BILMA, or Kawar, a town in the heart of the African desert, and the capital of the wandering tribe called the Tibboos. The place is mean and poor, surrounded with a mud wall. In its vicinity are a number of lakes, the waters of which, on evaporation by the heat of the sun, yield a quantity of very pure and fine salt, which is the object of an extensive and important trade with the countries in Central Africa. The largest of these lakes is at Agram, situated about four miles to the westward. Near Bilma is a small circular spot, kept green by a fine spring, but immediately to the south begins the most dreary part of the African desert, over which the caravans travel for fifteen days without discovering the slightest trace of vegetable life. During Nachtigal·s visit in 1870 the temperature during the day rarely sank below 113° Fahr.