^ W v' .v- v «r ■■ interesting narrative OF THE RAVELS o f james bruc e, esq., INTO ABYSSINIA, TO DISCOVER THE source of the nile. ABRIDGED TROM THE ORIGINAL WORK, By SAMUEL SHAW, Es k LONDON: XYCEjVI^ i bibijothekI PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR^ AKO SOLS lY ALL TH« ROOKSILLSKl I It TOWN AND CODNTRY. i?9o. [rftlCfi FOUR JHIIiLIHSa IN SOAllSl.] a 1 ^ i.ii... .•. < i.' V' -i i : y o S-^ PREFACE. 1 ■'HESE celebrated Travels, which were performed in ihe years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773, abound with events fo wonderful and extraordinary, that were not the charafler of Mr. Bruce indifputably elbbli/hed, a common reader would be induced to look upon this work as tlie fiil)ii-cation of a romantic brain. Wherever we attend Mr. Bruce through travels accomplifhcd with fuch aftonifh-iiig perl'everance and intrepidity, wliciher we follow him thningli barren and btirning fandy dedrtfr, or view iiitn furrouuded by tribes of ireitchcrous and blood thirfty fivages, iti every fiiuation, (he prote£f. ing hand ofthat over-ruling Power whofe pajticular providence fonie fceptics have been hardy enougii to difpute, appears eminently ftriking and apparent. The fcience of Geography has received material improvements from the Difcoveries of Mr, Bruce : the latittule and longitude, the ctifloms and manners, laws and commerce, of many nations, tyivifited before by any European, are here brought fortli to the infpeftion of the curious. Notwithftanding the utility and pleafure that may be deri\'ed Ironi Mr. Brace's Travels, yet tiiat work occupying five large volumes in quarto, and being iold tor five guineas, but few individuals can afford a 2 to Iv PREFACE. to purcliafe it. In order, therefore, that the gent;-rality of readers might not be debarred from tlie perufal of a work fr.iugiu with fo nsuch euLertain-ng and interefling information, I have been induced, to write the following Narrative, extr.-iled from ihofe celebrated travels; and I flatter myfelf, that on a fair and candid perufal, I fliall appear to have brought into the compafs of a (ingle volume every tiling worthy the reader's attention that is to he nut witii ill the oi'iginal wotk. s. s. contents, I CONTENTS. Page NTRODUCTION - - , BOOK I. Mil. BRUCE fails from Sidon—Touches at Cyprus —Arrives at Alexandria—Sets out for Rofeico— Embarks on the Nik—Arrives at Cairo-Procures Letters from the Bey and the Greek Patriarch—Vifits the Pyramiiis—Obfervaiions on their Conftruflion—Leaves Cairo—Embarks on the Nile for Upper Egypt—Vifits Metrahenny and Mohannan—Leaves Metrahenny—Comes to the Ifland Holouan—Falfe Pj-ramids-—-Their EuiiJings and—Sugar Caties—l^uin'sof Antipolis —Ruins at Afhmounein—Gowa Ruins—Dendera Magnificent Ruins—Arrives at Farlhout—Vidrs Thebes—Luxor and Carnac-Large Ruins at Edfu and Efnc—Arrives at Syene—Goes to i'ee the Catarnii—Remarkable Tonibs—The Sifua-tion of Syene—Sets out for Kenne—Croffes the Dcfi^rr of the Thebaid—Vifits ihc Marble Mountains—Arrives at C(;iTeir on the .Red Sea—Voy-CO jibherCuinru'l—Returns to Coffeir—Sails fro:n ColTeir—Jaifateen Ill.inds—Arrives at Tor —I'aiies the Elanitic Guli—Sees Raddüa—Arrives at V ambo—Arrives at Jidda-Polygamy ■-Sails from Konfsdah—Ras Heli, Boundary of Arabia Ftlix—Arrives at Loheia—Proceeds to the Straits of the Indian Ocean—Arrives there— Returns to Loheia—Sails for Mafuah—Troubled wLihaGhofl—Arrivcsat Mafuah - - 17 book BOOK II, OF tlie Indian and Arabian Trade in tJieir ear-Jicft Ages—Ufe of Gold and Silver introduced— Origin of Charadiers or Letters—Ethiopic the firfl Language—How and why the Hebrew Leiter was formed—Some Account of the Trade Winds and iWonfoons—Flufluating State of the India Trade—Hurt by Military Expeditions of the Tcrfians—Revives under the Ptolemies—Falls to Decay under tlie Romans—Queen of Saba viflta Jerufaicm—Abyflinian Tradition concerniiig her —Supjicfed Fouader ofthat Monarchy—Abyffinia cmbraccithe Jewiili Religion—Jewifh Hierarchy Hill retained by the Falaflia—Books in Ufe in Abyffinia—linoch—Ahyilinia not converted b^ the ApofllcE—Conrerlion from Judaifm to Chril-tianity by Fruineniins—War of the Elephant— Fiift Appearance of the Small Pox—Jews Perft-cutc the Chriftians in Arabia—Defealed the Abyffinians—Mahomet pretends a Divine MiiTion —Revolution under Judith—Rcftoration of the Line of Solomon . - . gj BOOK III. Paje ANNAl.?! of Abyfiir.ia—I.itie of Solomom reflored under Icon Amiac—Quick Succefiion of Princcs .—Amda Sion, licentious Beginning of this King's Keign, jnd liii rigorous Condučt with the Monks ofDebra Libanos—Saif Araad enjoys a peaceful Reign—Zara Jacob fends Ambalfadors from Jeru-falem to theCodncii of Morcntc—fiocda Mariam receives much ill Ufage during the early Part of his Life—Nafd, his wife Conduft during his Kcign—David III. and Infant, fucceeds to the Throne—Claudius, the profperous Beginning of his Rcisjn—SertzaDenghel.crownedat Axum - q? ßooic CONNTEN-^S. BOOK IV. v«.- Page FACILIDAS, his Death and Charafler—Hannes I. his Bigottry—Yafous I. his brilliant Expedition to Weclinc; Comet appears; is aflTadinated— Tecla Haimanout i, writes in I'avpur of Du RoiUc, a French Miflionary^ is aflalfinaicd while hunting—Tifilis, diffemblcs with his Brother's aflairms, and caufes the Regicidcs to be executed —OuSias ufurps the Crown; addiSed to hunting —Falls fick and dies, but how, uncertain—Account of the Shangalla—J^avid IV. Convocation of the Clergy; Catholic Priefts executed; the King dies of Poifon—BacufFa, his bjoody Reign; exterminates the Confpirators; counterfeits Death; becomcs very popular—Yafous II. addicted to hunting; his Death—Joas aSTaffinated in Iiis Fa-lace—Hannes II. is poifoned by Order of Ras Michael-Tecla Hainianouc II. his Character ind prudent Behaviour - - - no book v. pafc'e transactions at Mafaah—Direftions to Travellers for preferving their Health—Difeafes, Trade, &C. of Mafuah-Confjrcnccs with the Nayhe—Journey from Arkeeko, o\ er the Mountain Tara'nla, to Dixan—Journey from Dixaii to Adowa, the Capital of Tigre—Arrive at Adowa, and Reception there-Vifit Fremona—Ruins of Axum—Arrive at Sire—Journey from Sire to dergey, and TranfafHons there—Journey over Lamalmon to Gondar—Reception at Gondar—• Triumphal Entry of ihc King—Mr. Bruce's iirll Audience—Geographical Divifion of Abyffinia into Provinces—Various Cuftoms in Abyffinia, fimilar CONTENTS, Pitje fimilar to thofe in Perfia, &'C,—A bloody Banquet defcrtbed—State of Religion in that Country— Circuracifion—lixcifion, &c. . . 149 BOOK YL Mr. BRUCE made Governor of Ras el Fcel- Tage Battle of Batijn—Confpracy againll Michael-Mr. Bruce retires to Emfras—Defcription of Gon-ilar, Emfias, and Lake Tzana—Mr. Bruce vifits the great Cataraft of Alata-Pafles the >^ile— Alarm on approaching the Army-Joins the King—King's Army retreats towards Gondar—■ Dangerous Paflage of the Nile-Unpromifing Situation of the King's Army—Battle of Limjour —Unexpefted Peace with Falil—Arrival at Gon- (l.ir—King and Army retreat to Tigre-Mr. Bntce's fetond Journey to difcover the Source of tlic Nile—interview witii FaSJ—Continue their lournei', and pafs the Nile—Arrive at Goutto-Mountains of the Moon—Roguery of Mr. Bruce's tiiiide—Arrive at the Source of the Nile- IVfcription of thofc Sources—Caiifes of the Inundations of the Nile—Mr. Bruce kindly received among the Agows, the Inhabitants Jiving round the I'cnntains-^—Their Number^ Trade, Cha-rafter^A-c. - - - - BOOK VII. Paje Mr.. BRUCE returns from the Source of the Nile —Comes to the Houfe of Welled Anilac—Paffes the Nile at Dclakus—Arrives at Gondar-Mr, Bruce obtains Liberty to return home—Takes I.eave of the Iteghc at Kofcam—Lalt Interview w ith the Monks - - - 302 BOOK BOOK VHI. Page JOURNEY from Gondar to Tcherkin—Reception there by Ozoro EHher, See,—Hunting of the Elephant, Rhinoceros, and Buffalo—Travels from Tcherkin to Hor-Cocainot in Ras el Feel-Account of it—From Hor-Cocamot to Teawa, the ■Capital of Atbara—Tranfačlions there—Attempts of the Shekh to detain Mr. Bruce there—Admi-niiters Medicines to hiui and his Wives—Con-veriatšons with him,and Inftances of his Treacher/ —Mr. Bruce leaves Teawa—Arrives at Begla— Trier.dly reception there, and afterwards among ehe Nuba—Arrives at Sennaar-Convcrfation with the King-With Shekh Adcian—Interview with the King's Ladies—Convcrfation with Achmet—Heat, Difcafes, and Trade of Sennaar -Mr. Bruce in « diftrciTed Situation—Leaves Sennaar—Journey from thence to Chendi—Reception there by Sittina—ConverJation with her -Enters the'Defert—Pillars of moving Sand -jThc Simoom--Diftreffesin palfing the De- fecrt-^Camels die—Baggage abandoned—Arrive at AfTouan—Kind Reception there—Go iu Pnr-firit of their Baggage, which they recover without jofs_Mr. Brucc arrives at Cairo, and fromlliencc proceeds to Marfeilies - - - - 3! s . I INTRODUCTION. ' I ' H E difcovery of the Source of the Nile was s A fubjertof frequent converfatlon between Mr. Bruce and his friends j but it was always mentioned to him with a kind of diffidence, sls if to be cxpcdted from a more experienced traveller. Whether this was but another way of exciting him to the attempt, he does not prefume to fay; but his heart in that inftant did him the juftice to fuggeft, that this, too, was either to be alchieved by him, or to remain, as it had done for tbefe laft two thoufand years, a defiance to all travellers, and an opprobrium to geography. Fortune feemed apparently to favour this fchemc. For at the very inftant, Mr. AfpinwalJ, very cruelly and ignominioufly treated by the Dey of Algiers, had refign-etJ h;s confullhip, and Mr. Ford, a merchant, formerly the De) 's ac(]tiaint.ince, was named in his. place. Mr. Furd was appointed, nrad dying a few days after, the; confulfliip became vacant. Lord Halifax prelfed Mr. Brucc to accept of this, as containing all Tort of convc-nicncies for making thcpropofed expedition. He had all his life applied un^veariedly to drawing, the practice of mathematics, and efpecially that part neceflary to allronomy. The tranfit of Venus was at hand, It was ccrtain'ly known that it would be vifible once at Algiers, and there was great reafon to expeft it might be twice. He furnifhed himfelf with a large apparatus of inftruments, ihc completeft of their kind foe the obfcrvation. h wasa pJeafure to Mr. Bruce to know, tliat it was not from a folitary defart, but from his own houfe at Algiers, lie could deliberately take meafures to place himfelf in the lift of men of fcience of all na-Ü tions, ; INTRODUCTION. tions, wlio uxre then preparing Tor the fame ftientlfic purpofe. Thus jneparcil, he fet our for Italy, through Francf ; and on Iiis arrival at Rome, he received orders to proceed to Naples, there to wait his M.JeHy's further commantls. i laving flopped a Oiort time tl.cre, Hl- received orders to procecctto take poiTelEon of his cotiful-Ihip. lie returned without lofs of time to Rome, and tlience to Leghorn, where, ha\'ir.g embarked ou bourj the Montreal man ofivar, he arrived at Algiers. While he was providing himfelf uith inilrunients at I.ondon, lie thou^jht of one, which, thotigh in a very fmall fonii and imperfetl ftate, hud been of great en-tertiiiiimcnt and iifc to him in former travels; this is called a Catneta Obfcura, the idea of which he had firll taken from tlie tpeftacle dc la Nature of the Abhc \'ertot. But die prtfenl one was confltufted upon his own principles. Its body was an hexagon of fix-feec nein. « INTRODUCTION. iient. Caramania is a part of Afia Minor yot unexplored, But Iiis illncft cncreaiing, it was impolTibic: to exccLtte, or take any racafures to frcure prciteiiion, or do the bofincls fately; fo he was forccd to icluiqiitfli this difcovery to fome more i'orCunate traveller. Mr. Brute, during his ilay at Canea, wrote by M-ay of France, and again while at Rhodes by way of Smyi-na, to particular friends botJi in London and france, informing tiiem of his diüftrous iituation, and defiring ihem to fend him a moveable quadrant or fextant, as near as poflible to two feet radius, more or lefs, a limc,-keeper, ftop^watch, a icfleding telefcope, and one of Dolland's achromatic ones, as near as poflible to three-feet rcfleftors, with fcveral other articles of which he was then in much want. Our traveller received from Paris and London much about the fame time, and as if it liad been diftated by the fame perfon, nearly the fame atifwer,'which was this, that every body was employed in making inftru-jiients for Danitb, Swcdifli, and other foreign allro-nomcrs ; that all thofe which were completed had been bought up, and without waiting a confiderable, inde-iinite time, nothing could be had that coiild be depend, cd upon. JVIr. Bruce, finding himfelf much hurt by falfe reports that had been raifed againft him in Europe, and feeing himfelt fo treated in return for fo coinplele a journey as he had then aflually terminated, thought it below Jiiiiv to facrificc ibe belt years of his life to daily pain and danger, when the impreffion it made in ihs i5reafts o£ his countrymen feemed to be Co weak, fo infinitely un-worlhy of them or liim. Odc thing only detained him from returning home; it was his defire of fulfilling his promtfe to his Sovereign, and of adding the ruins of Palmyra to thofe of Africa, already fecured and out of danger. In the fitft glow of his refentments, lie renounced all thoughts of the attempt to difcover the fources of the Nile, and he repeated his orders no more fox either ^juadrant, telefcope, or time-keeper. He had pencils and paper; and luckily his large camera obfcura, which aad efcaped the cataftrophc of Ptolometa, wasi arrived JJTivecl from Smyrna. Hr therefore began to loolc about for the means of obtaining feafibic and fafe methods of repeating the famous journey to I'aimyra. From Smyrna, Mr. Bruce went to Tripoli in Syria, and thence to- HalRa. From lijence he would have gone fouthwarfjune fhey left Letn'ca, nbout four--o'clofk iii thcaficnwt-n, and on ilic i Stli, u little before rwcii'c o'elutk, a vorv frtih and favouiahle brec/.e cHine from the N. W, and iht-v pointed their jirow dirtiüy, j;; t!-.ey thought, iipoii '1 be '.'.ot!i of June, early in die morning-, our irai t-llcr had a dirtant iirofpefl of Alexatuina riling frrsii the fca. On the firlt vicv,' of t!ie cily, the mixture of ijJd moiui-öients, fucii as the CuUiinn of Pomjiey, u iih tlic high msürilli toivcrs and llecples, raifc otrt cxpcäatiuns of the cor.fequeBec of ihe ruins we are to fiad ; btit the mox.cnt ive aie in ijoit, thf ilhifioii ends,.and we dillini;uini the imracnfe Herculean works of ancient times, now few in. wtiraber, fnjrts ihc iU-imagined, ill-corftri-člcd, and ini-perfeft buildings, of the feveral barbarous inafters of Alexandria in later ages. There are two ports, the Old and the New, which are by no means fofe, as many vcf-fds are fxqaently loft while ritJIng at anchor. Alexairdria haibeen oiten taken lince the time of Cx-fer, it was at Jad deft'royed liy the Venetians and.Sy-priotSj upon, or rather after the releafe of St. I.ewis.— The bui'.ding of the prefcnt gates and walls, which fomc have thought to be antique, does not f^em earlier than the laft relloration in the 13th century. Some pans of." the gates and walls may be of older date ; (and probably were ihofe of thelaft Caliphs before SalidanJ but,c\ccpt thefe, and trhc pieces of cohinins which lie b.nrizontal. ly in different psrtj of the wall, every (hing elfe is appa-rcntly of vcrv laic times, and the work has been huddled together in great hafte. There is nothing beautiful, or pleafant in the prefcnt Alexandria, but a handlomti ftreet of modern houfcs, where a \cry aclive and intelligent number of merchants five upon the niiferablc remnants of that trade, which made its glory in the (irft times. It is thinly inhabited, and there is a tradition-among the natives, that,.moie than onee, it has been iu agitation to abandon it alt.gcther, and retire to Rofet-to. or Cairo, but ihat they have been withheld by the opinion of divers faints from Aiabia, who have alfured. tljciTi, that Mecca being dcfiroycd, (as it niufi be as they thiiit think by the Ruflians) Alexandria is then to Lecoine tl t.n hcrlehack, as he was then jLift going to do, l e has abfolutc power of l.fc and death, without apjCL.l, uil over Cairo and its liclghbourhood. Me itopt our traveller juit at tiie threOiold, and aikcd enc of the ßey's people who he was ? and wiis anfwcred, *' It is Hakim Kngicfe," tlic Englifh philofojiher, or phyfcian. He afked Mr. Bruce in '1 iirkilli, in a very pohte II anner, if he woirld come and fee him, for he was not well ? Heanfwered hlni in Arabic' " Yes, when-e^trbe pUacd. but conld nut then flay, as he bad received a roelfagc that the Bey was waiting," He rcphed in Arabic, " Mo, no ; go, for God's fake go ; any time iv-ill do for me." The Bey was fitting, leaning forward, with a wax taper in one hand, and reading a fma!l Hip of paper, which he lield rlofe to his face. He fecraed to havelitrle light, or weak eyes ; no body was near hici : his people, had been all difmilfcd, or were following the j.inißary Aga our. He did not feem to obfervc Mr. Bruce till he was elofc upon him, and ftarted when be faid, SaUm." He told him be came upon his melTage. Pie faid, '< i thank yuu, did J fend for you ?" and without giving him Jeave to reply, went on, " O true, I did fo," and fell to reading his [.aper again. After this was over, he compiaincd ibat he had been ill, that he vomitted immediately after dinner, thotJgh he cat moderately ; that his ftomach waa not yet fettled, and was afraid fomcthing had been given him to do him mifchief. Our traveller felt his puifr, which was low and weak ; but very little fcverifti. He defired he would order his people to look if his meat was drcfi'ed in copper properly tinned; tinned ; he alTurL-d hiin he was in no danger, and jiifi-nuated that h« thought he bad bct-n guihy of fomc cx-■ccfs bcfure dinner; at which he: fmiitjii, arul faid to due who was ftanding hy, Al'iittt ! AlVitc!" iic i, a devil ! he is a devil i Mr. Hrucc faid, Tf'your (lomacli is really untr.fy From uhat you have ate, warm fome water, and, if you [jltufe, pirt a little gre-^11 n-a into it, and diink it till it makes you gfntly, and tijat \vill give you ■cjfi;; atuT u'hich you may taku a difh of llrong coffee, and to-bed, or a glafs of ipints, if y(su have any thai are (^ood. As Mr. Bruces favour with the Bey was now eftabllfli-■ed l>y fretjuent interviews, I)c thought of le.iving his fc-litary jnanfion at the con' eiit. He delited Mr. liifk, the Bey'6 foeret.iry, 10 procure his prcreniytor)- letters of recommendation to Shekh Hainan, to tfic governor of Syetic, Ibrini, and Deir, in upper Kgpyt. He procured ■aifn the fame from the janiflUncs, 10 rhefe liiree Jafl .pt.ic>rs, as their garrifons are from thai body .11 Cairn, ■which they c.WI their I'ort, He had ulfo leiiers fiom A:i Bey, to the Bey of Suez, to the Slierriße nf Mtcca, to the .Vaybe (fo (hey call the Sorerclgn) of Mafuah, and to the King of Sennaar, and his ini.iiller for the time ■being. Having obtained all hii letters and difpatclies, as well from the patriarch as from the tley, he fet about prc^-ar-jng for his journey, t^n the other fide of iheNiltj fiom Cairo, isGecza;acd about eleven miles beyond this are the pyramids, called the I'yraraids of Gi.-eza, the defeription of whith is in every boly's ha^ids. Engravings of thcni had been pub-lifiied in England, with plans of them upon a larj;c ^(.ale, two years before Mr, Bruce came into Kgvpt, jnd were fliewn him by Mr. Davidfon, conful of Nice, whofe drawings they were. He it was too that difco-verec! tlie f:nall chumbcr above the landing-place, after you afcend through ihe long gallery of the great Pyramid on your left hand, and he left the ladder by which he afccndcd, for the faiisfač^ion of other travclleis. But there is nothing in the chamber further worthy of notice, than its having efcaped diftovcry fo many ages. It It is very fmgalar, that for fuch a time as thc(č ramids have been known, travellers were contcnt rather to fellow the report of tlic ancients, than to make Lift of their own eyes; yet it has been aconllant belief, that the ftones compofmg ihefe Pyramids have been brought from the Libyanmountaiiis, though any one who will take the pains to remove the land on the fouth fide, will find the folid rock there hewn into ftcps. In the roof of the large chamber, where the Sarcophagus ftandj, as alfo in the top of the roof of the gallery, as you go up into that chattibcr, you fee large fragments ofthe rock, affording an unanfwerahlc proof, that thofe Pyramids werc oncc huge rocks, ftanding where they now arc ; that fome of them, the mofl: proper from their form, were chofen for the body of the ?yramid, and the others hewn into ßeps, to fei ve for the fuperilrufture, and the exterior parts of tliem, Mr. Bruce, having now provided every thing necef-far)', and taken rather a melancholy leave of his very indulgent friends, who had great apprehenfions that he and his companions would never return; and fearing tliat rheir ilay till the very exceflive heats were paft, might involve them in another difficulty, thatof raiiling the Etefiaii winds, they fecarcd a boat to carry them to Furlhoiit, the rcfidence of Ilamam, the Shekh of Upper Eyypt. i his fort of vcITcI is called a Canja, and is one of the moft commodious ufed on any rtvcr, being fafe, and ex-pediiious at the fame time, tliou^h at firil light it has a ftrong apprarancc of danger. 'J'hat on wiiich they embarked was about reo feet from ftern to ftem, witli two mafts, main and forcmafl, and rwo monllrous La~ tine fails, the main-fail yard being about zoo feet in length. A certain kind of robber, peculiar to the Kile, is conflantly on the watch to rob boats, in which they fuppofc the crew arc off their guard. They generally approach the boat when it is calm, either fvvimming underwater, or when it is dark, upon goat Ikins; after which they mount with the utmoft filence, and take away whatever they can lay their hands on. They are not very fond, it feems, of meddling with VcfTels whereon whcrcon they Are Franks, or Europeans, bccauTc hy thcin iornc have been ivounJcd with (ire-arms. 'J hu attempts are gc-ncriilly jn.iiie when you are at anchor, or uiiiicr weiiJii, at night, in very moderate weather; but ot'tencll when you arc falling tiowii the Urtani without in;Uls ; (Vt it requires firengih, vigour, .ind (kill, ri(k wind ; though indeed ihey are abundantly jirovidcd with all thcfe rctjuilites. It was the i ztli of December wlien they embarked on the Nile at Biilac, on board tlie Canja. At fir(t they bad the precaution to ap]jly to their friend Rlik concerning tlieir captain Hagi Halfan Abou Cufli, and they obliged him to give his fon Mahomet in fecurity for his hdiaviour towards tiicm. Thfre was nothing f» much they dclircd as to be at ibme diflancc from Cairo on their voyage. Incivility and extortion are always Ihe confetjucnce in this deteflable when yoa are about lo leave it. The wind being contrary', they were obliged to advance againd the (tream, by having the b-'at drawn with a rope. '1 hey advanced a few miles to two tonvents of C<)phts, called Deircteen. Here they flopped to pafs the night, having had a fine view of the Pyramids of Ceeza and Saccara, and being then in fight of a prodigious number of others built of wliite clay, and (Iretchiiig far into the defert to the fimth-weft. Two of thefc )eemi-d Adl as lar.ijc as thofe that are called the Pyratnids of Gecza. One of them was of a very extraordinary form ; it fecmed as if it had been intended at firll to be a vciy large one, but that the builder's heart or means had failed him^ and that he had brought it to a very iniihapen difproportioned head at la(V. On the fide of the Nile, oppofitc to their boat, a little farther to the foiith, was a tribe of Arabs encamped. Thcfe were fubjeft to C.iiro, or were riien at peace with its government. They are called Howadar, t)cing a part of the Atouni, a large tribe that poflciTes the Klhmus of Suez, and from that go up between tho Red Sea and the mountains that bound the eaft part of the Valley of ii^p'jit. They reach to the lengtli of Colfeir, where they border upon another large tribo C callcd called Ababde, which extends from tlicnce up into N^u. bia. Both thcfc arc what were anciently ca)led Sbff' fierd^, and are condantäy at war wiih each other. Mr. Bruce now bargained w^ith the Shckh of the Howad.1t to fnrnifh him with horfes to go to Metralien-I1J-, or M(Aannan, where once he faid Mimf had flood, a large cit)', the capita] of all Egypt. All this was executed w ith great fuccefs. Eafly in the morning the hhekh of the Howadat had palled at Miniel, where tliere is a ferry, the Nile being very deep, and attended our traveller with five horfemen and a fpare horfc for ■hiinfelf, at Metrahcnny, fouth of Minielj where there is a great plantation of palm-tfces. On the 15th, in tlic morning about eight o'clock, «ur travellers let out their vaft fails, and paifed a very confidcrable village called Turra, on the eaft fide of the river, and Shekh Atman, a frnaU village, confifting of about thirty houlcs, on the weft. The Nile here is about a quarter of a mile broad ; and there cannot be the fmalleft doubt, in any perfon difpofed to be vonvinced, that this is by very far the uarrowcrt part of Egypt yet feen ; for Lt is certainly lefa than half-a-mile between the foot of the [^mountain and the Libyan fiiore. Having gained the weftern e^Sge of die palro-tcees at Mohantvan, our travellers had a fair view of the Pyramids at Geeza, which lie in a diredion nearly S, W. They faw three large granite pillars S. VV. of Mohan-nan, 3nd a picce of a broken <:heft or ciftcm of graniie ; but no obdilts, or flones with hieroglyphics, and thfiy thougf/t the greateft part gf the ruias fccmed to point that way, or more fontherly. Thefe, their conduftorfaid, were the ririns of Mimf, the ancient feat of the Fharaohs Kings of Egypt, that there was another Mimf, far down in the Delta, by which he meant Mcnouf, 'below Tcrane and Batn el Baccara. Mr. Bruce, perceiving now that he could get no further intelligence, returned with his kind guide, whom he gratified for his pains, and they parted content with cach other, All the pople in the date vilLtges feemed to be of a yellower and more fick-like colour, than "any our tra- veil er vcHer fiad ever fccn; bcfides, they ha,il an inanimate, idcjeftcd, grave countenance, and fcemcd rather to void, than wifli for any converration. It was near four o'clock in the afrcjnoon when they returned to their boatmen. By the way they met one t)f their Moors, who told them, that they Ijad drawn up the boat oppofitc to the northern point of the palm-trees of Meirahenny. The wind was fair and frefh, rather a little on their team; when, in great fpirits, they hoiftcd tlieir main and fore-fails, leaving the point of Mctrahenny. They faw the Pyramids of Saccataftill S. W. of them j feveral villages on both fides of the river, buc very poor and iniferable ; part of the ground on the call fide had bee» ■overflowed, yet was not fown ; a proof of the oppref-fion and di/lrefs the hufbandman fuffers in the neigh-touthood of Cairo, by the avarice and difagreement of the different officers of tliat inotly incomprehcnfibic goveniment. ■ After failing about two miles, they faw three mew fiiliing in a very extraordinary manner and fituation. Tliey were on a raft of palm branches, fupported on a float of clay jars, made faft together. The forin was triangular, like the facc of a Pyramid ; two men, each provided with a cafting net, ftood at the two corners, and threw tJieir net into the ftrcam together; the third Hood at the third corner, which was foremuft, and threw his net the moment the other two drew theirs out ofihe watfer. And this they repeated, in pcrfeft time, and with furprillng regularity. The Rais thought ouc travellers wanted to buy liih, and letting go his m»in-fail, ordered them Oil board with a great tone offupe-riority. They were in a moment alongfide of them ; and one of tliem camc on board, lafhing his miferable raft to a rope at their Hern. In recompence for their trouble they gave them foinc large pieces of tobacco, and this tranfporied them fo much, that they brought them a bafket, of feveral dilFerent kinds of fifb, all fraall; excepting one laid on the top of the balket, which was » clear falmon coloured lilh, filvered upon its fides, with a fliade of blue upon its back. It weighed about i o lb. Ca anrt and was mojl excellent, being perfcftly firm, and white like a pcrcli. There are Some of this kind 70 lb. weight. Mr. 13rucc examined their nets, they were rather of a fmaller circiimlcrencc dun our cafting nets in Eiigloiid; the weight, as far as he could guefs, ratiier heavier in projiortion than ours, the tlirtad (hat tcm-pofed them being imaUer, He tould not fufficieiuly admire their (ucccfs, in a violent ftream of deep water, fuch as the Nile; for the river wab at Jeafl: twelve feet deep where they were fifliing, and the current very flrong. Thefe filhers offered willingly to take Mr. Bruce upon the raft to teach him ; but his curiofiiy went not fo far. They faid tlicir fifhing was merely accidental, and iii courfc of their trade, which was felling thefe potter earthen jars, which they got near Afhiuounein ; and after having carried the rait with tlicni to Cairo, they untie, fell them at the market, and carry the produce home in money, or in ncceflaries upon tfieir bick. A very poor occonomical trade, but fufficienf, as they faid, from the Cdrrlage of crude materials, the moulding, making, and fending ihem to market, to Cairo and to difFetent places in the Delta, to afiurd occupation to two thoufand men. About two o'clock in the afternoon, they canic to the point of an iiland ; there were feveral villages with date trees on both fides of them ; the ground was o\-or-flowed by the Nile, and cultivated. The current was very ftrong here. They then came to Halouan, an jfldnd now divided into a number of fmall ones, by ca-lifiies bt-ing cut through it, and, under dilFerent Aiabic names, tliey flill reach very far up the ftream. Mr. Brucc landed to fee if there were remains of the olive tree which Snabo fays grew here, bat without fiiccefs. Our travellers imagined, however, that there had been fuch a Tree; becaiife fippofite to one of the divifions into which this large iflatid is broken, there was a village called Zeitooii, or the Olive Tree. On the 15th of December, the weather being nearly calm,' they left the north end of the iiland ; their conrfe jvai due fouth, the line of the river; and three miles fiirther farther tliey paflTed Woodan, and a colleftion of villa-S^s, all going by tlut name, upon t!je ealh The ground is all cultivated about this village, to the foot ot'the niountiiiiis, which is not above four miles; but it is full ciglit on the weft all overflowed and (own. The Nile is here but (hallow, and narrow, not exceeding a quarter of a mile broad, and three feet deep; owing, as is fuppofed, to the refiftance made by the ifland in the middle of the current, and by abend it makes, thus intercepting the frfnd brought down by tlie ftream. The mountains here come down till within two miles oFSufel Woüdaii, for fo the village is tailed. 'J hcy were told there «'ere feme ruins to the wellward of this, but only rnhbllTi, neither arch nor column ftnnding. The wind ilill frefhening, they pafled by feveral villages on each.(ide, all furrounded with palm-trees, ler-dant and pleaf-int, but con^'eying an idea offanicnefs and want of variety, fuch as every traveller mufi felt who has failed in the placid, muddy, grccn-bank-ed rivers in Holland. Tie Nile, however, is here full a mile bioad, the water deep, and the current ftrong. The wind feemed to he exafperated by the Tcfiftünce of the ftream, and blew frelh and fteadily, as indeed it generally does where the current is violent. They paJTcd with great velocity Nizelet Embaralc, Cubabac, Nizelet Omar, Kacca Kibeer, then Racca Seguier, and came in fight of Atfia, a large village at fome diftance from the Nile; all ihe valley here was green, the paim-groves beautiful, and the Nile deep. Still it was not the profpcd that pleafed ; for the whole ground that was fown to the fandy afcent of t!ie inoiinialns, was but a narrow ftripe of three quarters of a mile broad, and the monntains themfelvef, which here began to have a moderate degree of elevation, and which bounded this narrow valley, were white, gritty, fandy, and uneven, and perfe£tly dcfti-tute of all manner of verdure. They kept, as ufiial, a very good watch all night, which palled without diflurbance. "Next day, the j/th, was exceedingly hazy in the morning, though it ck-ared about icn o'clock. It was, however, fiif-^ 3 ficieat ficicnt ro flievv the falfitv of the obfcrvatjon of an autJior, who fays, ihat the Nile omits no fogs, and in the courfc of the voyr.gc they often faw other ca-amptcs of the fallacy cif inis aßbrtion. The Pyramuls, which liaii been on their right hand at different dithnccs fuicc they pafTed the Saccara, tfr-minated here in one of a very lingular conftriiftioij. About two miles i'rom the Kile, between Suf and Woodan, there is a Pyramid, which at firft fight appeals all of a picte; tt is of unbaked bricks, and perfedtly entire ; the inhabitants call it the falie Pyramid. 'J'he lower part is a hill exactly fliaped like a pyramid for a t;oiifiderable height. Upon this is continued ihe fupi-r-jtruflure in proporiion lill it terminates like a Pyramid above; and, at a diftance, it would require a gocid eye to difcern the difference, for the face of the ftoi;e has a great refemblancc to clay, of which the Pyramids of the Saccara arc compofed. The iStii, about eight o'clock in the morning, they jjrepared to get on their way j the wind was calm, and Ibuth. After pafling Conwdrccdy, the Nile is again divided by another fragment of the ifland, and inclines a little to ^lie weft ward. On the eaft is the village -Sidi Ali el Coti-rani. It has only two palm-trees belonging to it, and oji that account hath a defcrted appeaiance ; but the wheat upon the banks was five inches high, and more acrfeftioi! lo far to the northward, TJiey were now icarcely arrived in lat. tg", and nothing cuuld be more beautiful and pcrfeölhan the canes were. Sugar, tobacco, red poddtd or Cayenne pepper, cotton, iome fpices of Solanum, Indigo, and a multitude of «thers, have not as yet their origin well afccrtained. Trince Henry of Portugal put bis difcoveries to immediate profit, and cojnmunicated what he found new in each pan in Europe, Afia, Africa» and America, to where it was wanting. It will be foon difficult to afcertain to each quarier of the world the articles that belong to it, and fix upon thofe few thai are common to all. Evea wheat, the early produce of Egypt, is not a native of it. It grows uni'ir the Line, within the Tropics, and as far oorth and fouth as we know. Severe northern winter« fccm to be neceffary to it, anti it vegetates vigoroufly in frort and fnow. But whence it came, and in what fljapc, is yet left to conjecture. Though the Uripe of green wheat was continued all ultjng the Nile, it was interrupted for about half a mile oil each fide of the coptifh convent. Thefepoor wrrich-cs know, that though they may fotv, yet, from the violence of the Arabs, they fliall never reap, and therefore kavc tlie ground defolate. On the fide oppolitc to Sment, the ftiipe began again, and continued from Smcnt to Mcy-Moom, about two milss, and from Mey-Mooni to Shenuiah, one mile further. Ill this finali'ftripe, not above a quarter of a mile broad, belides wheat, clover was fown, which they call BcrfuiCi and cultivate in the fame manner as ia England. C 4. They Thcv next paded Boufli, a village on the wctt-lltle of the nile, two miles fouih of ^hcnuiah ; iintl, a lit:lc t'ur-tlier, Beni Ali, where they faw for a miniiti; the moun-tair.s on the right or welt iide of the Nik-, riinning in a line nearly foiith, and very high. About five miles frnm iiouüi is the village of Maiiiareifh on the eafl fide of the jiver, ;ind here ihe mountains on that fide etsd. The country all around is ivell cultivated, and fcemed to l.e of the utmoil fertility ; the inhabitbiiits were better cloathed, and fectningly iefs mifcrable and oppreflcd, than thole ihey left behind in the places near Cairo. 1 he JSile M-as very (hallow at L'eiii Sucf, and the current ftrong. They touchcd feveral times in ihe middle of the iheam, and c;ime (o anchor at Haha, about a quarter of a mile above Beni Suef, where they |-a!Teti the night. They were lold to keef) good watth here ali lught, that (here were troops of lohbers on 'he ralt-lidc oi [he water, who had lately plundered fome boats, and that the cacheflFeither dared not, or would not give ihcm any alliftance. Tliey indeed kept ftrift watcli, but faw no jobbers, and were no other way moiefted. The 1 8th they had fine weacher and a fair wind. Still Mr. Bruce'thought the villages were beggarly, and the eonftant groves of palm-trees fo perfeäly verdant, did not compcnCatc for the penury of the fown land, tlie nar-rownefs of the valley, and barrenrefs of ttie tr.ountains. —They arrived in the evening at Zohora, aboii! a niile fotith of Eda. It confined of three plant.itions of dates, and was five miles from Miniet, and there they pailed the night, T he wind was fo high they fcarcely co:,ld carry their fails ; the current was flrong at bhekh Temine, and the violence witri which tiiey went throui^ii tiie wafer i^as fcirible, l lie Kais told Mr. brure, that they (liould have ildckened their fails, if n had not been, that, feeing him curious about the conftruClion of the vefiel and her pans, and as (hey were in no danfcr cf Uriking, though the waier was low, ke wanted so ilicw hira what (he could do. They pafTed by a number of villages on the weftern fliore, rhecnilern feeming to be periVflly impeopled :—. Jiilt, Fclhticj a confiderible pltce ; then M:nict, a hirge toun town, which had been fortiiietl towards the water, at leafl there wert (bme guns there. A rebel Key had taken pof-fciFion of it, and it was ufunl to flop here, the river being both rial row and rapid ; but the Kais was in great fpi-rits, and reibhed to hold his wind, as Mr. Bruce had defircdhim, andnobody iiiadt: tliemany Jignai f'ronnfhore. They came to a village called Rhoda, whetice they lent dif-pute between the two who went on Ihore and the inhabitants. Upon this the Rais fttipping, flipped off the rope from the ftake, and another of the Moors ftruck a ftroiig perch or pole into the river, and twifted the rope round It. They were in a bight, or calm place, fo that the ßream did not move the boat. Mahomet and the Moor came prefently in fight; the people had taken Mahomet's turban from him, and they were apparently or the very wojlt terms. Mahomet cried to our travellers that the whole town was coming» and getting ne.ir the boat, he and the Moor jumped ia with great agility. A number of people was aflembled. and three fhots were fired into the boat, very quickly, the one after the other. Mr. Bruce cried out in Arabic,'" Infidels, thieves, and robbers ! come on, or we ftia.Il prefently attack you upon which he immeadiately fired a fhip-blunderbufa. with piftol fmall bullers, but with little elevation, among l!ie bathes, fo as not to touch them. The three or four men that were neareft fell flat upon their faces, and Üid away among the buthes on iheir bellies, and they faw no more of them. They now put iheir veffel into the ftream, filkd (heir fore-fail and flood off, Mahomet crying, " Be upon your ^uard, if you are men, we are Sanjack's foldiers, and will come for the tarban to-night." More they neither heard nor faw. They were no fooiier out of their n:ach, than the Rais, filling his pipe, and looking very grave, told Mr. Bruce to lhank God, that our traveller was in the I'eflel with fucha man as he was, as it was owing to that only he cftaped frem being raardered a-Ihpre, " Certainly, Ilaffan, HaiTan, (faid Mr. Brucc) under God, the way of cfcap-ing from being murdered on land, is never lo gu oat of tlie boil; but don't you think that my blunderbijfs was as effeftual a mean as your hoiinefs ? Tell ms. M>ihoniet, What did they do to you He faid, they had not feen them come in, bat had heard of them ever finte tliej' were at Metrahenny, and had waited to rob or murder them ; that upon now hearing they were come, they had all ran to tlieir houfes for their arms, and were coming down, immediately, to plunder the boat; upon which h« and the Moor ran off, anti being met by thefe three people, and the boy, on the road, who had nothing in thsir iiands, one of them fnatched the turban off. He like-wife added, that there were two panics in the town ; one^ in favour of Ali Bey, the other friends to a rebel Bey who had taken Miniet; that they had fought two or three days ago, among themfelves, and were going to figlu again, each of them having called Arabs to their aüili-ance. Haflan and his fon Mahomet were violently esafjier-ated, and nothing would ferve tliem but to go in again nc^r the fiiore, and fire all ihe guns and blunderbußes among the people. But, befides that Mr. Bruce had no inclination ofthat kind, he was very lorh to fruftrate the' attempts of fomc future traveller, who might add this tO: the great remains of architeflure prefervcd already. At Rcreinont there areagrcat number of Perfunwheds^ to draw the water for the fugar canes, wbicii belong to Chriftians. The water thus brought up from- the river runs down to tlie plantations, below or behiad the town,. a.fter being emptied on the banks above ; a proof that here the dcfcent from the mountains is not an optic fallacy, as a former writer fays. They paiTed AJhmounein, probably the ancient Lato-polis, a large town, wh'ch gives the name to the province, where there are magnificent l uins of Egyptian ar-thitetture; and after they came to Melawe, larger, better built, and better inhabited than Afhmcunein, the re-fideiiee of the CacheC Mahomet Aga was there at that time with troops from Cairo; he had taken Miniet, and,, hy thefriendlhip of Shekh Hamam, the great Arab, go-C 6 vetnor vcrnor of Upper Egyptj he kept ali the people on that fide oi' the river in allegiance to Ali ücy. Our tr:ivcllcr here received about a gallon of brandy, and a jar of Icniotis and oranges, jrcferved in honey ; both very agreeable. Likcwile a amb, and fonie gär-den-ftufFs. Among ihe fwcetmcats was fume hor!c-raJ-dilTi preferved like ginger, which certainly, though is iTiighi be vvholefome, was the verv worfl fliiiTevert;uled, iiruce gave a good fquare piece of it, well wrapped in honey, to the Kais, wlio coughed and fpit h;uf an luiir after, crying he was poifoncd. They palled the iVloIle, a fir:all village wi^th a great number of ac..cia trees inteimixed with the plantations of palms. Thefe occafion a plealing variety, not only from the difference of the fliape of the tree, but alfo from the colour and diverfity of the green. On the 2cth, early in the morning, they again fet fail and puffed fcveral villages, till at length they reached Siüut, where the ivind turned direilly fouth, fo they were obliged to ftay at Tima ihe reft of the 20th, where Mr. Bruce went on fhore. It is a fmail town, furrounded like the reit with groves of palm trees. The Nile is here full offandy iflands. Thoie that the inundation has firft left are all fown, and aie chiefly on the eaft. The o-thcrs on the weft were barren and uncultivated; all of them moltly compoled of fand, The 2ift, in the morning they Cime to Gawa, where js the fecond fcene of ruins of Egyptian architefturej after leaving Cairo. Mr. Bruce imnnediately went on ihori-, «nd found a fmail'temple of three columns in frorit, \M:h the capitals entire, and the columns in feveral icparate pieces. They feemed by that, and their flight proportions, to be of the moll modern of that fpecies of building; but the whole were covered with hierogtyphicsj ihc old ftory ovei again, the hawk and the ferpent, ihe man fitting with the dog's head, with the perch, or mea-furitig rod ; in one hand, the hemifphere and globes with wings, and leaves of the bananatree, as is fnppofed, in the other. The temple is filled with nibbifh and dung of cattle, which th Arabs bring in here to flieltcr them from the heat, Oa Oll the 2 2<ä, at night, tlicy arrived at Aclimim: Mr, Bruce landtJ wiih Iiis tju.idrant anil inftruments, wich a view of obfcrving an eclipfe of the nioon ; hut, imme-(liately afci-r her riling, cloaJs and iniil fo effL-ilualty covered thü uliok heavens, that it was nut even po;nbIe to catch aftar of a«y li/.e paffing ihe meridian. Achmini is a Very coafadcrabic place. The 24th of December, they left Achmiin, and came to the village Shckli Ali on tiie weft, two miles and a quarter dillant. 'I'hcy then paiTed Haindi, and feveial other villages ; and the next morning, the zjth, impatient to viiit the ^reaicll, and moll magDilicent fcene of ruins thai are in Upper Egj pt, they fet out from Bdiani, and, about ten o'clock in the forenoon, arrived at Den-dcra. Although they had heard that the people of this place were the very worft in Egypt, they were not very apprehenfive. They had two letter:, from the Eey, to two very principal tncn there, commanding thcin, as they wGuid anfwcr m ith their lives and fortunes, to have a fpecial care that no mifcbicf befel them ; and Jikcwife a very preffiog letter to Shekh Hamani at Fourfhout, in whofe territory tliey were. Dendera is a coniiderable town at this day, all covered with thick groves of palm trees, the fame that Juvenal dcfcribes it to l-.ave been in his time, A mile fouth of the town are ruins of two temples, one of which is fu much buried under ground, that little of it is to befecn; but the other, which is by far the mod magnificent, is entire, and acceflible on every fide. It is alio covered with hieroglyphics, both within and without, all in relief; and of every figure, fimple and compound, that ever has been publilhed, or cailcd an hieroglyphic. The form of the builciing is an obloitg fquarc, the ends of which are occupied by two large apartments, or vertibules, fupportcd by monftrous columns, all covered with hieroglyphics likcwifc. Some arc in form of men and beafts ; fomc feem to be the figures of inftiuments of facrifice, while others, in a fmallcr fize, and lefs dif-tinit form, fecm to be infcriptions in the current hand of hieroglyphics. They are all finifhed with care. The capitals arc of one picce, and confirt of four huge human heads, placed back to back agaiiift one another, with wlih Bat'i ears, and an ili-imaginerl, and worfe executed, foJd dia];cry between them. Above thcfe is a large oblong fquar« block, ftil) larger than. tJie capitals, with Four flat fronts, dilpofed like pKiiiielg, ihat is with n kind of Iquare border round the edges, while the faces and i'ronis are filled with hieroglyphics; as arc the walls atid ciel-ings of every part of the temple. Ectween thcfe two apartments in t leextremidcs, there arc three other apartments, refembling the firft, in every rcfpeft, only that they are fmaller. The whole building is of common wliite Hone, from the neighbouiinjj mountains, on!y thofe two, in which bave been funk the pirns for hanging the outer doors, (for it fcems they had doors even in thole days) are erf granite, or black antl blue poiphyry. The top of the temple is Hat, the fpouts to carry off the water are monftrous heads of fphinxcs ; the globes ■with wings, and the two ferpenis, with a kind of fhield cr breaft-plate between arc here frequently repeated^ fuch as we fee them on ihc Carthaginian meJah,. The hieroglyphics have been painted over, and gre?,t part of the Golouring yet remains upon the ftones, rcd^ in all its fhades, efpeciajly that dark dsilky colour called Tyrian purple ; ye low,-very frtfh ; fky-bluc (that is, irear the blue of an eaftern fky, feveral Hiades lighter than, ours) ; green of dilfersnt fhades ; thefc are all the colours preferved. A little before our traveller came to Dcndera, they faw the firft crocodile, and afterwards hundreds, lying upon every iflnnd, like large flocks of cattle ; yet the inhabitants of Dendcra drive their beads of every kind into the river, and they ftand there for hours. Ihc ^irls and women too, that come to fetch water in jars, ftand up to their knees in the water for a confiderabie time ; and if may we gucfs by what happens, their danger is full as little as their fear, for none of diem, as far as our travellers could learn, had been bitten by a crocodile, flow-ever, if the Detiderites vere as keen and expect hunters of Crocodiies, as fome hiftorians tell us they formerly were,there is furcly no part of the Nile where they would have better fport than herCj immediately before their own city. Mr. BRUCIt's travels. Mr Bruce, having viewed the ruins, proceeded to Fiirfiiout, and went to the convent of Itnliiin Fiiars,. wlio, like thoCe of Achmiiu, are of the ortler of the reformed KrancifcanSi Furlhout is in a large and eultivateil plain. It Ij, nine miles over to ihe foot of the mountains, all fowit with wheat. There ace, likewife, plantations of fugar canes. The town, aj they faid, contains above 10,000. people, buf thii corapiitation is perliiips rather exaggerated. While our travellers were at Fm (hout, there happened a very extraordinary phsenomenon. It rained the whole night, and till about nine o'clock next rnoriUB^^ y. ■when the people began to be very apprehenfwe left the whole town fliould be deftroyed. It is. a. perfeft fro-digy to fee rain here ; and the prophets faid it portended a diflblution of govtrnment, w lich was juftly veri- ' fied foon afterwards, and at that time indeed was extremely probable. They left Furlhout the 7th of JanuaiT^^ 1769, early In the morning. They had not hired their boat fiirther than Furdiout; but ihe good terms whicli fubfifted between Mr. Bruce and the faint, hi^ Rais, made an accommodation very eafy to carry them farther. He now agreed for 4I. to carry them to Sj'cne and down again; but, if he behaved well, he expefted a trifling, premium. " And, if you behave ill, Haffan, (faid Mr. Bruce) what do you think you deferve?"