The costume here is the same as that of the Bedouins, consisting generally of a shirt and barracan, a red cap, and sandals: a few, whose circumstances allow of it, dress in the costume of Tripoli. The neat appearance of the men, in general, is very striking, compared with that of the Arabs about the coast. The women are considered exceedingly handsome; indeed, one or two whom I saw at Fatma’s were really so, and as fair as Europeans; but they are noted for their profligacy and love of intrigue. When the kingdom of Fezzan was governed by a native Prince, this town and the two neighbouring ones were, in a manner, independent; the distance from their own capital, as well as from Tripoli, securing them from surprise. All discontented or disaffected people, from either country, took refuge here, and the population was, at that time, more than double what it now is. The people of Sockna speak a language peculiar to themselves and to the Tuarick of the Great Desert; it is called Ertāna, and is, I believe, the original Breber tongue. In another part of this work, I have given a short vocabulary of it. Mukni receives all his tribute in person, and is, from daylight until dark, sitting in the midst of the Arabs. As soon as the business of one party is settled, a prayer is recited, and room is left for another equally noisy set, who, though they dispute and make all sort of difficulty about paying their money, are never suffered by Mukni to gain their point: at the very moment indeed when they appear most confident of having their complaints attended to, some one of Mukni’s men cries out “The Fattha!” (or first chapter of the Koran), every one joining in that prayer. This is the signal for the poor creatures to retire, and they are then obliged to consider their claims as settled. The Sheikh is in continual apprehensions of losing his life; his predecessor having, the year before, been found one night with his throat cut, and no one was allowed to inquire who committed the deed. The inhabitants were obliged to pay a fine or penalty of 2000 dollars to Mukni (who alone was supposed guilty), in consequence of the murder having been perpetrated in the town. It being necessary for the Sultan to employ persons of trust to receive his taxes at Hoon and Wadan, as well as from the neighbouring Arabs, he proposed sending with them his young son Yussuf, allowing Mr. Ritchie and myself also to accompany them, in order to afford us a safe opportunity of seeing those places. A troop of about thirty horsemen being prepared, on the 14th of June we set out. Little Yussuf was placed under the charge of a man named Ibrahim, who had also orders to attend to and supply all our wants.