or tank; as the pitchers rise and turn over their
contents into this tank, the water is communicated to the garden
and inundates the plants. Departing from Marocco to Mogodor, the
first day's journey is through the plains of Sheshawa, a fine
campaign country abounding in corn; the mountains of Sheshawa,
which are higher than any in Great Britain, have strata of oyster
and other shells at the top of them. We encamped at the foot of
these mountains; I had the curiosity to examine the depth of these
strata of shells, and found them several feet deep, and extending
all the way down the mountains. The rivers Sheshawa and Wed Elfees
water these plains. The next day's journey brought us to a
sanctuary, where we met very good entertainment, that is, such as
the country affords, plenty of good provisions and hospitable
treatment.
83
The next evening we encamped at a place called _Dar El Hage
Croomb_, a very picturesque situation, where we were hospitably
entertained; the Sheik coming to drink tea with me, related the
history of his ancestors and traced his descent through many
generations of warriors, whose dextrous management of the lance was
the burden of the story. The next day, after travelling about six
hours, we arrived at the extremity of the productive country, and
entered _El Grored_, or the desert of sandy hills, which divide the
rocky peninsula of Mogodor, from the cultivated land; this Sahara
consists of loose sand-hills very fatiguing to the horses, and
although not more than three miles in width, we were an hour and a
half in crossing them, before we entered the gate of Mogodor.
84

LETTER VIII.

FROM MR. WILLIS TO MR. JACKSON.

Harley-Street, London,

My Dear Sir, 12th December, 1797.

I thank you warmly for your intelligence concerning the interior of
Africa, and beg you will continue to favour me with all the
information you can collect upon this subject. Mr. Park has been
almost as far as Jinnie, but did not reach Timbuctoo; he is now on
his way to England, in an American ship, via America. We are
anxious for his arrival, which may be expected in the course of the
present month; and all the Africani are extremely curious to hear
the detail of his most interesting journey, which we hope will
produce some authentic kno