divorced one of them, returning the woman's dowry of thirty-seven
Tunisian piastres. The divorce took place before the Kady in the open
streets.

_21st._--Haj Lameen came to see me. He does not forget to remind us that
the Tuaricks expect many presents. I have no doubt they do. He says we
must be generous at all the following places:--Ghât, Aheer, Aghadez,
Damerghou, Zinder, Minyou, Tesaouah, Kashna, Kanou, Sakkatou, Bornou,
Begharmi, Mandara, and to the Tibboos of Bilma; not to mention the
intermediate towns and villages. However, if the presents be valuable,
we may expect in some places rations of food in return. It is worthy of
remark, that this said Haj Lameen, brother of the governor of Ghât, took
an oath during the past year that he would never again purchase slaves.
This is a remarkable instance of the progress of opinion. I afterwards
gave Lameen a present, consisting of one pound of tea, five pounds of
coffee, and four heads of loaf sugar. This was the first considerable
present I made. In the evening we observed Mercury in conjunction with
Venus. The heavens were unusually bright for Mourzuk. We saw also
Jupiter's satellites at seven in the evening. The two upper ones were
much nearer than the two lower ones to the great planet, but all in a
line. Mars was very bright. The rings, or extinct volcanoes of the moon,
were also truly transparent this evening. Usually the sky of Mourzuk is
charged with a dirty red haze, and not at all favourable to astronomical
observations.

_21st._--The culture of water-melons is progressing for the summer
season. The melons are planted in the irrigation ducts that lead to the
squares of clover, which is cultivated at this season for the horses of
the cavalry stationed here, and also for the camels of the merchants.
Every fifteen or twenty days a fresh crop is ready, all produced by