According to strict Muslims, it is a sin to write Jebel Mekka, "the mountain of Mekka." I have lately noticed several instances of superstition. A Moor of Fezzan, to whom I gave a small portion of camphor, showed me the paper and piece of cotton cloth in which he had wrapped it up, and swore that during the night the ginns, or evil spirits, had eaten it. Many other Moors asked me if it was possible to preserve camphor from the ginns? They said they knew a man who one evening locked up a piece of this substance in an iron box, and in the morning it was gone; the ginns had eaten it. I went to see the manufacture of the matting which is used for making houses. There were thirty slaves at work, all belonging to one man; over these were three masters (also slaves), to keep them at their task. They certainly did not hurry themselves, and very few people hurry themselves in this country. These slaves were all Hazna, or pagans. The Sarkee of Zinder, besides Tuaricks, has many pagan subjects. Some of the blacks, I was surprised to see, had breasts as full and plump as many women. In other respects these pagans do not differ from their Muslim brethren. The matting is woven thirty or forty feet long, and eight feet broad, and is used to enclose a cluster of huts. It is all doubly-woven. I gave each of them a small looking-glass, having nothing else to dispose of. According to a Moor here, the land revenues of Zinder are divided into three portions; one of which goes to the Sarkee, one to the Sheikh, and one to the Bashaw. This is the new arrangement. The Sarkee makes up his accounts, or fills up his exchequer by razzias. _27th._--The weather continues mild, but thick. The thermometer now stands at about 60° at sunrise. The people are mostly healthy. We do not hear of cases of fever, or any other periodical complaints. As soon as up, I received a visit from a number of old ladies, who came to see the Christian, and to bring him a bowl of milk. One of them had been the nurse of the Sultan of Zinder; so that I was bound to feel duly honoured by this attention. Everybody now says the Sarkee will return in the course of five days, and besides slaves, will bring store of cattle and horses, the spoils of the poor people. I certainly never heard of a more iniquitous expedition, for it is believed he has gone against the pacific and loyal subjects of the Sheikh--not tribes or villages under another power. I went to visit the renegade Jew Ibrahim. I had prescribed a regimen for him, to assist in the cure of his bad foot, but yet he had done nothing. These kind of people are most eager to get prescriptions, but very lax in following them. Probably in secret they expect a magical cure, and have no confidence in any specific less expeditious than the waving of a wand. I repeated everything again to him, without expecting compliance. It is, however, cheap to express condolence in this manner.