—" To be hanged, ( faid he) I deferve^ and defire no better." The wind at firft was but fcant; however, it frelh^ ened up towards noon, when they pafled a large town called How, on the welt fitle of the Nile. About four o'clock in the afternoon they arrived at El Gournt, a fmall village, a quarter cf a mile diftant from t!ie Nile. It has in it a temple of old Egyptian archi-tefture. Mr. Bruce thinks, that this, and the tw» ailjoining heaps of ruins, which are at the lamc dif-tance from the Nile, probably might have been part of the ancient Thebes. Nothing renwins of the ancient Tbebes but four prodigious temples, all of them in appearance more at ci^nr, but neither fa entire, nor fo magnificent, as tl.oäc of Dcndcra. ^;cn(^era. The temples at Metiint-r Tahii are the moll ek'gant of liie/e. 'I he liierogKpliics are cut to the dept)i cf hdU-n-liöot, in feme jslaccs, but we liave ftill thf Pime figures, or rather a Ids variety, than at Dcn-dira. Anumf)£rof robbers, who much refemble our gyp-fies, live in the holes of the mountains above Thebes, '] Iiey ave all out-laws, and pur.ilhed with death if elfc-whcre found- Ofman Bey,an ancient go\ erncrof Girpe, «inabie to fufFer any longer tlie difofders committed by ihcfe people, ordered a quantity of dried faggots to be brought together, and, with his foldicrs, took poflef-fion of the facc of the mountain, where the grealeil number of thcfc wretches weie : He then ordered all their caves to be filled with this dry bnifhwood, to which he fet lire, fo that moft of thcra were deftroyed ; but they h?vc fince recruited their numbers, without changing their manners. Abonchalfamiie north of EI Gourni, arc the magnificent, ilupendous fepulchres of Thebes. The mountains of the'J'hebaid come ciofe behind the town; ihcy are not connefted with each otiier in ridges, but fiand infulated upon their bafes; fo that you can get round each of them. A hundred of ihefe, it is faid, are cxcavated into fepulchralj and a variety of other apartments. Laxor, and Carnae, which is a mile and a quarter below it, arc by far the largeft and moft magnificent fcenes of ruins in Egypt, much more entenfive and ftu-pendous (hdn thofeof'l hebes and Dendera put together. There are two obciilks here of great beauty, and in good prefervation ; they are lefs than thofe at Rome, but not at al! mutilated. The pavement, which is made to receive thefhadow, is to this day fo horizontal, it might ßill be ufcd in obfervation. At Carnac they faw the remains of two vaft rows of fphinxes, one on the right-hand, the other on the lefr, (their heads were moftly broken) and, a little lower, a number as it fhould feera of termini. They were com-pofed of bafaJtes, with a dog or linn's head, of Egyptian fculpture. They Rood in lines likewife, as if intended as an avenae to fome principal building. Ob _On the 171h, oirr travellers left Luxor, nnJ failed with a very fair wind, and in great fpirits. In the evening, they came to an ajichor on the eafterii rtiorc nearly uppofuc to Efne. They palTed over to l-lfne next morning. It is the ancient Latopolis, and has very great remains, particularly a large tcmpk, which though the whole of !t is of the reinuteft atitiqiiity, Icems to lia\c been built at clifierent times, or raiher out of the ruins of different ancient buildings. The hieroglyphics upon this are very ill executed, and are not painted. The town is ihe rcftdence of an Arab Shekh, and the inhabitants are a very bad fort of people ; but as Mr. Jkuce was drelfed like an Arab, itiey d-d not molcit, becaufc they did not know liim. On the (3th, they left Efne, and pafTed the lown of Eilfu, where there are likewil'e corifiderable remains of Egyptian architeilure. 'J'he wind failing, they were obligrd to flop in a very poor, defolatc, and dangerous part of ihe Nile', called Jibhel cl Silfelly, where a boom, or chnin, was drawn acrofs the river, to hinder, as is fuppofed, the Nubian boats f;om committing piratical praitices in r,gy]it lower down the llream. About noon, they pafled Coom Ombo, a round building like a caftle, and then arrived at Daroo, a iTuferable luanfion, unconfcious that, fome yesrs aTt-T, they weie to be indebted !0 that paltry village for the man who was to guide them through the dcfert, and reßore them to their native country and their friends. On tlie 20th, they failed with a favourable wind tilt alxjut an hour hefoie fun-xil'e, and about nine o'clock came tu an achor on the fouth end of the palm groves, and north end of the town of Syene, nearly oppofite to an ifl.md in which there is a fniall haniifome J^gypiian temple, pictty entire. It is the temple ot where formerly was the Nilometer. Ai^joining to the palm trees was a verj' good comfortable Itoijfc, belonging to lluirein Schourbatchic, the man that ufcd to he feot from tlia! placc to Cairo, to receive il'.e pay of the janilfarics in garrifon at Syene, upon nhom too Mr. iiruce liad credit tor a verv fmall fuin. Tliey They paflcti out at the fouth gate-of the town, into the firft fir.al] Tandy pJain, Avei / little to the JcTt there are a number of tomb ilones w ith infci:ptions in iJ-.i- Cu-fic charafler, ivhich travellcis error.enully have callccl an unknc^un lansiiage and letters, al'I.ough it was ihu only letter and Ungungc known to Mahoiaet, and the moit learned of his fed in the tir[l ages. After paJjng the tomb-ftones without the ^ate, they fame to a plain about five miles long» bordered on tiic left by a hill of no confiderable height, and fandy like the-plain, upon which arc feen fonieruiiis, more tncdern tharfc thofe Egvptian buildings already ticfcr'.bed. '1 liey fecra indeed to be a mixture of ali kinds and ages. The dittance frotn the gate of the town to Termiifi, or Marada, the finali villages on the cataraft, is c.vafUy fix Engliih miles. After the defcription already given of this cataract in fome authors, a travelier has rcai'on to be furprifed, when arrived on its banks, to find that vef-fels fail up the cataracl, and confesjuently the fail can-» aot be fo violent as to depiive people of hearing. The bed of the ?iy«r, occupied by the water. was nt>t then hulf a mile broad- It is divided into a nnmber of fmall channels, by large blocks of granite, from thirty to forty feet high» The current, coDlined for a long courfe betw een the rocky mountains of Kubia, tries to expand itfelf v/ish great violence. Finding, in every part before it, cppofition from the rocks of granite, and forced back, by thefc, it meets the oppofite currents. The chafing of the wate» againft thefe huge obftacleSj the meeting of the contrary cuirents one with another, crea!es fuch a violent ebullition, and makes füch inoifc and difturbed ap, pcarance, iLatit fills the mind with confulion, rather thde terror. On the 22inewherc between Anatolia and Curatnania, a dif^r!^t which they call Caz Dagli, and this rhc Turks believe was the country from ivhich t!;e EngliOi ficll drew there origin ; and on this acccnnc tbcy they never fail to claim kindred with the Englifh wherever ihey meet, efpeciilly if they ftaod in need of their aflillance. Mr. Bruce fays, he cannot conceal the fecret plea-fure he had in finding the dnaraiSer of his country fo Hrnily eftjblifhed among nations fo dilbnt, enemiei to our religion, and ftrangers to our government. Turks from Mount Taurus, and Arab; from she defert of Libya, thought theinfclves utifaFe among their own countrymen, bat truited their lives and their liiile fortunes irnplicity to the direttion and word of an Engtlftiman whom they had never befoie Icen. 'I hey ftaitl ad the iStb at Legeta, waiting for the jurdtioii of the carav ans, and departed tlic 19th at fix o'clock imtlic motning. ■ Their journey, al) :hit day, through a plain, never leis than a mile broad, and ■never broader than three; thcliiils, on their right and left. Were higher than the former, and of a bro^vni^h calcined colour, like the flones on the fides of Mount Vcfu-viu.-i, but without any herb or tree upon them. At half pall (en, iliey jJalfed a mountain of green and red marble, .ind at t«ei\e they entered a plain called Harnra, where tliey iirft obfervcd the fand red, w ith a purple cJit, of the colour of porphyry, and this is the lig-nificat'on of Harnra, the name of the Talley. Mr. Brace düinounted here, to examine of what the rotk-. were compofed ; and found ihdt here began t.nc (jiiaiTici or porphyry, without the mixture of any o-tiier (tone ; but it was imperfetl, brittle and foft- lie had not b.'Cn engaged in this purfuic an hour, before ttey wer- alarmed with arcjjon that the Atouni had attacked the rear of tlie caravan ; they were at the head of it. The J urks and hislervants were all rawn together, at the foot of the mountain, and polled as advantageouf-ly as. p'tfiible. Hut it foon appear-d, that they were fomc thieves only, who had atlcmptcd 10 ftcal fomc loads of corn from camels that were weak, or fallen if wridth iViun ilit Jndia tKuie, which, once a-yeJr, arrive-, in ihis part, but does not continue, fin^ Qn, as ihvouf;h a turnpikcj to Mecca; whence it is difperfed Al over the eaft. Very little advantage however accrucs 10 Jidda. The cuftoms are all immediately feut to « needy fovereign, and a hungry fet of jelations, dependems, and mioiftors at Mecca. 'Ihe gold is rctarned in bags and boxes, and palTes on as lapitily to the fbips as the goods do to (he market, wcl leavci as Hule profit behind. In the mean time, provifions rife to a prodigious price, and this falls upon the townfmen, while all the profit of the traffic is in the hands of ftrangers ; moft of whom, after the market is over, {which d(X:s not laft fix weeks) retire to Yemen, and other neighboufing countries, which abound in every fort of provifion. 'I hoiigh Jidda is the country of their prophet, yet no where arc there fo rtiany unmarried women, and the permHTion of man ying four wives was allowed in this dilhia in the firil inliance, and afterwards communicated to all the tribes. But Mahomet, in his permlf-fion of plurality of wives, feeitis conftantly to have been on h's guard, ngainll: fuffering that, which was intended for the v,'fltare of his people, from operating in a diffcrem mai-.ncr. He did not permit a man to marry two, three, or four wives, unlefs he could nsainfain them. He was iiitercfted for the rights and rank of tlicfe womei) ; and the man fo marrying was obliged to fhcw before rlie Cadi, 01 fome equivnU-nt olHecr, or jutige, thrft !i was in his j-ower to fupfiort ihem. according to tl.cir birth. It «'as not lo with c„ii';ublnjs, n 3 with with women who were purchafed, or who were taken iti war. Every man enjoyed thefe at his pJer/urc, and their periJ, that is, whether he was able to maintain them or not. From this great fcarcity of provifions, which is ihe refuit of an txtraordinary concourfe to a place almoft deftittite of the ncccflaries of life, few inhabitants of Jidda can aval] themfehcs of the privilege granted them by Mahomet. He therefore cannot marry more than one wife, becaufe he cannot maintain more, and from this caufe arifcs tlie want of people, and the larfte number of unmarried women. The kindnefs and attention Mr. Bruce here received from his countrymen did not leave him as long as he was on fhore. They all did him the honour to attend him to the water edge. All the quay of Jidda was lined with people to fse the Engiifti falute, and along with his vefie] there parted, at rhe fame time, one bound to Mafuah, which carried Mahomet Abd el cader, GoYCrnor of Dahalac, over to hii government. Jidda is in ]at. 28® o' i" north, and in long. 39" 16' 4j"eafl:of the meridian of Greenwich, The wrathe? there had few changes, and the general wind was north-weft, or more northerly. This blowing- along the direction of the Guif brought a great dtal of damp along with it; and this damp increafes as the feafun advances. Once in twelve or fourteen days, perhaps, ihey had a fouth wind, which wasaJways dry. Hn the Sth of July, i'j6g. Mr. Bruce failed from the harbour ofJid(!a on board the fame velfel as before, and fiiffercd the Rais to take a fniall loading for his own account, upon condition that he was to carry no pafTen-gcrs. The wind v/as fair, and they iailed through the Englifh fieet at their anchors. As they had all honoured otirtraveUer with their regret at piirting, and arcom-paiiicd hiru to the ßiore, the Rais vvas furprifed to fee the refpečt paid to]li^ little veflel as it paiTed under their hoge fterns, every one hoifting his colours, and laluting it with eleven guns. At a quarter paft eight, on the nth, they were towed TO their anchorage in the harbrmr of Konfodah. Kon-fodah means the town of the hedge-hog. It is a Itr.all village, confifting of about two hundred rai.erable houles, bu i.t fcuilt with green wood, and covered with mats, made of the doom, or palm-tree, lying on a bay, or rather a lhaliow bafon,in a derert wafte or plain. Behind rtie town are tinaM hillocks of white fand. Nothing grows on fhore excepting kelp, but it isexceedingiy beautiful, and very luxuriant; farther in there are garJens. Fifn is in perleA plenty y butter and milk in great abundance ; even the defert looks frellier than other defcrts, which makes it probable that rain fometimes falli there. Kofodah is in lat. 19° 7' North. It is one of the moll unwholefome parts on the Red Sea, provifion is veiy dear and bad,^ and the water, execrable. Goats flelh is the only meat,, and that very dear and lean. The anchorage, from the caftle, bears north-weft a quarter of a. mile diftant^ from ten to feven fathoms, in fand and nwd.- At five in the afternoon of the 14th, they palTed Ra3 ■ Heli, which is the boundary between Yemen, or Arabia Felix, and the Hejaz, or province of Mccca, the firif belonging to the Imam, or king of Sana, the other to the Sherritfe lately fpoken of. fc. BruCe dciired his Rais to anchor this night clofc under the Cape, as it was perfectly cairn and clear, and, by takirig a mean oF five: oblervarions of the pafläge of fo many liars, the-mod proper fur the purpofe, over the meridian, he determined the latitude of i could could fpci'.k to ghoft.s. " Will you be fo good, Rais, {refilled our traveller) to ftep forward, and toll him, that I a:u going to drink coitfc, and ihould be glad if he would waik into the cabbin, and fay any thing he has to communicatc to me, if he is a Chrlftian, and if not, to Mahomet Gibberti." The Rais wem out, but, as Mr. Bruce's fervant told him, he would neither go himlelf, nor coukl get any pcrfon to go to the ghoft for him, Jiirjwei-er, here the matter ended for the prefent. He was indeed fecn again fometimc afterwards, and was fatd to have robbed fe\'eral of the palTengers of part of their property. Mr. Bruce, however, fonnd out, that it was not the ghoft, bnt fomc of the failors who were the thieves, and, after this dcteäion, the ghoft was never more heard of. On the I nh, about feveii in the evening, they ftruck upon'a reef of coral rocks. Arabs are cowards in all furfden dai^ers j for they confider every accident as the will of Providence, and therefore not to he avoided. The Arab failors were for immediately taking to the boat; while the Abyilinians were for cutting up the planks and wood of the infide of the vellcl, and making her a raft. A violent difputc enfued, and after tliat a battle, when night overtook them, ftill faft upon the rock. The Rais and Yafine, however, calmed the liot, when Mr. Broce begged the pafiengers would bear iiim. '-You all know, (laid he) or fliould know, that the boat is mine ; as I bought it with my money, for the fafety and accommodation of mylelf and fcr, vants ; you know, likewife, that I and my men are all well armed, while you are naked; therefore do roc imagine that wc will fuffcr any of you to enter that boatj and fave your lives at the expencc of ours. On this velfel of the Rais is your dependence, in it you are to bcfavcd or to perifh ; therefore all hands to work, and get the veflel off, while it is cairn ; if Are had been „aiaterially damaged, Ihe had been funk before now." They all feemed on this to take courage, and faid, they ' hoped he would not leave them. He told them, if they would be men, he vtrould not leave thera whiJe there was a bit of the veflcl together. The The boat was immediately launcheil, and one of Mr. Eruce's fervants, the Raib, unci two failors, v/erc put on l)o,\rd. Ihey were fooii upon .the bank, where the two fajJors got out, who cut tlieii- feet at firft upon the wliitc coral, but afteruards got firmi-r footing, "I'hcy attempted to puili the fliip bakwards but flie would not raove. Poles and handfpikcs were tried in ord^r to ftir her, but thefe were not long enough. In a word, tlierc was no appearance of geiting her o£F before morning, when they knew the wind would rife, and It was to be feared flie would then be dafhcd to picccs. Other efforts were then ufcd, and a great cry was fct up, that file began to move. A little after, a gentle wind juit: made itfcif felt from the eaft, and tlie cry from the Rais was, '* Hold the fore-fail and juit it a-back." Tliis being immediately done, and a gentle breeze filling the fore.fail at the time, they all piiflicd, and the veillank might have been ftar!cd ; but they faw the advantage of a veffel being fewed, rarhcr than nailed together, as ftie not otdy was unhurt, but made very little ivater. On the igth of September, at five in the afternoon,, they came to an anchor in the harbour of MaAiah, having been feveiiteen days on their paflage, including the day ihey firfl; went on board, ihougti this voyage, with a favourable wind, is generally made in three days; it often has, indeed, heen failed in lefs. Yet this mull not be wholly attributed to the weather, as they fper.t much time in furveying the Ühuids. travels C" ■ " -o o-*"' " 0—0--o-"O ■ gA T R A V E L S^ TO DISCOVER The SOURCE of the NILE. BOOK II. Jcconnl of thefirß Ages of the larlinn and African Trade— the ßrß rctpiing of Abjffinin uvd Atbarn—Jomi Cctijec iures concerning the Origin of Language there, WHOEVER penifes the hiftdry of tlie tnnft and-ent nations, will find the origin of wealth .md power to have >n the eaft, and to have gradually advanced weftwan!, fpreading itfelfat the fame time north and fouth. They will find the ric:ies and population of thofp nations decay in proportion as this riade forfakes (hem ; which cannot but fuggeft tj every fenfi-blc bein;^, this certain truth, that God makes ufe ot the fmallL-ft means and caufcs to ooerate the grcateft ^nd mod powerful elFefts, Scfoftris pafTed with a fleet of large fliips from the Arabian Gulf into the Indian occan ; he fubdued part of India, ard opened to Egypt the cotn-mcrce of that country by fea. It wonld appear he revived, rather than firft difcovered, this way of carrying on' the trade to the Euft Indies, which, though ir was at times intermitted, was, neverthelefs, perpetually kept up by the trading nations themfs-lves, from the ports uf India and Africa, and on the Red Sea from Edom. The The pUots of Sefoftris were acquainted with the phsc-nomcna of tlie trade winds and munfouns. Hiftory fays furtliLT of Sefoftris, that the Egyptians conlidcred him as their greateft beuefaftof, for having laid open (o them the trade both of India and Arabia, for having overturned the dominion of the Shepherd kings ; and, lailly, for having reftorcd to the Egyptian Individuals each their own lands, which had been wrerted from them by the violent hands of the Ethiopian Shephtrdt, during the firft iifurpation of ihefe princes. In memory of his having hap])tly accompliüicd thefe events, Scfofiiris is fatd to have built a (hip ofcedcv of a hundred and twenty yards in length, the outfide of which he coveicd with plates of gold, and the infide with plates of lilver, and this he dedicated in the temple to Iiis. The inhabiiiants of the pe.nlnfuh of India laboured under many difadvantages in point of cHmaCe. I he high and wholefome part of the country was covered with barren and rugged mountains ; an i, at difTercnt times of the year, vioje.it rains ftJi in large cur.cnts down the fides of thtfe, which overflowed all the fertile la;id below J and thefe rains were no fooner over, than tuey were Cucceeded by a fcorcliing fun, the etTeft of which upon the human body was to render it feeble, enervated, and incapable of the efforts neccflary for agriculture. In this flat country, large rivers, that fcarce liad declivity enough to run, crept Jlowly along, through mta-dovvs of fit black earth, ftagiiating in many places as they went, rolling an abundance of decayed vegetables, and filling the whole air with exhalations of the jnolt corrupt and putrid kind. Yet they had plenty ol cloaihing adapted by Providence to their climate ; fpices to prt:-forve their health ; and every tree without culture produced them fruit of the molt excellent kind ; every tr^e afforded lliem fliade, under whicli they conid pafi ihcir Jives delightfully in a calm and rational enjoymeii!, by the gentle exercife of weaving, at otjce j)rovidinices grew, in whatever quantity the Indians cnnfuined them, and however generally they wore their own manulafturcs, thtfuperabundaiice of butii wasfuch. as as naturally led tlicm In 1uot:o;it for articJcs agaiiift wliidt tl'.ey misiht bai ti-r their fii};crtiuitics. /'riie filk arid cijtton (jf Jndia u-crü ulütc and colour-lefs, liable lo foil, nncl vv::hou: any v.-riet;-; but Aratiin productd gums and dyes of various colours, wliitli w.-rrc highly agreeable to the laftc of the Aiintica. Tiic balls of trade, between India and Ar:ibi;i, was thus, I^-.id from the beginning by the hand of Providencc. '1 he wants and neccllltics of the one found a fujiply, or balancc from llie other. Jn India they fixed OJi gold and {;h'cr as proper returns for iheir manulatlures and produce. It is not eafy to fa}', whether it was from their bnrdneis or beaut or what other reafon governed the mind of man in nuking this ftandard of barter. The hillorv of the pariieular tranfaitions of thofe times is loil, if indeed thcie eves-was fuch hiftory, and, therefore, all further inquiries are in vain, Mr. Bruce next proceeds to fpeak of the oiigin of characters or letters. He lays, but two original eharaitcrs obtained in Egypt. The fiifl was the Gcez, the fecond the Saitic, and both thefe were the oldctl chaiuiiters in the world, an^. boili derived from hiero^lyphiLS, Thebes was built by a colony of Ethiopians from Sire, the city of fieir, or the Dog Star. Diodotiis ^'jicuius fays, thdt ihe Greeks, by putting O before biris, li^d made the word unintelligible to the Egyptians : Siris, tlien, was Cfiris; but he was not the Siin, no more ;iian he was Abraham, nor was he a real perfonnge. He W..3 SyriuE, or the dog-ftar, dc(igncd under the figure of a do;;, bccauleofthe warning he gave to Atbara, where (he firii-ulifervarifins were made at his difenga^ing h:m-fclf from the rays of the fun, fo as lo be vii'ibU- to tlx naked eye. ' Mis firlt appear.incc was figuratively cam-pared to the barking of adog, by iheM'arning it gave lo prepare for the approaching in'.Jndatitin. Mr. Eruce be-iieves, therefore, this was the firll hieroglyphic ; and that Ifis, Oiiris, and 'i ot, were all after inventions relating to it. It is not to be doubted, that hieroglyphics, but nor allrouomy, were invented at Thebes, where the theory of theclog-ftar was particularly invcfligated, becaufe connefted wiih their rural ycjir. Mr, Mr. Bruce confiders that immenfe quam ity of hieroglyphics, with which the walls of the temples, and fact-s of ihc obelilks, are covcred, as containing fo many af-rronomicai obftrvations. He looks upon thefc as the ephemeriJcs of ftmie thoufiind years, and that liijiL(;..nr-ly accounts for lUeir number. 'J heir date and accuracy were iiidifputuble ; they were exhibited in the muft public places, to he confulted as occafiou required'; at)d, by the deepnefs of the engraving, hardnefs oftiie materials, and the thicjiticfs and (blidity of the block itfelf upon which they were carvcd, ihey bade dcfiancc at once to violcni'C and dine. Mr. Br^Jcc is fenfiblc, that moft of the learned writers arc of fcntiinents very diiferenc from lüm in thefe rc-fpeiU. U'hcy look for myftcrles and hidden meanings, moral and philofophical trt-atifes, as the fubjtfts of thefe hieroglyphics- A iliepirc, they fay, is the hieroglyphic of a king. But where do we mett a fceptre upon an ati-tique Egyptian monument ? or wha (old lis this wrts flu-»nibirra of royalty among the Egyptians at the time of the hrft invention of this figuraiive writing? Again,, the ferpcnt with she tail in its mouth denotes the eternity of God, that he is without beginning and wiihout end. 'I his is a Chriftian truth, and a Chrillian belief, but no where to be found in the polytheiftn of the inv.-ntors ol hieroglyphics. It is no: ivStli philoifiph)- as with aftro-my ; the older the obferi'atioa!i, the niure ufe they arc of to pollcrity, A Icčture of an Egyptian jiriett upon divinity, tnorality, or natural hiiUjr\-, v/ould not pay the trouble at. thisciav, ofenjiraving it upi>n Ib'ne ; and one (jf ihe riafons that no fuch fubji'Ch were evci creeled in hieroglyphics ii, that in all thofe Mr. l^ruce ever had uii opportunity of feeing, add vt^rv tV-.i- p'- 'ptc have ftvii mure, he conflautly found the fame fi,-tires r!',:e;i ed, which ob\ ioufly, anil without ^lir,'urc. nhu.lu to the hif-lory of t!ie Nile, and its diil-'r-nt ..eriods of incrcafc, the mo'di'of meafuring it, tfc ' telian winds ; in th'irr. fuch obfervations .is vvc citiy .i>t' it'e in an ahnai-Lack, in which we cannot fupj.ul:', that forfaking the obvious import, where the good they did was evi-ieiit, they iboiild arcribe difierent meanings 10 tiic Ilieroglyphii.-> t(/ lo which no key has been ]öft, and therefore their futnve inutility rauft have been fbreilfii. The word Tct is Ethiopie, and there can be little doubt it means the ilog^iar. It was the name given to the firlt month of the Egyptian year. 'I'he meaning of the name, in the langtiage ol the province of Sire, is an ii!t/, com-pofrd of difiercnt hclerogeneoüs pieces ; it is found having this fignifitation in many of their books. Thus a naked man is not a 'I'd, but the body of a naked man, with a dog's head, an ais's head, or a ferjiejit iiiftead of a, head, is a Tot, According to the import of that word it is an almacaek, or feftion of the phscnomcna in the heavens, whsch are to happen in the limitied time it is made to comprehend, when expofed for the information: of the public ; and the more extenfive its ule is intended to be, the greater number of emblems, or figns of obfer-vation, it is charged with. 1 be multitude of thefe emblems, and (he frequent change of theni^ produced the neccfiity of eontračling, ihcirTize. and this again a confequentisi alteration in th^ original forms; and a ililc or fmall portable inürument, became ail that was neccffury for finifhing thefe fmall, TotJ, inftead of a targe graver or carving tool, employed in making ihe large ones. But men, at laft. were I'o much ufed to the alteration, ss to know it better thaiv under its primitive form, and t!ie engraving became what we m..y call the firft elements, or root, in preference to-the original. Thefe 'I'ots were probably what formerly the Egyptians t ailed a book, or almanack ; a collečtion of thefe was probably hung up in fome confpicuous place, lo inform the public of the ftate of the heavens, feaions, and difeafes to be cxpci'ted in the cotirfc of them, as is the cafe in the Englilh almatiacks at this day. Whether letters were known to Noah before the Hood, is no where faid from any authi>r:ty, and the inquiry imo it is therefore ufeli^fs. It is difficult,.in Mr. Bi ..cl-'s opinion, to imaj;ine that any fociety, engaged in ai.Terent occupations, could fublilt long without them. There feems tobe lefi doubt, that they were invented, foon after the difperlion, long before Moles, and in ccmmon ufe among the Gentiki of his time. It fcem alio probable,. bible that the firft alphabet was Ethiopic, firft founded on Iiieroglyphics, and afterwards modelled into more current, and lefs laborious figures, fur the fake of applying them to the expedition of buunefs. Though Mofes ccrtainly did not invent either, or any charatler, it is probable that he made two, perhaps mors, alterations in the Ethiopic alphabet as it then rtood, with a view to incrcafe the diflcrence ftiil more between the writing ihen in ule among the nations, and what he intended to be peculiar to the Jews. The firft was altering the direčtion, and writingfrom right to left, whereas, the Ethiopian was, and is 10 this day, written from left to right, as was the hicroglyphical aiphabet. The fccond was taxing away the points, which, from all times, rnuft have cxittcd and been, as it were, a part of the Ethiopic letters invented with them, attd Mr. Kruce dofs not fee how it is poffible it ever could have been rrad without them ; fo that, which way focver the difpute may turn concerning the antitjiiity of the application of die Mafo-ictic poii'its, t)>e invs-micn was nu ttcw ^jrtr, iv.it .lnič-tii as early as language was written. Probably thofe jJiera-tions were very rapidly a ioptcd after 'he wrii 'ng of the iaw, and applied t« the riSw charsrief a; ii th^ n Hood ; beejufe, not long after, Mofes. jvas ordered to iubmit the-law itfclf to the people, wli'ch would h.ive been perfeft-Iv ufclefs, had not reading and the charafler been familiar to them at that time. It alfn appears to our traveller, that the Ethiopic words were always fcparated, a.id could not run together, or be joined as the Hebjcw, and that the running the words together into one muft have Leen matter of choice in the Hebrew, to incteafe the difference in writing the two languages, as thccoiitrarv hati been praftifcd ill the Ethiopian language. there is really little rcfemblance bctv.-ecn the Kthiopic and tl>c Hebrr-w letters, and not much more bctxvecn tli::t iind the Sam 'ri-lan, yet there is room for fufplcion, tliat the l.mjjuages were once much nearer a-kin than this dif^grecment of their alphabet promircs, and for this rcal'on, tiiut a very I'rtat number of words are found throughout the Old Tcltament tliat have really no rout, nor can be derived from atty Hebrew origin, and vet all have, in the üthi- opic. opic, a plain, ctcar, unequivocal origin, to and from which thov can bi: ti jccd wiihoQt forte or difficulty. After Thebes wns cicftroycd by the tirft Shepherds, comtnercc, am! it is pr( lj.il)le the arts with it, fled for a time from J'"g\ pr, nnd ccnlorod in Kdom, a city and territory, tho' we kntnv little of its liiftory, at that period the richcd in the H'oiid. David, in ihv- very ncghbour-hood of Tyre and hidon, calls ICdom :ho HroDg city ; " Who wil! bring ma into the ftrong city ? ' ho will " lead iiic i>!to Kdotii f" David, from an old quarrel, ;ind probabiy frcni the reccnt infügatiors of ilic 'l yrlHiJs Iiis trie:uU, invuik-d Kdüsn, dcilroycd the city, and dif-perfcd the people. He was the great military power then upon the ixmtinent ; Tyre and Edot;i were rivals ; and his conqncft of that Inlt great and trading ilale, he united to his empire, would yet have loft htm the trade he fought to cultivate, b^ the very _means he ufcd to obtain it, bad not Tyre been in a capacity to fue-cced to Edom, and to colleft its mariners and artificers, fc::tttrcd abroad by the conijucfi. David took poßcffiorr of two ports, Eioth and Ezion-gaber, from which ho carried on the trade to Ophir and TarfbiJh, to a very-great extent, to the day of his death. David was fucceeded by Solomon in his kingdom, and Hlcewife in the friend(l;ip of Hiram king of Tyre, bn-}omon vifucd Eloth and E/.ion-gaber in pcrfon, and fortified thcni. He eolleftcd a number of pilers, fliip-wrigbts, and innriners, difperfcd by his fnthL-r's conqueft of Edonn. nioft of whom had twkt-n icfuge in T) re and Sidon, the comiTicicial itates in the Mediterraneiin. Mi, rajn fiipplicd bitn wi:h failors in abundance; but the failors fo fiirniihed iroin Tyro were not capable of performing the fervice which Solomon req id red, without the dirfftion of pilots and mariners ufrd to the navigation of the Arabi.in Gulf ami Indian Ocean. .Such were thofc mariners who formerly lived in Fdom, whom Solomon had novv collefts.l in Kloiu and Ez'on-gaber, Very dilFerent was tbe Iaft-iiicniioi>ed navij'arion in all refpcfts from that of the Mediterranean, which, wltli reg;ird to the former- might be compsred to a pond, cverv ikle being confi'iifd with lliorcs little dif^ini one from the other; even that fniall extent of fea was fo full ofiflands, that that there was rauch greater art required in the pilot to avoiü land than 10 reach it. It was, bcfides, fubjed to vari;ible winds, being 10 ihe northw ard of 30" of latitude, the limits to which Pruvin November till March, direi'liy ■contrdry, doxvn the .-Arabian Gulf, from the Straits of Bahehnandeb to Sutz and I'ne Hthmtis. Thefe winds, which fome corruptly call t!x trndr-'whids, is a very erroneous name given to tliLin, ard apt to tonfound narratives, .Tnd m.ike them unintellig ble. A trai'e-wind is a wind which, all the year thiough, blows, and,has ever blown, frum the fame jxiint ol the horriron ; fuch is the f Jth-welt, fouth of the Line, in ihe Indian and Pacific Occan. On ihe contrary, thefe winds, of which we hai'c ij iw fpoken, are called ini,i:jxns : each year they blow fix mutuhs froit) the northward, and the other fix mouths^ montlis from the foiithward, in the Arabian Gulf: WhUe in the Indian Ocean, without ihe Straiti of iiabelman-(ieb, they blow juft the contrary ai the fame fcafons ; that is, in fumnicr from the (outhivaril, and in winter from the northward, fuhjeft to a fniail inflexion to the caft and to the weil. It may be neccifary here to obferve, that ä veflcl fail, ing frotii Surz or the Elanitic Gulf, iti any of the fummer months, will fino a lleady wind at north-weft, whith will (airy it in the (lirettinn of the Gulf to -Mocha. At Mocha, (he loaft is tail and weft to tlie Straits of Rabtl-mantlcli, fo tliat the vcffel from Mocha M-ill have v:iria-b!e winds i'or a fhort fpace.but mollly weflerly, and thefe will carry her on to ihc Straits, She is then done with the monfoon in the Gulf, which was from the north, and, being in the Indian Ocean, is taken up by the monfoon which blows iri the fummcr months there, and is di-reftly contrary to what ohiains in the Gulf. This is a fouth-wefter, wliieh carries the vclfeJ with a flowing fail to any part in India, without delay or impediment. 'The fame happens upon her return home. She fails in the winter months by the monfuon proper to that fea, that is, with a norih-eaft, xvhicb carries her through the Straits of Babelmandeb. She finds, within the Gulf, a wind at fotiih-eaft, direflly contrary to what was in the ocean ; but then her coiirfe is contrary likcvvife, fo that a fouth-Cdfier, anfwering to the dircition of the Gulf, carries her dircftly to Suez, or (he Elanitic Gulf, to whichever way (he propofes going. Hitherto all ia plain, fimple, and eafy to be underilood ; and this was the reafon why, in the carlieft a^es, the India trade was earned on without difficulty. Tiie profperoiis days of the comnicrce with the Elanitic Gulf fccmcd to be at this time nearly paft ; yet, after the revolt of the ten tribes, Edom rcrnainiiig to thehoufe of D;ivid, ihey Oill carried on a furt of trade from the Elanitic (iulf, though attended with many dil}icu!t.i(.'s. This cciitiniied till the reign of Jcholaphat ; but, on Je. tor.im's fuccceding that prince, the Edomites revolted and chole a king of their own, and \verc never afier fiib-jt-a to the kings of Judah fill the reign of Uzziah, who cont^uered Eloth, fortified it, and having peopled it with ^ colony of his own, revived the old traffic. This fub-filted till tlieixign of Ahaz, when Rezin king of Damaf-cus took ElotJi, and expelled ihe Jews, planting in their flearf a colony of Syrian!.. But he d id not long enjoy this goi)d fortune, for the year after. Rezin was conquered by I ilgdlh-pijef(.T; and one ui the fruits of this virtory was tlie tiiking of Eluth, which neret afner returned to the j'-WS. T he extirpation of die Edomites, the repeated wars and (jon;iiieft to wh'ch the citics on the Elanicic Gu!f had been fabjefl, all the great events that immediately followed one air>ther, of courfe dilturbed the ufual channel of trade by the Red Sea, wliofe ports were now con-fequcnrly bccoine unfafe by being in poireffion of ftran-gers, robbers, and foldier.s ; it chansfd, therefore, to a place nearer the center ol police and good government, than fortified and frontier towns could be fuppofed to be. T he Indian and African merchants, by convention, met in AflTyria, as they had done in Semirainis's time ; the one by the Pcrfun Gulf and Euphra'es, the other thro' Arabia. Allyria, therelore, became the mart of the India trade in the Eaft. Nabopollafcr, and his fon Nebuchadnezzar, brought a prodigious quantiiy of bullion, both filver and gold, to Babylon his cajjiral, having plundered Tyre, and robbed Solomon's Temple of all the gold that had been brought from Ophir ; and he had, hefides, conqtiercd Egypt and laid it walle, and cut ofTthe comnnmication of trade in all thefe places, by almoft extirpating the people, Immenfc riches flowed to him, iherel'ore, on all fides, and it was a circumftance particularly favourable to merchants in that country, that it was governed by written laws that fcreened their properties from any remarkable violence or injuftice. Such was the fitiiation of the coiintry at the birth of Cyrus, who, having taken Babylon and flain Bclfhazzar, became raaiter of the whole trade and riches of the Eait, Whatever charafter writers give of this great prince, his condučt, with regrard to the commerce of the Couniry, (hews him to have been a weak one; for not content with the prodigious profperity to which his dominions had arrived, by the misfortune of other nations, and perhaps perhaps by the good faith kept by his fubjefts to merchants, enforced by tliofc written laws, he undertook the mod abfurd and difaftrous projeft of moleliing the traders themfehes, and invading India, that all at once he might render himfeif mailer of their riches. He executed this fchcme jull as abfurdly as he formed it; for, knowing that large caravans oi" merchants came into ?erfiaantl Affyria from India, through the Ariana, (the dcfert coaft chat runs all along the Indian Ocean to the Perfian Gulf, almoft entirely deftitutc of water, and veiy nearly as much fo of provifions, both which caravans always carry with them), he attempted to enter India by the very fame road with a large army, the ver\' fame way his prciifcefTor Semiramis had projetled 1300 years before ; and as her army had perifhed, fo did his to a man, without having ever met wiih the Jcaft fuc-ccfs. His fon and fucccffor Cambyfes, was equally unfortunate ; for, obferving the quantity of gold brought from Ethiopia into Egypt, he refolved to march to the fource, and at once make himftlf mafter of thofe trca-furcs by rapine, which he thought came too flowly through the medium of commerce. Cambyfes's expedition into Africa obtained a cclc. brity by ihc abfurdiiy of the projcft, by ihe.enormous crue'iy and havock that attended the courfe of it, and by the great and very jiift punilhmcnt that clofcd it in the end. It was one of thofe many monftrous extravagancies, which made up the life of the greateft madman that ever difgrated the annals of antiquity. 'I'he bafeil-mind is perhaps the moft capable of avaricc; and when this paffton ha;, taken poffeflion of the human iicart. it I5 ftrong enough to excite us to undertakings as great as any of thofe diiftated by the nobleft ot our virtues. Cambytes, nmidft the commiffion of the moft horrid ex-celTes during the conqucll of Egypt, was informed that, ■from the iouih of that country, there was conflanijy brought a quantity of pure gold, independent of what came from the top of the Arabic Gulf, which was now carr;eu into AlTyria, and circulatcd in the trade of his count;! . J his fiipply of gold bcloi g:d properly and cxclüfivcly to Egypt; and a vciy lue.a ive, tiicu^Si not very bruce's travels. yj very extenfivc- commerce, was, by its means, earned or\ with liicliu. He found out that ihc people, (lofreirin-r tlicfe trcafurcs, were called Macnbii, which Jigniiies iong li-vtrt; and that tliey pofleiled a country divitiecl from him by lakes, mountains, and dcfcrts. liut what ftill aftefted him molt was, that in his way ivere a niul-titude of warliiie Shepherds. Camb>res, in order to make peace with the Shcp. herds, fell furionfly- upon tlie gods and temples in Egypt; he murdered tl-.e facred ox, the apis, deftroyed Memphis, and all the public buildings wherever he went. This was a gratification to the bhepherds, being ecjiially cnc-Tiics to tliofe thjt worlliipped bealls, or lived ill cities. After this introdudion, he concluded peace with them in the mud folemn manner, each nation vowinjj eternal amity with the other. Notwithftanding which, no fooner was he arrived at Thi-bes (in Egypt)_ tlian he dctachcd a large army to plunder the Temple of Jupiter Aminon, rhe greateft objeil of the worlhip of Slu:pJjeri!swbich army utterly pcrirtied without a man remaining, probably coveicd, by the moving fands. He llien began his march againil the Mturohii, keeping clofe to the N'ile, The country (here being too high to receive any benefit from the inundaiion of the ri\'er, ptodiiccd no corn, fo that pari of his army died for want of provilion. A dctacliment from another part of his arniy proceeded 10 tlie country of the Shepherds, who, indeed, furnillied him with foi«! ; but, exufpeia'cd tit the fj-crilcge he had committed againit their god, they coii-dtlfted his troops througli places whore ihcy could procure no water. After fuflering all thi* lofs, he was not vet arrived beyond 24*^, the parallel of Syene. From hence he difpatclicd amballjdors, or Ipies, lo difcovcr the country before iii:", finding he could no longer rely lipon the Shepherds, 'i hcfe f und it full of black warlike people, ot'gri'ai fiM, and prodigious ilrent^th uf body; activc, and cunlinually extTcifed in huiilin;'-the lion, the elephant, and other moiiilrous bealls which live in thefe forcils. They fo abound with gold, that the mod common iitenfils and inllriiincrits were in.itic oftbat inctu!, whilll, at the fame time, they were utter 1'' • Itrangecs 74 SHAWs ABRIDGEMENT OF Grangers to bread of any kind whatever ; and, not only f(j, but their country was, by its nature, incapable of producing any for: of grain from which bread could be made. They_fubfifted upon raw flefli alone, dried in the fun, efpectalty that of the rhinoceros, the elephant, and giraffii, wtiich they had (lain in hunting. On fuch food tliey have ever fince lived, and live to this day, and on fuch food Mr. Bruce himfelf lived wuii them ; yet ftill it ap[jears ftrarge, that people conüned to this diet, without variety or change, fliould have it for their charafterißic that they were long livers. The Shepherds were not at all alarmed at the arrival of Cambyfes's ambafladors. On the contrary, they treated thcn:i as an inferior fpecies of men. Upon alking them about their diet, and hearing it was upon bread, they called it dang, probably from having the appearance of that bread which the miferable Agows, their neighbours, make from feeds of baftard rye, which they colleft in their fields under the burning rays of the fun. They laujhed at Cambyles's recjuifition of fub-initting to him, and did not conceal their contempt of his idea of bringing an army thither. They treated ironically his hopes of conqueft, even fuppofing all difficulties of the defert overcome, and his army ready to enter their country, and counfcled him to return while he was well, at leaft for a time, till he fhould produce a man of his army that could bend the bow that they then fent him ; in which cafe, he might continue to advance, and have hope of conqueft. It is well known, that the Perfians were all famous archers. The mortification, therefore, they experienced, by receiving (he bow they could not bend, was a very fenfible one, though the narrative of the quantity of gold the meflengers had feen made a much greater impreffion upon Cambyfes. To procure this treafure was, however, impraiSicable, as he had no provifion, nor was there any in the way of his march. His army, therefore, wafted daily by death and difper-fion; and he had the mortification to be obliged to retreat into Fgypt, after part of his troops hadbeenre-duced to the neceflity of eating each other. This BRUCE's travels. Trade was now attempted to be opened by Dirius, king of I'crfi.