_Pitch._—The pitch of the Arabs, called _Kitran_, is obtained from the wild juniper, which abounds in the Atlas mountains, as well as in many parts of the champaign country: the manner of obtaining it is thus: they dig a large and deep round hole, in the side of which, near the bottom, they excavate another in the form of a cauldron, which they plaister round; they then fill up the communicating aperture with stones or bricks, leaving a small channel of communication; the large hole is then filled with the boughs of the wild juniper, which they call _Toga_, broken into small pieces, after which the mouth of the furnace is closed up, and fire set to the wood; the sap, which forms the pitch, then oozes out of the burning boughs, and runs into the communicating hole; when the whole is cooled, it is taken out, and put into skins or bladders. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 113: I procured several specimens of gold and silver ores from the various mines in this province, which I sent to Europe to be analyzed; but the smallness of the quantity precluded any considerable advantage from the analyzation, and I had not an opportunity afterwards of repeating the trial to a larger extent.] [Footnote 114: It is probably owing to the deficiency of knowledge in African languages among Europeans (which not only impedes, but often renders abortive, our negociations with the Emperor) that we have been hitherto prevented from obtaining very considerable supplies as well of this as of many other useful articles, such as naval stores and provisions, from West Barbary.] [Footnote 115: The Arabs of Woled Abussebah manufacture gun-powder of a quality far superior to that of Europe; for if it be immersed in water during a night, and then taken out, it is perfectly dry and fit for use; but they keep the process a secret. That which is made by the Moors is, in general, of a very inferior quality, having neither strength nor quickness.] [Footnote 116: Harushe is a name applied in Africa to all plains or places covered with basaltic stones, bearing marks of some ancient convulsion of nature. These places are interspersed over the Desert, or Sahara, and in other parts of Africa.] [Footnote 117: Sonini, in his travels in Egypt, called it hobezé; there is, however, no _h_ in the word, but a guttural _k_ (خ) an error originating in a partial, and but an oral, knowledge of the Arabic language; or possibly he had seen the word written by a professed Arabian scholar, who frequently omits the punctuation, which he can make out by the tenour of the discourse; in this case the word would have been written with the letter _h_ (ح).] [Footnote 118: In passing these plains, where such a variety of beautiful flowers grow spontaneously, it has often occurred to me that this country was once in a considerably higher degree of cultivation than it is at present.] [Footnote 119: Probably the Euphorbium officinalis of Linnæus.]