18 9X7.] Umrn-hajtr-Desert of Sakrah - - IVhartun. 18S settling at this place. Acljoining the lrell is a small straxr hut lJuilt by these Arabs.

Just before we arrived at Blr el F.Ielbah, to the N.0v. of the well, and on our left, we passed a synall hill named Jebel el Helbah, and to the N.ED. of it is a hill somewhat larger, calletl JelJel el Minaverat. Each is isolated, and they are the only two hills I observed in this neighbourhood.

t 5 P.M. we resumed our journey, and, after travelling.52 hours, rested in the (lesert. Shortly after leaving Bir el I4elbah, ?e met with a great many ostriches and a her(l of oryx: the formel are found all a]ong this road from Korsi to A1)d Ghoirat, lout especially between the latter place an(l Sakrah. Our jourrley to-day was 11 hours. Thermometer 107?.

April 23.-We started again at 4 A.M., and in 5 hours and 45 minutes arriw-ed at Abb Gharat. I went to my ol(l quarters, the residence of Abdallah the Kaim-makam. ISe was absent: but his househokl attended to our wants. I observe(l in the village a number of lvomen dancing their national dance to the music of tlle elarabukah, singing and clapping of han(ls, and, upon inquiry, I found that they were showir.g this demonstration of feeling out of respect to one recently decease(l. I had now passed the turo routes from Al)u Gheirat to Korsi, the one by the desert of I1abshabeh, the other l)y the desert of Sakrall, and I decidedly gise the preference to the latter. In the first lace there are flbundance of lice w-hich attack the person most furious]y on the ISal)sllvilJeh route - none on the Sakrah. There are more villages and better water on the latter route than on the former. Ecw caravans pass by the desert of Sakrah, and the inhabitants, ftom not being plundere(l by the Turkish an(l Aral) soldiers, are more willing and obliging. The only inconvenience on this route is the greater quantity of askanit, antl the annoyance of the thorns on the trees, which in many places os-erhanZ the track. April 04. At 4 A.M. we left Abu Gharat, and in 7 hours arlis-e(l at the river opposite Monkarah: we took the road direct betX-cen these tso places without going round l)y E1 'Adaair and Tvirall. The distance therefore from E1 'Obeid to the White Riler, opposite hIonkarah, is 67 hours 4o minutes, which, at 2& miles an hour, gives about 170 miles. The general direction is N.E.

I sllall abstain at present from ana obsers-ations relative to the Mhite River, beyontl mentioning that I left A{onkarah on the '2,5th of April in a lJout belonging to the government, arrive(l at she junction of the Bahr el Ab-ad with the Bahr el Azrek on the "9th, and on the following morning reachecl Khart.um.

During my second visit there were two remarkalule hurricanes of wxind and sand - the first on the ond of May, at 2 P.M., and the