-, in a mucli more worthy and libcral manner, as he fcni fliips down the river Indus into tlie Ocean, wlience they entered the Red Sea. It is probable, in this voyage, he acquired all the knoivledgc: neceflary for cftabliThing this trade in Perlli; for he muft have paffed through the I'eifun Gulf, and along the whole eaftcrn coaft of Arabia ; he rauft have fcen the marts of perfumes and fpices that «-ere at the mouth of the Red Sea, and the njanner of bartering for gold and filver, as he was ncceflarily in ihofe trading pliccs which were upon the very fame coaft from which the bullioTi was btought. Alexander's expedition into India was, of all events, that which moft threatened the deftručlion of the cim-mcrce of the Continent, or the difperfmg it into different channt'ls throughout the Eaft ; Firft, by the deftriic-tionofTyre, wliich muft have, for a time, annihiUttd tlie trade by the Arabian Gulf; then by his march through Egvpt into the counlry of the Shepherds, and his intended further ptogrcfs into Kthio]'ia to the head of the Xile. If we may judge of what we hear of him in that part of his expedition, we (houM be apt not to believe, as others are fond of doing, that he had fchemes of commerce mingled with thofe of conquclls. His anxiety about his own bnh at the Tcniirle of Jupiter Ammon, this firft queftion that he ailed of the pricft, " Where the Nile had its fuurce," fccracd (o denote a mind bufied about other objefts ; for elfe he was then in the very place Yor information, being in the temple of the horned god, the deUy of the Shepherds, the African carriers of the Indian produce; a temple which, though in the nüüil ot fand, and dofti-tute of gold or filvcr, poflclled more and better information concerning the trade of India and Africa, than could be found in any other place on the Continent. Alexander, after hav ing viewed thc^ main ocean to the fouth, ordered Nearchu^ with his fleet to cnalt along the Pcriian Gulf, accomfHinied by part of tltc army on land for their mutual a(fi!lancc, as there were a great many hardihips which followed tiie march of t lis army by land, and much difficulty and danger nttcnd- K 2 ' ..,1 cd the fliijiping as tlicy were (ailing m unknown ftaj agninfl the monfoons. Ntarchus lumfelf informed she king at Babylon of fiictefifuJ voyage, who gave him orders to continue it into the Red Sea, which he happily accomphfhed to the bottom of the Arabian Gulf. The wiftft princes that ever fat upon the throne of F.nypt were the the I'tolcmies, who applied with the utmott care and atteniion to cultviatc the tiade of India, to ktcp up a pcrfcä and friendly underftandinj; Mfh every country ili.;t fupplicd any branch of it, and irj-dcad of difturhiiig ir eitlicr in Afia, Ajabia, or Ethiopia, ns their prcdtcftrors had done, they uftd :j;eir ut-raoft efforts to cr.ccuiage it in all quarters. Ptclciny 1. \"a.s at rhis tin:ie reigning iji Alexandria, the foundation of v. Iiofc grratnefshe not «nty Said, but lived to fee ii arrive at the grcatcft perfeiftioii. It was his conilant faying, iliatihe true glory of a king was not in being rich himfelf, but in making his fubjefis.fo. lie, therefore, opened his ports to all trading nations, encouraged ftrar.gers of every language, ];rotcifScd caravans, and a free navigation by fta, by which, in a few years, he made Alexandria the great ftnrc-houfc of merchandize from India, Arabia,^ and Ethiopia. Ttolemy had been a foldier from his infancy, ant! con-fcquently kept up a proper miiitary force, that made him every where refpečtcd in thefe warlike and unfettlcd times, hie had a fleet of two hundred fliips of war conftantly leady in the port of Alexandria!, t!ie only part for which he had appreher.fions. All behind him was wilely governed, whilft it enjoyed a moft flonrifliing trade, to the profperity of which peace is ncceffary. He died in peacc and old age, after having merited the lorious name of Scttr, or Äß-fititir of the ki/jgifn/n. Alexandria received the current of trade with the greateft impetuolity, all the articles of luxury of the Faft were to be found theie. Gold and fih er, which were fent formerly to Tyre, camc nr.w down to the Ifthmus (for Tyre was no more) by a much fhortcr carriage, thence to Memphis, whence it was fent down the Nile to Alexandria. The gold from the weft and fouth parts of the continent rcached the fame port with much lefs time time and rifle, as there was now no Red Sea to p:ifs ; and here was found the merchandifc of Ar^ibia and India in the greateft profuCon. Ptolemy, to facilitate ihe coniinunication with Arabia, built a town 011 the coaft of the Red Sea, in liie country of the Shi'plierd?, and callcd it Bi:nuiu-, after his tiiothcr- This was intended as ä pluce of neeeflary re-freiKinent fur all the srjdcrs up and down ilic Gulf, whether of India or Ethiopia ; hence the cjrgoes of merchants, who were afraid of lofing the monfouns, or had loft them, were carried by the inhabitants of the country, i a three days, to the Nile, and there embarked fur Alexandria. To make the coniniunication between the Nile and the Red Sea ftilt morecomutiodious, tlus prince tried an attempt (which had twicc bcfarc mifcarried with very great lofs) to bring a canal from the Red Sea to the .Mile, which he afliially accomplifli-ed joining it to the Pelufiac, or Eallern brancli of the Nile. Ptolemy had a veiy powerful fleet and army, but he »•as inferior to many of (he princes, his rivals, in elephants, of which great ufe was then made in war. Tliefe Kchifipians ucrc tiuiiters, and killed them for their fubfulefiee. Ptolemy, however, wilhcd to have tiiem taken alive, bsin^ iiutnerous, and ho^R:d bitli to furnilh himfeH", and difpufc of tlioni as an artielc of trade, to his nt-i^hhour^. ThcrL- is f.rnierhinjj rlJicu-loiii in the ni inn-r in which he excuto.! this es^jcdition. Aware of t'le dilKc'.ilty of ruhiiditig in ih ir co.iniry, hs chofe only a hundred Gre.'k hurfeiticn, v/hom he covered willi coats of monlhous appearance iTii.I iV/.c, which left notinng vifible but thi eves of rl;e rider, "I'licir horfes too were difguifed hy hti^e trapjiiugs, which took fro:T) tlK-ni ali ]>ropi)ilion ati.l lliape. In ihi^ manner they e-ucrcd this pan of li^tliiopij, IprcaJits^; terror cv ry here by their appc.iranco, to wHic!! their ftretigih and courage bore a (Irl^t propurtiun whL'ncvcr they cainc to ad'on. 15ut neither ioree nor intrcaty could gain any thin^' npi>n thefe Sliephijd.i, or ever make ibem e un-e ur f.jifakc rhe food ih'.>y hal S^'cn I;) long accu oiiK-il 10 ; a:i;l nil rl\c fr'i c Pfj'.L'niy r^-a;K'd from this expeditimi, was to lüiild c:ty, hy the i'on- ; " ii.ie, fide, ill tlie foutli-enft corncr of tfiis country, vvliich lie ciillcd Ptoltinais 1 hi-ron, or I'toleinais in the country o t IV ill] btalip. Ptolemy Kvcrgetcs, Ton and Aicceflbr of Ptolemy Phi-Indriphus, having jirovidcd himfelf amply with necclTa-rics for his army, oiJtrcd a fleet to coaft nlong befidc him, up the Red Sea; he penetrated quite through the country of the Shepherds into that of the Kthiopian Troglodytes, who are black and woolly-headed, and in-hihit the low country quite to the mountains of Abylli-nia. He even afccnded thofc mountaiiis, foiccd the inhabitants to fubraiffion, built a large temple at Axum, the capital of Sire, and raifcd a great many obelilks, fc-veralof which arellandingto this day. Afterwards proceeding to the fouth-caft, he defcended into the cinnamon and myrrh country, behind Cape Gardefan, (the Cape that terminatej the Red Sea, and the Indian OccatiJ from this, crolTcd over to Arabia, to the Homeiites, being the fame people with the Abyflinians, only on the Arabian fliore. He then conquered feveral of the Arabian princes, who flift refiflcd him, and had it in his power to have put an er.d to the trade of India tlierc, had he not been as great a politician as he was a warrior. He ufcd his vičlorj-, therefore, in no other manner, than to exhort and oblige thefe princes to protcfl trade, encou-ra-ic ftranger.s, and, by every means provide for the furc-ty'^of neutral interccurfe, by making rigorous examples of robbers by ft a and lard. India, and the Indian feas, were as well known in E-jrypt as they are now ; and the embatfy of Eitdoxus to the Indies mud have been to remove the bad effeils, which ihe extortions and robberies of Ptolemy VII. committed upon ail ftrangers in the beginning of his reign, had made upon the trading nations. Eudoxus returned, but after the death of Ptolemy. The ncceiTity, however, of this voyage appeared flill great enough to make Cleopatra, his widow, proječt a iccond to the fame place, and jvrcater preparations were made than for the former one, j^ut Eudoxus, trying experiments probably about the courfcs of the tr.idc-winds, loft Iiis paflage, and was thrown upon the coaR of Ethiopia; where, having landed, pud made himfelf agreeable to the natives, lie brought Iiomp home to Eg} pt a particular dcftription of that country and its produce, which furnillied ali the dil'covery necef-far>' to inftma the Piokinles in every thing that related to the anciciu trade of Arabia. The difcovcry of Spain, the poiTedion of the mines of Altita irom which they drew their fiivcr, and the revolution that happened iu Egypt itfclf, feeiued to have fiijwrfeded the ctimnmnicatiun with the coafi of Africa ; for, in Straho's time, few of the fiorts of the Indian Ocean, even thofe nearcfl: the Red Sea, were known. Mr. Eiuce fuppofcs, that the- trade to India by Kgypt detreaicd from ihe very liuic of the conqut-it by Cacfur. Ttie mines the Romans had at the fource of the river Betis, in bpain, did not produce them above 15,000]. a-year ; this was not a fiifficicnt capital for carrying oa the trade to India, and therefore the immenfe riches of the Roman? feem to have been derived from the great-nefs of the prices, not from the extent of the trade. Egypt no«', and all its neighbourhood, began to wear a face of war. to which it h.id been a ftranget; for fo many ages. The north of Africa was in cunftant troubles, after the firft ruin of Carthage ; fo that we may imagine the trade to India began again, on that fide, to be caj'-ried on pretty much in the fame manner it had been before the days of AlcKander. But it had enlarged itfclf very much on the Perfian fide, and found an eafy, fliort inlet, into the north of Europe, which then furnilKed them a market and confumption of Ipices. The Jews in Alexandria, until the reign of Ptolemy J-hifcon, had en fried on a very cxtcnfivc part of the India t i.»ic. All Syria was ir.ercniitile ] and lead, iron, iind copper, fupplied, in fome manner, the dfficienty of gold aud filvcr, \vhich never again was in fuch abund-antetill after the dil'covery of America. But the ancient irade to India, by the Arabi iii Gulf and Africa, carricd on by the medium ofthefe wo metals, remained at home undimiiiiflied with the lit .iopiaiis, defended by Jargeextcnfive deferts, and happy vith the enjoyment of riches and fecurity, till a frclh dif nxry again introduced to tliem both partners and mall rs in their trade. Mr. Bnicc next proceeds to giv; feme account of the vifit made by tjie Queen of Slicba, as wc erroneoufly call •E 4 'her. her, and the confequrnccs of ihat vifit; the foundation ot ati Elhiopian monarthy, and the continuation of ihc fccptrcin the tribe of Judah, down to this day. Many have thought this queen was an Arab. But Saba was a feparate ftatc, and the Sabeans a diftinft peo. pie from the Ethiopiani and the Arabs, aiul have continued fo till very lately. We know,from hlftory.that it it was a cuftom among thcfc Sabeans, to liave u'onien for their fovereigns in preference to men, a cuflom which itill fubfifts among their defcendents. Her name, the Arabt fay, was ßi/Ait >■ the Abyfiinians, Mnjuedri, Our Saviour cuils her Qxecti of tie Seu/l\ without meiilioning any other name, but gives his fanitioii to ihc truth of the Voyage. " The Ouecn of the South (or Saha, or Azab) " ftiail rife up in the judgment with this generation, and " fhall condemn it; for ih« came from the uttermoft " parts of the earth to hear the wifdom of Solomon ; and, " behold, a greater than Solomon is here." No other particulars, however, are racntione- Iiis l'iUtK-r to be iiillructed. Soiarnon did not ns^lra his ;i:iJ hc wai anaintci nnJ crowned king ot' Ethi.T piu, in the teinp'.e of jerufabiii, and ar his inauguracinn took thv' nans of David- ^ After this he returned ro Aza^, and brought v/ith him a colony of jews, a:nnng who n wor; many doctors oF the lav/ of Mofes, particularly one oi'ea;;!i tribe, to maUe ja.iges in his kiir^dom, fro.ti whom the prefcnt IJmbares (or Supreme Judges, three of whom always attend the king) are faid and ba-Itcved to be dcfccnded. With thefe came alfo Azaria<, the fon of Zadok the prieft, and brought with him a Hebrew tranfeript of the law, u-Iiich wa^ deiiverpd into his tuftodv, as he bore thi! title of Nebrit, or High Prieft; and this charge, though the book itfelf v.as burnt with the church of Axum in tliC Moorifli war of Add, is fliil continued, as it is fa-d, in the lineage of Azarias, who are Nebrits or ket-pfrs of the church of Axum, at t^-is ■day. All Abyffinia was thereupon converted, and the government of the church and ilate modelled according to what ^vas then in iifc at Jcrufuhm. The qu^cii of Sa'i.i having ma le hwi irrevocable to all her poftcrity, cii;d, after a long rcit;;i of forty year;, in 9S6 b.-forj CHriit, placing her Ion Mciulek upon rha tlu'.Tie, whoie p;ilU'rlrv', the annali of Abviii.i-a woul b t^ach us to believe ha/c ever fines rci^ncd. So far 'A'e. mnfl indeed b.-ur wltncfs to them, that this is no new do-'triae, but has been ileitdfallly md unifor.nly m.iiutain-ed fr.)m th:;Lr earlicil account of time; iirft, when je;v5, then in l.it r tlays jsttfr they had embra.-^d Ch;iinanin-. Mr. then o'jferixs, that lis wc arc a'laut to take oar leave of the lev.-iüi rjli.jion and government in the ii:ie ofSoi-jmon, it is here the proper thiit-he Ihoul.l add what he Jias to fay of Falatha. 't'lie acc3Li:it they give of themfclvcs, which is fupported only by tradition amoivj them, is, that tliey c-inic « ith Mcnilck. fr );n jerufalem, fo tfiat they lyrce pL■rfe^dly with the nians in the flory uf liie iju^-en of .Sa.ha, wh^. they fay, was a Jewefs, and her nation Jcv.-s before the time of Solomon ; that ßic lived at Saba, or A.'.aba, the miTrh and fraukinceiife country uprtn the Arajia'i gulf. They 5 fay Jay fiii'thcr, that fhc went to Jerufalcm, under protection of Hiram king of "i yre, whofe dauj^htcr is fakl in llie xlvth Pialin to have attended her thither; that flie went not in ftiips, nor through Arabia, for fear of the Khmadites, but from Axab round Mafuah and Siiakem, and was efcorted by the Shepherds, her own fubjcfts, to Jerufalcm, and back again, making ufe of her own country vchicle, the camel, and that lier's was a white one, of prodigious fiie and cxqiiifitc beauty. They agree alfo, in every particular, with the Abyflinians, about the remaining part of the ftory, the birth and inauguration of Mcnilek, who was their firfi king ; alfo the coming of Azarias, and tweh e ciders from the twelve tribes, and other doftors of the law, whofe pofterity they deny to have ever apoftatifed to Chriftianity, as the Abyf-fmians pretend they did at the converfinn. They fay, that, when the trade of the Red Sea fell into the hands of (Irangcrs, and ail communication was flmt up between them and Jcrufalem, the cities were abandoned, and the inhabitants relinquifhed the coaft ; that they were the inhabitants of thefe cities, by trade moftly brick and tile-makers, potters, ihatchcrs of houfes, and fuch like mechanics, employed in them ; and finding the low coun-)ry of Dembea afforded materials for exercifing tlicfe trades, they carried the article of pottery in that pro-, vince to a degree of pcrfeflion fcarcely to be imagined, Thefe people, being very induftrious, multiplied exceedingly, and were very powerful at the time of the convcriion to Chriftianity, or, as thiy term it, the Apof-facy under Abrcha and Atzbeha. At this time they declared a prince of the tribe of Judah, and of the raccof Solomon and Mcnilek, to be their fovereign. The name of this prince was Fhineas, who refufed to abandon the religion i f his forefathers, and from him their fovercigns are lineally defcended ; fo they have ftill a irincc of the houfe of Judah, although the Abyffinians, jy way of reproach, have callcd this family Bet Ifracl, intimating that tliey were rebels, and revolted from the faiDily of Solomon and tribe of Judah. An attempt was made, about the year 960, by this fa-inily to mount the throne of Abyflinia, when the princcs of the houfe of Solomon were nearly extirpated npon the rock rock Dam^. Tliis, it is probabth, ^rotiuced more ani-inofitv- and bloodfhed. At laft the power of the Falalh» was fo much weakened, that they were obliged to the fiat country of Dembea, having no cavalry to main-tatn themfelves there, and to take pofleffionof the rugged, and almoft inacceffiblc rocks, in that hi^h ridge called the mciuntains of Samen. A great overthrow, ivhich they received in the year 1600, brought them to the very brink of ruin. In that battle Gideon and Judith, their king and queen, were flain. They have iinee adopted a more peaceable and dutiful behaviour, pay taxes, and arc fuffered to enjoy their own government. The only cojjy of the Old Teftament which they have, is in Geez, the fame made ufe of by the Abyflinian Chrif-tians, wtio are the only fcribes, and fell thefe copies to the Jews ; and, it is very Angular that no controverfy, or difpute about the text, has ever yet arifen between the profeffors of the two religions. Tudoir, the moft learned man that has written upon the fubjcft, fays, that it is apparent the Eihiopic Old Tefiaraent, at Icaft the Pentateuch, was copied from the Septuagint, bccaufe of the many Grecifnis to be found in it; and the names of birds and precious ftones, and fome other palTages that appear literally to be trariflated from the Greek, He imagines a!fo, that the prcfent Abyffinian vcrfion is the work of Frumcntius their firli bifhop, when Abyffinia was converted to Chriftianity under Abteha and Atzbcha, about the year 330 after Chrift, or a few yeaca later. As the Abylönian copy of the Holy Scriptures, in Mr. Ludolfs opinion, was tranOated by frumentlus »bovc 330 aftur Ciirilt, and the Sepiuagint verfion, in the days of i'hiladclphus, or Ptolemy U. above ibo years before Chrilt, it will follow, (hat, if the prefent Jews ufe the copy tranflated by Frumcntius, and, if that was taken from the Septuagint, the Jews muft have been above 400 years without any books whaifoever at ihe time of the converfton by Ftumentius; So they mull have had all the Jewiih law, which is in perfect vigour and forcc among them, all their Levitical obfervances, tlieir purißcaiionsj atonments, abftinences and facrifi-ccs, all depending upon their memory, without writing, E 6 °at at Jeafi forthat long fpace of 401 years. TLis. though not ab(olutely impoffible, is fiirely very nearly fo. \Vc know, ^hat at Jerufaiem Itfclf, the feat of Jcwifh Inw and learning, idolatry hajipeiiing to prevail, "during the fhort reigns of only four kings, the aw, in that interval, became ib perFeflly forgotten and unknown, that a copy of it being accidentally found and read by Joliah, that prince, upon his firft learning its contents, was fo adonifhed at the deviations from it, that he apprehended the immediate dellruftion of the whole city and -people. The Ahyflinlanshavethewhole fcriptures entirely as wc have, and count the fame number of books ; but they divide them in another manner, at leaft in priv ate hands, few of them, from extretne poverty, being able to pur-chafc the whole, cither of the hiftorical or prophetical books of the Old Tcftament. The fame may be faid of the New, for copies containing the whole of it arc very fcarce. Indeed no where, un efs in churches, do you fee more than the Gofpels, or the Afts of the Apoftles, in one perfon's poflcffion, and it muft not he an ordinary man that poflTefles even thefe. Many books of the Old Teftament are forgotten, fo that it is the fame trouble to procure thcin, even in churches, for the purpofe of copying, as to confult old records long covered with duft and rubbifii. llic Revelation of St. John is a piece of favourite leading among them There is no fuch thing as diftinčlions between canonical and apocryphal books. Bell and the Dragon, and the Afts of the Apoftles, are read with equal devotion, and, for the moft part, with equal cdtfication. The Song of Solomon is a favourite picce of reading among the old priefts, but forbidden to the young ones, to the deacons, laymen, and women. The Abyffinians believe, lhat this fong was made by Solomon in praife of Pharaoh's daughter J and do not think, as forae of our divines are dif. pofed to do, that there is in it any myfter)- or allegory refpefting Chrift and the church. Next to the New Teftament they place the conftitu-tutlons of the Apofllcs, which they call Syrrnodss, which, as far as the caf« or dočlrines apply, wc may fay is the written-Iaw of the country, Thefe were tranflated out of of the Arabic. They have ne\t a general litur^, or book of common prayer, befides feveral others peculiar to ccrtain fellivals, under whofe names thev go. The next is a very large volumnious book, called Haimamnt Abou, chicfty a coileftion irom the works of difR.-rcnt Greek fathers, treating of, or explaining feveral hprefits, or difputed points of faith, in the ancicnt GreekChurcli, Tranilations of the works of St. Athanafuis, St. Bazil, St. John Chryfoilome, and St. Cyril, are likcwife current among them. The next is the Synaxar, or the Flos Sanftorum, in which the miracles and Hve^, or lies of their faints, are at large recorded, in four monftrous volumes in folio, fluffed Cull of fables of the inoft incredible kind. They have a faint that wrelUed with the devil in ihe (liape of a ferpcnt nine miles long, threw him from a mountain, and killed him. Another faint who converted tlie devil, who turned monk, and lived in great hoUncfs forty ye.irs after his converlion, doing penance for having tempted our Saviour upon the mountain : what became of hijn after, they do not fay. Again, another i'aint, that never ate nor drank from his mother's womb, went to Jeriifii-lem, and faid mafs every day at the holy fepulchre, and came home at night in the (liape of a Ilork. The lad Mr. Bruce mentions was a faint, who, being very hck, and his ftomach in diforricr, took a longing for partridges ; he called upon a brace of them to come to him, and immediate y two roalleJ partridges jlymg, and refted upon his plate, to be devoüred. Thefc llories are circumfiantially told and vouched by unexceptionable people, and ivcre a grievous ftumbHng-block to the Je-fuits, who could not pretend their own miracles were cither berter eflablifhed, or mote to be credited. The laft of this Ethiopic library is the book of Enoch. Upon licaring this book firft mentioned, many literati in Europe had a wonderful delire to fee it, thinking that, no doubt, many fecrets and unknown hillorics miglit be drawn from it. Upon this, fame impoftor gettin:; an Ethiopic book into his hands, wrote for the tirle,''?"^!-Prophtcin of Enuch, upon the front page of it. \I. Picrifc no fooner heard of it than he purchafej it of t!ie impoftor for a confidcrable fura of money : beiiv^ placed altcrwiirdi afterwards in Cardinal Mazarine's libr.ir}', where Mr. Lui'ulf had accefs to it, he found it was a Cnoftic book upon ni)'!leries in licavcn and earth, but which mentioned not a wovd of Enoch, or his prophecy, from be, ginning to end ; and, from this difappointtnent, he lakes upon him to deny the exiftcnce of any fuch hook any where elfe. 'I'his, however, is a niillake ; for, among the articles Mr. Bruce conligned !o the library at Paris, was a very beautiful and magnificent copy of the prophecies of Enoch, in large quarto; another is amongfl the bo:)ks of fcripture which he brought home, flanding immediately before the book of Job, which is its proper p'ace ill the Abyflinian canon ; and a ibird copy he pre-icntcd to the Bodleian library at Oxford. The Abyfllni.in atinals mention an expedition to hnvc happened into the farthcft part of Arabia Felix, which the Arabian authors, and indeed Mahomet himfelf in the Koran calls by the name of the War of the Elephant, and the caufe of it was as follows: There was a temple nearly in the middle of ihe peniiifula of Arabia, that had been held in the grcatell veneration tor about. 1400 years. The Arabs Aiy, that Adan, when (hut out of paradife, pitched his tent on this fpot; while Eve, from ibnie accident or other, died and was bur'cd on the fliore oftheRedSea, at Jidda. Two days journey eail from this place, her grave, of green fods about fifty yards in length, is {hewn to this day. In this temple alfo was a black (lone, upon which Jacob faw rhe vifion mentioned in fcripture, of the angela defceiiding, and afccnding into Heaven. It is likewife faid, with more appearance of probability, that this temple was bui!'. by Sefollris, in his voyage to Arabia Eclix, and that he was worlbippcd there under the name of Ofiris. This tower, and idol, being held in great veneration Ly the neighbouring nations, fiiggefted the very natural thought of niaking the temple the market for the trade from Africa and India. They chofe [his town in the heart of the country, aeceffibk on all fides, and com-jnanded on none, calling it Beeca, which fignifics the Houfe ; though Mahomet, after breaking tli3 idol and 4cdieating the ccinplc to the true God, named it Mecca, under under which name it lias continued, the centre or threat marc of the India trade to this day. " Abrelia, in order to divi-rt this trade into a channel more convenient lor his prefent dominions, built a very-large church or temple, in the country of the Homerites, and nearer the Indian Ocean. To encourage alfo the refort to this place, he extended to it all the priv ileges, protečiion, and eniolunaents, that bciunged to the Pagan temple of Mccca. Among the various tribes of Arabs, one called Beni Koreifli, had the care of the Caba, the name by which the round tower of Mecca was called. Thcie people were exceedingly alarmed at the profpeft of their temple being at once defcrted, both by its votaries and merchants, to prevent which, a party ot rhem, i-i the night, entered Abreha's temple, and having fini burned what part of it couid be confumed, they polluied the part that remained, by befmearing it over with human excr^nicnts. So grofs an affront could not be pafled unnoticed by Abreha, who, mounted upon a white elephant, at tho head of a confsderablc army, refolved, in retitrn, to ds-ilroy the temple of Mccca, and with tliis intent laid fiegc to that place. Abou Thaleb was then keeper of the Caba, who had intereft with his countrymen the Beni Korcifh to prevail upon them to make no refinance, nor üiew any figns of wifhing to make a defence. He had prefented himfelf early to Abreha upon his march. There was a temple of Ofiris at Taief, which, as a rival to that of Mecca, was looked upon by the Beni Koreifh with a jealous eye. Abreha was fo far mifled by the intelligence given liim by Abou Thaleb, that he niifJook the Temple of Taief for that of Mecca, ajid razed it to the foundation, after which he prepared to r.-turn home. Being foon afterwards informed of his miiiakc, and not repenting of what he had already dons, he relblvcd to deliroy Mecca alfo. Abou Thaleb, however, had never left his fide ; by his great hofpitality, and the plenty he procured to the Emperors army, he fo gained Abreha, that hearing, on inquiry, he was no mean man, but a prince of the tribe of Beni Koreifli, noble Arabs, he obliged him to lit in his prefence, and kept him conltantly with him asa conipanicn. At Sail, not knowing knowing how ro r«w!tril liini fufficienily, Abreha dc. fired liiin to a(k any iliiiig in lii> power to grant, and he would (.itiiiy li'.ni. /Vhou _ Thaleh, taking him at his word, wifted to be provided with a man, thjt fhould bring back forty oxen, the folilicrs haecies of cruelty, by ordering certain furnaces, or pits full of lire, to be prepared. into which he threw as many of the inhabitants of Najiraji as refufcd to renounce Cliriftianity. Juftin, the Greek Emperor, was then employed in an unfuc-ccfsful war with the IVrfians, fo that lie could not give any nfliilance to the afflicted t'hrilHaiis in Arabia, but in the year ^22 he Ibni an cmbafly to Caleb, or F.lcf-baas, king of Abyflinia, intrcating him to interfere in favour ol the CKrillians of Najiran, as he too was of the the Greek church. On the Emperor's firft rctjueft, Caleb fent orders to Ahreha, Governor of Yemen, to march to the alTiftance of Aretas, the fon of him who was burnt, and who was then coHcfting troops. Strengthened by this reinforcement, the young foldicr did not ihink proper to delay the revenging his father's death, (ill the arrival of ihe Emperor ; but having come up with Phineas, who was ferrying his troops over an aim of the fea, he entirely routed them, and obliged their prince, for fear of being taken, to fwim with his hnrft to ihe nearcft iliore. It was not long before the Emperor had trofTed the Red Sea with his army; nor liad Flür,!-as loil any time in collečling his fcattcrcd forces to oppofe him. A battle was the eonlcquence, in which the fortune of Caleb again prevailed. Neither of the Jewtfh kingdoms were deftroyed by the viflories of Caleb, or Abreha, nor the fubfequent con-que« of the Pcrfians. In the Neged. or north part of Ara.ia, they continued not only alter the appearance of M,Aomet, but lill after the Hegira. The Arabian matiu-fcripts fjy pofitively, that this Ahreha, who affiftcd Arclas, was Governor of Arabia Felix, or Yemen. In the Greek, church a rooft fhameful proUiiution of manners prfvailed, as alfo innumerable herelics, which were firft received as true tenets of their re) gion, but were foon after perfccuted in a moft uncharitable manner, as being erroneous. Their lies, their Ijgcnrts, their faints and miracles, atid, above all, the abandoned behaviour of the pricdliood, had brought their charaflers in Arabia alinoft as low as that of the detailed Jew, and, hitd they been confidered in their true hght, ihcy h.id been ftill lower. The diftatcs of nature in the hiart of the honell Pagan, conlbntly employed in long, 1 inely, and dangerous voyages, awakened him often to refleft who that Providcnce was that invifibly governed him, fupplied his wants, and often mercifully favedhim from the deflntdion into which his own igno-rancc or radinefs were leading him. Poifuned by nu fyftem, perverted by no prejudice, he wiihed to know and adore his Benef^ftor, with puiity and fimplicity of heart, free from thefe fo iperies and follies with which ignorant priefts and monks hai difguifeJ his worlhip. PoilefTed PofTefled of charity, fteady in his duty to his parents full of veneration for his fuperiors, attcntii-c and u;crci' ful even to hii beafts; in a word, containing in his heart the principles of the firft reli_gion, which God inculcatcd in the heart of Noali, tlie Arab was alfcady pi epared to einbracc a mucli more peifeft one than what Chriftianity, at that time, disfigured by folly atiii fuperftition, appeared to him to be. Mahomci, of the tribe of Beiii Koreifli (at whofe inftigatioii is uncertain) took t;pon hirafcif to be tlie apofttc of a new religion, pretending !o have, for his only objeft, the worThip of the true God. OÜcnfihSy full of the morality of the Arab, of paticiicc and lelf-denial, fuperior even to what is made ncccffary to lal-vation by the gofpel, his religion, at ihe bottom, was but a fyftem of blafphemy and laUehooci, corruption and inju(lice. Mahomet and his tribe were moll profoundly ignorant. There was not among them bui one man that could write, and it was not doubted he was to be Mahomet's fecretary, but unfortiuMtely Maii^met could not read his writing. The (lory of the angel who brought him leaves of the Koran is well known, and fo is all the red: of the fable. The wifer part of his oivti relations, indeed, laughed at the impudciice of his pretending to hsve a cominunicatjon with angels. Having, however, |;ained, as his apo(lies, forac of the beil foldicrsof the tribe of Beni Koreifli, and perfifting with great uniforniity in all his meafures, he eftabliilied a new religion upon the ruins of idolatry and Sabaifm, in the very temple of Mecca. Mahomet enjoined nothing fevcre, and ihc frequent ]Hayers and ivafhings with n-ater which he direacd, were gratifications to a fedentjiy people in a very hot countiy. Thelightnefs of this yoke, therefore, recommended it r-ipidly to thofc who were difguiled with long fading, penances, and pilgrimages. The poifon of this falfe, yet not fevere religion, ipread ilfetf from that fountain to all the trading nations: India, tthiopia, Africa, all Afia, fuddenly embraced it; and every caravan carried into the bufom of its Country people not more attached to trade, Üian ÄCalüus to jjrcacb ani propqgate their new faith. Tiir The Arabs begun very foon to ftudy ktters, anti Lame to be very partial to tlieir own language; Mahomet him-felf fo TDLich fo, that he held out his Xuran, for its elegance alone, as a greater miiacle than tliac of l aifing 'he dead. This was not univcrfiilly allowcil al that time ; as there were even then conipofitions fuppofcd to equal, if not to furpaf» it. The Arahs were a people wiio Jivt-d in a country, fo/ the moli ji'irt, dcferr ; their dux-llings wete tCiits, their priiicipic occiipaiion feeding and breeding caitlc, and they married with their own family. The language therefore of fuch a people muft be very poor ; there is no variety of images in their whole country. They were always bad poets, as their works wili teliify ; and if contrary to the general rule, the language of Arabia Deferta bccame a copious one. ü mull have been by the miictiire of fo many nations meeting and trading at Mecca. It muft, at the fame time, have been the mfft cot-lupt, where there « as the greatcft concoiirfe of if rangets^ and this was certainly among the Beni Koreifh at ihg Caba. The war that had dülrafted all Aiabia, flrfl between the Greeks and Perlians, then between Mahomet and tlie Arabs, in fupport of his divine miffion, l a.i very much hurt the trade carried on by univtrf;!! confent at ihc Temple of Mecca, (."□rai'ans, when they dart-d venture out, were fuiprifcd upon every road, by the par ifans of one fide or tlie other. Both merchants and trade had taken their departure to the fouthward, and eliabliflied themfelves fouth of the Arabian Gulf, iti pUccs which had been the markets for commerce, and the renJevous of merchants. '1 he conquefl of the Aliyflitiian territoricj in Arabia forced all ihofe thJt yet remained to take le-fuge on the African fide, in the little diflrifts which now gröv- into conlideration. The Governor nf Yemen {or ISajafhi) converted now to the faith of Mahomet, retired to the African tide of the GiiIf. His government, long ago, having been fliaken to the tery fi>iindation by the Arabian war, was. at lall totally dcftroycd After tvmar had fubdued Eg^, pt, he dcilrnyed the ^■a-Juable library at Alexandria ; but his fucceffors thought very ditTerently from him in the artielc of profan-.- Icaminj;, Greek Crook books of all kinds (efpecially thofe of Gconietrj', Aihr.nomy, and Medicine,) « ere fearched for every where and tiaulluteti. Sciünces ilouriflied and were encouraged. Trud',- at the fume time kept pace, and increaftJ with k-.'v.'.'lcdjre. Cico^raphy and aitronomy \vere every whero ftudicd, rjiid foIidJy applied to make the Voy-ao".'. of men ir'jin pbce to place fate and expeditious. Jn one tasniiy of (he jews, an independent fuvereignty ha,i .-vlu-avÄ been preJerved on tlie mountain of Samen, and the royil residence was upon a high-pointed rock, called the |e->v! Rock: Scver.il other Jiiacceiüble mountains ^jrvcd as rjuural fortrelTes ibr this people, noiv grown very confideralilc by frequent acce.Tioiis of Irrcngth from Pa-loftine and Arabia, whence the Jews had been expelled. Oidcon and Judith were then king and queen ot the Jews, ami their daughter Judith (whom in Amiiara they call Eßher, and fometimcs i. t. jire.) was a woman of great be.iuty, and talents for intrigue ; had been married to the governor of a fmali didnčt callcd Bugna, in the neighbourhood of l.afta, both «hich countries were like-wife much infefted witli Juda fm. Judith had made fo flrong a party, that flie refoh-ed to attempt the fubvcrllon of the Chrillian religion, and, with it, the fucccfTion in the line of Solomon, '^'he children of the royal family were at this time, in virtue of the old law, confined on the almoft inACcefliblc mountain of Damo in Tigre. The Ihort rcign, fuddcn and unexpe£led death of the late king Aizor, and the defoiation and cor-tagion which an epidemical difeafe had fpre.id both in couri and c.ipttal, the weak ftate of Del Naad who was ta fuccecd Aizor ;inil was an infant; ali tlicfc circumiiiinces together, imprelfed Judith with an idea that now was the tijne to place her family upon täic throne, and ellablilh hi r religion by the extirpatirn of the race of Solomon. Accordingly Ihe furpnfed the rock Damo, .ind Hew the whole princes there, to the nunibcr, it is faid, of about 400. iiome nobles of Amhara, u ion the firit news of ihe cataftrophe at Damo, conveyed the infant king Del Naad, now the only remaining prince of his racc, into the powerful and loyal province of Shoa, and by this means ihe royal family was preterved to be aj;ain refto-rcd. Judith took polfeffion of the throne in defiance of the 9+ shaw'S abridgement, &c: tile law of the queen of Saba, by this the firft interruption of the fucceflion in the line of Solomon; and, contrary to what might have been expefted from the violent means Ihq had ufed to acquire the crown, ftie not only enjoyed it herfelf during a long reign of 40 years, but tranfmittcd it alfo to five of her poilerity. After a great number of years, the line of Solomon was again reftored in the defcendants of Del Maacl, who. as we have fecn, had efcaped from the maflacre of Damo under Judith. Content with poflefKng the loyal province ofShoa, they continued their royal refidetice there, without having made one attempt, as far as hiftory tells uSj towards recovering their ancicnt kingdom. travels TRAVELS TO DISCOVER The SOURCE of the NILE. BOOK III. ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA. Coniaining the Hißory of the Ahyßnians, from the Rcßtra^ lion of the Line of Sikman to the Death of Sodnios. ICON AMLAC. FROM 1Z68 TO I2S3. IN an abridgement of fo copious a work, it cannot be exjieifted that we fliould follow Mr. Bruce minutely through his Annals of Abyßinia, The accounts of tings and princes of remote ages arc not always entertaining. We fliall therefore in this and the following Book collett only fuch matters as appear entertaining or inftru£live to our readers, and (hall refer thofe to the original itfelf, whofe leifure, curioftty, or pecuniary abilities, may enable them to perufe larger works. Icon Amiac is the only name by which wc know this firlV pjince of the race of Solomon, reftored now fully to his dominions, after a long exile his family had fuf-fered by the trcalbn of Judith, The llgniftcatioii of his name is, " Let him be made our foveteign," and is apparently parently that wliich he took upon hi's inauguration or acceflitJn to the throne; and his name of baptifm, and bye.HaiTii." or popular name given him, are botli t]icrc-forc lüfl. He was a wile and prudent jirincc. I G E A SION. from 1283 to 1312. TO Icon Amlac Aicccedcd Igba Sion, and after him five oihcr j'rinccs, his brothers, Bihar Segued, Tzerraf Segued, fan Segued, HafcbAraad, and KcJcm Segued, slTin live years. So quick a' lueceffion iii fo few years fcrms 10 mark very unfettltd times. Whcilicr it. was a f ivil war among tlieiiifelves chat brought thefe relgtis to fo fpcedy a conchiiion, or whether it was that the Mot>-riih ftates in Adel had grown in power, and fought fuc-cefsfully againil them, we do not know. A M D A SION. From 131B to i AMDA Sion fucceeded his father, Wedem Araad, who was younged brother of Icon Amlac, and came to the crown upon the dealh of his uncles. He is generally known by ihis his inauguration name ; his Cbriftian name was Guebra Mafcal. His reign began with a fcetic as difgraccful to the name of Chritlian as it was new in the annals of Ethiopia, and whieh promifed a tharafler very difierent from what this priiicc prcferved ever af. terwards. He had for a time, it feems, privately lovcd^a conruhine of Iiis father, but had now taken her lo live with him publickly ; and, not content with committing this fort of incell, he, in a very little time after, had fe-duced his two lifters. Patience was as little among this prince's virtues as chadity, as he immcdiarely ordered Honorius 10 be ap. prehcnded, ftripped naked, and fevcrcly whipped through c.very ftrect of his capital, 'I'hal fame night the town took, üre, and was entirely confumcd, and the clergy lofl no time to perfuade the people, that it was the blood of Ilonorin? BRUCE-5 travels. gy Honorlus that turned to fire whenever it had Jroppcti upon the ground, and fo had burnt the city. TJje king perhaps better informed, thought otherwifeof this, ar^ fijppofed the burning of his capital was owing to the Monks themfdvcs. He therefore banlfhcd thofe of Dc-bra l.ebanos out of the province of Shoa. Iti Adel and AiiiTa the inhabitants arc lawny, and not black, and have long hair. They are rich and powerful ; but there is no current coin in AbyHinia. Gold is paid by weight ; all the rcvennes are chielly paid In kind, viz- oxen, fhcep, and honey, whicii are the great-eft ncccfldrics of life. As for luxuries, they are obt.-Jncd by a barter of gold, myrr'.i, colTee, clephanis tectli, and a variety of ochcr arlicles w hicli ate carricd over to Arabia ; and in exchange for thefe is brought back Viliat-cver is cnmmiiriutied. In Abyffinia, ihc rainy feafon generally puts an end to tlie ailivc part of war, as every one retires then to towns and villages to fcrccn tliemfclves from the jncle-mencv of the cli/nate, deluged no«- xvith daily rain, 'i he foldier, the luitbandman, and.-above all, the women, dc- . dicate this feafon to continued feftivitv and ri( t. Thcfc villages and to-^-ns ^re alvvavs ]'Iaced upon the highcll mountains ; tlic valle\'s that intervene are foon dividei by large and rapid itjrrenti. Evcrs' hollow foot-paih becomes a flream, and the vjlleys between the hills becorac fo miry as not t.j bear a horfe ; the wartrs. b&th deep and vicient, are too apt to fliift their uirt-i^fion to fulfer any one (in foot to pafs fafcly. All this feafon, a:id this alone, people fleep in their höufes in fafety : their lar.ccs and ihicidä are hung up on the (iclef- of their ha!l, and the fad-dt-s and bridks :aki n oif their horfcs; for in Abyfiinia, at other iin:<-S, t'lc horfcs are nl lays bridleil, and are accuf-toincd toeut and drink wit!: this incuinbrance. The court, and the princij-al oJHcers of govei n:n--r't, retire to the capital, and there admiiiiller julbcc, make alliances, ar.J prepare the nfccflary fulld^ and armaments, Vv-hich the prcfent extsencics of the (la'e reijuire on the return luf fair weather. _ The Abyflinian-s arc ever)- one of them fearful of the niglit, unwilling to tra\el, and, above nil, to iigl-t in t!-.at feafon, when they ima;;ir;e the world is in poiTef-fton of certain genii, averft to'T«ter;:ourfe ^vith !]ifn, an i and very viiidiiTive, if even by accident they ate ruffleü or put out of their « ay by their inter(trreticc. This, iu-deed, is cariicd to fo great a height, that no man will venture to throw water out of a bafou upon the ground, for fear that, in ever fo fmall a fpace the water fhould ■have to fali, the dignity of fume elf, or fairy, might be \ iolatcd. 1 !ic Minors have none of tlicTc apprehen-fions, and are acrultomed in the way of trade to travel at iill hours, foinetinies fiom ncceflit)-, but often ironi choicc, to avoid t!ie heat. They laueh. moreover, a« the fupcrftilions of the Abvflinians, anil not unfrcquent-1y avail thcmfclves t>f them. A verfe of ti e Koran, (wed up in leather, and tied round their necks or their arms, fecures them from all thefe incorporeal enemies; and, from this known advantage, if other circumibn-CCS are favutitable, they never fail to fight the AbylGni-ans at or before the üawn of ic expired. Though notliino; had hitherto appeared to criminatc the young prince, it was foon told tlie king, that, after the death of tte queen, her fon Bada Mariam bad taken frankinceiife and wax-taprs from the churches, which heeiTploycd, at Hated times, in the obfervation of the ufuai folcm 111 tics over his mother's grave. The king, having calicd his fon before him, licgau to queftion him about w hat he had heard ; whiL the prince, without heii-^a(ion, gave him a full account of cx'ery circumftance, glorying in v. hat, he faid, was his duty, aud denying that he was accountable to any man on earth for the jnarks of aft'eilion which he fiicweri to- his mother. BsJa Mariam coniidering iiis fen's jufl ificatirn as a reproach made to hiinfelf for crueli)', ordered the prince, and, with him, his principal friend Meherata Chriitos, to be loaded with irons, and banifiied to tl-.e top of a iiioun-tain ; and it is iiard to fay where this punilhment .vould have ended, had not the monks of Dcbra Kofib and ilfbra Liijanas, and all thofc of thedcfcrt, {who thought them-felves in fome meafure accomplices with his mother j, by orfations, pretended prophecies, dreams and vifions, convinced the king, that providencc had decried unalterably, that none but his fon, ßa;da üvlariam, fliould fuc-eeed him. 'i'o this ordinance the oKi king bowed, as it ga\'e him a pro^efl (if rhe long contmuance of his family on the tl'i'-.nc of A'^yffiriia. This king, while lit v. as bufy in planing the conqueft of .\dcl. -.^av. fcized with a pain in his bo\^■els. whether from poiion or othcnvife, ib not kn^v.-n, which put a pc-ri'-d to hii life, f fe was a prince of ^rcat br.ivery and cond .ft, very moderate in his plcafures, ver>' devout, ■ztalcus for tlieellabUlhed church, butftcady in'his refift^ ai5ce ance to tlie monks and other clergy in all their attempts towards pcrfccution, innovation, aiid independency. iSCANDER, or ALEXANDER. From 1478 to 149?* KING Bsda Mariam being dead, tlie hlftory of Abyf-finia informs us, that a tumultuous meeting of the nobles brouglit from the mountain of Gethen the queen Romana, with her fon Ifcander, who upon his arrival was crowned without any oppofition. Kor (cveral 3'ears after Ifcander afcended the throna, the queen his mother, together with the Aca'j Saat, '1 csfo Georgis, and Hctwii;kt Amdu, go-vernetl the kingdom defpotically under the nanie of rhc younu kin.