Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-01-15

The DESERT OF SAHARA.-Ihc discoveries
Of recent African explorers have di,relled
the popular notions concerning the great
desert OF sahara Ii used a. be- described AS
a nearly level sandy plain. Tins plain IL Is
now asccrtained. does not exist, except at IT'S
eastern and western eXtremIties. The cen
trail portions rise. in the form of terraces. %
200 OF 300 feet above the valleys of the At
Lac and S1udan. They are intersTcrscd with
ravines and granite hills, Bdrth speaks OF
mountains 1000 or 5000 feet nigh. In e.
neral. however. the surface of the desert Is
Hat or slightly undulating in some places
covered with a thick bed .f sand, In others
hard and flinty. Every aspect confirms the
opinion Of Humboldt. that the desert Is the
bed Of former SEA. elevated by geological
commissions. The traveller, almost at every
step, meets with mounds Of fossil shells and
other debris of marine animals. There are
immense deposits of rOck salt. IN some places
as pure as marble, and So compact as TO
serve in the construction Of houses. S1udan
derives salt from this source. The cil0rcs-
cencc Of nitre and saltpetre l. almost every
where apparent Lions. tigers, and other
feruclous animals with which the desert has
in imagination been pcoplcd. are met with
thew can find food and water The lion is
the king Of the desert only in poetry Man
is the true wild animal with whom the trav-
eler breads an encounter. and bandits lnlcst
every caravan route in the Sahara
The Sahara is not always destitute Of Wa
ter In passing between the tropics, the
sun carries with him heavily laden nimbus
clouds, which, not meeting with any noun
s,f
tuTe and cause it 70 fall at intervals. descend
occasionally by their own gravity, and drop
their watery treasures IN gushing torrents.
which bill every ravinc. Ii is a deluge which
lasts but for a moment. the water disap-
pears IN the permeable soil a. fastas it came.
and forms extensive sheets Of water a short
distance below the surface. This fact has
been revealed by numerous soundings Al
ready excellen; artesian wells, sunk by
French engineers, have created vcrdant GASES
in places where every yestise of vegetation
appeared TO be etcrnally buried beneath the
sand. But these hidden lakes. on which the
desert partly reposeS. are not a recent dis
oOvCry. From time immemOrial the Arabs
have sunk IN the open desert wells several
hundred feet deep, ill they met the watery
bed, which they called the subterrancan
sea.
The Reel PRrso>rKs At C,vr DvrGLss.
Cmc,co.-The rebel prisoners at Camp
Douglas. near Chicago, seem to spend their
time in conceiving and attempting to exc
cute plans of escape. The Tribune of the
sth say-
on one Of the most intensely cold st.r-
ms nights of last week three or four of the
prisoners took advantage of the binding
storm, and made good their departure over
the fence. Two ct them were captured bv
one of the Invalid Corps, and they were glad
To get inside again, a. they acknowledged.
Two who escaped the guard were found a
short distance from camp. next day, frozen
TO death They appear To be crazy with the
one idea Of outwitting the officers and guards
by getting out Of the camp. taking no
thought a. % what will become Of them az
ter they are out.
d" Owing to the persistent manner in
which they keep up their tunnelling opera
ratiOns, several weeks ago they were notified
that if any more tunnels were dug from their
quarters, the floors would De- removed from
every one Of their barracks. The gOphers
paid no attention 70 the warning, but dug
two, straightway, and the floors were all
removed. On Wednesday It was discovered
that another tunnel had been commenced. .
and yesterday still another was discovered .
nearly completed in the northwestern square
Of the camp. There being no chance for
hiding the dirt they removed under the floors.
a. formerly, it was mixed, and carried with
with ashes, hid in snow banks, dc. \ care
full search showed that they had boxed up a
tier of hunks, leaving a small hole for the
ingross and egress OF the gopher. The re-
suit will be as heretofore that all must suffer
for the indiscretion Of the few. who persist
in this burrowing process. The lower line
Of hunks will be removed from all the rebel
barracks, and patrol or guard Will pass
through all the barracks two or three times
a day. If the prisoners merely wish TO bar
ter away the privileges they enjoy, by per
sistently violating the rules Of the camp, and
setting at naught all orders issued to them.
they will be the sufferers