The journal of Frederick Horneman's travels, from Cairo to Mourzouk, the capital of the kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa, in the years 1797-8Hornemann, Friedrich
History
The journal of Frederick Horneman's travels, from Cairo to Mourzouk, the capital of the kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa, in the years 1797-8
Hornemann, Friedrich
Berber languages; Fezzan (Libya) -- Description and travel; Libyan Desert -- Description and travel
It is certain, that Mr. Beaufoy’s MSS. allow 13 days by the route of
Gegabib (the Valley of Dates), which, by Mr. Browne’s information,
lies to the NW of Siwah, whilst the ordinary route, by Schiacha,
leads by the west; but we can hardly suppose that the northern road
is two days farther about than the other. Mr. Horneman, it is true,
lost his papers at Schiacha, and may not have recollected the exact
account of time during the three first days, to that place. I have
accordingly allowed 186, as a mean between Mr. Horneman and Edrisi.
Mr. Horneman could not obtain a satisfactory account of the distance
between Augila and Bengasi, on the sea coast. Edrisi allows 10 days
from Barca; but these, reckoned at 19 each, meet the line from Siwah,
in 30° 7′, which gives a bearing of W 18° N from the latter;
whereas it seems to be the universal opinion, that they lie nearly
in the same parallel.[18]
Delisle and D’Anville go much beyond Edrisi’s distance. The
latter allows 215 from Barca, which is very probable: and he may
perhaps have allowed it from the relations of modern travellers. I
have accordingly adopted it; and it meets the line of 186 from Siwah,
in lat. 29° 30′, lon. 22° 50′. In this position it bears about
W ½ N from Siwah.
Ptolemy allows 3° 16′ diff. lat. between Derna (_Darnis_) and
Augila, which would place the latter, on our Map, in 29½°. He also
makes the line of bearing between Ammon and Augila to be nearly
parallel to the sea coast, between Parætonium and Derna; and it
is certain, although Ptolemy thought otherwise, that the coast lies
much to the north of west.
It may be that the longitudes of the places on the coast of Barca,
are too far to the west, in M. D’Anville’s Maps. Lucas appears
to reckon Augila 11 days only, from Bengasi.
III. _Augila to Fezzan._
From Augila to Fezzan, Mr. Horneman’s time is not kept regularly
in hours, the whole way; owing, perhaps, to the excessive fatigues he
underwent in the _Harutsch_ or _Black Desert_, in which _whole days_
only, are given; but these were exceedingly long, being usually from
morning till night.
All that could be done, was, to reduce these particular days to hours,
and add them to the _enumerated_ hours in the Journal; whence there
results a total of 195 to 196 hours, at the highest calculation:
and these, with proper deductions for the badness of the paths,
in the Harutsch, may be taken at 395 G. miles in direct distance.[19]
M. Delisle states the distance at about 405, or 10 more than the
above result. He probably collected it from the Journals of modern
travellers, as the Arabian geographers allow no less than twenty
of their journies between Augila and Zuila, which place is about 60
G. miles short of Mourzouk.
I shall here set forth the reports of divers persons, respecting
the distance between Cairo and Fezzan; which has been taken above,
chiefly on the report of Mr. Horneman: and, when reduced to a straight
line comes out 829 G. miles.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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