^. AcfOrdiaaJy, alter fsnsa vtara {'uffcriAie, a confniracy was formed, at the bead of which ^^■ere two men of great power, Abba Amdu and Abba Hafabo, but the con^irators proving unfuccefsfui, fome of them were imprifoned, fome put to death, and others banifiied to un-wholefomc places, there to perifh with huiiger and fevers. The king having proved fuccefäiful in the war agalnft; Add, in his return to Shoa, left Iiis troops, which was the northern army, in the northern provinces, as he pafled ; fo that he came to Shoa with a very fmall retinue, hearing that Za Saluce, his prime minilter, antl commander in chief, had gone to Amhara, of which place he was gouvernor. This traiiOf, however, had left his crcatures tiehind liim, after inftriifting ihem what they were to do. Accordingly, the fecond day after If-cander's airivai in "J cgulat, the capital of bhoa, they fet u]>on h»m, during the night, in a fmall houfe in Ay-lo Mcidan, and murdered him while he was fleeping. They concealed his botly for fome days in a mill, bot 'J'aka Chrillns, and fi'me others of the king's friends, took up tlic corpfe ;ip'i cxpofcd it to the people, who with one accord, pioi laimed Andreas, ion of Ifcandcr' king ; and Za S^Iuce, and his adherents, traitors. In the mean time, ^a S.iliice, fur from finding the^n-couragenient lie expetled in Amhara, was, upon his ürll ap|)earance, fct upon by the nobility of that province • 3 anct; and, being defericd by his troops, he was taken prifon-er; his. eyes were put out, and, being motinted cm an afs, he was carried amidft tlic curfes of the people thro" the provinces of Amhara and Shoa. Ifcander was fuc-cecdcd by his fon Andreas, or Amda Sion, an infant, who reigned feven months only. N A O D. From 1495 to 1508. SOON after the unfortunate death of the young king Alexander, the ]>eopie in general, wearied of minorities, unanimoully chofe Naod for their king. He was /ilex, ander's youngeft brother, the difference of ages being but one ycsr, though he was not by the fame mother, but by the Icing's fecond wife Calliope. Naod was no fooner featcd on the throne than he pub-liOied a very general and cumprelienfive amnefty. By proclamation he declared, •• Thai any perfon who fliould upbraid another with being a party in the miiJortunes of pad times, or fay that he had been privy to this or to that confpiracy, or had been a favourite of the emprefs, or a partizan of Za Sahjce, or had received bribes from the Moors, IhoLiid, without delay, be put to death." This proclamation had the very bert effect, as it quieted the mind of every gu'hy periou when he faw tlie king, from whom he feared an inquiry, cotring off <111 poiTibie means by which it could be procured againlt him. Naod having, by his courage and prudencc, freed himfelf from fear of s foreign war, fet hirafeif like a wife prince to the reforming of r le abules that prevailed every where among his pecplc: xnd to the cultivation of the arts «f peace. He died a natural death, afler having reigned DAVID III. From IJ08 to 1540. David was only eleven years o!d when he was placed upon the tiiroxie ; and, at his inauguration, took the name 'of ofLcbna Dcnghel, or the virgin's fr.mkincenfe; then thai of Etana Dengliel, or the myrrh of the virgin'; and after that, of Wanag Segijed^ which fignitics Reverenced, or I'earcd, among the Lions, with whom, towards the lad of his reign, he refided in wilds and mountains more than with men. He died in the year 1540, after a reign of complicated misfortunes, CLAUDIUS, or atzenaf segued. From 1540 to iSjg- ClaudinTi fiicceeded his father David III. being yet young, and found the einpire in circumftajnccs that would have required an old and experienced prince. But, though young, he poflefied thofe graceful and affable manners which, at firft fight, attached people of all forts to him. He had been tutored with great care by the emprefs Helena, was expert in all warlike excrcifes, and brave beyond his years. Such is the charaiHcr given this prince by the Abyflinian writers ; but Mr. Uruce is of opinion that he did not merit thefe encomiums. Under this reign, Mr. Bruce relates fome particulars of Nur, governor of Zeyla, and general of the Moors, which, in fpite of the narrow limits to which \vc are confined, we cannot avoid tranfcribing. He was deeply in love with a widow lady, Del Wumbarea, from whoin He had marks of gratitude to expea, as he had affifted her in making her efcape into Atbara that day her hulband was flain. But this heroine had conftantly refufcd to llften to any propofals ; nay, had vowed fhe never would give h,cr hand in marria;^e to any man, till he (hould firit bring her the head of Claudius, who had flain her hulband. Nur 1^'ilHngly accepted the condition, whicli gave him few rivals. Claudius, wlio had hitherto been viflorioas, h.id marched towards Adel, when lie received a mclfage from Nur, that, there ftill remained a governor of Zeyla, whofc family was chofcn as a particular inftrumcnt for (bedding the blood of the Abydininian princes; and de-fired him, therefore, to be prepared, for he was fpsedily »0 fcl out to come to him. Claudius had been employed in in vnrious journics through different parts of his kingdom, repairing the churches which tlic Moors had burnt; and he was then rebuilding that of Dcbra Werk wlicn tliig mdTage of Nur was brought to him. This prince was of a temper never to avoid □ challenge; and if he did not march againft Nur immediately, he ilaid no longer than to complete his army as far as poiTibie. He then began his march for Adel, very much, as it is faid, againft tlic advice of his friends. Ulis advice was fingular.as he was at that time vičlori-oos. But many prophecies were currcnt in tlie camp, that the king was to be unfortunate this camp:ugii, and in which he was to lofe his life. Thefc unfortunate riimcurs tended much to difcouragc the anny, at the lame time that they fcemed to have a contrary cfFečt on the king, and- to coiifirm him in his refolution to fight. Both armies were tlrawn up and ready to engage, when the chief prieft of Dcbra Libanos came to the fcing to tell him a dream, or vifion, which warned him not ta fight ; but the Moors were then advancing, and the king on horfebatk made no reply, but marched brilkly forward to the enemy. The cowardly Abyflinians, upon the /Irft. fire, fled, leaving the king engaged in the middle of the Moorifli army with twenty horfc and eighteen Portuguefe mufquetecrs, who were all I'ain around hisperfon; and he lurafelf tellj after fighting manfully, and receiving twenty wounds. His head was cut off, and by Nur delivered to Del 'V^"umba^ca, who direftcd it to be t-ed by the hair to the branch of a tree before her duor, that (he might keep it conflar.tly in fight. Here it remaitied tisrce years, till it was purcha.'ed from her by an Armenian merchant, her firfl grief, having, it is probable, fublided upon t!ic acquiiltion of a new hufliand. T'he merchant carried the head to Antiocii, and buried it there in the fepulchretjfa faint of the fame name. In this manner die i king Chiu.lius, in the iqtli vear of his rci;in. who, by his virtuei imH capacity, might hold a firft placc among any furies of kings we h.ivc known, vie-toricui in every aOiion he fou^^'ht, except in that one only ill which he died. A great flaughter was made after this among the routed, and many of ihc firfl nobility wcrtfl:iin in endeavouring lu cftapc ; ainoiig the the reamer dreamer from Debru Lebanos, Iih vilion, by which hd knew the kin^j's death, not having extended fo far a^ tn reve.il hiso^vn. ']'he Abyflininiis initneJiatt-ly transfl-rr-. d the name of this prince into their catalogue of Saints, aiij lie is calletl St ciau Jius in chat cotincr/ to this day. This hartle was fought on the izd March, 1559 ; and t!ie victory gained by Ncr was a compL-te one. The and iiiort of his . principal officers v.'eit flain; great part" of the army taken prifoners, the reft difperfed, and the camp plundered ; fo that no Moorilh general had ever returned home wiih ths j^Iorj- that he diiL But afterwards, in his behaviour, he exhibited a fpeftacle more memorable, and that did hijii more honour than the viftory itfelf; fir, when he drew near to Add, he cbth-ed himfelf in poor attire, like a c9;ti;non foldier, and bare-hea.ied, mountai on an ordinary mule, with a« old faddle and tattered accoutrements; he forbade tlic fongs and praife with which it is ufaal to meet con-tjuerors in that country, when returning viith viitory from the field. He detlined alfo all (bare in the fut-cefi of tliar day, declaring that the whole of it was due to Goi{ alone, to wbofe mercy and immediate in' terpofition he owed the dellruttion of the ChriÜian army. menas, or adamas segued. From 1 jjg to 1563. Menes Aicceedcd his brother Claudius, and found hiN kin^fdom in almoit as great confu'inn it had been left by his father David. As nothln;» occurs very remarkable in this roi^n, we Iball pafs on tu his fuc-ccllor. sertza denghel, or melec segued. From 1 56^ to 1595. Tic was only twelve years oM when he came to the throne, and was crowned at Axum with all the ancieat cercnionioi. The beginning of his reign was marked t 5 by by a mutiny of his foMicrs, who, joining themfulves to fome iMuhomctaiis, phindercii tlie to\in, and tlurn diftancied. Serr?:» Dcnghel, having proved viäorious in all his wars, dclerrained tochaflifc the malcontents of a people called the Damots, when he was accoßed by a prieft, famous for his holinefs and talent for divination, who advifed him not to undertake that war; but ihe king exprefled his eontcmpt both of the advice and the advi-fer. The prieft is faid to have limited his advice ftil] further, and to have only begged him to remember not toeatthefiih of a certain river in the territory of Giba, in the province of Shat. The king, however, ßuilicd with his former vičlories, forgot the name of the river and the injiinftion ; and, having eat fifh out of this river, was immediately after taken dangeroully ill, and died on his return. The writer of his life fays, that the fatal eifefts of this river were afiervirards experienced in the reign of Yafous the Gieat, at the time in which he wrote, when the king's whole army, encamped along the fides of this river, were taken with violent ficknefs after eating the fifh caught in it, and that many of the foldicrs died. Whether this be really faft or not, Mr. Bruce docs not take upon him to decide. Whether fißi, or any other animal, living in water impregnated with poifonous minerals, can prefervc its own life, and yet imbibe a quantity of poifon fufficient to deftroy ihe men that Ihould eat it, feems to him very doubtful. Sertza Denghcl was of a very humane, affable difpofi-tion, very different from his father Menas. He was lledfaft in his adherence to the church of Alexandria, and fcemed perfeftly indifferent as to the Romifli church and clcrgy. In converfation, he frequently condemned their tenets, but always commended the fobriety and fanflity of their lives, ZA DENGHEL. From 1595 to 1604. Ko fooner was Sertza Dcnghel dead, perhaps fem« time before, but a confpiracy was formed to change the otdei. order of fuccelTion, and this was iniraediately executed by order of rlic triumvirjte, who lent a l.ody of foldiers and (eized Za Uenghcl, asid carricd hi i, tiufg priioncr to Deck, a lar^e ilbiul in ilitf lake 'I'zajia. heloiigin« to the queen, wlwre he was kept for fome time, tilf he efcjped and hid himf-li" in tSie wiiJ inatceifible moim-tains of Gojam, which :hcre form the hanks of the Nile. He was, however, afterwarrls rcltored, and converted to the RomiIh religion. The tranfačtions of th-i and the two fucceedings icigns were, in a manner, but one continued fcene of rebelluin, bloüdfhcd, and flaughrer. The Roman Catholic miiäionaries fent to Abyflinia aH'o employ feveral flieets in the origir.al work ; but as thefe are matters Ibrtign lo the plan of an abiirigtment, we lliall only obferve, that Za Denghel u.js fucceeded iiy Jacob, who reigned from 160+ to «605, and was fucceeded by Socinios, who reigni-d from ifioj to 1632. We lliall conclude this b'?ok wiih an exirail or two from the occurrences of this lalt reign. Mr, Brtice, in his account of ihc kingdom of Gingiro, fays, ail matters in this ftace are conducted by magic ; and we may fee to what point the human underftandiiig is debafed in the diftance of a few leagues. Let no man fay that ignorance Is the caiiie, or hcu^t of climate, which is the unintelligible oblervation generally inilHe on thefc occafiuns. For why Ihould lieat of ilimrste a.ldict a j>eople to magic more than cold i' or, why Ihould ignorance eiiliirge a inao's p^iwers, fo tliar, overleaping the boitnds of common intelligence, it (hoiiitt extend !iis faculty ol cunvt-riing with a new fit of beings in antither world? 'I'he i'lthiopijns, who nearly furround AbyHi-nia, are blacker than thofe of Gingiro, their count ty hotter, and arc, like diem, an indigrnims people thist Ikh'c been, from the beginning, in the fame part where they no'.v inhabit, ct the former neithei adore tSi* devil, nor prctc;id to have a communication with him; they have no human faci iticcs, n(;r are there any iraccs offuL-h enormities having prevailed among them, A communication with the fea has l>een always open, and rhe llave-trade prevalent from the carllcit tim^^s; while the king of Gingiro, fliut up in the heart of the conti-oentj facrilices thofc flaves to the devil which he has j,o t^PfJorttinity opportiinitv to fell to man. For at Ciingiro begins t!:at accurfed cüflom of making the (hcdding ofluinian Wood a rit'tefiary pjrt i" all foleinnities, Huw far lo the fomh-ward this re.sches Mr. iiruce does not pretend to know; but iie looks upon this lo be the geographical bounds of the reign of the devil on the north fide of !he etjuator iu the pcninfula of Afiica. \\ hen the king of Gingiro dies, ihc body of tlie dc-ceafed is wrapped in a tine cloth, and a cow is killed. They then put the body fo wrapped up into the cow's Ikin. As foon as this is over, all the princes of the royal family fly and hide therafelves it the bufties : while others, intiufted with ihc elctlion, enter into the thickets, heating every where about as if looking for game. At laft a bird of prey, called in their country Liber, appears, and hovers over the pcrfon dcHincd to be king, crying and making a groat noife without quitting his ftation. Ry this means the pcrfon dellincd to be elefted isfound, furrcuncicd, as is reported, by tigers, lions, panthers, and fuch-like wild bcafts. This is imagined to be done by magic, orthe devil, clfe there are every- where enough of ihefe beaffs lying in the cover tofurnifh materia als for fuch a talc, without havingrccourfe to the power of magic to affimble them. As they find their king, like a ■wild heart, fo his behaviour continues the fame after he is found. Ke files upon them with great ra;;e, refiiling to the laft, wounding and killing all he can reach without any confidcralion, till, overcome by force, he is dragged to a throne, which he fills in a manner perfeftly correfponding to the rationality of the ceremonies of his inftalment. Before the king enters his palace, two men are to be flain; one at the foot of the tree by which his houfe is chiefly fuppwted ; the other at the threlhold ofhisdotir, which is befmeared with the blood of the vidim. And, it is faid, that the prticular family, whofc privilege it is to be flaughtered, fo far from avoiding it, glory in the occafion, and offer themfelvcs willingly to meet it. The Ethiopic memoirs of Socinio's reign is interrupted to record a ver>' trifling anecdote, whicli Mr- Brucc infcrts, as it fcrves to give fomc idea of the fimpHcity and %noancc of thofetiaiei. The hirtorian fays, that this ytar year there was broughtinto Abyfilnia, a hird called Para which was about tlie bignefs of a hen, anj fpoke all languages; Indian, Portuguefe, and Arabic. It named the kind's name ; although its voicc was tliat of a man it could likewifc neigh like a horfe, and mew like a cat' but did not fing like a bird. Jt_ was ]>roduccd before the allembly of judges, of the prieifs, and the azages of court, and there it fpoke with great gravity. The afletn-bly, after confidering circuinüancc.s well, were unani-moufly of opinion, l!iJt the evil fpirit had no part iji endowing it with thefe talent;-. Hut to be certain of this,' it was thought moll prudent to take the advice of Ras Sela Chriihjs, then inGojain, who might, if he thought fit, confult the fupcrior ofMahc'jar SclalK ; to them it was fent, but it died on the road. The hillorian ciofes his narrative by this|wife refleälon on the parrot's de^fh, « Such is the lot of all fleft)," travels o——o-—o 0—0--o-o [> TRAVELS TO D ISCOVE R The SOURCE of the NIL E. E o o K IV. ANNALS OF ABYSSINIA. Caatinuatio?! of the Annals, from the 'ßenth o/Sociniot till Ur. Enue's Arrival in Abyjfmia. facilidas. or sultan segued. FROM 1632 TO FACILIDAS, in the fifth yrar of his reign, after having gained feveral vi^lo^ies over ihc ndghboaring princes, pafled the winter in Gafac; but a misfortune happened the following year, which very much atFefled the whole kingdom. The people of l.afia grew rfefpe-rjte from their former defeal, and determined again to try the fortune of war. Facilidas, trufting to his-former reputation acquired in thefe mountains in his father's time, on the third of March, 1638, advanced with a large army into Lafta,"with a defign to hring thefe penfants to a battle. But the lebcls, growing wife by their lofles, no longer chofe to trull themfclves on the plain, but, retiring to the ftrongeft pofts, fortified them fo judicioully, that, without rifliing any lofs themfelves, they cut off all fupplies or provifions coming to tht king's army. It It happened at that time the cold was fo cx«(five (hat ahnoft the whole army perilhed amidft.die mountains ' great part from famine, but a greater ftill ftoj^ cold, a verj- remarkable circümitance in thefe latitudes. Laftä is barely 12® from the Line, and it was now the ccjuinox. in March, fo that the fun was but 12° from being in the zenith of Lafta, and there was in the day twelve hours of fun. Yet here is an example of an army, not of foreigners, but natives, periihing with cold in their own country, when the fun is no farther than i from being vertical, or from being diredly over their heads ; 3 ftrong proof this, that there is no way of judging by the degrees of heat in the thermometer, what efFeft that degree of heat or cold is to have upon the human body. Facilidas, after a long reign, in which nothing very remarkable occurred, was taken ill at Gondar, in the end of Oclober, of a difeafe which, from its firft appearance, he thought would prove mortal. He, therefore, fent to his eldeil fon Hannes, whom he had con(lantly kept with him, and who was now of age to govern, and recommended to hira his kingdom, and the perfevering in the ancient religion. He died the 30th of September i66j, in great peace and compofure of mind, and they buried him at Azazo. Facilidas had every good tjuality receffary to conftitute a great prince, without any alloy or mixiure, that, upon io mucii provocation as he had, might have mifled him to be a bad one. He was calm, difpaflioiiite, and courteous in his behaviour. In the very difficult part he had to aft between his father and the nation, the neceliities of the times had taught him a degree of refervc, which, if it was not natural, was not therefore the lefs ufeful to him. He wa in his own per-fon ihe braved: foldier of his time, and always cxpol'ed hljnfelf in proportion as the occafion was important. To this were added all the qualities of a good general, in which charafter he foems to have equalled his father So. cinios, who eife was univerfally allowed to be the firft of his time. Fierce and violent in battle, he was backward in fljeding blood alter it. Though an enemy to the Catholic religion, yet, from duty to his father, he lived with the patriarch and Jefuits upon fo familiar a foocinsf that they confcfs themfelves, it was not fron) any part of his his liflK^i urto them they ever cmild judge liim an enemy. He was moft remarkable tor an impÜcit fubjtiiflian to his father's commands ; and, upon this principle, fought ill favour of the fatholic religion agatnll his own friends and perfuafion, bccaufe fuch were the orders uf his fo\ercign. HANNES I. OR CEL A FE SEGUED. FK-OM I 66 J TO I 6So. This prince was not in his nature avcrft to war, though, bcfkles two feeble attempts he made upon LaHa, and one Bgainft the &hangal!;i, all without mJteria! confcqnenccs, no military expedition was undertaken m his time; and no rebellion or competitor {fo frequent in other rei<;ns) at a)l difturbed Iiis, lie feems to have had the feeds of bigotry in his temper ; from the beginning of his teign he comifiiided the Mahometans to eat no other (lefli but what had been killed by Cliriftians ; and gathered toge-tber the Catholic books, which ilie Jefuits had tranflated into the Ethitvpic language, and burned them in a heap. Much of his atiention was given tochurcli rratters, and,^ in regulating thcfe, he feerns to have employed moft of his tijne. Hannes d'ed the igth of July, and was buried at Tedda, after having reigned [j years. He fcems, from the fcanty memorials of his long reign, to have oetn a weak prince; but, perhaps, if the f ircamftances ol tlie times were fully known, he may have heen a wife one. Y A S O U S I. FROM 1680 TO 1704. Yafons fuccecded hia father Hannes with the approba-till) of the whole kingdom. He hai twice in Hs.nnes's life-time i nded from the palace, and this was interpreted as implying an impcticnce to reign. But Mr. Snice rather thinks the caufc was a difference of man-ncra, his father being extremely bigottcd, fordid, and covetous; for he never, in thofe elopements, pretended to make :«.%ke'a party contrary to his fathet'e jntereft, nor fiiewed ihi; lead inclination to give either flie army or ihe jieo-pie a favourable impreflioii of himfelf, to the difadvjn-tage of tlie king. There was, befides. a diticrcnce in religious principles. Yafous had a great prcdilcaion for the monks of Debra hibanos, or the high church ; wliil'e Hannes, hi. father, liad done every ihing in power [o iniUl ir.to his fon a prepolFeiiion in favour of thofc of Abb;i Fullathius. 'J o thefe opinions, therefore, fo widcjy different, as well in religion as tlie tilings of the world, Mr. Bruce attributes the young princes dilin-cUnation to live with his father. This feeins confirmed by the iirll llcp he took upon his mounting the throne, which wa'j to make an alteration in the church government from what his father had kfi it .it Iiis death. The king then took a jouiney of a very extraordinary nature, and fuch as Abyflinia had never before feeii. Atiendeil only by his nobility, of *thoni a gre-it number had flocked to him, lie fat down at ihe foot cftbe mountain of Wechne, and ordered all the princes of the royal family who were banifhed, and confined there, to be brought to him. During the laft reign, the mountain of Wechne, and thofe forlorn princcs that lived ujmn it, had been, as it were, totally forgotten. Hannes having fons of an age fit to goveni, and his eldelt fon Yal'oiis living below with his fatlier, no room fcemed lo rcmniii for attempting a revolution, by ihe young candidates cfcaping tiom the mountain, ''fliis oblivion to which they were configned, melancholy as it was, proved the belt Hate thefe unhappy prifoncrs could have wilhed ; for to be much known for either good or bad (jiialities, did alwavs at fonic period bccomc fatal in the indh'i-duals, Puoilliment always followed in.iiiii iLS afu r a particular prince; and all incdages, tniellion ., or vn'its, at the inilarice of the king, were cmftaruly forerunners of the lofs of life, or amputation of limbs, to thefi- unhappy exiles, To be forgotten, then, was to be fde ; b;it [his fifety carried \(-rv heavy diftftfs along with it. '1 heir revenues were embj/./.led by thfir ofiiccrs oi- keepers, and ill paid by the king; and the lotdid temper of Hannes liad often rcdticcd them all to llic danger of pe-rilhing with hunger and cold. Tlie The new king, Yafous, as he wns u-eli acquainted with all thcfc circumttances, fo he was, in his nature and difpofition, as pcrfeftly willing to repair the injuries that were paft, and prevent the like in futisrc. In confe-quencc of this, there foon appeared as riffn Trom the dear), Claudius, fon of Socinios, the firft exile who was fent to the mountain of Wechne by his brother Facilidas, grandfather of Yafous. This was tht: prince who was li\cd upon by the Jefuits to lucceccl his father, and go. vern that country when coni ertcd to the Romifli rel^^ion by their intrigues, and conquered by the arms of the Pot-tuguefe. This was the prince who, to make their enemies-appear more odious, thcfe jefuits have aiicrted wai (lain by !iis brother Facilidas, one inflanct; by which we iriay judgcof the jufHce of the other charges kid againll that-humane, wife, and virtuo-js prince, whofe only crime was an inviolable attachment to the religion and conftitution. of his counfry, and the juft abhorrence he moft leafona-bly had, as an independent prince, to fubmit the prerogatives of his crown, and the rights of his people» to the blind eontroul of a foreign prelate. Thefonsof Facilidas, with their families, alfocame front the mountain ; and likewifehis own brothers, Ayto '1 he-cphilus, and AytoClaadius.fons of hi^ father Hatza Hannes. The lightof fo manynoble relations, fome advanced in vears, fome in the flower of their youth, and fome yet children; all,however,in tatters, and almoft naked,made fuchanimprelFion ontheyoungkingthathe burft intotears. Nor was his behaviour to the lefpeftive degrees of tliem left proper or engaging, To the old he paid that reverence and refpeft due to parents; to thofe about his own age, a kind and liberal familiarity; while he btftowed upon the young ones careffcs and commendations fweet-ened w ith the hopes that they might fee better times. His firft care was to provide them all plentifully with apparel and every neceffary. His brothers he drelTcd like himfelf, and his uncles ftill more richly. He then, divided a large Aim of money among them alj. In t!;e month of December, which is the plcafanteft feafon of the whole year, the fun being moderately hot, the Iky conftantly clear and without a cloud, all the court was encamped under the mountain, and the inferior fort ftrcwfd flrewed along the grafs. All were treated at the cxpencc of the king, paffing the day and night in continual ftftj. vals. " It is but right, ( ftid the king, J ,ha, j pay for a pleafure fo great that none ol my predeccffors ever dared totalle it;" and of all chat noble alTcmhly none fceracd to enjoy it more fincerely than the king. All pardons folicitcd for criminals at this time uetc granted. In this maimer having I jjent a whole month, before his depanure, the king called lor the dcftar, fi. e. the treal'ury book) iti which the account of the fum allowed for the maintenance of thcfe prifoners is üattd ; and having inquired ftrifUy into the expL-nditure, and cancelled all grants that had been made of any part of that fum to others, and provided in future for the full, as well as yearly pay^Tient of it, he, for his bft atf, gave to the gfn ernor of the mountain a large acceflion ot ler-ritory, to make him ample amends for the lofs of the dues he was underltood to be inlidcd to from that revenue. After this, he cmbr.iced them all, alluring ihein of his Lonftant prote^^ion ; and, mounting his horfe, he took the keeper ilong with him, leaving all ihe royal family at their liberty at ihe foot of the mountain. So genrruus acondu£l, and this lad mark of confidence, tnore than ail the reft, touched the minds of that noble trotp; who hurried every man with his utmofl fpetdto reiture thcmfelves voluntarily to their melancholy prifon, imputing every moment of delay a» a (iep towards trcafon and ingratitude to their munificent, compafilonate, and magnaniinoui licnefaclor. Ail their way was moillened uith tears flowing from fcnfible and thankful hearts; and all the mountain rcfoundcd with prayers for the long life and prolperity of the king, aad that the crown might never kave the lineal defcendants of his famü)'. It w.is very rc-uarkable, that, during this long reign, though he was eonftantly involved in w ar, no competitor from the mountain ever apf.>eared in brcach of thofe vows they had lo voluniarily undertaken. Another great advantage the king reaped by this generous conduct, v\ai that äl the moft poweifui and con-Cderable people in the kingdom had an oj>portunity, at one view, to fee each individual cf the royal family that v.ai rap^lü uf wearinij the crown, and ail wiih one voice agreed» agreed, cron the compartfon made, that, if they had been then aflembled to eleit a king, the choice would not haTc falien upon any but the prcfent, Yaföus is reportx-d to have been thf moft graceful and dexterous horftman of his time. _ He liiuinguifhed him-felf in hunting as much for his addrefs and conra^'e againft the hearts, as he had, for a Ihort while beloro, done by his aCihility, generoCty, and hcncvolence, atnicft Ms own iaitiil)'. All was pr;iife, all was enthu-fiufm, \vhcrcvL'r tlie young king prcfented himfelF; the iIl-bo(.i^ig tnonks and hermits had not yet dared to fore-, tel evilj biit every common mouth jiredided this was to be an sclivc, ^■igorous, and glorious reign, without bein^f thought by ihis to have laid any prett-iifion to the gift of prophecy. In the 9tli yA'.r of the reign of Yafous, ttiere appear^ ed a comct, rf-markable for its fize and Her;' brightiiefs of its body, and for the prodiuious length and diftinCl. ncfs of its tail. It was firft taken notice of at Gondar, twodays before the feaft-of Kt Michael, on which day the a;my takes the field. A fight fo Dncommon alarmed all fojts of peojile; and the prophets, who had kept themfelves within very moderate bounds during this whole reign, now thought that it was incumbent upon them to diftiiiguirti ihenifelves, and be filent no longer. Accordingly they foretold, from this phjcnomcnon, and publifhedevery where as a truih infallibly and immutably pre-ordained, that the prefent campaign was to exhibit a fcene of carnage and bloodIhed, more terrible and more extenfive than any thing that ever had appeared in the annals of Ethiopia. That thefe torrents of blood, which were every where tofullow'the footfteps of the king, were to be flopped by his death, which was to happen before hetver it turned again to Gondar ; and, as theob-jeft of the king's expedition was ftill a fecret, thefe alarm-jng prefages gained a great deal of credit. But it w as not fo with Yafuus, who, notwiihftanding he was importuned, by l;-arn!-d mf n of all forts, to put off his depanure for fotne da, s, abfohttely rrfufeii, anfwering alwaysfuch requefh by ir- ny and derifion; •' Pho! Fho! (f.iys lie) you arc not in the right; we muft give the comet fair play ; uft him well, or he will never appear again, jtnd then idle idle people and old women will have nothingot amufe themfefvei witb." . Yafous accordingly left Gondar at the time he hacLap-pointed ; and he was already arrived at Aindaber, a ftw days dillance from the capital, when an exprcfs brought luni word of his mother's death, on which he immediately marched back to Gondar, and buried her in the ifland qfMitraha with all pollibk magnificence, and with eve. ry mark of fincere grief. The prophets, though they had not fucceeded in what they füretul i, they kept iieverthelefs a good countenance. It is tru3 that no blood was flied, nor did the king die before he returned to Gondar; but his mother died when he was a.vay, and that was much the iame thing; for they contended, iliat it was not a great miftake, froit> the barj authority of a comet, to err only in the lex of the perfon that was to die ; a queen for a king was a very near caicdation. As for the bloody ftory and the king's death, ihe^ faid they had mlliaken the year in computing, but t!iat It lUU was to happen {when it plcafed Goj J fomf alher time. Thel'e exp'anations were ailo\vcd by the people to be the heft piilible, exi-opting the king, ivho psrc.ived a decree of inalice in the lor.tellinj hi..deatii and certain lufs of his army, juft at the in!>ant hi: was t k'n-j the tii-hJ. But he dlfginfcdhisreient-Tient under ftrong iryny. wiih which he attack';d ihefc diviners inceflantly. Me haJ inquired acca . ratclv the day of his mother s death : ' ■ How is it, { fays he to his chaplain, or kcss hat^c) that this comet ihoutd come t-i/jAVt/ai t' mother's death, when (lie w,is dead four d u s before it app-aretl Another day, to the fam- perfors he faid, 1 tear you do my nif.rher too much honour .It the cxpencc ofroligi^n. Ii it deoMt to lup-pDfe rliat fuch a Ifar, iikr thnt which ap ifired at the birtli jr i'hriÜ, fiioidd v. b-e nploy.. on n'> nrc-jt-er errand than to fori-t-jl the Jt-aili i>! rl,- daLightcr of Cufbra M.ircal?" Thefe, and many m-.roij'jh .^■lllci'ies, actoiioced by ch'Te vilionantH iutle fturt -ty, fo Uiorttiicd ivortc (the k.es hat/.e,) a great nicvcV i:i,' and protidor ofthL- Ircaincrs, that he rt^i-^ti; 1 idt his e.-nploy-mcni.s, and re;ir>;j a:!i.jnt! the licr^iuy i;ito flu-del Tt of Wcrk-leva towards Si-nnaar, t j Ü.iily the afpoäa of the ftars more accurately, and more at Icifiire. A fudden A fudiien and violent alarm began the tenth year, and fpread itfelf in an inflant all over the kingdom without any>certain authority. Ihc Galla with an innumerable army were faid to have entered Gojam, at feveral places, and laid «afte the whole province, and this was the more extraordinary, as the Nile was now in the height of its inundation- On his march, the king learned, that this ftory arofe merely from a panic; and this formidable army turned out to be no more than a fmall band of robben of that nation, who had pafTed the river in their ufual way, part on horfeback, while the foot were dragged over, hanging at the horfcs tails, or riding on goats (kin* blown up with [he wind. Hiis fmall party had furprifed fome weak villages, killed the inhabitants, and immediately returned acrofs the ri"er. But the alarm continued, and there were people at Gondar, ivho were ready to fwcar they faw the villages and churches on fire, and a large army of Galla in their march to Ibjba, at the fame time that there was not ooe Galla on the Gojam fide of the river. Yafous, howevir, either confidering this fmal] body of Galla coming at this unfeafonable tirne, and the panic that was To artificially fpread, as a feint to throw him off his guard when a real invafion might be intended, or with a view to cover lus own deligns, fummoned all the men of the province of Gojam to meet him in arms at Ibaha the 7th day of January, being the proper feafon for preparing an expedition into the country of the Galla. Yafuus, for hts firft wife, had married O^.oro Mala-cotawit, a lady of great family and conneftions in the province of Gojam. By her he had a fon, TecJa tlaima-noutj who was grown to manhood, and had hitherto lived in tl)C moft dutiful afleftion and fuhmifJion to his father, who, on his part, feemed to place unlimited confidence in his foil. l-lc now gave a proof of this, not verv common in the annals ot AbyHinia, by leaving Tecla Haimanout behind him, at an age when he was fit to reign, appointing him Eetwiidtt, with abfolute power to govern in his abfence. Yafous had a millrefs whom he tenderly loved, a woman of great quality likewife, whofe name was Qzoru Kedufte. While While the king was watching the motions of the Galla, new s were brought ciiat Ozoro JCedui^^ had btcn taken ill of a fever; and though, upon this inrcllipencc he difpofcd his affairs fo as to return whh all liTjflible expedition, yet when he came to Bercante. the lady's houfe. he found (hat flie was not only dead, but hsd been for fome time buried. All his prefence oftnind now left him ; he fell into the moll violent tranfport of wiid dcfpair, and, ordering her tomb to be opened, he went down into it, taking his three fons along xvith him whom he had by her, and became fo fiantic at the light of the corpfc, that it was with the utmoft difficulty he could be forced again to leaie the fcpulchre. He returned firft to Gondar, then he retired to an ifland in lake Tzana, there to mourn his loft miHrcfs. The king, in the mean time, having finllhcd his mourning, difpatched Badjerund Üuftus to his fon the Bctwuder, at Gondar, ordering him forthwith to fend liim a body of his hoiifehold troops to rendezvous on the the banks of the lake, oppofite to the ifland Tchekla Wunze, where he then had his rcfidence. It has been i'.iid, contrary to all truth, by thofe who have written travels into this country, that fons born in marriage had the fame preference in fucceflion as the)- have in other Countries. But this, is entirely without foundation; for, in the firft place, there is no fuch thing as a regular marriage in Abyflinia ; all confifts in mere confcnt of parties. But, allowing this to be regular, not only natural children, that is, thofe born in concubinage where no marriage was in contemplation, and adulterous baftards, that is, the fons of unmarried women by married men, and all manner of fons whatever, fucceed equally as well to the croivn as to private inheritance; and there cannot be a more cle.ir example of this than in the prefent king, who, although he had a fon, 'iVcla Ilaiinanout, born of the queen .Vlalacoiawit in we^lotk, was yet fucceedcd by three baffai J brothers, all fons of Yafous, born in adultery, that is, in the life of the (jueen. David and Hannes were fons of the king by his favourite Ozoro Keduftc ; ßücufla, by another ladv of quality, C Though Thougb the queen, Malacotawit, hadpafled over witli fecming indifference the preference the king; had given his miltrcfs, Okofo Kedufte, during her lifetime, yet, from a very unaccountable kind of jealoufy, Ihe could not forgive thofc violent tokens of affection the king had Ihewn after hi-r death, by going down with his iona and remaining with the body in the grave. Full of re, fentment for this, fhe had pcrfuaded her fon, Tecla Hainianout, that Yafous bwd determined to deprive him of his fncceffion, to fend him and her, his mother, both to Wechn?, and place his haftard brother, David, fon of O/.oro Keduftč, upon r!)e throne. The tiueen had been very diligent in attaching to her tlie principal people about the court. By her own friends, and the a/lirt. ante of the difcontented and banithed monks, fhc had railed a great army in tiojam under iier brothers, Dermin and Pauhis. Teeia Haimanout had fliewn great figns of wifdom and talents for governing, and very QiuL-h attached lo himfelf fonie of his father's oldeft and ablell fervants. It was, therefore, agreed, in return to Yafous's ratflage by Ouftas, to anfwer. That, alter fo long a reign, and fo much bloodfhed, the king Tvould do well to retire to fome convent fur the rcli of his life, and atone for the many great lins he had committed ; and that he Ihould leave the kingdom in the- hands of his fon Tecia Haimanout, as the ancient king Caleb had refigncd his crown into the hands of St Pantaleon in favour of his fon Giiehra Mafcal.^ As it was not very fate to deliver fuch a mcfTage to a king fuch as Yafous, it was tliereforK fent to him by a common fotit-foldier, who could not be an object of refciitment. The king received it at Tchekia Wunze, the ifland in the lake Tv.ana, where he was thnp refidiiig. I Ic anfwtr-cd with great fliarpjiefs, by the fame incllcnger, That he had becti long informed who thefe were ihat had fedu-ced his fon, 1 ecla Maimanout, at once from his duty to ]i!m as his father, and his allegiance as his fovercien-that though he did not hold iliem to be equal in lanftity to St Pantaleon, yet fuch as they were, he propoP.-d im. mediately tn rr.ift thciii at Gondar, and fettle there his fun's coronation." A mef- A mcfTagc like this could not fail of being perfeftly undcrftooJ. 'I'hofc of the court that were with Teda Haimanout, and the inhabitants of the capital, met together, atid boujid themfclves by a folemn oath to live and die with their king Tecla Halmanout. The feverity of Yafüus was well known ; his provocation now «.-as , juft one; and the rueafurc of vengeance that awaited them, every one conccrned knew to be fuch that there was no alternative but death or viflory. Neither party wero flack in preparations. Kafmati Honotius, governor of Damot, a veteran officer and old fervant of Vafous, col. lečlcd a lar.^e bodv of troops and marclied them down the weft fide of the lake. Yafous having there joined tliem, and putting himfeff at the head of his drmj-, began his march, rounding the lake on its foiith fide towards Dinglcber. Tecla Halmanout did not delay a moment afler hcjir-inghis father was in motion, but marched with his army from Gondar, attended with ail the enfigns of royalty. J4e encam^ied at H.irtcho, in that very field where Za J^enghel was defeated and flain by his rebellious fub-jeifts, Thiiikiii« this a port ominous to kings, he refolv-ed to wait for hisf.ither there, and give hint hat|lc. The king, in his march through the low conntry of Dcmbea, w-as atUtkeJ by a jniriij fcycr, very common in thofe parts, which fo increafed u ion him that lie w.is obliged to b^ carried back to Tehekla \^'uIlze. Tiiis accident (HTccuraged his whole party. His army, with Honorius, took th.; road to Gujurii, but dit! not ciifperfe, awaiting the recovers'of the ktng, Jiiit ihs <:ucen. Malacorawit, no fooiier heard that \ afous her hulband fick at 'J chckla U'iin/,e, than (he fcnt to her fon Tecla Hai-inanout to Irave bis uiiwholefome ilation, and march back imnie'iiatcl\' to (iondsr; and, as foon as he was leturned, ih.tt iiifi)ntcl]cd her two brothers, Dertnin and Paulus, with a body of foldicrs and two Mahometan mufiiuetocrs, wIk), etuering the iti.ind fcbekla Wur.ze by furprife, fhot :ind (lii'.iWed tlu- king while (itring on a touch; imtncdiritely aftiT which, Dermin iiirnfi hiiii tlirough with a Iword, '1 hey attempted p.it.-r-.vards to Intrn the h^idy, in order to avoid the ill-v\ I;! the (igjit of it mult occafion, ]n this, howcvcrj the)' "I'evci.tcd ^ " by by (lie pricfls of 011 fcnt, who aSyil:i:i; and all thofe tl^at mn\- foine afer vou from tf.ekinjr of France our brother, or 'his conful at Cair(>. Ihall be ivtli rcc?ived, whether tlijy be ambaiTadors or private ni^rch-ints, becaufe we love thofe ihat arc of our religion. We receive with pleafure thofe whado not oppofe our laws, and wc. fend away thofe that do oppofe them- - For this reafon, we did not receive immediately Jofeph with all his companions, not choofmg that fuch fort of people fliouid appear in our prefence, nor intending that they ihould pafs Seiinaar, in order to avoid troubles wJiich may oc-cafi^i-n the death of many; but with refpcrt to you, have nothing to^ fejr., you may cnnie in all fafety, and you ihall be received with honour."—Written the loth of the month Zulkade, Anno i n 3. /. e. the 2 tit of January of the year 1706, The addrefs is—" Let the prefent be delivered to M. " du Roule a: 'he town of Sennaar." The unlucky niclfenger, Elias, was again about to enter Sennaar, ivhen he received information tliat J)u Roule was a:ra:Tin:iced. If he had fled haiHiy from this inauipicious ])lace upon t'lf mi-irder of Yafous, his hallo was now tenfold, as he confidcred bimfelf engaged in the fame ci/cualliances that lud involved AL du Koule's attenclan;s in his mi;fortun;5. The king, upon hearing the acount given by Elias ol' the m-^lancholy fate of the ambalTudor at Sennaar, was fo exafpcrated, tliat he gave jmniedidte ord-rs for recalling fuch of his troops as he had permitted to go to any cunfiJerable diftance; an.l, in a council held for that h-.* dcdared, that he confidered the death of M. liu Roule j^sm affront that ^ 3 imrae- immediate!)' affff^cil his crown and dignitv. He was, therefore, dcrermincd no! to pafs it over, but to mnkc the king of Scnnaar fenfible thnt he, ;is wi ll as ali the oilitr kings upon earth, knew tht ntcclTity of oblerviijg the law üf nations, and the bad confcciiicnce of pcrpc-tLsal retaliations that niuil follow the viobtion of it. In ihe mean time, thinking thi't the bafha of Cairo was the caufe of this, he wrote the following letter to him. Tratfßalion of an Arab'c Letter/«nn the King of Abj f-finia to I'he Baiha »/id lJi\an nj Cairo. " To the Paclia, and Lonls of the Militia of C^iro, Cn the part of the king of Ab} (iinia, the king Tetia }Ia'manoiit, fon ol the king of the church of Abjfliniii. On the paitof the auguft king, the povierful arbiter of nations, fiiadow of God upon earth, the guide of kings who profefs the religion of the Mcfliah, the moft powerful of all Chriftian kings, he who n:aintuin9 order between Mahometans and Chriftians, proteiftcr of the confines of Alexandria, ohferver of the commandments of the gofpel, heir from father to fon of a mod powetfiil kingdom, {iefcended of the fannily of David and Solomon—may the blefling. of Iftaei be upon ottr prcpher, and upon them ! may his happinefs be durable, and his grcatnefs lafung, and may his powerful army be al^vays feared__To the nioft powerful lord, clciatcd by his dignity, venerable by his merits, diftinguifl-ed by his firength and rithcs among all Mahometanp, the refuge of all thofe that reverence hitn, who by Iiis prudence go. verns and direfts the armies of the noble empire, and eqininands his confmcs ; vifioriuus viceroy of Kg\-|'t, tl.c four corners of which II.mU be always icfpeiled and defended;—fo be it.— And to all the diltinguiQied princes, judges, men of Irarning, and ether officers ivhofe buünefs it is to maintain order and good govein-incnt, and to all commanders in general, may (iod pre-(eri'c them in their di^ii'ties, in the nobleiicfs of iheir health. You arc to knew ilmt our anceilors never bore any envy tooiher kings, n'>rdid th< y ever octaflon them any trouble, oi fiicw t!r.i, upon never having luoklUd or troubled any of ii.» neighbour» who were king-i, nor borne any envy towards tliem. Wc^rc not thirn to believe what we fee often ill hiftory, that there was fre<]ucnt war l>et«een ^ Scntiaar Scnnaar and Abyflinia, or that Scnnaar ivas tributary to Abyilinia. That ftripe of country, inhabited by the Shangalla, would, in this ciile, have Wn firll conquered. JBut it is more probable, that the great difference of climate, whith immediately take« place between the fwo kingdoms, the great want of water on the frontiers, barriers placcd there by the hand of Naliirc, have been the means of keeping ihefe kingdoms from having any jniitual concerns ; and fo, indeed, we may guefs by the utter füence of the books, which never mention any ivar at Scnnaar till the beginning of the reign of Soci-nios. The next thing remarkable is his prcteifiicn of the pilgrims who go to Mecca, and the merchants, that go to India. Several caravans of both fet out yearly from his kingdom, all Mahometans, foroe of whom go to Mecca for religion, the others to India, by Mocha, to trade. The king, after having conquered all his encniies, was perfuaded, by fome of his favoarites, firft to dif-piifs Dermin, his general, and Jiis arnjy, then ill the troops that ha l joined him, and go with a few of his attendants, or cour.t, to hunt the Ituffalo in the neigh-touring country, Idi; which council tlie young ptince to raüijy adopted, fufpeäing no treafen. Duiingthe hunting match, a confjuracy was. formed by Guetxr Mo, his two brothers, Palainbatas, Hannes, and ieveral others, old officers belonging to tlie Luc ting Yafoiis, who faw that he intended, one by one, to weed ihera out of the way as foon as fafLly he could, and that the whole power and favour was at lail to fall into the hands of the Itcghe, and her brothers Dermin and .Paulus. Accordingh^one morn^ng, (he confpirators having furroundcd him while liding, one of them thrult him through the body with a fword, and threw hirn from his irnle upon the carih. '1 l;ey then laid his body upon a hTic, and, with all pofTibie expedition, carried him to the houfe of A/ena Michael, where he arrived vet alive, but diod immediat-'ly upon heing taken fro.-n the iiorfe. Fadjerund Oufias, and fome oil.ers of his father s old officers, who had attatl'.ed themfclvcs to I.im after h^s fatlk-r's depth, took the body of the king and bwrried it Qucbr;i,u. This Thii anfjlTination was n^ known,- thin the mailer of th; harfe, with t'n; fe.i' troops that he c-iuKI gather together, ca ne to t:ic palace, aiii toak ;i vJ'Jnj fonofTtrcU Haimanrjut, a^'td only four years, who ii he proclalinei king, and the Jteghe,-VUlJCOtawit, regent of the kingdo.n. But Baij^ru;ii On (las, and thofe who hal not been concerned in the murd-jr of either king, went llraight to the mo'unta n of Wechns, and brought thence ritilis, that is ■l'he:)|ihiliis, fon to Hannes, ani brother to the late kin^' Vafous whom tliey croiviied at Emfras, and callsd lii.n, by his iiiaugur.n:ion name, Atferar Segued. T 1 r I L 1 s. FROM 1 ',o6 TO 171)9- The new king, TheopHilus, a feiv days after his coronation, having called the whole c );irt and clergy together, declared to them, that his fa'th upon the (liffiuTa-b!c point concerning our Saviour's uicarnati-jn wa. dif-t;rL-iit from that of his brother Yafoas, or that of his nopheiv Tecla Hal.nanout, bur in ev^-rv rcfpvfl coufonn-a')le to that of the monks of Gijam, folio .vers of 'Abba EuSathius, aid that of the It^sjhO, M-xlaciia-.v-it, Dermin, and Paulas. A violent cia.ii >ur was iüila.itl.- riiTti agalnfl the king by the priefli of l.ibanos a> hair- ing fon'iike;i the religious, principles of his prc;dcceXors. But the king^ was inflexibc; and t'lis ingratiate-i him more with the inhabitants ot^ Goji.ii. Not inani;' days after, the kinj arrelled the ma'ler of ihc horie, jo'iaii-res Fala nbaras, th'e Betwiidct 'J'igi. and fcverai others, all i'uppofed to he 'concerned in r'le snurder of the late king, amicorifineJ them ri feveral places andprifons. This coiidufl of she king entirely reliei-ed th<^ minis of all the friends of Tecla Haiinanout from any further fear of being called to aeca;int for the mardei of^'afjus; and, ill confequence of this, the queen Malacotawif with her brotheri IX-nnin and Paulus, and all tlie mur-dcrejs of the late king Yafous, ca.ns to Gondar that fa;iie winter to do ho;Tiagc Thcjphil.is, wtiQin they now ihojght their greatell protcftur. But the w'lfe and G s fa^a- fagauious king hjd kept Iiis fccrct in iiisovvn bofoiii. All his b;;h:i%'ilen;:iii over another, aii.l is poflelied of the hiftory of .ill pedigree?, the uolileft of which are always actoun:ed thofe nearell to the king reigr.ing. Before the council, every man pleads his own caufc, and receives immediate fcntence. It is a fettled rule, that thufe who ftrike the animal firfl, if the lance reina n upright, or in the fa:r.e direflion in wliieh it enters the beatt, are underllood to be the flayers of tlic bcalt, whatever number comSat with liim afterwards. There is one exception, however, that if the bcaft, at'ter receiving the firlt wound, tho' chc lancc is iu him, (hould lay hold of a tiorfe or man, fo tliat it is eiident he would prevail againd them ; a buffalo, for example, that fhould tofs a nian with his horns, or an elephant that Ihould take a liorfe with his trunk, ihe man who (hall then flay the bcaft, and prevent or revenge the death of the man or horfc attacked, (hall be accounted the flayer of the bealt, and entitled to the premium. '1 his was the ancient employment of thtfe councils. In V.t. Bruce s time they kept up this cuftom in point of form ; the council fat litte upon moil ferious aflairs of the nation ; and the death, banilTiment, ^jnd degradation of the firfl; men In the kingdom were agitated and determined here, under the prctcnce of fitting to judge th.e prizes of pallinies. This hunting is feldjm prolonged beyond a fortnight. From ocular infpei'lion, the king is prefjmed to be able to choofe among the young nobility thofe that arc ready for faking the neccffary charges in the army ; and it is fritm his judgment in this, that the piiefls foretel whether bis reign is to b? a fuccefsful one, or to end in mijifortune and difappointmcnt. The high country of AbylTinia is dertitule of wood ; ihc whole lower part of the mountains is fown with different forts of jrain ; the upj er part perfeftly covered wiih with grafs and all forts of venkre. There are no j>lain , or vcr^- i'mali ones. Sutli a counuy, therc-iorc, is unfit for hunting, ns it is incjpable oV dther ilifhcring or noiirifhing any number of wilj bcafis The knvt-r.country, howevt-r, calJcd Kolla, is fuU of woud, coilfcquently th;nly iilhab'tcd. The moutuains not joined in thjijis or ridges, run in one upon the other' but, fiaiiding each upon its particular bafe, are acccffible all round, and intcrfpcrfed with plains. Great rivers falling frjrpi the high country with prodigious viotence, during the tropical rains, have in the plains wafhed a*i ay the foil down to the folid rock, and formed large bofoiis of groat capacity, where, though the water becomes ftiigndnt in pools when the currents fail above, yet, fro;ii their gnat depth and qu.mtity, they refifc lieing confumed uy evapoiation, being alfo thick covered with large fliady trees whofe leaves never fall. Thefe large trees, which, in their growth, a;id vegetation of their branches, exceed any thing that our imagination can figure, arc as neteifary fur ftiod, as t'le pools of water are for ciftcms to contain drink for thofe monftrous beafts, fuch as the elephant and rhinoceros, who there make their conftant reQdence, and who would die with hunger and withthirft, unlcfs they were thus copioufly fupplicd both with food and water. Flat as the dtferts are on which this country borders, it has fat black earth for its foil. Many nations of perfeil blacks inhabit the low country-, all Pagans, and mortal enemies to the Abyflinian government. Hunting thcfe miferablc wretches is the next expedition unJeriaken by a ricw king. The feafon of this is juil before the rains, while the poor fa\ age is yet lodged under the trees preparing !iis food for the a])proaching winter, liefore he retires into his eaves in the mountain, where he pafles that inclc-inent feafon in conllant confinement, but as conftant fccti-ritj-; for thefe nations are all Troglod) tes, and by I'lc Abyffinians arc called Shangalla, Whatever pains Ouftas took to .ittach himfelf to the m-bility, a dangerous confpiracy was already fornWng at Gondar liy thofe very people w ho had pcrfuadcd him to njouat tl>e throne, and w.hoin iie had left at home, fro'n a perfualioi] perfu.irion tliat thcy only were to be tniftcd wichthc fup. port ot" his intLTfit and the government in his aUf'^ncc. Upon the firft iiiteliigciKe, the kin^ ivith a chofcn body of troops, entered Gondar in the night, and fiirprifcd ihc confpirators while aftiiaüy futing in council. Kas Ht. zekias, his prime miniftcr, ami Hcracüric:, mnflerofhis hoiifehold, and five others ot" the principle confederates, loft their cars and no'fe.i, and '.