, and effectually drowned all the polite things that were said by their trampling and hurrahing.  We rode up likewise to welcome the new great man.  Mustapha looked well, was excellently mounted, and dressed almost like an European officer.  He smiled graciously on seeing his old friend of Ghadamez, and shook me by the hand; he also recognised the Germans, having seen them at Zaweeah, near Tripoli.  Satisfied with this little interview, we drew aside, and the procession moved towards the gate.  There was instantly a rush of the Arab horsemen, every one trying to get in front; and as the entry was narrow an obstruction soon took place.  We drew aside, and called out to those who were pressing on to make way for the Governor.  One fellow would not hear; and Mustapha himself riding up, lashed him with a small whip across the shoulders.  Bad taste; but perhaps excusable in this case, if ever.  These lawless soldiery can never be taught good manners, without which true discipline is impossible.  However, we at length got within the gate, and the procession poured along the streets, the women loo-looing as we passed, the bagpipes shrieking louder than ever, the crowd buzzing, the horses thundering, the cavaliers shouting.  In fine, this hubbub carried us quite back into the regions of civilisation, where men collect on public occasions often without any real joy, and by mere process of action and reaction succeed in working themselves up into a state of boisterous enthusiasm.

Several days were now chiefly occupied in writing reports on the progress made by the expedition hitherto; and in voluminous correspondence on petty, matters—­petty, I mean, in themselves, but very important to us—­all connected with our future proceedings.  I forwarded to the Foreign Office a letter addressed by the Sultan Laoul, of the Tibboos of Bilma, to Mr. Gagliuffi.  It appears these people are now nominally subject to the Ottoman Porte.

12th.—­We went to pay a visit to Mustapha Agha, my old friend of Ghadamez.  He received us with all the honours—­a guard of officers, pipes, coffee, and sherbet.  That important subject of health was a good deal talked of.  Mustapha fears the climate of Fezzan, and finds little consolation in the doctrines of fatalism.  He seemed surprised at the bulk of the despatches last forwarded from the Consulate, and asked if we all knew how to write.  He cannot understand the necessity of minute directions.  We explained as well as we could; and then talked of the journeys we had respectively performed.  This gave Mustapha an opportunity of astonishing us in his Turkish way.  He said that he had come with 200 men and 300 camels