Page 327 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

326 THIRD BOOK OF
·or, as rmerly written, marcat, om (L.) mercatus, the trade of merchandize : L. nerx, merchandize.
RouTE, n., passage or line of travelling; om route, F., a way, a road. DEPREDA'TrnNs, n., robberies, spoliations. F. depredations, om prm­
da, L., prey, booty.
lNTERME1DIATE, a., between, or coming between two points of time or
space,-or both, as in this place. F. intermediat; L. interme us, in the middle, lying between,-inter, and me ius, om mesos, G., middle.
DoL'LAR, n., a coin of di erent value in di erent countries. D. daler, om dal, a division, being the one-half of a ducat. The German name r dollar is thaler, om t al, a valley, because they were rst coined in the valley of Joachim.
REN1DEzvous, n., a place of assembling; place of resort or of coming together. F. ren z.-vous, to render or convey yourselves,-rendre, om (L.) reddo,-re, and do,-I restore or give back.
Accu'MULATED, a., congregated, or collected together. L. accumula­ tu., om accumulo,-ad, and cumulo, I heap, I augment.
REPOSE', n., rest. F. repos, om pono, L., I put, place, or lay,-that is, in a rstate of rest or quiet.
For "Afica," see p. 219; "Explored," p. 244; "Caravan," p. 40; "Oasis," p. 220; "Lunar," p. 302; "Month," p. 263 ;-and r de­ rivation of " Transport;'' see "Exportation," p. 18.
1. THE most striking feature of A ica consists of the immense deserts which pervade its sur ce, and which are supposed to comprise one-half of its whole
extent. The chief of these is, by way of eminence, called Sahara, or the Desert. It stretches from the shores of the Atlantic, with w interruptions, to the con nes of Egypt; a space of more than rty- ve degrees, or twenty-seven hundred geographical,miles, by a breadth of twelve degrees, or seven hundred and twenty geographical miles. It is one prodigious expanse of red sand, and sand-stone rock, of the gran­ ulations of which the red sand consists. It is, in truth, an empire of sand, which seems to defy every exertion of human power or industry, although it is interspersed with various islands, and fertile and cul­ tivated spots of di erent sizes, of which Fezzan is the chief of those which have been hitherto explored.
2. Nearly in the centre of this sandy ocean, and nearly mid-way between the :Mediterranean Sea and