^'cre thrown into prifon in fiich circiimdanccs that they could not live. Benaia tiafile, one of the principle traitors, and the moft obr.ox'ous to' the king, cfcapcd for a time, having had already intelligence of Oiifias's coming. The king having quieted every thing at Gondar, being atpcaccwith all his neighbours, and having no other way to amiife his troops and keep them employed, fet out to join the remainder of his young nobility whom he had left in the Kolla to attack the Shangalla, who were formerly a very numerous people, dividetl into dillinit tribes, or, as it Is colled, different nations, living each Separately in dif-tinft tcrritoricfr, each under the governtncnt ot the chief of its cnvn name, and each family of that name under the jurifditiion of its own chief, or head. Thefc bhangalla, during the fair half of the year, live under the (hade of trees., the lowefl branches of u hich they cut near the ftem on the upj-erpart, and then bend, or break them down, planting the ends of the branches in the earth. '1 hcfe branches they covcr with the ikins of wild bcafls. Al'tcr this they cut away all the fmall or fu-perlluous branches in the infide, and fo form a fpacious pavilion, which at a dillance anpears. like a tent, the tree fervingfor the pole in the middle of it, and the large top ovcilha.iowing it fo as to make a very pk'tiircfqiie appearance. Every tree then is a boufe, under which live a multitude o!" black inlia-iitanti until ihe trop-Cal rains begin. Iiis then they hunt the ele|,hant, ^^ hich they kill by matiy various devices, as they do the rliinoccros and the other-large creatures. Thof" - i'.o ri.iiile \' here water abounds, witii the f^ne induftry kill tiie hippopotami, or river-horfeSj which arc exceedingly numerous in the pools of the ftagnant rivers. 'Where this fiat belt, or country is broadciV, the trees thIckcH, and the water in the largeft pools, there the moft powerful nations live, who have of- tea ten defeated the roj-al army of Abyffinia, and confrantly laid wafte, and foineiLnes nearly conguerevl, the provinces of l igre and Sire, the mofc warlike and moft populous part in Abyfiinia. Mr. Bruce, bt-fbrc he gives over the account of the Sliangalla, delivers them again out of their Cdves, he-caufe this return includes the hiltory of ati operation never heard of perhaps in Europe. No fooner does the fun )afs the «cnith, going fouthward, than the rains tnltant-y ceafc ; and the chick canopy of clouds, which had ob-fcured the Iky during their continuance, being removed, the fun appears in a teauriful iky of pale blue, dappled with finali thin clouds, which foon after difappear, and ka^-e the heavens of a moft beau tit al azure. A vei7 few days of the intenfe heat then diies the giounJ fo peif;dly, th^t it gapes in chafms ; the grafs, ftruck at the roots by the rays, fupports itfelf no more, but droops and becomes parched. To clear this away, the Shangalla fet fire to it, which runs with incredible violence the whole breadth pf Africa, palfing under the tr:-es,and followiug the dry grals among the branches with fuch velocity as not to hurt the trees, but to oecaflon everv leaf to fall. A proper diftance ispreferveJ between each habiiation, and round the principal watering-places; and here the Shangalla agaiu fix their tents in the manner Ix-fo e de-fcribed. .N othing can be more bcauiiful tl:an fhcfc fliady habitations; but they have this fatal effect, that they.arc difcernibie from the iiigh grounds, nnJ guide their enemies to the places inhabited. 'J he country now cleared, tlie hunting begins, and, with the hunting, tlie danger of the Shangalla. ' All the governors b'Jrdering upon the couatry, from tl-.e Biiharnagafii to the Nile on the weft, are obbged to a certain number of (laves. The Shangaliagoall Jiaked ; they have ieveral wives, and thcfe very proliF.c. '1 hry bring forth ehiicr.'n with the utmoft cafe, and never reft or confine theinielves after delivety. but wafiiing ihemftlves and the child with cold water, they ivrap it up in a fof't cloth made of the bark of trees, and liatig it upon a branch, that the large ants, with whicli they are infelictl, and the ferps-nts, may not devour it. After 3 few days, when it has gathered firength, the jnoshcr carrics it in the fame clulii upon her back, ani and gives it luck « Ith tlic bicaft, which fhe il.rowsover htr ilionldi r, ihis j'art being of fuch a length as, in fomc, tD rcach ahiiolt toiht ir kn«?. Eiom iheconfl.int interruptioni Oullas haJ met with in all his !:ur ting-matchci, tlie divining monies Ijad pru-pheTittl his Ki^n to he fiiort, and attcndtil with much !)Ioodfhed J nor wtrc they tor once diflai t from the truth; for, iji the month of January (71^, while he over I unking l!ic uorkincii building ihethnrch ol" Aljha .\nton-us at Gond;ir, he was taken fuddenly ill, anJ, fome umvholfomcncfs or njciuhcrtift in his jvihite, he ordered hii tent to be pitched withtm; the to'.vn till the ap.irtmentj Ihoirld be fmoakcd with g.uopow-dtr. J'ut this v as done fo careltfsly by his lVr\ aot-"., that his houfe was biinit to ihu <;oLtnd, which was looked u^j-On ai a very bad cmen, an j niadc a great iinprcHioii upon the minds of the fx'oj'le. It was generally underflood that the king was dangcr-oiilly ill, and that his complaint was every day incrcaf-ing. Upon this the principal oflicers went, according to ibe ufual culioiTi, to condole with and comfort him. This was at Icafl. what they pretended. 1 heir true errand, however, was pretty well krtovvn to be oti etidtar. voiir to afcertain whether tlie (ickncfs was of a kind likely to continue, till meaftircs could be adopted witSi a degree of eeitaiiity to take the reins of govcrnmcnc out of his liand. Tile king eafily divined the reaCon of their coming. Having had a good night, he ufed the Hrength he had thereby acquired to roufe himfclf for 3 m ment, to put on the appearance of hcakh, and fhew hitnfelf, as ufual, engaged in his ordinary dif; atch of buiinefs. 'i'hc fceniing good contcnance of the king made tl.cif conioler.ee premature. Some extiife, how-vcr, for fo formal a vifit, «as neccfiary ; but every apology ivas not fafe. They adopted this, which they tiujught unexceptionable, that hearing he was fiek, uliicTi they happily found he was not, tlicy came to prop'jfe 10 him a thing etjuully propfr whether he was lick or vtll; that he would, in time, feti leihe fuccd-fion upon his fon talil, then in the munntain of W'echne, as a means of quieting the minds of his friends, pre, venting bioodfiicd, and fcciiring the crown to hii IViiii- ly. OuiliS did the utmoft to command hlinfclf upon this occaiion, and to them an anfwtrfuch asfuia^a man in health who hoped to live many years. l-;„t it iva^ now too lale lo plav fuch a part; and, in fplte of his utmoll diÜimuUtiün, evident figns uf dccay appeared Upon him. On the loth day of Ftbruary, Ouflas died, hat whether of a I'iolent or iiaiurJ death is not kntiwn. Pof. terity, reg^irding his merit more tliaii his title, have however kept hi^ name ftill among the lift of kings ; and tradition, doing him more juitice ftill than h)llory, hits lank'-d him among the belt that ever reigned in Ahyflinia, DAVID. IV. From 1714 to 171 g. DAVID, immediately upon his acccflton, appointed Fit Auraris Agne, Ozoro Kcdulle's brother, his Bct-wuder, and Abra Hezekias his mall»;r of the houfchold, and wns proceeding to fill tip tlie inferior ports of government, whi-n he was interrupted by the clamours of a multitude of monks demanding a convocation of tlie clergy. David was a rigid adherent to the church of Alexandria, and edueaied !>y his mother in the icni;ts of the monks of S.iint Eulliithius, that is, the molt declared enemies of every thing approaching to the tenets of the cimreh of Rome. He was confequcntly, not by inclination, neither was he by duty, obliged to undertake (he defence of meafurcs adopted by Oullas, of which he was befides ignorant, having been conlined in the moii:itaIn of VVechne. He ordered, therefore, the inll-fioTiaries, and iheir interpreter, uhi'fe n.ime was Ahha Ciregoriu.s, to he apprehemled. Thefc unfortunate peo-p'e were aeenrdingly produced before the moll prejudiced and p;nti;il of all tribunals. 1 he trial neither «as, nor intended to be hmg. 'I'hc firäl tjuclUon put was a very diiei't one; " l>o you, or do you not, rcccive th<: cmncil of Chalcedon as a rule of fdith ? and, Do ,vou believe that I.co the pope lawfully and regularly prendcd at it, and conducted it i"' To this the prifont'rs plainly aaiwcrcd. anfwcred, " That they lookoti upon the council of Chsl. cedonasthe fourth generai council, and rcceivcdit aaii-chr and as a rule of faith ; that they dkl believe pope I,eo lawfully and roguiarly profided at It, as Licing htaa - f the Catholic church, fuccelfor to Si Fetor, aiiJ ^-hrift's ■ icar upon earth." Upon this a (lioiit wr.heard i'rom the whole aflembiy ; and theiaial cry, " Stone th.m___ Wlioever throws not three ftones; he is at.ciirfud, and an eneray to Mary, immciiia'cly followed, ■ One prietb only, iliitinguißicd lor piety and Icarivliig a-morg liii countrymen, and one of the chici' men in the-.aflciniily, with great vcheniencf: declared, they were tried pariially and iinf.ih'lyj and condcMincd linjiifiiy. Bu: !iii voicc v. as not heard Lipidil the ciaui'.iurs ot fsxh a r.iidti-tude ; anrd the monk;, were accordingly bj- the judges condemned to die. Ropes were inflantly thrown about their necks, and ihey v/crc dragged to a placc behind the church Abb'j, in their way to '1 edda, where they ivere, according to their fentcnce, ftoned to death, fuiTering with a parietice and rcfignation equal to the iirft martyrs. ■ Confpiracies a.n.-tinft'the king, owing to his having maiTacrcd many monks, were every where openly talked of, the fruitä of which foon appeared. David tell ßck, and thofe about him endeavoured to perfuadc him, that it was the remains of asn injury which he had lately received from a I'all off his horfe. But, upon the meeting of a council, on the 9t]i of March, 1719, it was dif-covered and proved, that Kafmati Late and Ras Gcorgis had emplnyed Kutcho, keepsr of the palace, to give a ftrong poifon to (he king, which he had taken that morning from the hands of a Mahometan. Ras Georgis was then brought before the couQCil, and fcarcely denied the fail; upon which his only fon was ordered to be Iiewn to pi'-ces before his facc, and immediately after the father's eyes were pulled out. Kutcho, keejwr of the palace, and the fviahimetan wlio gave the poifon, were hew n to pieces with fwcrds betcre the gate of the palace, and their mangled bodies throw n to the dogs. The king died that evLHing in great agony.. BACUFFA. B A C U F F A. From >719 to 1729, BACUFFA, who now fucceeded to the throne, was exceedingly fond of divinations, dieatiss, and propVccies fo are all the AbyJiinians ; but he imbibed an addiiional propcnfiiy to thefc among the Pagans to whom he had fled. One day, when ivaking alone, he pcrccived a pried exceedingly atteniive in obferi'ing the forms that little pieces of (traw, cut to certain lengths, made upon a pool of water into which ran a (mail ilreani.. From the combination of thele in Jesters, or figures, as they chanced to fall, an anf». er is procured to the doubt prt?-pofed, wliicli, if you believe ihefc idkrs, is perfectly infallible. The new king indifgnifc, droflsd li'kc a-poornian., is faid to have altcd the prielt af:er w hat he was inquiring. The prkil anfwewd. He wa.; trying whether the king would have a fon, and who Ihoiild gdvern the ki.igdom after Jjim, ^ The kirsgabtjdu the inveHigation fistiently; and the-.anfiFer was. That he flsgukl have « ion ; but thdt a Welleta Georgis fnould gov<-rii the kii;gdoin jdtcr him for thirty years, though that Wdlela Ge:5rgis.(hould be neither his f:n nor at>y dt-fcendaiU of his. I idi of thought at thii untowaid ^rediition, he harboured it iti bis breaft iiitho^t communicating it to any one, and.ie-folved to hlaft the hi'pes ofevcry ^^elll■t;) Cicorftis that fhouJd be fo unfortunate as to Hand within the poffibility of reigning after hiji. Many innocer.t people ofdiflcrupt parts di appeared from thi-. unknown crime; and eleveu princes on the mo-jnßin of V^'cclliie. fome fay more, loil their lives for a name that is very tomnion in Ahj ffinia, without one overt att of tieafun. tr even a fiifpicicn of what they ivere accuftd, A panic now Oruck all ranks of people, -vithout t^rmixuting in any fther.ic of refift-ancc; which fufficiently (liewed tliai the Ling had ftic-cceded in di^r.lving all cfnledcraciL-^ iimon{; his fuhjctts, and deftroyin^ radicallv that rfbeliioLjj fpirit which had opt-ra;i-d fo la ally in the lall reigns. Among the kings >f .Abyflinlait isa ruftom, efpecial'" in interv^ of peace, to dilappcar for a viine, without an/ warning. warning. Sometimes, incSeetl, one or two confidential fc-rvants, preiending to Ix- bufied in other aSairs, attend at a difian«, ami keep tlicir eye upon him, while, .e joy was fo great, and fo iiiiiverfal, that mtiody attempted to coneeal it. Every one found hini, felfeafed cif a loa.l of fear which had become infupporta. ble. Several princes efeapcd from the mountain of Weth-ne to put themfelves in the wa}' of being chofeii; fonie were fcnt ta by thofe great m-n who thought themfelves capable of efFeding the nomination: and a ijiee;!y day was appointed for the burial of the king's corpfe, when Ba-cuffa apjv-arcd, in the ordinary feat of juftice, early in the morning o( that day, with the Iti-ghe, and the infant ^'a-foiis, his fon, fitting in a chair below him. There was m mccafion to aeeufethc guilty, "J he whole court, and all ftraiigers attending there upon bufinvfs, fied, and fpead an univL-rfal terror through the whole ftreets of Gondar. All r^mkbof peouls were drivoii to defpair, for all had rejoiced, and much lefs crimes ha.l been before puniflied xinth ti'.'atli. What this fedition would have eiided in, it is hard to know, had it not been for the immediate refolution of the kin^, who ordered a gcrv.-ral pardon and ainnefry 10 bs proclaimed at the door of the palace. 'l\vo kettle drums of a large fizc are conftantly placed on? on ciicli fide of the out'.r gat? of the king's iioufe. They are cr.lled the li'.u and the Umb. The lion is beat at thc'proela natior.s'which regr.rd war, attainders for con-fplrac'ie« and rebellions, promotions to fuprenie tom-niands, and fjchlike liigh matters. Ti;e lamb is heard only on bencfieent, pacilic oecafions, or gift from the crown, of general amnefties, of private pardon?, and re-verfith ofpt'nal ordinances. The whole town wasinex-pcftation of fome fanguinaiT diTrec. when, to their utter furprife.they heard the voice of ih.' Iamb, a certain fignot peace and forgivenefs ; and fpeedily fjllowcd by a prodamnation, forbidding people of all degrees to leave their h i-ifes, that the king's word was pledged for cvtv one's feeur'ty; and tliatall the principal men ü;ould im-nedi-ately attend him within the palace, in a public place whitii which is called the Afhoa, and that upon pain af rebellion. The king appeared cloathed all in white, being the habit of peacc; his head, wai bare, drerted, anointed, and perfumed, and his face uncovered. He thus advanced to the rail of the gallery, about i o feet above the heads of the audience, and, in a very graceful, coiKl-^ofed, but refolute manner, began a fhort oration to the people. He put them in mind of their wanton, nefs ifi having made Ouftas, a man not of the royal line of Solomon, king of Abyffinia; of their having inciled his brother, Tecla Haiinanout, to aflalTinate their father Yafi/us ; that they had after>\'ards murdered Tecla Hai-mariout himfelf, one brother, and lately hii other brother David, his own immediate preciecefTor: That he had taken due vengeance upon all the ringleaders of thofc crimes, as \vas the duty of his pliice, and, if much blood had been flied, it was bccaufe many enormities had been committed ; but thut knowing now that order was efiabliflicd, and confpiracies extinguiihed among them, he had counterfeited death, to fignify an end was pat to Bacuffa and his bloody meafures; that he now was rifen again, and appeared to them by ihe name of Atzham Georgis, fon of Yafoiis the Great; and ordered every man home to his houfe to rejoice at the ac-ceiTion of a new king, under whom they Ihould have juftice, and live without fear, as long they rcfpcftcd the king that God had .inointed over them. The loudeft acclamations followed thisfpeech. " Long live Bacuft'a ! Long live Atzhatn Georgis!" It was well known that this king never failed in his word, or any way prevaricated in hispromifes. Everyone, iliercfore, *( ent home in as perfeä peace as if war had never liteii a-niong them and ßacufia's delicacy in this refpecT: was feen a few 'aldubba; ihence he went to the rivtis Gandova and Shiiiifa. Mere he exercifed himfelf at a very violent f| e^ies of hunting, that of forcing the gieratacachm, which means 'ong-tail ; it is otherv.'ife called giralbi in Arabic, It is the tallc.l of beafts, and is often killed by the elephant hunters. Its ikui is beautifully variegated when young, but turns br uvn \vi;en arrived at any age. It was not with a view to hunt nly, tlut Yafous made ihefe frequent excurfions Cowards the ■H frontiers frontiers ofSciinaar. His rcfoliitlon wns formed fas it uppjartJ foon aiU'r) in imitation of his forcfjitlicr Soci-tiios, (0 revive Ms riglit over the couiifry of llie Shr/t-hertls, [lis ancient v.idiils, m Iio, fince tlic accrillon of (Ircngtli liy uni'ing with the Arabs, had forgot their iincient triliuic ami fuhje^tion. Tltis year, 17.^6, tlicrc happened a total ecIipTe of the fitii, wliich very mticl\ afteftiid the niitids of the weaker fort of people, 'J !ic (Iroamers and the propliets were every where 1ft loofe, fiill of the lying fpirit which pnf-fdTed them, to forctel that the death of the king, aiiJ the downfal of his govcrmnent were at hand, and de-lügi-a of civil hlood were then fpeediSy to he fpik Ijoch in the capital and provinces. There was not, indeed, at the time any ciretimflance that warranted fuch a pre-diäion, or any thing likely to be more fatal to the flate, than the expendiriiro of the large funis of money tlint the turn the king had taken fuhjefted him to. He had built a br .e and very coflly cliarch at Kofcani, and he wa'j flili cng.'igcd in a u)()re extenfive work in the building of a palace at Gondar, befides a variety of other ex-[lenfive undertakings. In the z4th year of Yafo,ns's reign, he was taken ill, anddied on the 21ft day of June i7)3, after a very Jhort ilfnefs. As he was but a young man, and of a ftrong confiitution, there was fome ftifpicion he died by poifon given Jiini by tlie qiicen's relations, who were defirous to fccurc another minority rather than ferve under a king, who, by eveiy aftiorij fhewed he was no longer to be led or governed by any, but leall of all by thein. Yafous was married very young to a lady of noble family in Ainliara, by whom he had Iwo fons, Adigo and Aylo. Hut their mother pretending to a fViare of her bulband's government, and to introduce her friends at court, fo hurt Wellfta Gcorgis the Jtcghf'^ or queenregent, that {he prevailed 011 the king to banitTi boih the mother and fons to t!ie mountain of Wechne,. In order to prevent fuch interference for the future, tlie Iteghe took a ftep, fuch as had never before been üucniptcd in Abyflinia. It was to bring a wife to Yafous froJii a race of Galla. Her name was Wobit, duughtec of Amitzo, to V» hoin Bticuffa had once fled when be efcapcd efcaped frcai the mountain before he was king, and had been kindly entertained there. Her famiiy was of the tribe of Edjow, and the divifion of ToJuma", that is, oF the fourherd Galla upon frontiers of Amhara. Iliey were elleemed the poiitcft, that is, the lead barbarous of the name. But it was no matter, they were Galla, and that was enough. Between them and Abyflinia' uccaiis of blood had been (hed, .ind ftrong prejudices imbibed .igainft them, never to be effaced by marriages. She was, however, brought to Gor^dar, chriftened by the name of Bellribee, and married to Vafous: By her iic had a fan, named Joas, who fuccsetiL^d his father. J O A S. From i7j3 to 1758- As fion the'dcath o.' King Yafous %vn3 known, ihc old officers, and fervants of the crown, rcmcmbi:!-!«^ the tu^ mults and oorJu.Ion that happened in Gondar ai bis at.-ceflion, repaired to the paiacc from their different go-vcrnrnents. eai.:h wirli a fniail well-regulated body oi troops, fuPicicnr to keep order, and ftrengtbcn the hands of Ras Wellen de TOiil, wliom rhey all looked upon as the futber of his coiintr}'. Tlic lirlt who arrived was Kafinati \\'ar.igna of'Damot; then Avo t.-f Be-^eiiidcr, and Tcry foon after, tiiou^h at miiti: i'r>-ateil dill-ancej Suhul Michael, ^overiior oi 'li^re. Thefc three entered the palace, «-iih Welhed de foa'i, wiio, after atrotiblefome ragn. was aflaßjnateü in his palace, and biir;t;J in the chutcii of St. Raphael. H A N N" E S II. 1-69. ■ fFaunes, g nri.i itp'.vards of fevcnty ycari of age, m;xJe his entry into GonJar the 3d of'^Iny i-,6c. He «as brother to B:tcu;Tn, and liaving in his fim.: efcjjvd from the mountain, and being afierwari.Is tdKfn, his ban.i v.-as cut off by order or'itie kin^ his br. ihcr, he wai fcnt back to the place ef Ills condnEment, U 13 is a law of Abyffinia, derived from thai of Mofcs, tliat po man can be capable either of the throne or priell-hood, udcfs he be perfeit in all his limbs; the w-ant ■ofa hand, therefore, certainly difquiilified Hannes, and it ivas with that intent it had been cut off; but this ob-jt-aion was eafily over-ruled. However, bcfides his age, he vas very feeble in body; and having had no tonvcrfation but with monks and [;riefts, this hdd debilitated his mind as much as age had done his body. He could not be perfuaded to take any (hare in the go-■»ernnient, and when he was defired to take the field to defend his kingdom, he wept, hid himfelf, turned monk, and demanded to be fent back to his former place of confinement. The confeqiience was, thai he was one day poifoned at bis breakfalt. TECLA HAIMANOUT 11, 176g. Tecla Haimanout fucceeded his father. _ He was a prince of a moft graceful figure, tall for his age, rather thin, and of the whiteft öiade of Abylliiiian colour, fuch are all thofe princes that are born in the mountain. Though be had been abfcnt but a verj- few months from Jiis native mountain, his manners and carriage were ihofc of a prince, that from his infancy had fat upon an hereditary tbronc. Hehadanexcellent undetilanding, and prudence beyond his years. He was faid to be naturally ofa very warm temper, but this he had fo perfetflly fubdued as fcarcely ever to have given an inftance of it in public. With the beginning of this king's reign, we fhall clofe the Annals of Abyflinia, and return to Mr. Bruce at Mafuah, after which we fhall accompany him from ihcnce in his journey to Gondar, travels • - o-o-0--0--o. TRAVELS TO DISCOVER The SOURCE of tire NILE. BOOK V. jifrovitt of Mr. Bruces journey from Ma/unh to Gondar—■ TranfaBiaus there—Manners and Cußoms of ih^ Abjf-finians. M ASU AI I. or the harbour of the Shepherds, is a fmall i [land on the Abyfiinian (hore, having an excellent harbour, and water deep enough for fliips of any fize to tlie very edge of the ifland : here they may ride in the utrnoil fccurity, froni whatever point, or with whatever degree of ftrcngth, the wind blows. The ifland itfeif is very fniallj fcarcc three quarters of a mile in length, atid about half that in breadth, one-third occupied by lioufe;, one by ciftcriis to receive the rain-water, and tbc hit is rcferved for burying the dead. This iHand was a place of much refort as long as com-iv.erce flouriOicd ; but it fell into obfcurity very fuddenly under the opprcffion of the Turks, who put the finifliing, hand to the luin of the Iiitiin trade in the Red Sea, be-Ditn fome years "before by the difcovery of the Cape of Cuod Hope, and the fettlemcnts made by the Ponuguefe on the continent of India. - On the 19th of September, 1769, Mr. Bruce arnveJ at Mafiiah,verv much tired of the fea, and dcfirous to H 3 land. land. But, as it w.is evening, he thought it a-.lvif-ablc to flci:p on board that night, that he might hiive a whole day (as the firij is always a bufy ojie) before him, and receive in the night any intelligence from friends, who might not choofe to venture to comc openly to fee him anrf his company in the day, at Icaft before the cie-termiiiatioii of the Naybe, the governor of that place, had been heard concerning them. On tiie 20th, a pcrfon came from Mahoitiet Gibberii to conduft Mr. Bruce on fliorc. The Naybe liimft-If was ft ill at Arkceko, and .Achmet, bis coutin and fuc-rcflbr, Therefore had come down to receive the duties of the merchandife on board the vefiti wbicb broiight Mr. Bruce. There were two elbow-thairs placed in the middle of the market-place. Achmct fiit on one of t!iem, ii'hile the feveral ofiicers opened the bales and püCkages before him ; the other chnir on his left hand was empty. He was dreficd all in white, in a lung Eanian habit of muflin, and a clofe-bodied frock reaching to hisanelcs, much like the white frock and peiticoat the youn^ chiL-drcn wear in England. This fpecles of drcfs did nor, in any way, fult Achmct'5 fliape or lir.c; bul, it fte.ns, he meant to be in gala. As foon as .Mr. Bruce came in figbt of him, our lra\cl!cr douhhd lii.s peace: Mahomet Giblx-rti's fervant whifpcred to Mr. Bruce not to kifs his handj which indeed he intended to have done. Aehmet iiood up, jull as he arrived within arm's iengtli of him ; when i ley touched each other's hands, carried tlieir fingers to their lips, then liiid their hands acrofs their breads: our tiavellcr projiouiiced the faliilation of the inferior StiJuf/i Alkuml Pcacc be between us ; to which (le anfwcrcd iramediaiely, AlU turn Salmn ! There is peace between us. He pointed to ihe chair, xvhich Mr. Bruce declined ; but he obliged him 10 fii down. In thefe countries, the greater honoiir that is fbewn you at firft meeting, ti;e more coafidcrable prefcnt is expeflet?. He made a lign to brin» co£Fce direflly, as tlic Immediate offering of meüX or dnnk is an afTuruncc your life is not in danger. Me begjri wiih an air th ;t feemed rather ferious ; "We have expcrted you here fame time ago, but thougl.tyou !iad changed your miad, itnd smd was gone to India."—" Sines failing from Jidda 1 have been in Arabia Felix, the Gulf of Mocha' and crofled laft from Lolieia."—" Are you not nfrai'a (faid he,) fo thinly attended, to venture upon'thdti long and dangerous voyages?"—"The toiintiies where 1 have been are cither fiibjeft to tlie emperor of Con-fla.itinople, whofc firman I have now the honotir to prefent you, or (o the rcgency of Cairo, and port oF Janizaries—here are tlieir letters—or to the iherrifte of Mecca. To you. Sir, 1 prefent the (berriiFe's letters; and, bcfides thefe, one from Meticai Aga j-oiir friend, who, depending on your ciiararter, afliued me ■ this alone would be fufficiei'it to preierve me fro;>i ill-ufage fo long as I did no wrong: r.s for the^dangets of the - rojd from Iwnditti aiui lawkfs perfons, niy fervants arc ithleed few, but they are veteran fol.liers, tried and cxertifed from their int'iincy in arms, and I value not the fuperior number of cowardly and difoK-derly perfons." He theti returned Mr. Bruce the letters, laying, " You will give thefe to the Naybe to-morrow ; I will keep Metical's letter, as it is to me, and will read it at home." He put it accordingly in his bo-fom ; and their coffee biing done, Mr. Bruce rofe to take his leave, and wrefcntiy wet to the flcin by deluges of orange flower-vvatcr ihowered upon him from the right and left, by two of his atttendants, from fil-ver bottles. A very decent houfe bad been provided ; and he had no founcr entered, than a large dinner was fent them by Achmet, with a profufion of lemons, and good frclh water, now become one of the greatcft delicacies in life, and, inftantly after their baggage was all fent unopened; with which he was very wcll-^leafed, being afraid they might lireak fomelbing in lis clock, telefcopes, or qiiadrsnt, by the violent manner in which they fatisfy their curiofity. On the loth of September, a female flave came and brought with her the proper credentials, an Indian handkerchief full of dry dales, and a pot or bottle of unvarnifhcd potter's earth, which kct;ps the water very cool, 4 On On the 21 ft. in ilie morning, the Nnyljc came from Arkceko. The ufii;il way is by foa ; it is üLout two leagues ftraialu acrofs tt:.- dü; , but foinewlia: more hy land. 'JTie palTagt: fro/n ilie iiuun is on the north fliie of the ifland, which i;. not above a ijiiartcr of a miic broad ; there is a large ciilern for rain v,-ater OH the landrfide, where you era!;:irk acrnfs. He vas foorly attended hy thjec or ioiir fv^ri'snts, m^leraljJy jiiotinted, and about forty nalc.d favages on foot, armed with Ihort lanccs an A crooked knives. Tin; drum beat before him all tlie way from Arkeeku to Mafuah. Upon entering tlie beat, the drum on the land-fidc ceafed, and ihofe, in what is called (he Caf-tle of Mafuali, began. The caftle is a fmall day hut. and in it one fwivcl-giin, which is not mounted. Rut ■ lies upon the ground, and is fired always witli great trepidation and fame danger. The drums are catthen jars, fuch as •they fend buiter into Arabia ; tlie mouths of which are covered v-fith a fi-zin, fo that a ilran-gcr, on feeing t^'. o or three of thcfe to^etlier, would run a great rifle of believing ihcrn to be pss of hatter, or pickles, carcfuliy covcred v^ith oiled parchment. All the proteflion was in the fame fl-'Ie. The Naybe was (IreiTed in an old (h3b!>y Turkifh babit, much too {h.-^rt for him, and fcemed to have been made about the ti;ne of Sultan Sclim. He wore nifo upon his head a TurkilTi cjwke, or high-cap, which fcarceiy admitted any part nf iiis head. In this drcfs. which on him had a t;uly ridi-cuIoLis appearance, he received thec.'ihan, or invcsiitiire, cf the iiland of Mafuah ; and being thereby irprLftr.ta-tive of the grand iignior, confented that day to be tailed Omar Aga, in honour of the commifllon. In tiie afternoon, Mr. Bruce went io p?.y liij rcfptcls to the Naybe, and found hi[n fining on a large wooden cl'.iow-chair, at the bead of two files o;'nakcd fava^cs, who made an avenue from his chair to the door. He had nothing upon him but a courfe cotton fhirt, fo dirty that, it ftcmcd. all pains to clean it again would be thrown away, and fo ftiort that it fcarceiy rcached his knees. He was very tall and lean, his colour black, had a large T:iouth and iiofc;Jn placc of a beard, a very fcanty tuft i,f grey hairs upon the point of bis chin ; large, dull, and heavy heavv eyes; a kiüd of malicious, co:itsmptiious frnife on hi, coantenatice ; hü wjs altogether of a molt itupid, and bruwl appearance. His character perleflly corr<:l-5onded wich his figure, for he ivas a ninn of mean ahi-ities, nuel 10 excefs, avaricious, atid a great drunkariL Mr. Bruce prefentctl his tirman.—'i lie greatoft bafl-.a in the 'I'urkilh empire would have rifen upon (cdng it, kiir-J it, and carricd it to his forehead ; but he did not even receive it into his hand, and puflied it back to our tiavelicr again, iayinff, " Do yea read it all to me word for '.s-ord.'"—Mr. Bruce !old him it was Turkilh ; that he liad never learned to read a word of that language. —" xVor 1 neither," fays he ; " and' I believe 1 never fiiali." Mr. Bruce then gave him the other letters he had brought with hira. He took them aH (oiether in boili his hands, ana hild ihtm -jnopsned b:*fidc him, fay-fhoi;ld have brought a mou'Iah along with you. Do you think I lhall read all thefe letrcrs ? Why, it would take me a month." He then glared upoa oiir trawL-lkr, with his mouth open, fo like an idiot, that it was with the utmcii difitciiky Mr. Rruce kept his gravity,^only anfwering, "Juftas you pleafe ; you know tiell," A filcnce follov,-ed this fhort converfation, and Mr. Bruc: !ouk the opportunity to give liim his prefent, with which h= did not feeta difpleafed, but rather that it was hc-Iow hiiii to tell hii.n fo ; he then took his leave of th^ Naybe, \'eiy li:tl& pleafed with his reception, and the Tnall a:cou.-.t he fceraed to make of his lei-ti;rs, or of himfeif. The fina!l-pox was raging with fuch violence at MaUiah, that it was feared th; living would not be fufHcicnt to biiry :!ie doad. The whole illand was filled with ihrieki and laaientaiioiis both night and day. Thjy at lail begaa 10 throw the bndics into the fea, which deprived our travellers of the fiOi, of wiiich thi'y had a'e fonie kinds that were excellent Mr. Bruce h.ad AipprelVed his charajkr of phy-heian, fpring he fliouid be detaitieu by reafon of the mulEirude of fick. 1 he Navbc caine to Mafnah on the i rth of Oflo ber, dilpatciied the veilel that biought our favellerš ^^ i '.over: over; and, as if he had only wairrd ciil tliis evidciio-was out of the way, he, ihat very night, fcnt ivor.l, that Mr. Brucc v.--is to prenurc hira a hjndfonie prc-fent. He gave in a Song lijl of paiticulars to a great amount, which he defired might Iw divided into three precis, and prefcntcl tliree feveral diiys. One was to be givi-ii-him as Nayhc of Arkceko; otic as Omar Aga, reprefcutative of the. gr^tiid fign'or; and one for h:iving pnfled their baggage gratis and unvüited, cfpe-cially the large quadiai^t As the afl'Lir.mce of proreftion Mr. Bruce had received, gave him courage, he anfuered him, That, having a firman of the grand lignior, and letters from Metical Aga, it was mere generolity fiiciild he give him any prcfent at ali, either as Naybe or Omar Aga; l'-t he was not a merchant that bought and fold, nor had merchandlic on board, therefore had no ciiftoms to pay. Upon this he fcnt for Mr. Brucc to Iiis houfe, where he found him in a violent furj-, and many ufe-iefs words paffed on both fides. At laft he peremptorily told our traveller, That unlefs he had 300 oim-ces of gold ready to pay him on Monday, upon his landing from Arkeeko, he would confine him ia a dungeon, without light, air, or meat, till the bones came through his fkin for want. On the 29th of Oftobcr, the Naybe came again from Arkeeko to Mafuah, and Mr. Bruce was told in a very ill humour with him. He foon received 3 mcflage to attend him, and found him in a large wafte room like a barn, with about fixty people with him This was his divan, or giand council, with all his janiifarics and offi. ccrs of flate, ."dl naked, affembied in parliament. There was a comet that had appeared a few days after their arrival at Mafuah, which had been many days viftble in A-tabia Felix, being then in its perihelion; and, after paffine its conjunction with the fun, it now appeared at Ma-fii^i early in the evening, receding to its aphelion. Mr. Brucc had been obfervöl watching it with great attention, and the large tubes of the telefcops had given of-Ičnce Ui ignorant people. The firil queflion the Naybe aiked him was, " What that comet meant, and why it sppcared And before be could anfwer hinij he again faid. faid, " The firft ti-ne it was vifibk it brought tlie fmall pox, wliicli has kiüed above looo people in Mafuah finia. What hare you to do vith the omec \Virhi)at giving Mr. Bruce Ijave tj his brother Emir Achmet then faiJ, " That he was informed our trav^>llt;r was an engineer going to Midiael, governor of Tigre, to teach the Abyffinians to make cannon an.i giiu-powder ; that the linl attack wu to he againft Mafujtli. Kiveor fix uthers fpjivc much in the in.ne Itrain; and the K'aybe cuncluJci by faying. That he would fend iVlr. Bruce in chaiii-t to Conftantinopiv", unlsf^ he went to Hainjzen, with his brother Emir Aciiinct, to the hot-welis tliere, aud that this was th: refoiuiion o* all tiie janizaries ; fur he had concealed his being a phyfician. After much ^tercation bctwci;« Mr, üiuce and the Naybe, the farmer turned his back, and Mr. I3rucewent a.\ay exceedingly diiturbcd, as it was plain his affairs were coining to a crifis for goi)dor for evil. HeoLferv-ed, or thought he obferved, all tiie people fhtinncd hirn. He was, indeed, upon his guard, and did not wi!h iheni to come near him; but, turning down into his own gateway, a inanpalTcd clofe by him, faying diftinrtly in. his ear, though in a low voice, firfl in '! igte and then in Arabic, " Fear nolhiiig, or. Be not afraid." 'I'his hint, Ihort as it v/as, gave him no fmall courage. Upon the 6th, in the morning, tvhite at. bre.ikfaft, Mr. L'ruce was told, that thresf^rvants had arrived from red (hort cloak lined and turned up with ma/arinc-blut-, which is the h.idge of the king's f.rvaiu, and is callcd ßahtka. Ras Mi^hrtel's letters to the Nay!« were very ihort. He faid the king Hat7.e Hannes's health was bad, and wondered at hearing tluit the phyfician, fcnt to him by iVlftieal Aga from Arabi.i, was not forwarded to him inftantly at Gondar. as he had heard of his bslrsg arrived ac Mafuali fome tiiue before. He ordered the N aybe, ii ^ moreover,, morenrr, to furnidi him with necelTarief, anJ dirpatcii him without lofs of time. Mafuah, by a great variety of obfi-n-jtions of the fun and ftars, was foiind to he in lat. ly" 35' j", and, by an obfervation of the fccond fiUdlite of Jupiter, 011 the 22d of September its longitude was found tobe 39" 3Ö' 30" eaft of the meridian of Grccnwieh. The ifland of Mafuah is very unwholefonie, a.-;, indeed, is the whole coaft of the Red fea from Suez toBabelman-deb, but moie efpecialiy between the tropics. Vioktit fevers, called there rtednJ, make the principal figure in tills fatal lift, and generally terminate the third day in death. If the patient furvives till the fifth day, he very often recovers by drinking water only, and throwing a quantity ofcold water upon him, even in his bed, where he is permitted to lie without attempting to make him dry, or changc his bed, till another deluge adds to the firft. The bark is the moft fovereign remedy here ; but it muft be given in very different times and manners irom thofc purfued in Europe. Were a phyfician to t-ike time to prepare his patient for the bark, by firft giving hi;ii purgatives, he would he dead of the fever before his preparation w-as completed. The foeond or third dofe of the bark, if any quantity is fwalbweJ, never falU to purge; and, if this evacuation is copious, the j^aticnt rarely dies but, on the contrary, his recovery is generally rapid- Moderate purging, is for the jnoil p;irt ta be adopted ; and rice is a niuoli better food th?n fruit. The next common difeufc in the low country of Arabia, the intermediate ifland of Niafuah, and all Abyffi-nia, (for the difeafes are cxa£lly fimilar in all this trači) is the Tertian fever, which is in nothing different from our Tertian, and is lucceS'sfully treated here in the fame iTionner as in Europe. As no fpecics of this difeafe, as far as Mr. l-Jruce faw, menaccs the patient with death, efpecially in norant inhabitants endeavour to bring to a fuppurafion, but in vain ; they then open tliem in fevera! places ; a fore and running follows, and a difeafe vcEy much rcfcinhling what is cidled in Europe the Evil, 'i lie next {though not a dangerons cnmplaii t) has a very terrible apptarance. Small rubcrcules or Iwellings appear all over the body, but thickcft in the thighs, -irms, and lej^s. Thcit: Avellings go and come for weeks together ivithout pain ; ihon^h the legs often fwcil to a monltrous fize as in the dropfy. All the nations in Africa within the tropics are won-derfiiily affefted at the fmalleft eruption or roughncfs of the fkin. A black of Sennaar will hide hiitifelt" in the houfc where dark, and is not to be feen by his friends, if he ilioiijd Iia^'e two or three pimples on any part of his body. Nor is there any remedy, however violent, that they v.lH not fly to for iininediare relief. The next complaint Mr. linice mentions, as coinmon in tKefc countries, is called Farentjit, a corruption of an Arabic word, which {ignifies the worm of Pharaoh; sH bad things being by the Arabs atrribiited to thefe poor kings, who fcem co be looked upon by poilcrity ai the evil genii of ihc country which they once governed. 'J h:s eJitraorJänary animal onlyaiHids thofe who arc in conlLint Jiabit of drinl;ing flagnant waler, whether that waiL-r is drawn out from wells, as in the kingdom of Sennaar, or found by digging in the fand where it is making its way to its pr.^j^er level the fea, after faJiing down the fide of ihe mounl:iins after the tropical rains. This plague appears iiidifenminately in every p:irt of the body, but oltencft in the legs and arms. Upon looking at this worm. On its firll appf araiicc, n fmall black head is I'xtrcinrly vifiblc. v/itii a iiooked beak of a whitifii colour. lis body is feeiningly of a white ftlky texture, very h'ke a ftnall tendon bared and pcrfeftly clcaned. Alter its appearancc, ihe natives of theie countries, ^ho are ufed to it, feize it gently by the head, and wrap ti round a thin piece ot'filk or AbuIJ bird's fcatlior. Every day. tJay, or feveral times a- 'ay, thty try to wind it up upon-the quill as (ar as itoomcs reai^ily; anJ, upon tlv i'lnaileit re!:(taiice, they over for fear of breaking it. Mr. Bruce has fcen ii\ c feet, or fomcihing iuurc of this extraordinary aiiimul, wound out with invincible patiwict: in the courfe of three weeks. No inflammation then remained, and fcareely any reUnefs round the edges of tlie aperture, only a fraall quantity of lymph appeared in the liole or punÜurc, whieh fcarcely iliucd out upon preffing. In three days it was commonly \vell. Mr. Bruce himlclf experienced tliis complaint. lie was reading upon a fufa at Cairo, a few days after his return from Upper t-gypt, when iie ftlt in the fore part of his leg, upon the bone, about fcven inches below the center of his knee pan, an itching refembling what follows the bite of a mufcheto. Upon fcratching, a fmall tumour appeared l ery like a mufcheto bite. 'I he itching returned .in about an hour afterwards ; and, be-ii5g more intent upon his reading than Iiis leg, he fcratched it till the blood camc. He foon after ohlerved Something like a black fpot, which had already rtfeti confiderably above the furfaee of the ikin. Ali medicine proved ufelefs ; and the tiifeafe not being known at Cairo, there was nothing for it but to have reeourfe to the only received manner of treating it in tliis country. About three inches of the warm was wound out npon a picce of raw iilk in the firft week, without pain or fever; but it was broken afterwards through the carelelTr.efs and raümefs of the furgeon when changirsg a poultice on board the fliip in which he returned to France: a violent inflammation followed ; the teg fwelled fo as to fcarce leave appearance of knee or ancle; the (kin, red and dillendecl, feemed glazed like a tnirror, The wound was now healed, and, difcharged nothing; and there was every appearance of mortification coming on. The great care and attention proeuied him in the lazaretto at Marfeilles, by a. nation always foreraoft in the afts of. humanity to flrangers, and the attention and iliill of the furgeon, recovered him fromihis troubkfome complaint., Fifty-two days had elapfed fince it firft begun ; thirty-five of which were fpent in the greatcft agony. . It fup-. puiated at laft; and, by enlarging the orifice, a good. (iuaiuity quantity of matter was difchLsrged. He had made con-Itant ufj of bürk, both in fomentations and inwaidh'; but he did not rscover the ftrengt'i of his leg entirely till near a year after, by ulin^ the b^.ths of Pnretia. Tiie'laft Mr. Jiruce mentions of thcfe endemial difcares, and the moll terrible of all others that can fall to tlie io^ of man, is the Klephantiafis, which fome have chofcn to call the Leprafy or Lepra Arabum ; though in its ap-IX'arance, and in all Its circumllances and ftages, it no more refembles the Icprofy of Paleftine, iha:i it does the goiit or the dvopfy. During the courfe oi' it, the facc is often healthy to appearance; the eyes vivid and fpark-liiig ; thofe afFečted have fometimes a' kijid of dtyncfs upon the Ikin of their backs, which, upon fcratching-, leaves a meaiinefs, orwhitenefs; the only circumltance, in which it refembled the kprofy; but it has no fcalinefs. The hair, too, is of its natural colour; not white, yd-loivilh, or thin, as in the leprofy, but fo far from ii that, though the Abyffinians have very rarely hair upon their thin, Mr, Bruce has fcen people, apparently in the laft ilagc of the elepharitiails, with a very good beard of it* natural colour. The appetite is generally good during this difeafe, nor dees any change of regimen affeft the complaint, Mr. Bruce's firft general advice to a traveller is this, to remember well what was the ftate of his conftitution _be-lore he vifited thefe countries, and what his complaints were, if he had any ; for fear very frequently feizes us uDon the lirft fi^ht of the many and fudden deaths we fee upon our firft arrival, and our fpirits are fo lowered by perpetual pcrfpiration, and our nerves fo relaxed, that we are apt to miltake the ordinary fymptoms of a difeafe,. familiar to us in our own country, for the approach of one of thefe terrible diftempers that are lo hurry us in a: few hours into eternity. This has a bad effeft in the very llighre.1 difurders; fo that it hath become proverbial—" If you think you lhall die, you (hall die." Ifa traveller finds, that lie is as well after having iieen fome lime in this country as he was before entering it, his boft way is to make no innovation in his regimen,further than in abating fomething in the quantity. But if he is of a tender conftitution, he cannot aft more wj/ely tiian to fallow implicitly the tegimco of fobcr, licalthy people people of tlx countrj', wiihout arguing upon European iiorions, ur fubftitiitiiig we co.iiider asfucccdancums to what wc iue ufed o.i ths Ipot. Ail fpirits arc lo be avoiiied; cvtn bark isbcurr in u a'C! (I nii in wine. Thi; Aoinach, Iscing rclnxed by ] ri.iufc perl'piration, ivefls f.JiiKihiiJg to ürfiigtiicn, but not infirtiiR-, anJ oiabk it to jieihi'iii digeftion. I'or shis rc.iian (itiftintt kc fiiould cjll it; if fpcakiiig of beafts) the ti.iuvcs of all eaflern countries ftalbr fwr}- lpecie.v of cvtn the fiin;ilcft ami iisildcft, rice, io much ivith fpices, f.lj^eciajiy pej..pcr, as abiblu'aiy to bliftc! an I'-urvpean palate. 'l Ueri- püwer-fiil antifeptics Providcnec l-,as plnntcd in iheio countvies for this ufc; and the natives li;i c. iVcra tlic ; i!ilicfl times, bad rccourfe to them i:i proportion to the quaiiuiy they can procure. Mr. liruce hiys dov.-R this as a pofitivc rule of licaitli, th.it the wanncit diOiCS the natives delight hi, .-ire the moft wholefome ftrangcrs cr.ii ule in the putrid ciini.v.es o," the L.ov.-er Arabia, .■^hjillnia, Seni:aar, and Kgypt it-felf, and that fpiriti, and all fermenicd liquors, (liuuld he regarded as poiüini-: and, for ie^r of temptation, not fo much as be carried along with voi;, unlef> as a njcnf-trum (or outward appJiealions. I'l^ring, or runnint; water, if vou can find it, is to be ycur only drink. \ ou cannot o- reo ii:ce in procuring thi» a'ticle. But as, on iioth coafts CI tlie lot fpirito'-is iiqjor can rcftore (his, whatever momentary Jirtii^ch it mjy give you Troiii r.iiolher caufe, W'h-n hot, and iiiinort Ji;ii>ting with xi'eakiiels Irom conrlRiial per-;urjt!;;n, Mr. Brucc has ?fonc into a warm bath, and b'.T^ i,n-:;c.ii.i!cly reilorcJ to Itrcngth, as upon firl't jifing in the morning. In N'lihia, n-.-vcr fcru/-le to thro«' vour/i^Ifiiito the cold-eft river or fpriii'; you caji find, in wlut:/cr degree of Jioac voa are. The rcalon of the difFcrence in Europe is, that whtnuy violence you h.-ivs raifed yourfdfto an extraordinary de>;ree of heat, the cold water In which you plunge yourf=U"chccks your pcrfpiration, and fhuts your pores fuddsnly. 'J'he in'.tliura ii ttfrlf too cold, and you do no: ufe force fufficicnt to bring hnck the pcrfp ration, which nought but action occalion;d; whereas, in ti efe wjrin countries, your jierfpirjtiini is n.itura] ami cjnftaiit, though no aftion be uied, only from the tenij'crsturc of ih; medium; therelore, though your pores are fliut, tiie moinv nt you plunge yourfelf in the cold water, thi fiaiple condition of the oufivard air again covers ycu witli pearls of fwcat the moment you eincrge ; and vou l>egin the expencc of the aqueous part of vour blood .ifreih from the new fiock that you have laid in by your immcrfion. Kicc and pillaw are the be!t food ; fowls are very bad, e^gs areworfe; greens are not wholefome. In Arabia the mutton is good, and, when roafttd, may be eaten war:ii with lafeiy; perhaps ix-ttcr if cold. All foups ur broths arc to be avoided ; all game is had. J t is a cuftom that, frotn the fin'l ages, has jirovailcj in the call, to (lirick and lament upon the death ofa friend or rchüiun, and cut their faces upon the temple with their nails, about tile breadth of a fixpcncc, one of which is left lung for that purpofe. It was always prafiifcd l)y ihc Jews, anj thencc adopted liy the Abyffinians, though e.^:-pri-fsly fiirbitiJcn lioth by the law and the prophets. At Mafuah, it fi-eins to lie particular to dancc upon that cc-c^U'in, The «-o.Ticn, Irienils. and vilitois, place ihc.ii-fi'lves iti a ring; tlien dancc Ilowly, figuring in and out as in a country-dance. 'I'his dancc is all to the voice, no inUrunjcnt bcitig ufed upon the occafion ; only thii drum i62 SHAVV'S abridgement OF driitn [the butter-jsr brfore mcnrioned] is heat adroirlv enough, and fcems iit once rieceflary to keep [he dance and long in order. In AbylFinia, too, this is purfucd in a manner-more ridiculous. Upon the death ot an ozoro, or any nobleman, the twelve jud^s, ( who ;ire generally between 60 and 70 years of age) frngthe fong, and dance the figure-dance, in a manner fo truly ridiculous, that grief muft have taken fall hold of every fpeilatur who does not laugh upon the occafion. In Mafuah, "it is a general cuftom for people to burn myrrh and inccnfe in' their lioufcs before thsy op; n the doors in tile morning; and when ihey go out at night, o-r early in the day, they have always a fmall piet-e of rjg highly fumigated with thcfe two ptrfumes, which they ftiiff into each iio;lril to keep them Ironi the unwholefome air. I'heir honfes arc. in gensral, built of poles and bent gral's, as in the of Arabia ; hut, hefides thcfe, there are about twenty of ftoiic, fix or eight of which are two ßoreyseach ; though the feeond feldom confifts of more than one room, and thjt one generally not a large one. Situated as Mafuah is, in the very entrance of AbyfTinla, a very plentiful country, yet all the neceffaries of life are fearce and dear. Their quality, too, is very indifferent. This is owing to the difficulty, expence, and danger of carrying the feveral articles through the dcfert f5at eoun. try, called Samhar, which lies between Arkeekoand the mountains of Abyffinia ; as well as to the extortions ex-r.rcifed by the Naybe, who takes, under the name of cnf-toms, whatever part he pleafes of the goods and proviftons brought to that ifland ; by which means the profit of the feller isfo fmall, as not to be worth the pains andriJk of bringing it, A confiderabic trade is carried on at Mafuah, notvvith-ftandingthefe iiiconveniencies,narrow and confined as the iHand is, and violent and unjull as is the government. But it is all done in a Hovenly manner, and for articles where a fmall capital is invefted. Property here is too precarious to rilTc a venture in valuable commodities, where the hand of power enters into every tranfaftion. On the ijth, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Brucc waited upon the Nay be at his own houfc. He re- cci^vcd cctveJ him with more civility than u'ual; or rather with Ids brutality i for a grain of any_ thing 1,1 e dviliJv had never yet appeared in his behaviour. Hf-'ha.; jült received news, thjt a fervtint ofhis, fent to collc.t inoney at i-iamazen, had run .oH' with it. As o,ir traveller Taw he was biify, he took his leave of him, only afbing his commands for Habefli; to m hich he anf.vered, " We have time enough to think of shat; do yoLi coiiie here to inoirow." On the 14th, in the morning, he waited upon him according to appointment, having firit fttuck his tent and Kol nil his lia ;gage in R-adinefs. He received hi.n as before, then told him a grave air, " that he was ivitling to further his journey into i-fabclh to the titniolt of his power, provided lie fhc'.ved him tiiat confederation which was duo to him from aJl paflejigers ; that ns, by his tent, haggage, and arms, he fatv !ie «-as a man above the coinuiqn fort, which the grand (ignior's tinnisn, and all his le:ters teftihcd, lefs than 1000 p;u;ikas offered by lilm v.'ould he putting a great a.Tront upon him ; however. in confid'^ration of the governor of Tigre, to v-iiQin he ivas going, he would eonfenc lo reccive upon his fwcaring not to divuljje (his, lor fear of the iliaine that would fall upon him abroad. To ihis Bruce anfwered in the fame grave tone, that he thought him very wrong to take 300 patakas wiih lhame, when receiving a ihonfand would be more honourj!)Ie as well as ii>orc profitable; therefore ho had nothing- to do but jiut that into his account-book witli ilic govi'-rnor ofTij^rc, and fettle his honour and his iiuerell together. As for himlelf, he M'as fent f(tr by Metical Aga, on account of the kin^, and wa; proceeding accordin-lv, and if- iic oppofed his going forward to Metical Aga, he fjiuuld return ; but then again he IhouSd cxped ten thoufand pataka'^ from Metical Ai^a, for the trouble ;ind lofs of tirnc he bad been at, which he and the Ras would not doubt f^:tile v,-ith him." 7'hc Navbs faid nothing in reply, l-;Ut otily muttered, clofing- !ns abdndon nbatidon all tliouglits of Abyflinia; forthat, in pafling through Samhar, among the many barbarous peopie whom lie commanded, dliricuities would multiply upi)n them daily, and, cithcrby accidtnt.ornrdcr oi'thc Naybe, they would bcfurcly cut oiF. ilowcvtr.ourtravtllcr was too well convinced of the embarralTmynt tliat lay behind him, if k'ft alone wit!) the Na}bc, and too determined upon his jOnr[K-y to hefitatc upon geling forward. He even flattered hiinfelf, that his flock ofltratagcms to prevent their going, was by this time exhaußed, and that the morrow ■w'ould fee them in the open fields, free from furthtir tyranny and controui. On the 15th, early in t'x morning, Mr. Bruce nga'n ftruck his tent, and had his bagj^.ige prepared, to fliew they were detennincd to fray no longer. A: ciglit o'clock, he went to the Na}-be, and found him almoft alone, when he received him in a manner that, for him, might have paffed for civil. He began with a confider-able degree of eloquence, or flucncy_ of Ipsech, along enumeration of the difficulties of their journey, the rivers, precipices, mountains, and Woods they were to pafs; ihe number of wild beafts every where to he found; as alfo the wild favage people that inhabited thofe places; the moll: of which, he faid, were luckily under his command, and he would rceommend to them to do them all manner of good offices. He commanded two of his fecrctaries to write the proper letters, and then ordered theiD coffee. In the mean time came in a fervant covered with duft and fccmingly fatigued, as having arrived in haile from afar. The Naybe, with a confulerablc deal of iineafi-ncfs and confufion, opened the letters, which were faid to bring inielligenee, that the Hazorta, Shilio, and Tora, the three nations who pofledcd that part ofSi'.nihar through which our road led to Dobarvva, the common pafTage from Mafuah to Tigre, had revolted, driven away his fcrvants, and declared tlienifclves independent. He then, (as if all was overj ordered his fecretaries to flop writing-, and, lifting up his eyes, began, v, ith great fceming devotion, to th^nk Cod we were not already on cur joisrrey; for, innocent as he was, when our tra-veilers Ihould have been cut off, the fault would * ha\'(i liace been imputed to him. Angry as Mr. Bnjce uas at fo bare-fyced a i:iree, lie could not hel|) liurJtin- out into a violent fit of IcuJ Jauglner, whm the A^jvbe put on the fevered countcnarce, and dcfired to know the reafon ot" his laughing at Tuch a t jicjvv two months, (anfwcred Mr. Bruc;;i iincc you Have throwing various objcAtons in my way ; c;in you wond-ct tbat I do not give info fo prcfi a:i impruion ? Tin's fame morning, before I ftruck niy tent, in prcfönee of your nephew Achmer, I fpnke with two Shiho Jufb arrived from Samliar, ivho brought letters to Achinct, which faid all was in pcace. Uavc yoii eailicr jmclli-gence than tli.it of this morningP" Me was for feme tiine without fpeaking; then faid. If yon are weary oflivir.g, you are r-m^'to go ; but I will do my duty in warning thofe thiU an- along with you of iliciran'l your dargrr, that, whs« tije mil-chief happens, it may not be imputed to tne." " N'o number, of naked Shiho, (fald .Mr. Bruce) unfcfs in-I'li ufled by you, can ev^r be f^iir.d on our roaJ, that will venture to attack us. The Shiho have no ar;ns; but if you luve fent on pur loft- fjme of yenr foJdirrs that have fire amis, t'.ife wi ) difcover by what aarliOr.-ty they come. I'or our part, we cannot fly ; wc neiilier know the country, the language, nor the w.ttering. places, and v.e fliail not attempt it. W'e have pler.ty of different forts of fire arms, and your'ants have often fecn at Mafuah we arc not ignorüiir in the uft of them. it is true, may lofe our lives, that is in the hand of the .Almighty ; but we fhall not fail to ie.ive enough on the fpot, to give fufTicient iiidicatton to s.he king and Ras Michael, wlio it was that were uur af-faflins." Mr. Hruce then rofe very abruptly to go away. Ir is impoinble to give any one, not converfant v.ith tlic.^e people, any conception wh.tt perfett maiiers tke •.T.nll ciownifli and bealHv among them arc of diiifHilaiLon. The countenancc of the Xaylw now ehaiigcd in a moment. In his turn he liurll oiu into a loud fit of lnii'.>h. ter, which furpriled our tra*-eilrr full as much as his, fome time before, had done hi;n. Every feature of his' treacherous countenance was altered and fnftene.l into coniplaceiicy; complacency; and lie, for the firft time, bore the appearance of a man. He then confefled, that the whole was only a pretence to keep them there, " But lince you are refolved to go, be not afriad ; the roads are fafe enough. 1 will give you a perfon to conduft you, that will carrf you in fafcty, even if there was danger; only go and prepare fiich remedies as may be proper for the Emir, and leave them with my nephew Achnaet, while I finilh my letters," This our traveller willingly con-fented to do, and on his return he found every thing ready. Our travellers left Arkeeko on the 15th, taking their road fouth\^'ard, along the plain, which is not here above a mile broad, and covered with iliort gral's, nothing different from ours, only that the blade is broader. After an hour's journey Mr. Bruce pitched his tent at Laberhey, near a pit of rain-water. The mountains of Abyflinia have a Angular afpedl from this, as they appear in three ridges. Tlie firll is of no coiifiderable licight, but full of gullies and broken ground, thinly covered with flirubs; the fecond, higher and fleefXT, flill more rugged and bare j the third is a row of {harp, •uneven-edged monntains, which would be counted high in any conntry in Europe. Far above the top of ajI, towers that flupendous mafs, the mountain of Taranta, probably one of tlie liighcft in the world_, the point of which is buried in the clouds, and very rarely fcen but in the clcareft weather : at other times abandoned to perpefnal miit and darknefs, the feat of lightning, thunder, and of ftorm. In the e^'ening, a mcffengcr froin the Na}'be found tbem at their tent at Laberhey, and carried away their guide Saloome. It was not till the next day that he appeared again, and with him Achmct, the > aybe's nephew, who went into the tent, called for coiVce. and, while drinking- it. faid, " You are fuiiiciently perfuadcd that I am your ftiend ; if you are nor, it is too late now to convince vou. It is ncccfliiry, however, to explain the rcafons cf w]iat you fee. You arc not to go to i")u-barvva, tliough iris the beft road, t Jie fa fetl being preferable to tjic eaCeft, Yon will be apt to ci;rfc me when you arc oiling and fweating .ift;t:ndin^ Taranta, the t5ic higheft mountain in Abyffinia, and on tin's account worthy your notice. You are then to confider, if the fatigue of body you then fufter in that paffage 'is not overpaid by the abfolutc fafety you will lind yourfelves in. IDobariva belongs to the Nsybe, and I cannot anfwcr for the orders he may have given. I have writ> ten to my officers there ; they will behave the better to you for this; and, as you are ftrong and robuft, the belt i can do for you is to fend you by a rugged road, and a fafe one." Achmet again gave his orders, to Saloome, and they all riling, faid tie fedtah, or pmyer of f-eacc-, which being over, Achmet's fervant gave him a narrow web of inuflin, which, with his own hands, he wrapped round Mr. Bruce's head in the manner (he better fort of Mahometans wear it at Dixan. He then parted, faying. He that ii your enemy is mine alfo ; you thall hear of me by Mahomet Gibberii." This finiftied a feries of trouble and vexation, not to fay danger, fuperior to any thing Mr. Uruce ever before hail experienced, and of whicli the bare rt'citdl will give but an imperfeft idea, Thefc wretches polTefs talents for tormenting and alarming, far beyond the power of hclief; and, by laying a true fkelch of them before a traveller, an author docs iiim the moil real fervice. On the 16th, in the evening, they left Laberhey; and, after continuing about an liour along llic pla-n, their grafs ended, the ground becoming drv, firm, and gravelly, and they then entered into a wood of acacia-trees of conßderable fize. On the i8tb, at half paft five in the morning, they left their ftation on'the fide of a green hill at Hamham-inon : for fome time their road l.iy through a plain fo thick fet with acacia-trecs slut theii hands and faccs were all torn and bloody with the llrcikes of thrir tliorny branches. At half jiail. feven, they eame to ihe tnoudi of a narrow valley, through which a ftrcam of v/aicr ran very fv.-iftly over a bed of prbbSe*. It -.vai the lirl} clear water they bad feen fince tli-.-y left Syria, and gave them junfpcakable pkafure. It was in taile exceiient. 'I'lic (hade of the tam a rind-tree, and thu coolness of the air. air, invited tliem to reft on tliis delightful fpor, tiinu/h oti-.erwilc, perhaps, it «a^ „m exaäly cnnforjnabk' "to the lulei of prudcuce, as they fyv,- fcs^eral huts and iiiini-Hesof the Ma/.orta ak)ng the fuie of the ftrcam, with Iheir Cocks feeding- nn the branches of trees and büfws entirely negleftlul of the grafs they wne trcadins; "ndt-r foot. The capT-trec here grows as high as the tallell Eiigllfli elm; us flower is. white, and- its fruit, rhuu'h not ripe, was fully as large as an apricot. " On the 19th. they continued their journey, their road ftiil winding between mountains in the bed, or torrent of a river, bordered on each tide with rack and fycamorc trees of a goodfi/.c. Ar half pafl: eight o'clock, thty encanfiped at a place cailed Tuiibo, where the mountains are very fttep, and broken very abruptly, into ciifis and prccipices. Tubbo was by much the iriofl: n^rrecable ftation th:y ha^l feen; the trees were thick, füll of leaves, and g.ive th^.-ni abundance of verv dark fiia.^e. There was a nuinber of many diiferent kinds fo chifcly planted, that tlity ßemed to be intended for natural arbours. Every tree was full of birds, variegated witli an infinity of colotirs, but deflitutc of fong; other?, ot a lEore hoir.ely aad more K-.iropean appearance, diverted them witb a variety of wild notes, in a tlilcof rniific I'Uil dillinil and pcc-jliar to Afiica; as different in '.he com-pofition from oui linnet ar.d goldfinch, as our Eiij-lifh hinguage is to that of Abyllinla ; Yet, from veiy attentive and frequent obfervaitbii, Mr. Bruce found tliat ;hc Iky-lark at iMafuah fung the fame notes as in England, It was obfervable, that the prcaieil part of th.e beautiful painted birds vtcrc ot ihejay. or magpie kind, nature Iremcd, by rhe Jilicnefs of their drefs. to ha'-e marked them for rhildrcn of iir>:fe ;nul imp rtiiiencc, but never to have inrendt-d ihem for p'cafure or meditarion. On tlie 20th, ihey began to afveiid th^ hüls, or emi-ne-aecs, which fen,'e as ttie roots or fxiris of the gr-.at mtiuntain 'i atanta. The road was on c^lIs fuie bordered witli nabca, or juj< h trees of great bcan^v; and fycamorcs perfectly deprived of their verdure and branches. The fonr.try here is every where deprived of the fha 'e it would enjoy from tliefe niie trcej, by t!-,e harbarouj axes oftiie Hazorta. 'i hcy found every where iininenfc flocks of of antelopss; as alfo partridges of a fmall kind that villingly look reftige upon trees; neither of thefe feenird to cunlidcr our tniveHcrs as enemies. The antelopes let them pafs through their flocks, only removing to the right or to the ieft, or ftanding ftiJl and gazing upon thenj till they paDcd. But, as they were then on the confines of Tigre, or rather on the lerricory of the Baharnagalh. and as tiie Hazorta were in motion every where removing towards (he coaft, far from the dominions of the Abyl-finians to u hich they were going, a friend of their own tribe, who had joined our travellers for fafetj', knowing how little truft was to be put in his couitrymen when moving in this contrary direftion, advifed them by no means to lire, or give any UDnecelfarv indication of the fpot. where they were, till they gained the mountain of Tarniita, at the foot of which they halted. In the afternoon, they began to afcend the mountain, through a moft rocky, uneven road, if it can deferve the name, not only from its incrediblc fteeprsefs, bt;t from (he large holes and gullies made by the torrents, and t!ie huge monftroiis fragments of rocks which, loofened by the water, had been tumbled down into their way. U was witli great difficulty they could creep up, each man catryins; his knapfack and arms ; but it (eeined beyond the poflibility ol human ftrength to carry iheir baggage and iidli uincnts. Their tent, indeed, fuffcred nothing by its falls; but the Ickfcopes, time-keeper, and quadrant, \i ere to be treated in a more deliberate and tender manner. The quadrant had hitherto b^en carried by eight men, four to relieve each other; but thefe were ready to give up the undertaking upon trial of the firil few hundred yards. A number of expedients, fuch as trailing it on tlje ground, (all equally fatal to the inflrument) were propofcd. At laft, as Mr. Bruce was incomparably the ftrongeft of the company, as well as the moft interefted, he, and a ftranger Moor who had followed them, carried the head of it for about 400 yards over the moft difficult and fleepeft part of the mountain, \i'hich before had been ccnfidered as ijn-praflicable by all. Valine was the name of that Moor, recommended to Mr. Uruce by Metical Aga, a perfon whom he had dif-tovcrcd to be of a moft fagacious turn of mind, firin ^ heart, heart, and ftrcnucus nerves; npver more dilfinguifticJ farrafleil fo much with large ftones and holes, '1 heir knees and hö.^ds, however, were cut to pi ces by fre.iuent Falls, and their faces torn by the multitude of thorny buihcs. At lull, they gained the top of the mountain, upon which is fituated a fm.ül vil-läge called Halai, the firlt they had feen fince their leaving Mafuah. It is cbk'tly inhabited by poor fcrvants and •hepherus keeping the flocks of men of fubftance living in the town of Dixan. The plain on the top of the moutitain Taranta was. In many placcs, fown with « heat, which was then ready to be cut down, though ihe harveft was not yet begun. The grain was clean, and of a good colour, but inferior in lize to that of Egypt. It did not, however, grow thick, nor wasjhc ftalk above fourteen inches high. The water is very bad on the tip of Taranta, being only what remains of the rain in the hollows of the rocks, and in pits prepared for it. iJcing very tired, they pitched their tent OP the top of the mountain. The night \v.is remarkably-cold, at leaft appeared fo to them, whofe pores were opened by the exccflive heat of Mafuah. 'I'he dew began to fall ftrongly, and fo continued till an hour after fun- f«. iVt, tliough the fliv u-as porfe^ö' clear, and the fmaUefi furs tJifccrnibie. Mr. Bruce killed a large cagic here, about fix feet ten inches frojn wing to wing. It fccmcd very t ime (ill (}iot. The bail having ivouiidjd it but /lightly, it-l'.cn on the ground it could not be prcvptited from attacking t'lo men or beafts near it uich great force and licrccnefs, fo that Mr. Bruce was oliliged to ftah it with a bayonet. It v.as of a dirty white ; only the head and i"p]n:r part of its Evings were of a light brown. Oil the iiiotniiig of (lie z id, they left ihcir (tation on the top of Taranta, and foon after b-.-^an to deiceiid on ihe fide of 'I'igre through a broken and iintvcn read. After this t!;cv began to mount a fmall hill, from which they had a difiinit view ofDixaii. They ]jitchcd tl.cir tent near fome mailhy ground tor the fake of voter, at three q'.iartcrs pjft len, but it vvas very baJ, having be-iiinia, on the fiilc ol' Taninta. Dixr.n i» built on the ioj' of a IiiH. CHerleirtly in form of a Ui.^tir loaf; a da:p valiey fuirounds it every v,!:cre like a tiench, and the road wiiidä fpirally up the hill tili it endo, among the houfcs. 0;ir travellers baggajjc i'ad palTe*! flic trench, and had readied the low towii tlirough idiicli Saloonie Jiad coa-dutted Mr. Bruce, under prctcnce of getting a fpeedy (heiter from the hear: but h-^overatled his part; and Janni, his fcivaiit, \i'lio Ipoke *Gfeek, giving; Mr. limes a hint to go no funlu r, lie turned Ihort touards tlit-houfc, and I'at do An willi hia firelock, upon a ftonc at the door. 'I'heir bagga^if i;uiekly followed, a id all-li'as ]>iit fafe in a kind oi a court indoled with,a fuiHcient ftc.is-wall. It was not long till Magi Alnifleader, Achtnti's friend, eanie to them, inviting Mr. Bruce civilly jo his liouie, and declaring lo hiiu the friendly ordc"- I i fe^ SHAW's abridgement of he had received from Achmet concerning him; bringing along with him alfo a goat, fonie butter and honey. Mr. ßrucce-^cufeiJ himfclffrom leaving Janni's friend, the Chrirtian, where he firft; alighted; but he recommended Ynfine to him, for he had liegun to fliew great attachment to Mr. liruce. In about a quarter of an ■ hour came Saloome with about twenty men, and demanded our travellers in the rame of the Naybe, as his ftranjiers: he faid they ovvcd him money for conducing them, and likewife for the cuftomhoufe dues. In a moment near a hundred men were alleiiibled round Ilagi Abdelcader, all with lliiclds and lances, and Mr. Bruce cxpetlcd to fee a fray of the moll ferious kind. But Abdelcader, with a fwttch in his hand, went gravely up to Snloome, and, aTtcr chiding his p.irty wiih great authority, he held tip his (tick twice over Saloome's head, as if to lirike him ; then ordered him, if he had any demands, to come to him in the evening ; upon which both parties difperfed, and left them in peace. T he matter was fettled in the evening with Saloome in an amicable manner. The town of Dixan confiftsof Moors and Chriftians, and is very well peopled; yet the only trade of either of thefe fefts is a very extraordinary one, that of felling of children. The Chrillians bring fuch as tliey have ftolen in Abyflinia to Dixan as to a fure depofit; an;ndcd apprchcnfion that they might be lloppecen .is yet half finilhed, utjlefs they bad ended with their lives. I'hcy remained under a tree feven feet and a half in diameter during the nighrof tlic 25th. Mr. Bruce fays, it will be to him a ftaiion ever iiiemorabie, as the iirft where he recovered apportion ofthat tranquillity of mind, to which he had been a fttangcr ever fince his arrival at Mafuah. On the 26th, at fevcn in the morning, they left their nioft pleafant tjuatters under the tree, and feC forward with great alacrity. About a t uartef of a mile from the river they crolfed the end of the plaiilZarai. Though this is but three miles long, and one where broadelt, it was the largeft plain tliey had feen fince their pairing Taranta, whofe top «-as now covered wholly with large, black, and very heavy clouds, from whicii tlicy heard and faw frequent jjeals of thunder, and violent ftream) of lightning. This plain was lown partly with wheat, partly with Indian corn ; the liift was cut down, the other not yet tipe. I 4 On On the E7th they left Haiiwi.coiuinuing their journey down a very fteep and narrow paih between too ftonv hills ; then afccndcd one ftill higher, upon the top of which ftands the large village ol Gotimbiibba, whence they had a profpeit over a confider.ible plain all fown with the different grain this country produces, wheat barley, teff", and toculfo ; Jlmfini, (or fefame] and nook • the laft is ufcd for oil. ' At five o'clock in the aPiemoon, they had a violent fnowtr of hailftoncs. Nothing is more common than aggravation about the fize of hail; but, (looping to take lip one, Mr, Bruce thought as large as a nutmeg, he received a blow from another juft umler his eye, which he imagined had blinded hiin, and which octafioncd a fuelling all the next day. Yafine, during the four days Mr. Bruce had fiaid at a placc callcd Kello, had told him his whole hiftory. It fcema he had been fettled in a province of Abyflinia, near to Sennaar. callcd Rasel Feel; had married Abd el Jil-le-el, the Shekli's daughter; but, growing more popufar (iian his father-in-law, he had been perfecuied by him, aod obliged to leave the country. He began now to form hopes, that, if Mr. Bruce was well received, as he fi'.v, in all appearance, he v-'as to be, he might, by his iatereft, be appointed to his father-in law's place ; efpe-cially if there ivas war, as every thing feemed to indica'e. Abd el Jillcel was a coward, and incapable of making himfelf of pcrfonal value to any party. On the conttarv, Yafine was a tried man, an excellent horfeman, ftron'g, silive, and of known coiira^, having been twice vcith the lato king Yafous in his invafions of Sennaar, and both times much wounded there. On the 5th of December, they began firrt fo fee the high mountains of Adowa, nothing refembling in {hapc to thofe of Europe, nor, indeed, any oilier counlry. Their fides were all perfwndicular rocks, high like fteeples, or obeliflis, and broken into a t;ioufand difFerent forms. They next paflTcd the Mareb, which is the boundary between Tigre and the Baharnagafh, on this fide. It runs over a bed of foü; is large, deep, and fmooth ; but, upon rain falling, it is more dangerous to pafs than any river river in AbylTmia, on account of the frequent holes in its bottom. They then entered the narrow plain of Yeeha, wherein runs the finall river, whicheitlier gives its name to, or takes it from it. At eleven o'clock, they refted by the fide of the mo that -»lien Janni faw them pairing the wat^r, h.- took oar traveller for a fer-vant, and expefted, forfevera! minutis, to fee the fpfcndid company arriix, W';il mou.it^d iipjn liorfes ar.d muli."s captifoned. He was fo (hocked at Mr. Bruce's faying, that he performed iliis terrible journey on foot, that he burll into tears, uttering a ihoufand reproaches a^ainli the Naybe for his hard-hearted 11 ^jfs and ingiatitudcj as he had twice, as he faid, hindered Michael from going in perfon and fweepin^ the N'aybe from t!ic face of the earth. Water wa5 immediately procured to wjfli their fei-r. ^And liere began another contention, fanni infilled upon doing this himfelf, which niadi.- Mr. Truce run out into the yard, and declare he wouH not iuifer it. After this, the like difpute took place among the rer\'anrs. it was always a ceremony in Abyflm'a. to wailt the feet of th«fe that comc fiom Ciiiro, and who are underltood to have been pilgiims at lerufrtle.ii. This was no fooner tinifiieJ, than a great dinner was brouqht, exceedingly well drjlfed, fiut no coiirid.'raticti or in^reaty could prevail upon thi ir kind landlord to fit down and partake with t!i?in. Me would ftanJ all the time, wiih a clean towel in his hand, though hft had pleniy of fervants; and after\vards dined with fottie vi-liters, who had come out of curtoiiry, to fee a m:>ii arrived from fo far. It was long ht-fore Mr. Bruce cured \his kind landlord of tiiefc n-fpeftfiil obfsrvances, wliich tronbled him very muL-h, nor could Janni wholly ever get rid of them. Adown is the feat of a very valuable manuf;«Jlare of coarfc cotton cloih, whith ciiciilates. all over AbviTinia 1 6 iniUud infteaJ of filver money; each web is fixtcen peek lon^ of i -j width, tlidr value a pataka ; tliat is, ten for the ounce of gold. The houfcs in Adowa are all of rough ftone, cemenied with mud inllead of morter. 1 h:u of lime ii not ufed Init at Gondar, where it is very bad. The roofs arc in the form of cones, and thitched with a reedy fort of grafs, fomething thicker than vheat ßraw. Excepting a few fpots taken notice of as tliey came to Adowa, this was the only part of Tigre where there was foil fufficicnt to yield corn ; the whole of the province befides is one entire rock. At Adowa, and ail the neighbourhood, they have three harvefts annually. The hrft feed time is in July and Auguft; it is the principal one for wheat, which they then Cow in the middle of the tains. In the lame feafon they fow tocuflb, teff, and barley. From tlie 20th of November, they reap firft their barley, then their wheat, and laft of all their teiF. In the room of thefe they fow immediately upon the fame ground, without any manure, barley, which they reap in February ; and then often fow teff, but more frequently a kind of veitch, or pea, called Shimbra; thefe are cut down before the firft rains, which are in April. With all thefe advantages of triple harvefts, which coft no fallow, ing, weeding, manure, or other expcnlive procefles, the farmer in Abyflinia is always poor and miferabk-. The cattle roam at difcretion through ihe mountains. The Herdfmen fet fire to the grafs, bent, and bruihwood, before the rains, and an amazing verdure inimcdiatly follows. As the mountains are very ßecp and broken, goats are chiefly the ftocks that graie upoii them. It is not the extreme height of the mountains in Abyilinia that occafions furprife, but the mimbcr of them, and the extraordinary forms (hey prefent to ihc eye. Some of them are flat, thin, and ftjuare, in fliape of a hearth-flone, or flab, that fcarce would feem to have bafc fuf-ficient to refift the aftion of tlie winds. Some are like pyramids, others like obeliiks or prifms, and fome, the moil extraordinary of alt the reft, pyramids pitched upon their points, with their bafc uppermoft, which, if it were poffibi;, as it is not, they could have been fo formed formed in the beginning, would be ftrong ohjcftions to o:ir rcceircd ideas of gravity. On the loth of January, 1770» Mr. Bruce vifited the rcniRins of the Jefuirs convent of Kremena. It is built upon the even ridge of a very high hill, in the middle ot"a large plain, on the ojjjmfite lidc of which ftands A-dovva. it rifes from the call to tlie wed, and ends in a preci[)ice on the cart ; it is a!fo very fteep to the north, and Hopes gently down to the plain on the fouth. The convent is about a mile in circumfercnce, built fub-ftantially with ftones, which are cemented with lime-moricr. It has toivers in the flanks and angles; and, nct.vicliflanding the ill-u'age it has fuffered, the «-alls remain ftill eniire to the height of twenty-five feet. It is divided into three, by crofs walls of equal height. The fuft divifion feems to have been u'cflincd for the convent, the middle for the church, and the third divifion is feparated from this by a wall, and ftands upon 2 a precipice. Thekindnefs, hofpiiality, and fatherly care of Janni never ccaled a moment. He had already represented iMr. Bruce in the moil favourable light to the Iteghe, or queen-mother, {wh fe fervant he had long been) to her daughter CJzoro Eflhcr, and Ozoro Atlafh ; and, above aii, to Michael, with whom his influence was very great; and, indeed, to every body he had any weight with, his own countrymen, Greeks, Abyflinians, .ind Mahometans; and, as they afterwards found, he had raifed their curiofity to a great pitch. On ihc 17th, our travellers.fet out from Adowa, re-fuming their journey to Gondar; and, on the «Sth, in the morning, they afcenued one of tbofe Iiills, through a very rough ftony road, and again came into the plain, wherein flood Axum, once the capital of Abyt finia. The ruins of Axum_ are very extenfivc; but, like the cities of ancicnt times, conlift altogether of public buildings. In one fijuarc, which Mr. Kiucc apprehend to have been the center of the town, tht-re are forty obeliflis, none of which have any hieroglyphics upon them. Axum is watered by a fniall flrcam, which flows all the year from a fountain in ilic narrow valley, where Itand fland the rows orcibeliflcs, T lie fpring iS rccci^ed info a niagiiiiiccnt bafon of i jo fi-ct fquare, and thencc it is carrieit, at pleafure, to water the neighbouring gardirs, where there is littlu fuiit, excepting pomcgranafes, neither arc thefe very fxceiletit. The prefent town of Ax-Ein Hands at the foot of the hill, and may have about fix hundred houfes. There are feveral TOanufac^iires of coarfc cotton cloth ; and here too the heft paixli-ment is of goats Iklns, which is the ordir.srv em- ploy jncnt of the monks. On the i 9th of January, by a meridian altitude of the fun, and a mean of fevcrat altitudes of ftars by night, Mr, Btucc found the latitude of Axum to be t^" 6'36" north. On the morning of the zcth of January, Mr. Bruce left Axiini; the road was at fiifl fuffifiently even, through finall vallies and rr.eidott-s; they began to afcend gently, but through a read exceedingly difficult in itfelf, by reafon of large ftones Handing on edge, or heaped one upon another; apparently the remains of an eld large catifeway, pa; t of the magnificent works about Axum. The I.iit part of the journey made ample amends for tlic difficulries and fatigue they had futFfrcd in the beginning. For the road, on every fide, was perfumed with variety of llowering fhrubs, chiefly different fpcties of Jeffamine; one in paiticular of thefe called .Agam, impregnated the whole air with the moft dtHcious 0. dour, and covercd the fmall hilh through which they paflfed, in fjch profufion, that they were, at limes, al-fnoft overcome with its fragrance. The country «11 round had nov/ the moil beautiful appearance, and this was heightened by the fineft of weather, and a temperature of air neither too hot nor too cold. Soon after our travellers had loft fight of the ruins of this ancient capital of AbyiTini.!, they overtook three travellers driving a cow before them ; they had black goat feins upon their (houldcrs, and lances-and fliiclds in their hands, in other refpefis were but thinly cloath-el; they appeared to b« folditrs. The cow'did net feem to be fitted for killing', and it occurred to our travellers that it had been ftokn. This, however, was not their bufinefs, nor was fuch an oceurrcnce at all re-niaikable in a eeontry fo Icng engaged in war. They faw f.w that their attendants attaclied thcmfeh-cs h a parri-ciliar manner tx) ilic three foldicrs ^vlio «'tre drivinij the CO«', and held a Oiort convcrfation with them. Soon after, the drivers fuddenly rript up the cow, and gave the poor animal a very rude fall upon the ground, M-hith was but the beginning ot" Iter fufftTinps. One of (hem Jar acrofs her iicck, holding down Tier head by the horns, the other twifted the halter about her forefci-t while the third, who had a knife in his hand, to Mr! Bruce's very ^reat furprife, in place of taking her by rhc throat, got' aftride ujjon her belly before her hind-legs, atid gave a very deep wound in the upper part of her buttock. From the time Mr. Brticc had feen them throw the beaft upon the ground, he had rejoiced, rhiiiking, that when three petjple were killing a cow, they muft have agreed to fell part of her to ihem; and he was much difappointed upon hearing the Abyfliiiians fay, that they were to pafs the rii'er to the other fide, ami not encamp where he intended. Upon \fr. Bruce s propofing they fliould bargain for part of the cow, hia men anfwered, what tliey had already learned In convcrfation, that they were not then to kill her, that (lie was not wholly theirs, and they could not feli her. This awakened Mr. Bruce's curiofity; he let his peopJe go forward, and ftaid himfelf, till he faw, with the utmoft alloniHinicnt, two pieces, thicker and longer than our ordinary beef fteaks, cut out of the higher parr of the huttock of the bealL How it was done he cannot pofitivcly fay, becJufe judging the cow was to be killed from the moment he faw the knife drawn, he was not anxious to view that cataftrophe. wliich was by no means an objcfY of curiofity ; whatever way it was done, it firely wa^ adroitly, Lind the two pieces were fpread upon the out fide of one of their fliields. One of them Ih'H coniinued holding the head, while the oiher two were huficd in cuiing the wound. 'I'his too was done not in an ordinary inanntr; the fkin which had covered the flefli that was taken away ^vas left ensire, flanped over the wound, and was fajlened to the correfpondtilg part by two or more fmall fl-g.^.^-^j or pins. Whether they had p;it any thing under ihe !kin between that and the wounded ikih, Mr. Bruct cai> not tell; but at the river fide where they were, tlicy Iiai prepared a cutapUifm of clay, with which they covered the wouiui; rhcy then forced the animal to rife, and drove it on before them, to furniih them with a fuller meal wiieii they Üiould meet their companions in tlie evening. Mr. Jlruce could not but .idmirc a dinner fo truly fuldier-like, nor did he ever fee to commodious a manner of carrying provifious along on the road as this was. He naturally attributed this to neceffiiy, and the love of expedition. It was a liberty, to be fure, taken with Chriilianity; but what tranfgrefTion is not warranted to a foidicr when diftreffed by his enemy in the field? He fould not as yet eonceivc that this was the ordinary banquet of citizens, and even of priefls, throughout all this country. In the hofpitable, humane houfe of Jan-ni, thtfe living feafts had never appeared. It is true they had feen raw meat, but no part of an animal torn from it with the blood. The firit ftiocked them as uncommon, but the other as impious. On the zoth, they pitched their tfnt in a fmall plain, by the banks of a quick ckar running fiream ; the fpot is called Mai Shum. A peafant had made a very neat" little garden on both fides of the rivulet, in which he had fovvn abundance of onions and garlic, and he had a fpecies of pumkin, which Mr. Bruce thought v.-as little inferior to a melon. This man gueffed by their arms and horfes that they were hunters, and he brought theni a prcfent of the fruits of his garden, and begged their aliilUnce againil a number of wild boars, which carricd havoc and defolation throngh alt his labours, marks of which were, indeed, too vifible ev'ei y where. Such in-ftances of induftry are very rare in this covjntrv, and de-inanled encf.uragcmcnt. Mr. liruce paid him, therefore, for his greens; and fent two of his fcrvants with him into the wood, and got on horfeback himfelf. Mirza, his horfe, indeed, as well as his matter, had rc-cruitcd greaily during their flay at Adowa, under the bofpitable roof of their good friend Janni. Amongft them they killed five boars, al! large ones, in the fpace of about two hours: one of which meafured fix feet nine inches; and, though he ran at an amazing fpeed nciir near two miles, fo a; to be wiih difficult)- overtaken by the horfe, and was (bruck through and through wieli two (iCdvy lances lojded at the end with iron, no ficrfon dared to cumc near him on foot, and he defended htrnfelf above half an hour, till, having no tsnces left, Mr. Rrcice fhct him u itli a horfe pillol. But the misfonune was, that after their hunting hid been crowned with fuch fuccefs, tliey did not dare to pjrtske of the i xcelleni vcnifon they ha^i acquired ; for the Abyffinians hold pork of all kinds i:i theutmcft dctrltation j and our iravelfer was now become cautious, Icll hs ihciild give ofience, being at no great diftance from the capital. In the courfe of the;! journey, Mr. Bruce heard a cry from his fervanf;, "Robbers! Robbers!" He itnmedi-ately got upon Iiis mule to learn whnd the proprietor, at feeing this, had alarmed the village. Every body had taken laiues and fniclds; but, not daring to approach for fear of the firc>arms, tlicv li^d coiitented thcmfelves with fiiciwer-ing flüiits frotn their liuling-plKccs, at a diftaiice ftom among the buflies. Our irni'ellers iinmeuiiitely told them, however, that though, as the king's guc£l, they had a title to he fur;iMhf.d v.kli ^vhat wah nceirary, yet, ifthL-y were averfcro it, tiicy were very irell content to -pay for every tf in!j tiicy lurniihed, Hoth fcr his men and Liealts; but that tl^^v muil throw no ftones, other-wife they fhoiild defciui ihemfelves. The tent beingiiriw pitclicd, and every tiling in order, a treaty foon iollowed. They conffn'cd to fell them whsr they «an'.ed, bot at extravagant prices, which however, Mr. Bruce was con'ent to comply with. ■Eiit a man of rhe village, acquainted with one of the Jtin^'s fcrvanti,. had communicated to him, that the pretence of the Moor's taking ihe iuaw wai not really the reafon of the uproar, for they mads no ufe of it except to burn; but that a report had been fpread abroad, that aa afiion had happened betM'cen Kali I and Ras Michael, in wblch (he latW-r I'ad been defeated, and the country no longer in fear of the Ras, had indulged theinfeU-es in their ulua! exceiTes, and, taking them for a caravan of Malioraetans with merchaad;fe, had refolved to rob tliem, Uq the izd, they arrived at the town of Sire, and pitclxd their tent in a Itrong fuuation, in a very deep guliey on the weft extremity of the town. Sirž, (he province properly fo called, rcaches from Axum to the i'acaizc. The town of Sire is fituated on the brink of a very flcep, narrow valley, and through this the road lies, which is almoft impatfable. In the inidft of this valley runs a brook bordered with palm-tree?, fome of which are grown to a confiderable fizc, but bear no fruit. The town is larger than that of Ax-am ; it is in form of a half-moon fronting the plain, but in itsgrcateft brcndtli is at the \vcft end ; all tlie houf« arc oi'cky, and thatched; the roofs an: in form of con« as, indeed, arc all In Abyfltnia. SJrž is fareous tur a rnanufadure of coarfc cotton cloths, which p^fs for current money through all the province of Tigrö, and ar,; Valued at a drachm, the tenth part of a wakca of gold, or near the value of an imperial dollar cach; tlit-ir breadth is a yard and quarter. Befidcs thcfe, heads, needles, cohol, and incenio at times only, arc cor.fidcr-cd as money. 'I lie articles depend greatly on clia- ce, which or whether any are eurrcnt for the time or not; but the latter is often dcjnandcd ; and, for the lirft, there are mod« and falhions among thefe [larbarians, and all, cx-ci!pt thofe of a cenain colour and form, are uillefs. Thefe pSfipIe were not of a hujnour to buy and fell with th-jin. They were not (»erfeiftly fjtisfied that Michatl vi'as alive, and v.-aitcd only a confirmation of the news of his defeat, to make their own terms with ail Itran^jcrs unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. Co the other hand, our trau llers were In poiTrflion of fuperior fjrce, and, knowing their incliaationä,thev treated the.-n pretty much in :h; ina:iner thfv would liave dom; by thcm. Mr. Bruce, on the j ad of .!.ia!tJry, dt-termined the latitude of Sire to be 14° north, :.nJ iti lonei- tade to be o' 1 ;"eart of the ineri'iian ot Greenwicii. Although Siri is lituatcd in cne of tlie (iiicfl countries in th- woVlf, liJ-.-ifurher places, i-i has its inconvcnif-nvii-s. Putrid fevers, of th.; very worA kind, are alnifift c^nibfU here; and there did then actually rei^n a fp.cics of ihcfe that dailv fwept away a nuniix-r f tMs province with awe i and ev 'ry ina;i returned to hi^ duty for fear of incurring the difplcafure oi" this fevere gm crnor, which they well knew would inlbntly be followed i>y invTO thnn an advtiuate portion of vengeance, effvcially againft iliofe (hat find not accompanied !".Im to the HdJ, On (lie i4ili, they flrueic their tent at ^ir^, and paifed tliroiijh a l afl plain. All this il.-.y tliey could dlfcern ni> ■no^ntains. mountains, as far as eye could reach, but onl)- fomc fcvf detachcd hills, Handing frpdrace on the plain, covcred with highgrafs, which they wtretUen burning, to produce new with ihc firll rains. The country to the north is ahogether fiat, and pt-rfcfUy operr; and'though they could not difLover one village this day, yet it fecmcd to he well-inhabited, from tht- many peopic they faw on difierent parts of the plain, fume at harveft, and fjmc herding their cattle. On the i6th our travellers met a deferter from Ras M ich ad's army, with his firelock upon his fV.oulder, driving before him two mifetable girls about ten years eld, ftark-naked, and almoft tair.ifned to death, the part of ths booty which had fallen to his (hare in laying waftc the coüntry of Maitiha, after the batde. They aflicd him of the truth of this news, but he would eive them no fatisfjftion ; fometimes he faid there had been a baiilc, fometimcs none. He apparently had fome dillruft, thit one or other of the fafts, being allowed to be true, might determine them as to fome defign they might have upon him and his booty. He hid not, in their opinion, the air of a conqueror, but rather of a coward that had fiiciik-cd away, and ftolen thefe two miferable wretches he had wiih him. Mr. Bruce aikcd where Michad was ? If at Burc ? where, upon defeat of Falil, he naturally would be. He faid. No ; he was at Ibaba, the capi tal of Mait-fta; and this gave our travellers no light, it being the place he would go to before, while dctachmcnts of his army might be employed in burning and 1-iying waflrc ihc country of the enemy he bad determined to ruin, rather thati return to it fom5 time after the battle. At laft they were obliged to leave him. Mr. Enice gave hitn fome flour and tobacco, both which he took very thankfully ; but further intelligence he would not give. On the 30(h our travellers encamped at Addergey, near a fnr.all rivultt called Mai-Lumi, the river of iimcs, or lemons, in a plain fcarce a mile fquarc, furrounded on fach fide with very thxk wood in form of an amphitheatre. Above this wood, are hare, rugged, and barren mountains. Midway in the cliff is a m'iferable village, that feems latlier to hang than to ftand there, fcarce a yard of level ground being before it to hinder its inhabitants tants frum f.ilÜng down tlie prccipice. The wood is full of lemons anJ w ild citronb, Ih,™ « iiich it acqirrt-s its mine. Before t!ic teat, to the wtllnaril, wa-. a very deep valley, which tjr.ninated tUis plain In a tre- mendous precipicc. The hyjcnas this night dei'oiircd one of the Left of our travftlers mutes. They are here in great plenty, and lb are lions ; the roaring and grutublinij oi the larti r, in tlic part ol'tlie wood nearefl ihelr tent, greatly diiiurbcd their bcjfls, and prevented them frotii i-atiug their provender. Mr. Kruce lengthened the fi r tigs of his tent, and placed the bcalls bttwcen them, 't'he « hite ropes, and the tremulous molion inade by the imprellion of the v.-inJ, fiighieneil tlic lions from coming near the.n. 'I h' y bad procured froiu Janni t«'o fmall brids bjrlls, fuch as the mules carry, and had tied thefe to the ftoriii fl rings of .the tent, where rhcir noife, no doubt, grea'ly con.ribuScJ to the fafety of (heir beafts, from thcle ru'.'cnous, yet cautious ani'inrls, fo that they never fa^v them; but tin; noife they made, and, perhaps, their fmell, fo terriii.d the mules, that, 1:1 the morning, ihey were rfrtnched i;i iVear, as if iliey had been a long jouVnty- 'I'lw brutifli hyaena was not foto he deterred. Mi . Bruec fliot one of them dead on the night of tlie j ill of January, and on tl.c 2J of I'ebriiary, he ürcd at another I'o near, liiat he was confident of killing him. \^'hether the b;iils had fallen out, or tliut he had reiilly miffed hiiii with the iirft barrel, he knew not, but he gave a fnarl and a kind of bark upon [he firit fliol, advancing dirodly upon liim, as if unhurt. Tlie fecond fhot, however, took place, and laid hirn without motion on the ground. Yafine and his men killed another with a pike; and fiieh was t'.icir determined coolncfs, tliit they ftalked round about our travellers with the familiarity of a dog, or feme other domelHc animal brought up with man. They^were lliK move incojiimoded by a fmaller animiil. a large, black ant, Jiltle lefs than an inch lonj;, whicli, coming out from under the ground, demoliilied their carpels, « hich they cut all into (hreds, and part of she lining of [heir tent likewifej and every bag or fack they could find. Their bite caufes a confidtii-abk inlkmina- tioii. tion, and tlic pain is greater than that which aiifes Tion« tJic bite of" a lcorpi'>n; they are tailed gundan. The Sham, on the firtb of Tcbruary, fent his people to value, as he faid, their merchandife, that they might pay cuftoin. Many of the Moors, in their eara%-an, had left them to go a near way to Hau7.a. Mr. firuce had at moft five or fix aflcs, including ihofe belonging to Ya-fine. He humoured them fo lar as to open the cafci where v/eic the lelefcopes and quadrant, or, indeed, rather ftiewed them o;jeii, as they were not fhut from the ■ ohfcrvaiion he h.id licen milking. '1 hey eouhi only wonder :it things they had never K'fore fccn. On the id of Fehruary the Shum caiiic hinifelf, and a violent altercation cnfucA, HeinfilHd upon MiL-hdel's dcleat; Mr. Bruce toid him the eoiitrary news \v.:re true, and begged hiiTt to beware lell ii flioiild be tokl to the Ras upon his r^ttirn that he had propogated fuch a falfehood. He told him alfo, that they had advice, that the Ras's fer-vants were now waiting for them at Lamalon, and iiifift-ed upon his fiifferiiig tUcra to depart. After much altercation with the Shura, on the ^.ch of February in tlic morning, the}' kft_ Addergc;'. hilc employed in making ready for their deparsuie, which was juft at the dawn of day, a lu^tna, imiecn hy any of ■^thcm, failened upon ( ne of Yafine's aiTes, and had ai-moft pulled his tiiil away. Mr, liruce was biilied at gathering rlie tent-pins into a fack, and had placed liia maflict and bayonet riady againit a tree, as it is at tliat ho-Jr, and the cjofe of the eA enitig, you .ire always to be on your guard againft banditti. A boy, who w as fer-vant to Yafine, law the hrxna firll, at'id fiew to Mr, Brucc's inuiket. YaUne was disjoining the poles of the tent, and, having one half of the largcft in his hand, he ran to the adiitaiiL-c of his af?, and in that moment t!ic mufket wciit off, luckily (;bargcd with on!y one ball, which gave Yafine a iicih wound betwci-r, (he thumband forelingT of his kfchand. The boyiniiaiit-ly threw down the muiket^ which had terrified the hva;-na, and made him let po the afs; but he ilood ready to fight Yafine, who, not atnuiing himftlf with the ehoic« of weapons, gavi- him fo rude a blov,- \viih the lent poie upon his head, that it felled him to the ground ; others, Tilth with pikes, put an end to his life. They were then obliged to turn their cares towards the wounded, Ya-flue's wound was Toon fecn tobe a trifle; befides, he was a man not cafily alarmed on fach occafions. But the poor afs was not fo cafily comforted. The flu mp remained, the tail hanging by a piece of it, which they were obliged to cut oft". The next operation was ačlaal caute-rj'; bur, as they had imde no liri:ad for brcakfaft, their fire had l>een early out. 'I hey therefors were obliged 10 tie [he ftump round with whip cord, till thej' could get fire enough to heat an iron. ^^'hat fufticiently marked the voracity of thefe beafts, the hyssnas, was, that the bivlics of their dead companions, which our travellers hauled a longv.-av from theni, and left there, were aliiioil entirclv eaten by the farvi-^"orj the n-.'vt morning: and N'Ir. 13ruce then obferv-.'d, for the firft time, that the by.-cna uf tliii country was a different fpecies from thofe he had fecn in Europe, which had been brought from Alia or America. On the 4th of February, ihey continued their journey along the fide of a hill, through thick wood and high grafi ; then defcended into a itecp, narrow valley, the lides of which had been (haded with high trees, but in burning thegrafs the trees wore couTunied likewifc; and the (hoots fr()!n the roots were fo me of tliem above eight' feet high fince the tree had thus fuficred that fame year. On the gih, in the morning, ihiv began afcen.iing Lamalmon, through a very narrow road, or rather path, for it fcarcely was two feet wide any where. It was a i'piral winding np the fide nf the mount.iin, always on the very brink of a precipice. Torrents ofwater, which in win'ttfr carry prodigious (tones down the fide of this inou'itain, had dK-ided this path into feveral p'acrs, and opened to iHir travellers a view ofthat dreadful abyfs below, which few he.tds can bear to look down u;ra:i. They were here obliged to unload their baggage, and, by flow degrees, crawl up a hi!l, csrrving them litde by little upon their (boulders round thcfe chafsns, where the road was jnterfei^ed. The iiiouniains grow (Veeper, the paths narrower, and the lireaches more frcrjiient as they afcendcd. Scarce were their mules, though unloadeti, able ablc to fcramble up, but were jicrpelually falling ; and, to increafc their difficuliies, which, in fucli cafe-s ffldoin cotnc fingle, a large number of cattle was dcfccndinf, and fcemed to threaten to pufh them all into the gulf below. After two hours of conflaiit toil, at nine o'clock, they alighted in a fmall plain called Kedus, or St Mi-cba'cl, from a church and viilage of that name, r.ciihcr beaft nor man being able to go a flcp further. 'ITie plain of St MichacI, where they now were, is at tlie foot of a deep cliff which terminates the « eft fide of Lamalmon. It is here perpendicular like a wall, and a few trees only upou the top of the cHIF. Over this pre-ciplee flow two ftreams of water, which never are dry, but lun in all feafoiis. They f,il! i:no a wood at the bottom of this cliff, and prcfcrve it in continual verdure nil the year, though t>, plain itfcU" b^■lo^v is all rent in cbafms, and cnicked by the heat of the fun. Thefe two ftreams form a conlidcrabls rivukt in the plain of St Michael, and are a great relief both to men and cattle in this tedious and difficult paiTage over the mountiiin. 'i hc air of Lamalmon is pleafant and temperate. 'I'hry here 'oimd their appetite return, with a chearfulnsfs, li^htnefb of fpirits, and agility of body, which indicated that their nerves had again refumed their wonted tone, vhith thcv" had loft in the low, poifonous, and fuhry air on ihc'coaft of the Red Sea. The fun here is indeed hot, but in the moniing a cool breeze never fails, which increafes as the fun rifes high. In the (hade it is always cool. Lamalmon, is the pafs through which the road of a"l caravans to Gondar lies. It is here they take an account of all baggage and merchandife, which they tranfmit to the Negade Ras, or chief officer of the cuf-toms at Gondar, by a man whom they fend to accompany the caravan, "I'here is aifo a prefent, or awide, due to the private proprietor of the ground ; and this is levied w ith great rigour and violence, and, for the mod part, with injur ice; fo that this Ibtion, which, by the ellabüflinient of. the cuftomhoufe, and nearnefs to the capital, Iliould be in a particular manner attended to hy government, is always the place where the firft robberies and murders are committed in unfettled times. Though Though our travellers liad nothing wiih them which could beconlidcred as fuhjcd to duty, theyfubmittcd every thing to the will of the mbber ot" the place, and gave him his prefciit. If he was not faiisficd, he fecracd to be fo, wliich was all they wanted. They had obtained leave to depart early in the morning of the 9th, but it was with great regret they were obliged to abandon thejr Mahometan friends into hands that iccmed difpofed to fhcw them no favour. The king was in Maitiha. or Damot, that is to fay, far from Condar, and various reports were fpread abroad about the fucccfs of the campaign. Thcfe people only waited for an unfavourable event to make a pretence for robbing tfiU'ellers of every thing they had, Tlic pcrfons wiiofe right it WAS to tevy thcfe contribiuions were two, a father and fun ; the old mati was drelTed very decently, fpoke little, but finooihly, and had a very go^ carriage, lie profelTcd a violent hatred to all Mahometans, on account of their religion, a fcntiment which feenied ro Jroniife nothing favourable to their friend Yafine and "■i companions ; but, in the evening, the fon, who feem-td to be the aflive man, came to their tent, and brought them a quantity of bread and bouza, which his father had ordered before. He feemed to be nnich taken with our tr.ivcller's fire-arms, and was very inquilitive about them. Mr. tiriice gave him every fort of fatisfaiSion, and, little by little, faw he iiii;>lit win his heart entirely ; wiiith lie very much wUhed to do, that he might free his cuaipa-nioiis from bondage. 'I'lic young man, it feems, was a good foldier; and, having been in feveral aftions under Ras Michael, as fnfilecr, he brought his gun, and infilled on fliooting at mark's. Mr. Bruce humoured him in this; but as he ufed a rifle which he did not underftand, he found himfelf o\crmatchcd, efpccially by the greatnefs ^i' the range, for he fliot ilratght enough. JIc then flicwetl him the manner they fliot flyiny, there being quails in abundance, and wild pigeons, of which he killed feveral on wing, which left hitn in the utmoft allo-niihmeiit. Having go: on horfeback, Mr. Bruce next went through the exercife of the Arabs, with a long fjicar and a ftiort javelin. This was more within his K comprehenfion. coinprehenfior!, as lie hat! fecn fijiiiptliing like it; ■but .'hi; v.as wondrrfully taken with li--: liorce and lierj-r.ppearancc of his horft-, and, at the fiijue time, witli his docilit)', the ionn of his fjiddle, l,.ri(lle, and ac-cuutrements. Mc tliievi' nt !aft ilie iandats off his feet, tiviftfd his uppcv gatmcnt ir,to his girdle, ami Tft ofF at fo furious a rate, that Mr. Hruce cou!d not help doubting \vl ;:ther lie was in his foher imderiland-ing. It w as )Wt long t^II he came hack, and wiih bim a man fcrvani carrying a fliecp and a goa*, and a woman carrying a jar ol' honey-wine. Mr. Brucc hal noi yet [quitted the horfe; and when he hw what his intention wa«:, he put Miraa to a gallop, and, with one of the barrch of the gt;n, fliot a pigeon, and imnie-(lialely fired tin- o'Iv.t into the ground. There was nothing after this tha: could have fiirprized him, and it was repeated feveral times at his defire; aftrr vvhi<.h he went into the tent, where he invited himfelf to Mr^ Eruce's hcufe at Gondar. There he waa to teach him ever}' thing he had feen. They now fwore perpetual friendfhip; and a horn or tw.) of hydromcl bring emptied, M-r. Eruce introduced the cafe of his felloiv-travellers, and -.obtained a promife that they ihould have le.ave to fet out together. He would, moreover, take no awide, and faid lie would be fovourable in his report to GonJar. Matters were To far advanced, when a fcrvant of Michael's arrived, fent by Pctro's, Janni's brother, who had obtained him from Oznro Ellher. '1 his put an end to all their d tficult'es. ' Our young foldier alfo kept his wurd, and a mere trifle of uwide was given, rather by the Moor's own defire than from demand, and the report of the baggage, atid dues theraoti, were as low as could be wifbed. News was now brougiu ihem, that Ras Michael had aftually beaten Fafil, forced him to retire to the other fide of.ihe Nile, and was then in Maitfha, where it ■was thotight be would reniain with the army all the rainy fcafon. ''"his was ji ft what Mr. Bruce could have wifh-ed, as it brought him at once to ihe neighboarhood of t!ie frurces of the Nile, without the fmaireft fbadow of fear or danger. Oa On the 9th of February, they t',>ok Irave of t!x friends they had fo ncwiy .;cquircil ac LiinjhnGn. Thr'y 1 e^aii tü afcend wliat iiil! ri-ma neii of the mnimtain, v liich, thougli ikep and full uf Ijiidies, was nrjch lijls d'Hiciilt tl;an th;it which they IiacJ paiHtl. At a quarter paft Icvt-n they arrived at ths-top of LartiahiiDn, wtiich ha--, frcin below, the appearruice of being fharp-jxiintriL On the contrary, they were mt;eh lurjirifcd tu lind there a I.tj;» plain, part in paftur^^, but more bearing gniin. It is full of Airitigs, ami feems to lie the great icf^i voir from ii heni f. arifc moll of t!ic rivers tl at water this pirt Ab) fr!i^a. A multitude of (1 renins illUc from the very fummit in aM diredicns; the fj-rings hoi i oui from ihe eaitli in lar^e quantities, capable ul turning a ni 11. 1 hey ];low, fov,-, and reap here at all feafons ; and the huibaildman muit blame his o.' n indolence, and not th-e foil, if Ke lias not three harvefts, '1 hey fa^v, in one place, people buly cutting down wheat; Immediately next 10 it, others at. the plough ; and the adjoining field had green torti in the ear ; 4 little fiirilier, it was not an ineli above ll.c ground. ■'I'hc mountain is every where fo ftcep anil lii^h, that it is not enough to fay againft the will, wi withnut the ailillatice of chore above, no one from below can \ enture to afeend. On the top is a large phtin, ajnrding plenty of padiire, as v/ell as room for plowing and fov.iiig for, the maiLitenanee of the army ; and there ii v. aler, at all le:ifbn'i, in great plenty, and even fifli in the fireajns. upon it; fo ihat, although the inhabitants of the mountain had been often iiefseged for a eonliderable time to-gethijr, tliey fuiferej liiile irieQn\enietice from it, nor ever weit taken unlef^ by trealon ; e>xei t by Chrillopher de Gaina and hii Portugu^-fe, who are iaid, b^ their own hiftoi-i.ir.s, to have flcriried this roik, and put the lV!aho-metan garrifon to ihc fword. No mtntion of this hoiioiirHhIc coni|iieIl is n'ade in the aat of Abyiliiiia, though they give the hiilory of tills campaign of Don Chriilypher in the life of Claudius, or Ai/enaf iic-gued. (Jn ihe loih, in (he inorriing, they continued alrtig the [.Linon the cop of Lamaltnon ; and, after having fuffcred, with infinite patience and perfcvcrancc, the K a liardfliijis . hnrdüiips and danger of this Tong and painful journey, at forty minutes paft ten they were gratified, at laft, with the fight of Gondar, and in the courfe oF the next day arrived there. Abba Salama, of whom we Hiall hereafter have oeca-fion to fpedk, at that time filled the poftof Acab Saat, or funrdioit of the fre. It is the third dignity of the chureh, 'and he is the firft religious oflicer in the palace, tic had a very large revenue, and ftiil a greater influence. He was a man exceedingly rich, and of the very worft life poffible ; thougli he had taken the vows of poverty and chaftity, it was faid lie had at that time above feventy miftreffes in Gondar. His way of feducing women was as extraordinary as the n'linber feduced. It was not by gifts, attendance, or flattery, the ufual means employed on fuch occaüons; when he had fixed his de-lires upon a w»)nian, he forced her to comply, under pain of excommunkatmi. Hc was exceedingly clofiucnt and bold, was a man of a pleafsng countenance, (hort, and of a very fair complexion ; indiiFerent, or rather averfe to wine, but a monfttous glutton ; nice in what he had to eat, to a degree fcarcely before known in Abyflinia ; a mortal enemy lo all white people, wl:om he clalfed under the name of Franica, for which the Greeks, uniting their interefls at favourable times, had often very nearly overfct him. ^ , i , x. ■ -n 'i~he next morning, about ten o'clock, Mr. Pnice, dreflöd in his Moiinfh diefs, went to Ayto Aylo, and found him «ith fcveral great plates of bread, melted butter, and honey, before him, of one of which he and our traveller ate ; the reft were given to the Moors, and other jieople prefent. There was with him a prieft of Kofcam, and thty all fet out for that palace as foon as they had tinifhed brcakfaft. They paffed the brook of St Raphael, a fuburb of Gondar, where is the houfc of the Abuna ; and upon coming in fight of the palace of Kofcam, they all uncovered their beads, and rodeHowly. As Aylo was all-powerful with the Iteghe, indeed her firft counfellor and friend, their admittance wascafy and immediate. They alighted, and were fhcwn into a low lOom in the palace. Ayto Aylo went immediately to the Iteghe, or queen, to inquire about Welled Hawaryat, who ivho was then ill, and his audience lafted two long hours. He returned to them wiili the news, that VWlIad Haivaryat was much better, by a medicine a faint from Waldubba bad given liim, which coniifted in foinc chaia£lcrs, written with common ink upon a tin plate, which charaftcrs were w«ilhed off by a medical liquor, and then given hira to drink. It was agreed, however, that the complaint was the Imall pox, and the good it had done him was, he a'c heartily o£ brinJ, or raw beef, after it, though he had not ate beibre fmce his arrival, but called perpetually for drink. Mr. Bruce, before he entered on his charge of phyfi-cian, ftated to thofe prefcnt in the palace, the dif-agrieable talk now impofed upon him, a ftranger without acquaintdnce or pri-teflion, having the language liut iraperfcftly, and without power or controul amon^tbem. He profeffcd his intention of doing his uimofL altbougk the difeafc was much more ferious and faial in this country than in his own; but he infilled one condition Ihould be granted him, which was, that no direflions as to regimen or management, even of the mo ft 1 rifling kind, as they might think, fliould be fufTercd, without his perraiflion and fuperintendcncc, oilienvife he walhcd his hands of the confequente. » This being affented to by all prcfent, Mr. Bruce fet the ftrvants to work. There were apartments enough. J ie opened all the doors and windows, fumigating them with inccnfe and myrrh in abundance, and waflied them witli warm water and vinegar. T he common and fatal regimai in this country, and in moll parts in the caO, has been to keep their patient from feeling the fmallcft brcdth of air ; hot drink, a lire, and a quantity of covering arc added in Abylfinia, and the doors fliut fo clofc a« even to keep the room in darknefs, whilft this heat is further augmented by the conllant burning of candles. Ayabdar, Oxoro Altafli's remaining daughter, and the fon of Mariam Barea, were both taken ill at the fnine time, and happily recovered. A daughter cf Kafmati Boro, by a daughter of Kafmati Efhtes, died, and her mother, though ilie furvivcd, was a long time ill aft< r-wards, Ayabdar was very much marked, fo WÄ5 Nlnriaiu K J Borca's (9li Si jaw's abridgement of Harea's fori. At t'lis time, Ayto Cnnfu, Ton of Kafmati Nctcho hyOzoro Kfthcr, had arrived from Tcherkin, a iaii of" very gri-at hopes, though j\ot then foutlccn. He to fee his inuthcr without my knowledge or her's, and was infcited iikewife._ I aft of all (he infant child oI'Michaci, the child of his old age, took the cliftafe, and though the weakcit of all thi; children, recovered beft. The patients, being all likely to do well, were re-inoved to a large hoiiie of Kafmati Eßiie, which flood flill within the boundaries of Koftiim, while the rooms underwent another luilration ami fumigation, after which they all returned; and Mr. Bruce got, as his fee, a pre-fent of the neat and convenient hoiifc forineily belonging to EalVia Eufcbius, wbith had a feparate entry, without going through the palace. On the loih of March, the army marched into the town in triu.Tiph, and the Ras at the head of the troops Tigrfi. f ie was bareheaded ; over his flioulders, and down to his back, hung a paliiuin, or cloak, of black vetvet, with a Clver fringe. A boy, by his sight ttir-Tiip, held a iih tr wand of about five feet and a liaJf long, much like the fiavca of our great officers at court. iJc-hind hiin all the foldiers, who liad flain an enemy and taken the fpoits fropa ihem, had their lances and firelocks ornaaiented with fmall (hreds of fcarlet eloth, one piece for every man he had /lain. Remarkable atnorig all this multitude was Hagos, door-kccpcr of the Ras. This man, always well-armed and well-mouiited, had followed the wars ol the Ras from hiä infancy, and had been fo feitunate in this kind of lingle combat, that his whole Janee and javelin, horfe and perfo«, were covcred over with the (lircds of fcarlet cloih. At this lafl battle of Fagitta, Hagos is faid to iiavj flain ekven men with his own hand. Indsed there is nothing mora fallacious than judging of a man's courage bv thefa marks of conqueils. A good horfcman, armed'with a coat of mail, upon a ilrcnr, vscll-fcd, weli-winded horfe, r.ay, after a defeat, kill as many of thefc wtet-h-cd, weary, naked fugitives, as hi rlea.fcs, cotvjuing hirafcli to t.wfe tl.a. a.:c weakly, mcuiitcd upon tired hjrles. Ivorft's, and covercd only with goat's-EUns, or that are fiying on foot. One thing remarkable in this cavnJca.le, which Mr. Bruce obft-rveJ, was the head-drtfs of the gover^iors of provinces. A large broad ü'.Iet u'as. bound upon their forehead, and tied behind their head, in the middle of iJsis was a horn, or a conical piecc nf lilver, gilt, about, four inches long, much in tlic fhajv of our common candle extiiiJuifhtrs. This is called/""A crhorn', and is. only worn isi reviews or piradr,'- a'ter vidory. This Mr. Bruce ap;)rehends, like a!l ciher of fiiuir ufages, is taken from t';e Hebrews, and iLc feveral allufions ma^e ill fcrjpcLire to it arile from tliis practice " I faid uato fools, deal not fooliQ^ily; and to the wicked, lift not up the horn."—" Lift not up your horn on Iiigh ; fpeak not-with a iHffneck."—" I'.ut my horn flialt tJiou exalt like the liorn of an unicorn"—"'And the Jiorn of the lijjhteoue ihall be exalted «'itli honour." And fo in many other places throughout the Pfalms. Kcxc to thefe came the king, with a fillet of white mullin about three inchcs broad, binding his forehead, ti^'d with a large double knot behind, and hanging dov.a about two feet on his back. Alwut him were the great ofriicrs of (late, fuch of the young nobiiity as were without comiTiiind; and a'kr thefe, the houfehold'troops. 'J hen followed the Ka' i^z Kitzera, or executioner of the camp, a!;d his atienda^t" ; and, laft of all, amidft the King's and the Rai's bag^.ige, came a man bearing the llufFed {l\in of ihe Lnfortunatc Woaflieka upon a pole, wi ich he hung upon a branch of the tree be--iisre the king's p.nJace appropriated for public executions. It was now the 131h of March, and Mr. Bruce had gone every day once to fee tba chiliircn at Kofeam; at all which'iimes he had been received with the greateft cortiialiiy and marks of kindnefs by tile Iteghč, and orders given for iii- free admittance upon all occaCoiis like an ofticer of her houfchold. About the i.tth, Mr. Brucc was informed, that all his recommendatory letters were tobe read. J-le expected at the t;rdinarv hour, about five in the afternoon to be font for, and had roJe out to Kofcam w-ith Ayto K + Heikel, Heikel, tlie queen's cliümbcrlaln, to fee tlie cliild, who was frctty well recovered of all its complaints, but very ivcak. In the interim,_ Mr. liruec was fent for to the Ras, with orders to difpatch a mnn with the king's prefcnc, to wait for hi m ;it the palace, whither he was [o go after leaving Michaeh Five in the evening was fixed as the hour. Mr. Bruce came a little before (he rime, and met Avto Aylo at the door. He fqucezed him bv the hand, and fa id, " Refufe nothing, it can be all altered afterwards j hut it is verj' nccelTaiy, on account of tbe priells and the populace, you fliould have a place of fome authority, otherwife you will be robbed and murdered the firft time you go half a mile from home : fifty people have told me, you have chefts filled with gold, and that you can mske gold, or bring what quantity you pleafe from tbc Indies; and the reafoii of ail this is, bctaufe you refufed the queen and Ozoro Efl-hcr's offer of gold at Kofcam, and which you mud never do again." Ol» travellers went in and fnw the Ras, who was an old man, filting upon a fifa; his whim hair was drefled in many fhort curls. He appeared to be thoughtful, but not difplcafcd ; hi& face was lean, his eyes quick and vivid, but feemcd to be a little foie from cxpofure to the weather. He fee-med to be about {ix feet high, though his lainenefs nnade it difilcult to guefs with accuracy. His air was perfeftly free from conftraint, what th-e French call They muft have been bad phj'fiog-, nomifts that did not difcern his capacity and uik erftand-ing by his very countenance. Every look conveyed a fentiment with it: he fecmcd to have no oceafiou for other language, and indeed he fpoke little. Mr. Brucc offered, as ufual, to kifs the ground before him ; and of this he fcemed to take Utile not'ce, ftretching out his hand, and lhaking Mr. Ertice's upon bis rifuis;'! Mr. Bruce fat down with Avlo, three or four of the judges, Heikei the queen's ehambcrlain, and others, who whifpered_ fomething in his ear, and went out; which interruption prevented Mr. Bruce frpm fpeaking as he was prepared to do, or give him his prcfent, which a man held behind him. The Ras l)cgan gravely, '* Y.i-goubc, I think that is your name, hear what I fay to you, iinj and mark what I recommend to you- Yon are a man, I am told, who make ic ymir bufinefs to wander in the fields in feardi after trees and ^rafs in folitiry places, and to fit up all night alone looking at thenars ol'the hta-^■t■ns . Other countries are nor like this, though this never fo bad as it is now. Thefe wretches here arc enemies to ftrangers ; if they faw you alone in your own parlour, their fiift thought would be how to murder you ; though they knew they were peared to be that of a prieft. ''Therefore, (fays t!ie Ras,) after a long converfatioii with your friend Aylo, whofc advice 1 hear you happily take, as indeed we all do, I have thought that fituation bsft which leaves you at liberty to follow vourown defigns, at the fame time that it puts your perfon in faitty ; that you will not be troubled with monks about their religious matters, or in danger from thofc rafcals that may fcek to murder you for money." " What are (he monks ?" faid tiie fame voice from the corner ; "the monks will never meddle with fuch a man as this."—" 'therefore the king, {continued the Ras, without taking any noticc of the interruption) h.ts ajv pointed you liaaloraaal, and to command the Kocob horfe, which I thought to have given to Francis, an old foldier of mine; but he is poor, and we will provide for liitn bctterj for th-'te a:ipointments have honour, but little profit." " Sir, (faid ('rancls. who was in prcfence, but behind,) it is in much more honoi'.rahle hands than cither mine or the '■\rmenian's, or any other white man's, fince the days of Hatzc Mena.s," and fo I told the king to-day." " Very well, Francis, (fays the Ras) it becomes a foldier to fpeak the truth, whether it makes for or againU: himfelf. Go then to the kitig, and kifs the ground upon your appointment, I fee you have already learned this ceremony of oiir's ; Aylo and Hpikel arc very proiJer perfons to go wiih you. The king expref-fed his lurprifc to me laft night he had not leen you ; and there too is Tccla Mari mi.ihc king's feciclary, who came with your appointment from the palacc to-day." I^he man in the corner whom Mr. Bruce took for a prieit, was this Tecla Mari^, a fcrüie. Mr. Bruce ihen giive iiiin a prefent, after which lie foon rcircfl. Mr. Bruce wcirf afterwards to the king's palace, and met A)lo, and Heikel at the door of the prefence-cha.Ti-ber. 'l eda Mariiim walked before them to the foot of the throne; after which Mr. Bruce advanced and prof-trated himfelf upon the ground. " I have brought you a fervant, (fays he to the king,) from fo diftant a country. that if you ever let him efcajie, we lhall arvcr be able to fillow htm, or know winere to feck hinn." To this the king made no replj', nor did he (hew any aUcra-tion of countenance. Five people were ftaiiding on each fide of tbc throne, all young men, three on his left, and two on bis right. One of thefe, the fon of Tocla Mariain, (afterwards Mr. Briice's great friend^ who ftood iippermoft on the left hand, came up, and taking hold of him by the hand, placed him immediately above him ; when feeing Mr. Bruce had no knife in his girdle, he puikd out his own and gave it to him. Upon being placcd, Mr, Bruce again kiifed the ground. The king was in an alcove; the reft went out of fight from where the throne was, and fat down. The uiual qucftions were now put to Mr. Bruce about JeruTalem and the holy places—where his country was ? which it was impolRble to dcfcribc, as they knew the fituation of no country but their own—why he came fo far?—whether the moon and the ftars, but efpecially the moon, was the fame in his country as in theirs ? and a great many fucH idle and tirefome queftions. He had feveral limes offered to take his prefent from the man who held it, that he might offer it to his Majefty and go away; but the king alivays made a fsgn to put it off, till, being tired to death with Handing, he leaned againft the Widl. Mr. Bruce was abfolutely in difpair, and fcarcely able to fpcak a word, inwardly mourning, the hardnefa of his lot in this his firft preferment, and fincerely praying it might be his lall promotion in that court. However, he was at lad: permitted to retire. Mr. Briicc next proceeds to give the geographical di-vifion of Abyfliniaitito provinces. At Mafuah, that i";, Mitlificoalt oJ the Red Sea, begins an in>aginary divi- fion fion of Abyflliiia into fivo, which is ra'Iicr a divifion of language rhan ilricUy to be undeillood as u-rrito-rial. 'J'iie firil divifion is failed 'ligff, Utwcenrhe Red bea and the liier ] acazze, Uttwecn that river and the Mile, wellward, where it bounds ths Galla, jt It called Ambata. Ilut whatever ctinveniencc; there rnay be from this divifion, there is neither geog'ajihical nor hiftgrical prcfiiion in ir, fi,r there are mttiy iittie piovmces iiiclud-ed in the tirft that do no: belungtu Tigrž ; and, in the fecoiid divifion, which is Amhara, that which gives the name, is but a very fmali part of it. Maluah, in ancient times, wy years hu^ e decid-rd who is the nioft p.iwerfuiit) Abyliinia, all thefe cotnc from Arabia, ar.d uot one can be purthafcd without his know-K Ö isg ing to whom it goes, and after his having had the firft icfufal of it. Sire, a province about twcnty-five inilcs hrojid, and not much more in length, is rcckoncc! as part of'figre alfo, but this is not ii new iifiirpation. It loft the rank of a province, and was united to Tigrc for the mifbc-haviour of its governor Kafmati Claudius, in an expedition againft the Sliangalla in the reign of Yafous the Great. After paffing the Tacazze, the boundary between Sire and Samen, we come to that mountainous proviocc callcd by the laft name. A large chain of rugged mountains, where is the Jews Rock, rcaches from ihe foath of Tigrc down near to Waldubba, the low, hot country that bounds AbytTinia on the north. On the N. E. of Tigre lies the province of Begemder. It borders upon Angot, whofe governor is called Angot Ras; but the whole province now, excepting a few villages, is conquered by the Galla. It has Amhara, which runs parallel to it, on the fouth, and is feparatcd from it by the river Ba(hiIo. Both thcfe provinces are bounded by the river Nile on the weft. iJegerader is about 1 80 miles in its greateil length, and 60 in breadth, comprehending Lafta, a mountainous province, fome-times depending on Begemder, but often in rebellion. Beeemder is the ftrength of Abyflinia In horfemen. It is Faid, that, with Lalta, it can bring out 45,000 men; but this, as far as ever Mr. Bruce could inform himfelf, is a great exaggeration. They^are exceeding good foldiers when they are pleafed with their general, aud the caufe for which they fight; otherwife, tliey are eafily div'ided, great many private interefts Iseing continually kept alive, as ic is thought induftrioufly, by goverment itfelf. It is well flocked with cattle of every kind, ali very beautiful. The mountains are full of iror-mliies ; they are not fo fteep and rocky, nor fo frequent, as in other provinces, if we except only Lafta, and abound in all forfof wild fowl and game. Amhara is the next province, between the two riven Baftiilo and Gefhen. I'he length of this country from E. to W, is about 120 miles, and its breadth fomething more than 40, It is a very jnountainous country, full of of noliility ; the men arc reckoned the liandfomeft in A-byifinia, as well as the hrawlt. Between the two rivers Oelhen and Saiiiha, is a low, unwholefoinc, though t'enile province, called Walaka ; and foiiltuvard of that is Upper Slioa. Tlsis provincel or kingdom, was famous for the retreat it gave tj tlie only remaining prince of the houfe of Solomoji, who fled from the tnallacre of his brethren by Judith, about the year qoo. upon the rock of Damo. Merc the royal family remained in fecuritv, and increafed in number, tor near 400 years, tnll they were rcftored. Gojam, from north-eaft U) fouth-eaO, is about 80 miles in k-ngth, and 40 in breadth. It is a very flat country, and all in paftute ; has few mountains, but theic are very high ones, and aie chiefly on the banks of the ^^ile, to the fouth, which river furrounds the province. On tlic fouth-eafl of the kingdom of Gojam is Da-mot. it is boLLiided by the Tcmct on thccift, by the Gult on the weft, by the Nile on the fouth, and by the high mountains of Amid Amid on the north. It is about 40 miles in length from north to fouth, and foinething more than ao in breadth from eaft to welt. On the otlier I i de of Amid Amid is the province of Agows, bounded by thofe mountains on the ealt; by BuTe and LTinbarma, and the country of the Goiigas, on the weft ; by Damot and Gafat upon thelbuth, and Dinglc-ber on the north. isoulh from JJcmhea is Kiiara, a very mountanous province confining uponthe I'agan blacks, or Shangalla, called Gonoas and Guba, the Macrobi of the ancients,—■ It is a very unwholefoine province, but atwunding in fold, not of its own produce, but that of its neighbuut-ood, thefe Pagans—Guba, Nuba, and Shangtli the excoinirjunicating and murdering of their fovereigns fcein to have been introduced at the Came time. After the I.ika Ma^wafs comes the Palam-baras ; alter iiim the Fit-Aurans; then the Gera Kaf-mati, and the Kanya Kafinati, their names being derived from their rank or order in encamping, the one on the right, the other on the left of the king's tent; Kanya and Gera fignifying tht rig/}/ and iht Itj't; after them the Dakakin Billeiana Gueta, or the under chamberlain; ■then the fecretary for the king's commands ; after him the'right and left A/.ajj«, or generals; after them Rak MaiftTy, after him the ba(ha, after him K,irmatl of Damor, then of Samen, then Amhara, and, laft of all, Tigtt:, before whom Hands a golden ctip upon a cu-(hiun, and he is called N'ebrit, as being_ governor of Axum, or keeixr of the book of the law fuppofed to be there. After the governor of Tigre comes the Acab Saat, ot gusrdian of the fire, and the chief ecclefiafVical oflicer of the king's houfthoid. Some have faid, that this officer was appointed to attend the king at the time of eating, and that it was hLs province to order both meat and drink to be withdra^vn wJicnevcr he faw the king inclined to excefs. After After the Acah Saat comes the firft tnajler of the fioufehold; then the Bctwuikt, or Ras; hit of all the iting gives his fentence, which is iinal, and fends it to ihe table, from the balcony where lie is then fitting, by the officer called Kal-Hatje. meet in Ahyflinia with various ufages, which many have hitherto thought to be peculiar to thofe ancicnt nations in which they u-ere firll obferved^ others, not fo learned, have thought they originateil in Abyffinia. Mr, Bruce firft takes notice of thofe that regard the king and court. The ki!^ of Perfia, like thefe we are fpeaking ofj were eligible in one family only, that of the Arfacids, and it was not till that race failed they chofe Dariuä. The title of the kitig of Abyfiinia is. King af Kin(rs j awA. fach Daniel tells us was that of Nebuchadner/ar. The right of primogeniture does not fo prevail in Abyflinia as to exclude cicdion in the perfon of the younger brothers, and this was JikeivUe the cafe in Perfia, in Perfia a prc-fert;nce was underftood to be due ti> the'king's lawful chii.ircn; but there were inftanccs of the natural child being preferred to the lawful one. Darius,tha' abaftard,was ^referred to Ifogius, Xerxes's lawful fon, and that merely }y the elcftion of rhe people. Th« fame has always obtained in Abyfiinia. A very great part of the'r kings arc adulterous baftards, othen are the HTue of concubines; but they havebecTi prefcra'd to thecrown by ihe influence of a party, a!wa)s under the name of the Voice of the I'eople. Though the FcrHan kings had various pulaccs, so which they removed at difiercnt times in the year, Pafa-garda. the metropolis of their ancient kings, was ob-fcryed as the onlv pi ace for their coronation; and this, too, wus the cafe of Abi'ffiiiia with their metropolis of Axuni. The next remarkable ceremony iei which thcfe two niitions agreed, is that of adoration, inviolibly obfcrvcd ill Abyifinia to this day, as often as you enter the fover-cigH's prefcncc. This' is not only kneeling, bur an ab-folule proftratioa. You firft 'f.>ll upon your k:iee>, then upon (he palms of your hands, then incline your head und body till your forehead touch the earth ; and, in ctrfe vou have an anfiver to expert, you lie in thai poiture till the king, er foinebudy from him, defires ■ you vor. to rife. This, too, was tlie cuftom of Perfia ; An rian fays this w.is firft inftituttd by Cjtus, and this wis precifüly the püfturc in which they adored God, mentioned in the book of Exodus. It is the condant praäice id Ahy-iTmia to btfct tlic king's doors and windows within his hearing, and there, from early morning to night, to cry for jnlUce as loud as poflible, in a diftrefled and consplaining tone,, and in all the different languages £hey are mailers of, in order to their being admitted to have their fuppofed grievances heard. ]n a country fo ill governed as Abj tFmia is, and fo perpetually invol\ea in vi'ar, ii may be cafily fupjKifed therd is no want of people, v.'ho havs real injuries and violence to complain of; But if it wer« not fo, this is fo much the conftant ufage, that when it happens (as in the inidft of the rainy feal'un) that fcvt people can approach the capital, or Hand wiiliout in fuch bad weather, a ftt of vagrants are provided, maintained, and paid, whofe lole buhiiefs it is to cry and lament, as if they had been really very much injured and op-preffcd ; and this they tdl you is for the king's honour, thrtC he may nut be lonely by the palace being too quiet. This, of all their abfurdcudoins, was the nioft grievous and troublefome to Mr. Bruce. Sometimes, while Mr. Bruce ■was büfy in his room in the raiay feafon, there would be four or five hundred people, who all at once would begin, fome roaring and crying, as If they were in pain, oihers demanding juftice, as if ihey were that moment fuf-feriiig, or if in the inflant to he put to tiealh ; and fome p.roaningand fobbing as if juft expiring ; and this horrid fyraphony «as fo artfully p:rfcrnied, that no eur could d'ift'inguilh but that it proceeded from real didrefs. Mr.. Bruce was often fo furprifod as to fend the foldiers at the door to bring in one of them, thinking him come from the country, to examine who had injured him; many a time he was a fervant of his own, or fome other equally known ; or, if he was a ftrangcr, upon aßting him what mijforiune had bcfailen him, he wonld anfwcr very tompofedly. Nothing was the matter with him; tliBt he had been lleepiiig all day with the horfes ; that hcarmgfrom the feidicrs at the door that he, Mr. Bruce, « as retired to his apartment, he and his companions had comc to cry and make a noiic under his window, to do him before the people, for fear he fliould be melan- chojy, by being too quiet when alone; and therefore hoped that he would order them drink, that (hey might continue «ith a little more fpirit. The violent anger which this often put him into did not fail ttr be puntluall/ reported to the king, at which he would laugh heartily; and he hirofelfwas often hid not far off, for the fake of being a fpofiator of his hea\ j' difpka-fure. Xerxes, being about to declare war againrt the Creek», alTembleJ all the principal chiefs of Afia in council. " 11.at 1 may not, fays he, be thought to acl only by niy own judgment, 1 ha\ e called you tiigrther. At the fami; time, i think proper to intimate to you, that it is your cutv to obey niy will, rather than enter into any deliberation or rcmonftrancti of your own." will now compare fome parricutars, the drefs and ornaments of the two kings. The k'n^ of Abiffiriia wears bij hair long; fo did the anc;cnt kings rf I'er/'a. A comet had ajipcarcd in the war with Piriu, and was louked upon by the Romans as a bail cncn. \'tlpaCan laughcvc the l.a r^ leaving tlie crown pcrfrfily unccvetcd. li U ku oficrcc <" the tirft magnitude f )r any rerfon, at this lime, to wear any thing upo.i hii l.tid, efjXcially while, unleli lor Mahotsietans, who near caps, and t;vtr them a latge w hile tur" an; or for pricfls, wlio wear large turbans of m uftin alf,.. TJils w as the d a.icin of t'i^c rerfiaii'-. ns appears from l.ucian wlio rnlli it a white fillet abo..t the iorehcai^, 'i he lyings of Abyflinia ancienily fat ujon a gol J throne, which ii a laigc, ccjiivenient, obJotig, iqusre (.at, like a fmdU U ilkad, covercd with Pcriian car^jcts, da- nuik. ill SHAW'S abridgement OF ma(k, and cloth of gold, with ftcps leading up to it. It is Hill richly gilded ; but the many revolutions and wars hnve much'abridged their ancient n-.agnificence. It is, in Abyflinia, high-treafon, to fit upon any feat of the king's ; and he that prefumcd to do this would be in-iiantSy hewn to pieces, if there was not fomc other col-latiu! proof of his being a madmen. It is probable that Alexander liad heard of this law in Pcrfia, and difapprovcd of it; for one day, it being extremely cold, the king, fitting in his chair before the f.re, warming his legs, faw a foldier, probably a Perfian, who had loft his feeling by extreme numbncfs. The king immediately leaped from his chair, and ordered the foldier to be fat down opon it. The fire foon brought him to his fenfes, but he hnd almoft loft them again with fear, by finding himfelf in the king's ftat. To whom Alexander faid, " Remember, and diftingulfh,_ how much more advantageous to man my government is than that of the kings of Perlia. By fitting down on my feat, you have ftved your life; by fitting on theirs, you would infallibly have loft it." In Abyffinia it is confidercd as a fundamcnlal law of the land, that none of the royal family, who has any deformity or bodily defeft, fhall be allowed to fuccced to the crown ; and, for this piirpofe, any of the princes, who may have efcaped from the mountain of Wcchne, and who are afterwards taken, arc mutilated in fome of their members, that ihus they may be difqualificd from ever fucceeditig. In Perila the fame was iibfcrved. Pro-copius tells us, that Zames, the fon of CaLaiies, was excluded from the throne bccaufc he was blind of one eye, the law of Perfia prohibiting any perfon that had a bodily defeft to be clefted king. The kings of AbyiRnia were feltlora fcen by the people. This abfiird ufage gave rife to many abulcs. In Perfia it produced two ofliccrs, who were called the king's eyes, and the king's ear, and who had the dangerous employee:;!, Mr. Bruce means dangerous for the fuhjeft, of feeing and hearing for their fo'vercign. In .^bylftnia it created an oflicer callcd tbe king's mouth, or voice, for, being feen by nobody, he fpokc of courfe in the third IS tliirtl pcrfon, Htar tnhat the king ßj/s ta joa, which L the uiual form of all regal mandiftcs in AbyiTinia, aiiJ follows has the force of law. Soiemn hunting match« were always in uft l)r>ih with the kings of Abyffin'a aad thofc of Pcrfui. In both kingdoms it was a crime for a fubjcä to ftrike the game till futh time as the king had thrown his fancc at it. 'I his abfurd cuftom was repeated by Artaxcrxes Longima'nu) in one kingdom, and by Yafous the Great in the other, fo late as the beginning of the hft century. The kings of Abyiiinia arc above all laws. They arc fupremc in all caiifes ccclefiaftical and civil; the land anil pcrfons of their fubječls are equally their property, and cv-ery inhabitant of their kingdom is born their flaye ; if he liears a higher rank it is by the king's gift; fur his neareft relations are accounted nothing better. 1 he fame obtained in Berfia. There are fcveral kinds of bread in Abyffinia, fome of different forts of tcfF, and fo:i«; of toeuifo, which alfo vary in quality. 'I'lie king of Abyfiinia c-irs of wheat bread, though not uf every i^ hi-at, but of that only that grows in the province of iVnnbea, thctcfi're talUd the king's food- it always has birn, and HLll is the cuf-tom of the kings of A'nyfiinia, to marry what numbi r of wives ihcv choofe ; that t\cfe utre not, therefore, all queens; but t!iat among ihem there was one who was confidered particularly as queen, and upon ber head was placed the crown, and (he %i as called lu-ghe. Thus, ill i'erfia, we read that Aliafucrus luved Kfther, who had found grace in his fight more t!i.:n the other virgins, and be had placed a golden crow n u ion her head. At>d Jo-fephus informs us, that when Either was brought belbr,: the king, he was exceedingly delighted with her, and made her his lawful wife, and when fhe tame into the palace he put a ciown upon her head : whether placing 'be crown upon the queen's head had .my civil as to regency in Perfia, as it had in Abyffinia, is whnt hif-tory docs not inform us. The king of Abyflinia never is feen to walk, nor to fet his foot upon (he ground, out of Iiis palace ; and when he would difmount from the horfe or mule on whi ch !ic rides, he has a fervant with a liool, « ho place» 't it properly for him for that purpofe. He rides into the anti-chamber to the foot_ of his throne, or to the ftool placed in the »Icove of his tent, fie very often judges capital crimcs liimfelf. No man is condemned by the king in prrft n to die for the fiiil fault, unlefs the crime be of a horrid nature, futh as parricide or facrilegc. And, in general, the life and merits of the prifoner are weighed againft his immediate guilt; fo that if his firft bcliaviour has had more merit towards the ftate than his prcfcnt delinquency is thought to haie injured it, the (i:ic is plaecd fairly a^ainll the other, and the accufed is generally ahlolved when the fovereign judges alone. Darius had condemned Sandoces, one of the king's judges, to be crucified for corruption, that is, for having givrn falfe judgment for a bribe. 'I he man was already hung up on the crofs, when the king, confidcr-ing with hinifcif how many good fervices lie had done, previous to this, the only offcnce which he had committed, ordered him to be paidoneti. The Periian king, in all expeditions, '.vas attended liy^ judges, VVc find in Herodotus, th.at, in the expedition of Camhyfcs, ten of the princiiial Egyptians were' con.'.em-m-d to die by thcfe judged for every Penlan that had b;en I]:!Ln by t!ie people of Memphis. SisL judges always attend the king of Abvfiinia to the camp, and, before them, rebcJs taken on the fiold are tried and punilhed on the fpot. People that tlie kingdiftingiiirned byfavout,or for any public aftii.n, were in both kingdonis prir::r.tcd with gold chains, fwords. and bracelets. Thefe in Abyffinia ate undeiftood to he chiefly rewards'of milit.i-ty fervite; yet Poncet received a gold cl'.ain from Yn-foüs the Great. T!;e day Ixforc the battle of Serbraxos, Ayton Engcdan received a ftlvcr bridle and fiddle, covered with filvcr piarcs. fi om P.as Mit ha. 1. «1 thooclu cruel, but he is iai:7xdiatdy the fetitencc executed upmi him. Abba SalamV, t'-x Acab Saat, was condemned by the king the ni- nnng 1 CJitered Gondar, on his return from Tigre, ar,d '^mediately hanged, in the garment of a prieft, nii a tree at ths door of the king's p^lac". ChrciVia ion, hiothtr to the ufurpcr «furper Sociiüos, was executed that fame morning; Guc-bra Denghel, Ras Michael's fon-in-law, was likcwife executed that fame day, immediate!)' after judgment; ;md fo WCTC. feverdl others. The fame was the jiraftice in Perfia, as we team from Xenophon, and more pJainly from Diodorus. The capital punilTimenls, in Abyffinia, are the crofs. Socinios firit ordered Ar^o, his competitor, who had fled for affiilxice and refuge to Phineas king of tlic Fa-ia(hn, to be crucified without the camp. U'e find th.e fame pimifliinent inlliacd by Artaxerxcs upon Haraan, who ivas oidcrcd to be affixed to t!:e crofs tiil he died. The next capital p'jninimetit is (laying alive. That this barbarous cxccution flill prevails in Abyftinia is proved by the fate of tlie unfortunate Wooflieka, taken prifoner in the campaignof I/69, whiie Mr. Bruce was iri Aliyfftnia; a facrilicc made to the ven';cancc of the beautiiul ÜKorü Efthcr, who, kind and humane as fha wjs in other r^jfpctls, could rccci^ c no .itoncracnt for the deaih of her haiband. Lapldatlon, or ftoning to death, is the ne\t capital puniihment in Abyfiinia. This is chiefiy iallüted upon lirangers called Franks, for religious eaufcs. T he ca-thohc priells in Abyflinia that have licen detefled there, ill thcle latter days, have been ftoned to death, and their bodies lie ftill in the Itreets of Gondar, in the fquares or wafte-pldces. covered with the he;ips of ftone which oc-cafioned their death by being thrown at ihem. Thi re are three of thefe heaps at the chtsrch of Abbo, all co-veriiig Francifcan fridps; and, belidcs tlicin, a fmaU pyramid over a boy u ho » as (toned to death with ihciii, abdut the iiril year of the r.v^ii ) lloni'd todeaih by t!.e i niet of ti e k-nj;; and the Cjlxc autl'.or fjys, that Phainacyas, incers. 7 he dead bodies of criminals flain for trcafon, murder, and violence, on ihe high-way at certain times, arc feldom buried in Abyflinia. The ftreets of Gondar are ftrewed with pieces of their carcafcs, which bring the wild beaft3 in multitudes into the city as foon as it becomes dark, fo that it is ftarcely fafe for any one to walk in the night. The dogs ufed to bring pieces of human bodies into the houfe,and court-yard, to eat them in greater fecurity. Notwithftanding the Ab)'ffinians were fo anciently and nearly con netted wiih t-gypt, they never fccm to have nude ufe of paper, or papyrus, but imitated the praifticc of the Perfuns, who ivrote upon fkins, and they do fo to this day. This arifes from their having early been Jews, In Parthia, likewife, Pliny informs us, the ufe of papyrus was abfolutcly unknown; and though it was dšlcovcred that papyrus grew in the Euphrates, near Ha-bvlon, of which they could make pap;r, tbey obftinately rather chofe fo adhere to their ancient cuftom of weaving their letters on elr.th, of which they made rheir garments. The Perlians, moreover, made ufe of pateh-r.ient for their records, to «hich all their remarkable tranfadioos were trufted; and to this it is probablv owing we havefo many of their ciiftoms pref^rved to this day. Krom tliis great refcmblance iti cuftoms lietween'tile Perfians and Abyffinians, following the rafluonablc way of judging about the origin of nations, one fticuld boldly conclude, that the AbyfTmlans were a colony of Persans; but this is very well known to be without foundation. 'Ihe cuftoms, meniioned as only peculiar to Perlia, were common to all the tall: ; and they were loft when thofe countries were ovf r-run and conquered by thofe who introduced barbarous cuftoms of their own. The reafon why we have fo much left of the Perfsan cuftoms is, that they were written, and fo not liable to alteration ; and, being on farchmcntj did alfo contribute bute to their preferv atioQ. Xlie hil^ory t^'hich treats of ihofe ancient ami poürticd nations has profcrved few fragments of tlicir nuiincrs entire from the ruins of time ; while Al>yflinla, at war with jiobudy, or at war with itfclf only, has prefcrved the anc:ent cuftoms wliich it enjoyed in com;non withal! thccaft, and which were onlv loft in other kingdoms by the invafion of ftrangcra, a mi.-fortune Abyllinia has never fufTcred fince the inrroduiSion of lefters. 'I'he old Kgvptians, as wc are told by facred fcripturc, did not rat wuli ftrangers ; but perhaps the obfcrvation is extended farther than ever fcripturc meant. The in-itance given of Jofeph's brethren not being allowed to cat w ith the Egviitiiiis was, becaufe Joft'ph had told Pharaoh that his brethren, and Jacob his father, were flu-pherds, that he nilgiit get from the Egyptians the land of Göttien, a la'ui, as the name imports, ofpaf-turage and tjrafs, which the Nile never overflowed, and it was therefore in poircflion of the flicpherds. No'.v the fhepherds, we are told, were the direft natural cnemics of the Egyptians who live in towns. The flirpherds alfo facrificcd the god whom tlic Egyptians worfhi ijvd. The Egyiiani worihijiped the cow, and the (hep ierd>( lived upon lier Aefli, vvliich made them a feparatc pcopie, that could not cat nor communicate together; and the very kiiowkdge of this was, as we arc infonncd by fcriprarc, the reafun why Joftp-h told Pharaoh, when he .ifked him what profcfiion his bretlircn were of, " Vcitir fervaiif*, (fays Jotcph) are fliepherd«, and their en!p!oy-incnt the feeding of catilc;" and this w.ns given our, that the land of Goflien might he allotted to them, and fo they and their defcendents ix; kept fcparatc from tlic Kgyptians, and nor cxpofed lo mingle in their alximi-nations; or, thouglithcy had abftained I'roin tbofe abominations, they could not kill cattle for facrificc or for food. They would have rarfed ill-will againft them-felvcs, and, as Mofes fjys, would Iiave been ftoned, and fo the end of bringing them to Gortien would have been fiiiftrated, which was to nurfe them in a plentiful land, in peace and fecurity, till they (hotiid attain to be a mighty people, capable of fubduing and filling the land to wljich, at the end of their captivity, God v,-,it to lead them. J The Tlie Ahyfliinans neither cat nor Jrink with ftrangerj, ihoiigh they have no re.ir; it is part of the hiftory of a barbarous people ; and Mr. Bruce fays, however he might willi it, he cannot decline it- in the capital, where one is fafe from furprife at all times, or in the covintry or villages, when the rains have become fo conftant thdt the valleys will not bear a horfc to paf^ them, or that men cannot venture far from home, througlj fear of being furroundcd and fwept a^vay by temporary temporary torrents, occafioned by fitdden fliowers on the mountains ; in a word, when a inan can fay he is fdfc at home, and the fpear arid flildd is hupg up in the hull, a Humljcr of people of the l>cft fdfhion in the villages, of botli fexes, courticrs in the palace, or citizens in the town, meet tO(;ethfr to dine benveen twelve and rne o'clock. A long tal)le is f:r in the middle of a large room, and benches belide it for a iiiunber of guelts ^v ho are ini-iicd. Tables and Ixrncbp the Portuguese introduced amongft iheni; but bull hides, fpread upon the ground, ferved them l>cfore, as they now do in tlie tamp and ciiuntry. A covv or bull, one or more, as tl;e tuTn-fiany is numerous, is brought clofe to the door, and his feet ftrongly tied. Ihe ikin that hangs down under his chin and throat, is cut only fo deep as to arrive at tl;e fat, of u'hieh It rotally confifis, and, by the feparat oii of a few finali btood-veflclj, fix or feven drops of bl-jod enly fall upon the ground. They ha\-e no ftone, bench, nor al(ar upon whicli thefe cruel atfaflins lay the animal's head in this operation. Mr. Bruce begs his pardon indeed for calling him Kn afiaffin, as he is jioi fo merciful as to aim at the life, bu^, on ihc contrary, to k«^ the bcaft alire till he be nearly ea'en up. Having fatisfied the Mofaical Lw, accoiding to his conception, by pour, ing thefe fix or feven drops upon the ground, two or more of them fall to work ; on the batk of riie beaft, and on encli fide of the fjiine they cut Ikin-detp; thcu putting their lingers lietween the ilefh and the Jkin, they begin to ftrip the hide of the animal half ^vay down his ribs, and fo on to the buttock, cutting the (kin wherever it hinders them coramodioufly to ftrip the poor animal bare. All t!ie flcfh on the buttocks is then cut off, and in folid, fquare pieces, without bones, or much cfTufion of blood ; and the prodigious noife the animal makes is a fignal for the compan)' to fit down to table. There are then laid before every gueft, inftead of plates, round cakes, if they may be fo called, about twice as big as a pan-cake, and fomething thicker and tougher. It is unleavened bread of a fourifli tafte, far from being difagreeable, and very eafily digefted, made of a grain calicd teff. It is of different colours, from black to the colour of the whitcA wheat-bread. Three or four of L 3 thefe thefe cakes are generally put uppcrmoft, for the foml of'the perfon oppofite to whole feat they are pSaceti. üeneaih thc/c are Ib'-ir or five of ordinary brtatj, and of a blackiOi kind. Tliefe fervc the raafter to wipe his fingers npOHj and afterwards the fervant for bread to his din-r;(.T. 'J'u'O or three ferv.mfs tlicn come, each a fijti :irc pirce of beef iu their bare harids, hiving it upon the cakes of teJT, pI;Tced like dÜhes down the table, without cloth or any thing clfc benenih them. By this titne all the gntils liave kriives in their bands, and ihclr intti have the large crct>ked ones, which ihcy put to ail fo.'tj of iifcs during the tisv.c of war. The women liave fir,:iil c!alj'td Il(l for a penny each. The coih-f.'iny are fo ra:;gcd th:!t one man fits between two women ; the man with his long knife cn(s a tliia piece, whicli would be thought a good beef-ileak in F.iighind, while yoii fee the motion of the fibres yet perfeCily diflinft, Mild alive in the fiefii. No man in v\hyJI:i)ia, of any f^fnicn whu!ever, fcecis himfelf, or touche.i iiis own rnr?t, 'i'iie woinen take the fteak and cut it lingth.-waj's iike Üriiigs, about the thicknefs of a liltle ünger, then crof*-ways into fquare pieces, fometbing fmaller than dicc, 'ihis they hy upon a piece of the teu bread, llrongly po'vdered wi'th black pepper, or Cayenne pepper, and fciri!c-f?d!; they tlien wrap it up in tcff bread like a ear'.ridge, J.n ihe meantime, the man liaving put up Iiis knife, witii eacb hand reding upon hii neighbour's knee, his body ftoopin^-, his head loiv and for%v;:rd, and moulh optn very like an idiot, he turns ro the one whofc cartridge is tirir ready, wbo ^.iilfs the whole of it into his monih, which is fo full thai he is in co-iflant danger of being cheaked. his is a mark of grandeur. 'I he greater the man woitld feem to be, the" Sarger piece he takes in Iiis mouth; and the more noife he makes rii chewing it, the more polite he is thought to be. They have, indeed, a proverb that fays, "" Eeggarsand thic\-('s tjnly eat fmall pieces, or wirhiiüt maiiing a noife." Having difcatchcd this nicrfrl, « hich he does very ex-peditionÜ)-, his ne^t fcir.r'.le neighbour holds furih -ro-tker cartridge, which goes the fame way. and fo on'tM ho lie is fatisficd. He never drinks till lie h.is finin^ed eating ; and, before lie begins, in grariruc'e to tht- f.ur one that fed him, lie miiglis, or the parts where the great arieries arc. At laft, they fall upon tJie thighs likewife; and foon after (he ani.tial, bleeding to deatri, bccomei fo tough that the tanib-)s, who have the reft of it to eat, find very hard work lo icparate the ßelli from the bones ivith their teeth Hke d'jgs. In the mean lime, thofe within are very much eievjted; love lights all Its fires, and every tiling is permiited with abfclute fieedoni. There is no coyiiefs, no dFht} s, no need of appointments or retirement, to gratify their wiftes; there are r.o rooms but one, in which they faeri-f.ce boih to Bacchus a^id to Venus. Although we read from the Jefuits a great deal about marriage and polygamy, yet tlieie is ncthing which may Ik averred more truly, than tliat there is no lui-h thing as mari iage in AbylTinia, iinlefs that which is contračled by mutudl confeiit, without other form, I'ubfiiHng only till diiiblved by Jiflent of one or other, and lo be renewed or repeated as often as it is agreeable to both parties, who, when they picafe, cohabit together again as nran and wife, after having been divorced, had ciiildren by others, or whether they Iiave been married, or had chii-dren with others or not. Mr. Bruce remembers to hjve once been at Kofcam in prcfence of the Iceghč, when, in the circle, there was a womsn of great quality, and feven men who had all been her hulbands, none of whom wa.s the happv ffiotife «t th.u time. Vpo;i feparation thev divide the children. The e!dc!t fon lailä tü the tnother'.'s firft choice, and the eldeft L 4 dau;:hitr danglitcr to (lie father. IF there be but one daughter, ;ind all tlie rell Tons, flie is alligneiJ to the father. II' ihtrc be but one fon, antl all the reft dautjhters, he is the ligbt of the mother. If the numbers are unequal after the cfcflion, the reft are divided by lot. There is no fuch diftir.ttion as legliimate and iDfgittmate children from the king to the beggai •, for fuppoling any ont; of tlieirmariiagci valid, all tlieilTuü of ihe rcllmnft beadul-t.-roua baftards. Kas Michael one day aficed Brucc, before Abba Sal;in:a, (the Acab Saan) whether riicli things as thefc promifcuous marna;;cs anil divorces were pcrmiticd and praüifed in his country ? He excufcd bimfelf rill he was no longer able; and, upon his infifiinw, be was obliged to anfwer, that even if fcripiurc hail not forbidde:i It, as Chriftians, as Englifhmcn, the kw reftralned tlicm from fuch praflices, by declaring polygamy fcJony. or punifbable by death. The king in bis marriage ufes no other ceremony than this; He lends an Azage to the houfe where the lady lives, where the officer announces to her. It is tbc king's pleafure that flie fhould remove inftantty to the palace. She then dreffes heifelf in (he beft manner, and immediately obeys. Thenceforward he afligns her an apait-ment in the palace, and gives her a houfe elfewhere in siny part (he cKufes. Then, when he makes her Iteghe, it feems to be the neareft refemblance to marriage; for, whether in the court or the camp, he orders ont of the judges to pronouncc in his prefcnce, that he, the king, has chofen his hand-maid, naming her for his queen; upon which ihe ciown is pu upon her head, but flie is not anointed. The crown being hereditary in one family, but eleflive; in the perfon, and polygamy being permitted, muft have multiplied thefe heirs very much, and produced ton!bnt difputes, fo that it was found ncceflary to. provide a remedy for the anarchy »nd eifufion of royal blood, which was otherwl'fe inevitably to follow. The remed)' was a humane and gentle one, they were confincd in a good climate upon a high mountain, and maintained thereat the public expence. They are there taught to read and write, but nothing etfe ; 750 cloths for wrapping round them. tliem, jooo oances of gold, which is 30,000 dollars, or crowns, are allowed by tbc (late for their maintenance. Tlisfe princes arc hardly ufedi and, in troublcfome times, often put to deatK upon the fmalteft mifinformation. M''hilc Mr. Bruce was in Abyfliiiia, their revenue was fo grofsly mifapplied, that feme of them were faid to Jiave died wilh hunger and of cold, by the avarice and hard-heartednefs of Michael negletiling to furniih them nccef-faries. Nor had ihe king, as far as ever Mr. Bruce c,ou!d dilcera, that fellow-feeling one would have expected irom a prince refeued from that very ftcuaiiorv Wmfelf; however that be, and however diftreiling ihc fituanon of thofe princes, we cannot but be fatisfied wiih it whenwc look to ihe neighbouring kingdom of Sennaar, or Nubia. There no mourjtain is trufted with the confinement of their princes; but, as foon as the father dies, the throats of all the collaterals, and all their defcendants, thst can be hid hold of are cut; and this is the cafe with all the black flatcs In the defert weft of Sennaar, ])iir Fowr, Sele, and Bagirma. In fpeaking of the military force of this kingdom, great exaggerations have been ufed. The lar^l army that ever was in the field, was that in the rebellion before the battle of Scrbraxos. Wlicn they firfl: encamped up.. n 'he lake Tzana, the rebel army altogether might amount to about CO,000 men. In about a fortnight aftenvards, many haddeferted; and Mr. Bruce does not think (for he fpe;tks only by hqarfay) that, when ihe king marched out of Gondar, they were then above 3o,;oq. \V-her\ Gojam joined, and it was known that Micliad and his array increafed to above 6o,ooo men; cowards .ind br.ive, old and young, veteran foldiers and blackguards, • all catne to be fpeäaiors of that defirahJe event, which many of the wilefl had delp-iiretl of living to fee. 'I he king's army, pi;jlia]35, nefer amounted to 26,000 men; and, by defertion and other caufes, ^ hen they retreated to Gondar, Mr. liruce does not fuj)j>ofe the army was 16,000, moftly from the province of Tigre. Fahl, indeed, had nut joined ; and putting his army of 1 a.ooo men, it does not apjjear, that any king of Abyfliiiia ever commanded 40,0 o effeilive men at any tinie, or »»[ion any caufe whatever, exchilivc of his houfchold truops, L S Their 21ö shave's abridgement of Their itandarJs are Inrge flaves, furmouiitctl at ttic top ^vitli a hollow ball ; licluw this is a tube in v/hich t]:e flatt" is fixed ; and immediately btlovv (he ball, a narrow fl-ripe offsik maJi: forked, or'fwallow-tailcd, likü a vant', and fcklom much broader. '1 he ftandards of the iiifaiury have their flags palmed t\vo colours crofs-Vays—yellow, white, red, or green. The horfe have all a lion upon tlicir Hag, fome a red, fome a green, and iuuie a white lion. 1 he black horfe have a ycHoiv lion, .mit over it a white fuir upon a red flag, all'.;cling to two prophecies, ibe one, " Judah is a young lion," and ihe other, " '1 here ftiall come a ftar out of Judah." 1'hii had been difcontinued for want of chjth till the « ar of Eegemder, when a large picce was found iti Joas's wardrobe, and Wi'.s thought a certain omen of his vidfory, audofa long and vigorous reign. 7'his piece of cloth was faid to have been brought from Cairo by Yafous IJ. for the campaign of Scnnaar, and, wish the other fiand-ards and eolours, was furrcndered to the rebels when the king wa,s made prifoiier. 1'he king's houfehold troops Cliould confift of about Scoo infainry, locoof which carry fin-locks, and fupply the place of archcrs; bows have been laid afidc for near a hundred years, and are only now ufed by the Waito ^iJiangaila, and fome other barbarous inconfiderable nations. 'Ihcfe troops are divided into four companies, each under an otiicer called Shalaka, which anfwers to our coloncl. ' Kvery twenty men have an ofTicer, every fifty a fecond, and every hundred a t"hird ; that is, every twenty liai.e one ofRcer w-ho commends them, but is commanded likewife by an ofKccr w ho commands the iifly ; fo that there are three officers who command fifty n;en, fix c mmrtid a hundred, and thirty command five hundred, over wiiom is the S^haiaka; and this body they tall Bet, which fignifies a hoafe^ or eparimtnt, be-catifecach of them goes by the name of one of the king's apartments. For example, there is an apartment called Anbafa Bet, or the lion's honje, End a regiment carrying that name has the charge of it, and their duty is at that .npartnient, or that part of the palace where it is; there is another called Jnn Bet, or the ckfhanCs houfc, that gives the iiatrx to aiother regiment; anoiher called Werk tacala, Sacüla, or t'ie gold huuft, which gives its name to another corps; and fo an -.vith die refr. There aw (bur regimenti, tiuu Icldom, if over, aniDLinr-ed to 1600 men, which depL-iiJ alone iii>on the kisi-j, and ape all foreis^ners, at Icaft the ollk-ers ; tliele have ihe charge of Iiis p^rfoii ivhile in the fielJ. In tnnes, when tlie king is out ol" leaclin_^-lh-ings, they amount to four or five thotifanJ, anti then opprL-is ihe country, for they have grent privile3:cs. At tim-s wh'jn t!ie kind's hanüs arc weak, they are kept incomplete out of fear ^ii.l jt-a-loufy, licFort; the king marches, three proclamations are made. ThclinTis, «Miuy your mules, ^ct ready your provifion, and pay vour fervants ; ior, alter fuch a day, they that leek me'here lhall not find ine." The fe-cond is about a week after, or according as the cxigciicy ispretitng; this is, " Cut dov\'n the kamuilain tl)e iouf quarters of the worul, foi' I do not kno\'/ where I am going." This kantuila is a terrible thorn which very-much moleils tiie king and nohiiity in their march, by Caking hold of tiieir long ha r, and t!ie cot;on cloth they arc ^vrappsd in. The ti.ird an;i lad pfoclaaiatton is, '"] am encamoed ti( the An/rab, or Kahha; he 'liat docs not joi'n ino there, 1 will chaitile hita fir year^." Mr. IJt:ice was long in doub: what this tJ-riri of [even yL;ars ine.Tni, till he recolleilicd the jubilt5c-year of ihe ff-v?, witli whom fcven years was a prefcription of oftences, Heljts, ami all trcfpailes. Thf: rains generally ecare the eighth of September; a fieidy feafon follows till they Ixrjiin again about the 20th of Oitobf^r; they then continue preitv, conlbnt, hilt moderate in quj^ititv, lili Hcilar Michael, (he eighth of Nfivcin^)«!'. All EjiLdL.-ju'C di 'wsfes ccale with ill;: eu i of thefe raios, and n is ihcn the arinies begin to Tnfi; ch. T ^'r. Bruce next proceeds to fpeak of the flate of religion in Abyftinia, where tlu-rc arc more cliurclies than in any other country, and, though it is very niounrjinous, and eonfeqncntly tlx view much obilruc-t'it is very feJdom you fee lefs" than iivc or lix ehutvheS-, an;l, if you are on a comirsatiding ground, live times thai number. Every great man that dies lliinks he has L 6 atoned atoned for all his wickeJnefs if he kav^es a fund to biiilJ a church, or has built one in his lifetime. The king buiKIs many. Wherever a viftory is gained, there a church is ereftcd in the very field ftinking with the putrid bodies of tlie flain. Formerly this was only the cafe when the enemy was Pagan or Inlidcl; now the fame is obferveJ when the viflories are over ChrilHans. The fituation of a church is always chofen near running water, for the convenience of their purifications and ablutions, in which they obfervc ftriftly the Levitical law. They are always placed upon the top of fomc beautiful, round hill, which is furrounded entirely with rows of the oxycedrus, or Virginia cedar, which grows here ia great beauty and perfeftion, and is called Arz. There IS nothing adds fo much to the beauty of the country as thefe churches and the plantations about them. In the middle of this plantation of cedars is interfperfed, at 'proper diftances, a number of thofe beautiful trees callcd Cuflo, which grow wry high, and are all extremely pic-turefque. The eharches are all round, with thatched roofs; their fummits are perfeft concs ; the outfidc. is furrounded by a nombcr of wooden pillai», whith are nothing elfc tfian the trunks of the cedar-tree, and arc placcd tu fup-^rt the edifice, about eight feet of the roof pro-jefting beyond the wall of the chuieh, which forms ati agreeable walk, or colonade, around it in hot weather, or in rain. The inGde of the chmch is in feveral divi* fions, according as is prefcribed by the law of Mofes. The firft is a circle fomewhat wider than the inner one ; here the congregation fit and pray. Within this is » fquare, and that fquare is divided by a veil orcurtain, in which is another very fmall divifion aiifwering to the holy of holies. This is fo narrow, that none but the priefts can go into it. You are bare-footed whenever yon enter the church, and, if bare-footed, you may go through eT.'ery part of it, if you have any fuch curiouty, provided you are pure, that ij, have not been concerncd with_women for twenty-four hours be-fcre, or touched carrion or dead bodies, (a curious alfem-blage of ideas} for in that cafe you are not to go v^ ithin the bruce's travels. ^tg, the precinfts, or outar circuinftrence of the diurch, but ftanJ and fay yuur prayers at an awful dillance among, the cedars. Every perfon of bolh fexes, iiiuler JeiPifti difqualifica, tionSj are obli-ed to obferve tliis dillance; asid this is always a place belonging to the church, where, unJeii, ii^ Lent, you fee the greatell part of the congregation; bm this is left to your own confcieiice, and, if there was. either great inconvenience in tiie one lituation, or great fatisfaciion in tlie other, the cafe would bs »t her wife. On your Hril entering the church, you put off your fiioes ; beorgc ia generally there with his dragon, and St. Dc-inetr.us fighting a Hon, There is no x;hoice in their faints, they are both of the Old and New Tcllament, and thole that might be difpenfed with from both. There is St. Poniius Pilate and his wife ; there Is St. Balaam and hisafi; Samfon and his jaw-bone; and fo of the rcll. But the thing that furprifetl iVIr. Bruce inoft was a kind of fquare-miniature upon the front of th^- head-piece, or mitre, of the pried, adjniniflring the facrament at Ado\sa, repi-cfcnting Pharaoh on a white horfe plunging in the Red Sea, wiih many guns and pillols fwimming upon the fur-face of it around him. Nothing embofled, nor in relief, ever appears in any of their churchcs; all tins would be rcckoneJ idoiatrv, fo much fo that they do not wear a crofs, as ha$ been reprc- feiued. fentcit, on the t^p of the bnll of tht- fcnJick, or ftand-bccaiil? ir cjfts a Pnude ; but there is no doubt tl.'at pifturoi have been ufcd in their churchts from the very earüeii 3ge'>f ^ tiriltianicy. The articles of the faith of the AbyfTnians have been inquired into and dicufled with fo much kcenneli in the bcs;inningof this century, tH.u Mr. Bruce fears he Ümuld difoblige foiiie of his readers were he to yafs this fuhjca w-ilhout notice. Their firil ftifhop, Frumentiiis, being ordained about the year 333, and inflrufted in the religion of t!ie Greeks of the church of Alexandria by Pt. Athanafms, then fitting in the chair of St. Mark, it follows that the true religion of the AbyfTinians, which they received on rhc-ir converfion to ChrilHarsiiy, is th.nt of the Greek church; and every rite or ceremony in.the Abyflinian church m^ be found ?.nd traced up to its origin in the Gn-ck churcli while both of them were orthodox. Fruinentins prcferved Abyifmid untainted with herely till th.c day of hi-; death. ^Ve find from a lett.-r prefer\'ed in the works cf Sr. Athanaftus. that Conflnntios, the F.cretital Greek emperor, wifhcd St. Aihanafius to deliver him up. which thst patrinrcii refufed to do ; indeed, at that tiir.e, it v. as not in his power. Soon aäVer this, Arianifm, and a niimber of other he-refies,cach in their turn, were brought by the monks from Egypt, and infected the church of A.byfliiiia. A great part of thefc hfreiie.'!, in the beginning, were certainiy • owing to the difference of the languages in thufs times, and efpecially the two words'Nature and VerA'U, thaa which no two words were ever'moie-ecjiiivcea! in every hinguage in which they-have bv^.i traiiflated. : It was fettled by the firft general courcil, that one baptifm only was tieceffary for the regeneration of man, for freeing him from the fin of otir f.rft parents, and lifting him under the banrer of Chrift.—I confefs one baptifm for the remiffion of fsns," fays the Symbol. It was maintaineti by the Jefiiits, that in Abyffinia, oncc every year, they baptlfed all grown people, or adults. Mr. Rruce here leldtes what he himfelf faw on the fpot, The fmall river, running between the town of AdBwa and the church, had becti dammed up for for fevciral days; tl-.iys; tl;c flrcam was fcanly, To that it fcarcely ovcr-fl'iwcj. It \v.(s in places three ftet dc»p, in fome, |.ht-hnps, four, or litilc more. Tliree lar»« (ents «-er« pitched the üiornirtg hefor^ ths fcaft ot the Epiphany; one on the north for the priclls toicpofc in diiri;'.g intervals of riic fervicc, and befide this on« to communicate in ; on the ftniih there was » third tent for the monks and priefls of another church to reft themfdves in their turn. About Uv Ive o'clock nt n-ght, the monks and prielh met together, and bcgnn their praven; and pßlms ar the ivater-fide, one party rclie\'Ing each other. At dau n of djy the governor, WelK-ta Michael, ciime ihiiher tvfrh fome fo'ldiers to raife men for Ras Michac!, then Oil his ma:ch againft ^^'arüsna lafil, and fst down on a fmall hi!l by the \\ attr-fidt, the troops all Piirmtfhing on foot and on' horfehack around them. As foon as tliefnii bcg.in to apjjear, three large crofles of wood were carried by thiee pnefts dreffed in their fr>-ccrdotal vellmentJ, and'who, Co;aing to the fide of the' "■iver, dipt the crofs intu the «atcr. and all this time tlie fifing, fiirmidiing, atid praying went on together. IJie prieth with the croflcs returned, one of their number before them carr* ingfoincthing lefs than an EngÜfli quart' of water in a fib er cup or chalice ; when they were about fifty v.irds from Wcllcta Mi-h.iel, that general 'food,tip, arid the prieft took .is much water as he could bold in hti liands and fprinklcd if upon his head, holding the ct:p at the fame time to W'elleta Michac.l's nictaih to talle; jft^r which the pricft received it back again, faying, nt the fame tiinf, " Gztcr y'barak," which is fimply, " Mnv God blefs yo'J." f-ach uf the threecrof-fes were ti.en brought forward to Wellcta Michael, atul" he kiffed them. 'J'he ccremony of fprlnkling the « ater ■wns then repeated to all the great n!c:i in the tent, ali cleanly drefiki as in crala. Some of them, not'conter.-ted with afperfion, received the water in the palms cf their hands joined, and drank it there; more waler wrs brought for ihofe thai hn.l not par'akcn of the hrlh ant!, after the whole of the governor's company was fprinkled, the croiTes rttiirnčJ to ihc river, (heir bearers ftjigiiig/vt.'. Iflajaki, and fi-.irmilliine and tiring coiitinuir-.g, Mr. Mr. Etuce obfcrvej, that, a very little lime after the governor had bc«n fprinkled , two horfcs and two iTiiil^s, belonging to Ras Michael and Ozoro liRehcr, came and were waflied. Afterwards the foldicrs went in and bathed their horiw and guns ; tliofe who had wouiuls bathed tliem alfo. Heaps of platters and pots, that had been ufcd by Mahometans or Jews, were bruuglit thither likewifc to be purified; and thus the whoie ended. Mr. Bruce faw this ceremony performed afterwards a? Kahha, near Gondar, in prefencc of the king, who drank forae of the water, and was fprinkled by the priclis ; then took the cup in his hand, and threw the reft that was left upon Amha Yafous, faying, " I will be your deacon ;" and >his was thought a high compliment, the priell giving him his bleifing at the fame time, but offering him no more water. Mr. Bruce then mentions the account given of this by Alvarez, chaplain to the Portuguefe embafly, under Don Roder i go de Lima. The king had invited Don Roderigo Je Lima, the Porttjguefe ambaflador, tö be prefcnt at the celebration of the feftival of the Epiphany. They went about a mile and a half from their former flation, and encamped upon the fide of a pond which had been prepared for the CKcafion. Alvarez fays, that, in their way, they were often alkcd by thofe the^' met or overtook, Whether or not they were going to be baptized to which the chaplain and his company anfwered in the negative, as having been already once baptized in their childhood. " hi the night (fays he) a great nurnberof priells aflcmbled about the pond, roaring and finging with a view of blcf-fing the water. After midnight the baptifm began. The Abuna Mark, the king and queen, were the firft that went into the lake; they had each a picce of cotton cloth aboLit their middle, which was juft fo much more than the reft of the people had. At the fun-riling the baptifm was moft thronged; after which, when Alvarea came, the lake was full of holy water, into which they bad poured oil." It fhould feem, from this outfct of his narrative, that he was not at the kke till the ceremony was half over, and did not fee that bcneiličtion of the water at all, nor the the curious exhibition of the Quceiij and Abuna antl tlicir colton cloths. ' The Abyflinians icccive the holy fjcrament in both Jtitidi in uiiicai'cncii breaJ, and in the grape bruifed with the iiuik together as it grows, fo tliat it is a kind of mar. nialade, and is given in u flat fponn : whatever Ihey may pretet:d, fume mixture feems nLcefl;iry to keep it from fcrmcnration in the ilate that it is in, unlefi ihe dried clußur is fr lh bruifed ju!l bcfure it is ufcd, for it is little more fluid than the commo.T marmalade of con-fetflionors; but it ii pcrfeftly the grape as it grew, bruifed ftones and ikin together. Some means, however, have been tifcd, as Mr, Bruce fuppnfes, to prevent fcr-ment^.ticn, and make it keep; aud though thisiscon-ftantly denied, he h^s often thought he lallcd a flavour that was not nrittral to (he grape itfelf. It is a miflake that there is no uine in Abyffinia, for a quantity of excellent rtrong wine is made at Drccda, fuuth we'll from Gondar, about thirty miles, which would more than fuppiy the quantity necelfary for the celebration of the cucLrift in all Abyffinia twenty times over. The people thenjftlves are not fond of wine, and plant the vmc in one place only ; and in this they have Ixen imitated by the Egyptians, their coluny : but SI f.Ttall black grape, of an excellent flavour, grow» plentifuHy wild in every wood in Tigre. Large picces of bread are given to the communicants in proportion to their quality; and Mr. Bruce has fcen gri-at men, who, though ihey opened their mouths as wide as conveniently a mim can do, yet from the rur.try ? Mr. L'ruec told him, that the anfwer to hi'quellion d;-pcuded upon two things, which, being knnwn, bis difficulties v,-ould very eaCly be folved. "If you do believe licvr thjt the wine fpilt by the mob upon the fleps, and troiiden under foot afterwards, was really the blood of Jtfui Chriil, then you was guilty of a njoft horrid crime, and you (houlJ cry upon the mountains to cover you ' and ages of atonement are not futlicient to expiate it! You fhould, in the mean time, hine railed the place round witli iron, or built it round with ilonc, tliat no foot, or any thing elfc but the dew of heaven, could have Allien upon it, or you (hould have brought in the river u])on the pla-je that woul.l iiave vvaihed it all to the fca, and covercci it ever after from facriJ-f'^ioiis profanation. But if, on the contrar}', you b-.-!ieve, (us many Chriftian cl-.urchcs do) thai the wine fnot^'•!^h• Ihsnding conlccration) remained in the cup n-^thing tnoie than v.'iiic, but was only the fym'.jol, or type, ofChriit's til'jod of the Nc-.i- 'I'aSament, then the fpilling it upon the ftens, and tlie treading up.in it after.vards, having bssn liierely acciiicn:al, and out of your power to prevent, bwing fu far from your wifli t!iat you jre heartily fbrry tliat ithappjns^l, I do not reckon tliat y^'u are further liable in the e ime of facrilegc, thai if ihe win? luJ ti'.Jt been confecrated at alt. You arc to huinbie youi-ffU, and fincercly regret thnt To irreverent sn ;iccicleiit h-ppcneJ in your hands, and in your ti.r.c; but aa yo;i d:d not int.'n'd it, ati.l c-iuld not p.'-cvent it, th: tiiif;;-quence of an accident, whcrt; ina tention is e.\c;eJi.:gly ciilp.:bte, wiil b: i.nipjieJ t-j I'ou, an . nothing i'ar- th.T/' 'i he pricft decbrcd to Mr. Enxe, v.'itij I'^e greatncfs cin-.clinVfs, t'^st lie never did beiio\e that the t-l.'incnts in the eiK-haii'.t were con\'erted by canf;.-LT iti'in into the real bodv and liood i;f Chrilt. He fald, liov,-:*vcr, that he belic\vd iliis tobe the lloinasi Citliolic fa'tis, but it u;i5 iii=; ajiil that he conc-ived the !>,' a.I was bread, arid th" wineivinr. even after erjnfcci:itio!u ^■ro!n t!>is c .ariijdf, which occurred merely acei.knially, an,! was not tlx- huit of intcrnoaiiori or curiollrv, it to Mr. Jinice, whatever llia jcfnits fay, fume at Lajfcanionj t.»e Ajvifiiiians do n. t b"Iie"e the rc;d pr>-. f ^ice in t.:o ewchiirilt; but t'i.ii!rjr our tr.f.vHcr is nut c.'.O'J^li iijfjrmtd to j a p^fiii'.e o^inicij, 'I'he The AbyfTinians arc not all agreed about the ftale of fr.ulsbofore the rcAirreftion of the body. The opinion which generally prevails is. tliat there is no third fi:i;e ; but that, after the example of liic thief, the fouls of good men enjoy the beaiilic vlfion immediately upon tlte fepnration i'roin the body. But their prailicc and books bolh contradiift this; for, as often as any perfon dies, alms are given, and prayers are offered for the fouls of thofc departed, which ^vould lie I'ain did they b.-licvc they were already in the prefcnce of God, and in. poiTcflioii of the greateil t-lifs poflible, wanting nothing to compieat it. Thecircumcifion of the AbyiTinians is performed with a (liarp knife, or razor. There is no laceration with the-rails, no formula or repetition of words, nor any religious ceremony at ihe time of the operation, nor is it done at any particular and generally id is a woman that is the furgeon. 1'hc Falaftia fay, they perform it: foraetimcs with the edge of a fharp flone, fatne-timcs with a knife or razor, and at other times withi the nails of their fingers; and for this purpofe they have the nails of (heir little lingers of an immoderate length: at the time of the operation the prieft chants a hymn, off verfe, im];orting:, " Bleffed art thou, O Lord, whc> halt ordained circumcifion !" This is performed on the eight day, and is a religious rite, according to the fitft iiirtitution by God to Abraham. All the inhabitants of the globe agree in confidering it fbatneful toc.tpofe the privaie part of their body, even to men ; and in the eaft, ^vhere, from climate, yuu are allowed, and from rcfpeft to your fuperiors, tlie generality of men are forced to go naked, all agree in covering their waift, which is called their Koktdmß, though it is. »v-ally the only part of their body that is covei'ed. Circumcifion having no natural caufe or advantage, being in itfelf repugnant to man's nature, and extremely painful, if not dangeroiis, it could never originate ini man's mind wantonly and out of free-wilL It might have done fo indeed from imitasion, but with Abraham, it had a taufe, s« God was to make his private family in a few yc.-irs numerous, like the fands of the fea. This, rairk, wlJch fepaiated them from iUl tlie world, was an eafy tafy way to ftiew whether the promifc «-as fulfilled or not- 'i bey were going to take potll'Hion of a Jajid ivhere circumniioji was not known, and this fliewcd them their enemy dUHnft irom their own 'i'lierc is another ceremony, which regards the vi-ornch üllu, anci which Mr. Bruce calis hiäßiii. 'i his is an ufage fretjuent, and ftill retained umong the Jews, though pofiliwly ^jrohibited by the kw : " 'I'hou ilialt nnt cut thy face for the Take of, or on account of the dead." As foon as a near relation dies in Abyffinia, a broihcr or parent, coufin-german or lover, every woman in tlj^t relatioji, with tile nail of her I ttle finger, which {Ije leaves long on purpole, cuts the ütin ofboth her temples, about tlie li-ze of a fixpence; and therefore you fceeitrcr a wound or a ffar in every fair face in Abyfilnia ; and in t!ie dry fiafon, when the camp is out, from the lols of friends, they fcldom have liberty to ileal till peace, and the army return with the rains. 'I'he Ah^ilimana, like the ancient Egyptians, their firft colony, in computing their lime, have continued the vife of the fular 3'e:ir. Diodorus SIctiiiis fays, " Tlicy do not rcckon their time by the moon, but ac.-.ording to the fun ; thai thirty days coiiftitiite their month, to ^vhiL■h they add five da>'s and the fourth part of a day, aiU this completes their year." It is uncertain whciu'e they derived ihe names of their montlis ; they liave no fijiiiificatlon in any of the languages of s\ byJlin^i. 'J he name of the firft moinh ajiiong the old r,gypt>ans has continued to this day- Jt is lot, probablv lo called from I he firll divifion of time amoiig ihc Kgvptiansj from olifervation of the hdaical riling of the dog-ilar. 'Tlie names of the months retained in Abyf-finia arc poffi!>Iy in antiquity prior to this ; they arc pro-hably thofe given them by the Cufhite, before live Ka-fendars at Thebes and 'Meroe, their colony, were formed. 'I hc Abyfliiiians have another way of defcribing tinw peculiar to tbcraielves ; they read the whole of the four evangelids every year in their churches. They begin With Matthew, then proceed to Mark, l.uke, and John, in order ; and when they fpcak of an event, they write and and fay it happened in tlie days of Matthew, that is, in tl)e firft quarter of the year, while the gofpel of St. Matthew yet reading in the charclies- 'J'lrey compute the time of the day in a very arbitrary, irregnhr manner. The twilight is very fliojt, almoil imperceptible, .ind was ftill more fo when the court was remo^■ed farther to the foiithward in Shoa. As foon as tlic fun falls below the hoiizon, night comes on, and all the liars appear. 1'his term, then, tlic twilight, they ehoofc for the beginning of their clay, and call it Nagge, ^^ hici1 is the very time rhe twilight of the morning lails. The fame is obferved at niglit, and Mefet is meant to fignify tlic inflant of beginning the t^viljglit, between tl\e Sim's falling below the horizon and theitars' iippcaring. Midday ii by them calk'd Kh:(t, a very old word, which figniftcj cnhiiitiatis!;, or a thing's bting arri^■cd or j'laccd^ at the middle or liighcll part of an aruh. All the rcit of tirncs, in converlation, they tlefciihe by jioimitig at the place in the heavens where the fun üicn was, wh;it they are deferibing happened. ,Mr. Bruce coniludes what furthe,r he has to fay on this fubjeft, by obferving, that nothing can be more inaccurate than all Abyffinian calculations. Bcfides rh.eir ablblute ignoranec in arirbrr.etic, tlicir cxeeirivc idlcnefs and avcrlion to flu'iy, and .1 numlxir of iar.citul, wliiin-ficiil combinations, hy which every paitieuliir ftrihe or monk liiiLinguifhcs liinifctf, «here are obvicnis reafons why there fliould be a variation between their chronology and ours. The beginning of our years are diiferent ; ours begin on the ilt of January, and tbeirs on the ift day of September, fo that there are 8 raonths difference between us. The lall day of Auguft may be the year 1780 witJi us, and i 779 only with the AbytVmians. And in the reign of their kings, they very feidom mention either month or day beyond an even number cf vears. Suppoling, then, it is known that the reign of tcn'kinc-jK-acil turn of afTairs would bear; invincible übliacle to hia reaching tlic lourcc of the Nik-. " You arc miflalicn, (fays Kcfla Yafous) it is the bcft thing that could happen to you. Why you dclire to fee ihofe places I do not know ; but this t am fiire of, you never will arrive their with any dcjjree of fafcty while Falil commands. He is as perieft a Galla as ever forded the Nile; lie has ii-ither word, nor oath, nor faith tliat can bind he docs mifehieffor mifchief'a fdke, and then laughs at it." After Kidil's defeat at Kagitta, and the affront he received at Aifoa in the heart of his oivn country, he had . continued his route to Bure, a difirifl of the Agows, where was his con(lant rcfidcnce. After this he had croflfed the Nile into ihe country of Ki?,arao, and Boro de Gago had taken up his rclidcr;ce at Hurž, %vhen Michael returned to Gondar ; but no fooner had he lirard of his arrival in thofe parts, than he ma relied Avii h a minibcr of horfe, and forced his rival to retire lo Cojam. A very obftinatc battle was fought at Eanja, in v^-hich the Agows were cntirciy deii;ated by l-'afil, feven of their chiefs killed, all men of great confcqucnce, among whom ■was Ayamico, a very r-ear relation of the king. The nc.vs were iiril brought by a fon of Naiina Georgis, cliief of the Agows, who efcapcd from the battle. IVli-chae! was at dinner, and Mr. Bruce was prefent. It was one of his caroufais for the marriage of Powulfen, when young Georgis came into the roam, in a toni and dirty liabif, unattended, and almoft unperceived, aiid.prefcnted himfelf at the foot of the table. Michael h.id then in Iiis hand a cup of gold, it being the exclufive privilege of the governor of the province of Tigre to drink out of fuch a cop; it was full of wine; before a word was fpoken, and, upon the firft appearance of the man, he threw the cup and wine upon the ground, and cried out, " I am guilty of the death of thcfe iieopie.'* Kvery one arofe, the table was removed, and Georgia lold his misfortune, that Nanna Georgis his father, Zc;gam Georgis, the hext in rank among thcnij Ap- mico mico the king's relntion, and four otlicr chiefs, were fiain at Kunja, r.n-1 il-.eir rnce nearly extirpated by a victory gained with much bioodflicd,_ and after cruelJy jmrititd in retaliation for tliat of I'^gifta. A eonncil « as immcer of rainbows of inconceivable beauty in this extraordinary prifm. This however Mr. Briiee, without hefit.nion, avers to be a downright Falfehood. A deep pool of water, reaches to the very foot of the rock, and is in perpetual agitation. Now, allowing that there ivas a feat, or bench, which there is not, in the middle of the pool, it is abfolucely Im-pofTible, by any exertion of human flrength, to have arrived at it.' Although a very robuft man, in the prime and vigour of life, and a hardy, praftifed, indefatigable f-A inimcr, Mr. Bruce is perfedtly confident lie could not have got to that feat from the fliore ihrougli llie quiaelt p.nn of thatbaft^n. It was a nioft magnificent li^ht, tisat ages, added to the greafelt length of human liYb, would not deface or eradicate from Mr. Bruec's me-niory ; it flnick him with a kind of fiupor, and a toial oblivion of where he was, and of every other fubl unary concern. It was one of the molt magnificent, flupendous figlits in the creation, though degraded and vilified by the ties of a groveling, fanatic peaf-int. On the aid of May our navellers were all equally de-iirous to refume their jnurney. They fct out accordingly .It fix o'clock in the ino'rning, afcending fome hills cohered with tre« and ftirubs of inexprcllibie beaut'/, M 4 and. and many of extraordinary fragmncc. They continued afcending about three miles, till they came to the top of the ridge within fight of the lake. As they rofe, the hilis became more bare and lefs beautiful. After Mr. Brace had palfed the Nile, he found him-felfmuie than ordinarily deprcift-d ; his fpirits were funk aimoft to a degree of defpondency, and yet inothing had bappcnned fince that period more than was expev'led btiore. This difagreeable fituation of mind continued at night v. hiie he wa.s in bed. The rafhnefs and imprudence with v/liith he had engaged himfelf in fo many dangers withoot aay ncccffity for To doing; the little profpcfl of his being ever able to extricate himfelf cut of them, or, even if he loft his life, of the account being fonveyed to his friends at home the great and unrea-I'onabic prefumption which had k-d him to think that, after every one that had attempted this \-oyage had miC-carried in it, he was the only pcribn (h;U was to fucceed : r.ll thefe rcSečUons upon his niiiid, v.dita relaxed, dozlrg, and half oppreffed with fieep, Älled his imagination with what he had heard other people call the horrors, the moft difa^reeahle ferfation he ever was ccnlcious of, and which he then felt for the firH: time. Jmpatient i;f fuf-fcring any longer, he leaped out of bed, and went to the door of tlie te;it, where tlie outward air perfectly awakened him, and reftored his llrength and courage. All was Jltlf, and at a diflance he fav/fcveral brig it fires, but lower and more ta the right than lie cxpefted, which made him tliink he was mittaken in the fituation of K.ircaraa, It was then near four in the morning of the 25th. Me called upon his companions, happily bu-lied in deep ileep, as he wc^ defirous, if poiüblc, to join the king that day. They accordingly were three or iour miles from Dcrdera when the fun rofe; there had been iittle rain that night, and they foimd very few torrents cn their way ; but it was flippery. and uacafy walkhig, the rich foil being trodden into a confi'ftencc like pade. A little before nine they heard a gun fired, which gave thcra feme joy, as the grray feemed not to be far off; a few minutes after, they heard fe\'eral dropping (hots, and, in lefs than a quarter of an hour's time, a general firing firing began from right to left, which eeafcd for an in-fiant, and then wa5 heard again as fmart as ever, about the occafion of which they were divided in opinion. The firing continued much in the fame way, rather flacker, but apparendy advancing nearer them j a fure fign that their army ivas beaten and retreating. They, theiefore, made themfelves ready, and mounted on horfe-back, that they might join them. Yet it was a thing appeared to them fcarcely poffiblc, that Fafil (hould beat Ras Michacl fo eafily, and with fo ibort a refiftance. They had not gone far in the pkin before they had a fight of the enemy, to their very great furprife and no fmall comfort. A multitude of deer, buffiiloes, boars, and various other wild bcafts, had been alarmed by the noifc and daily advancing of the army, and gradually driven before 'them. The country was ali overgrown with wild oats, a great many of the villages having been burnt the vear before the inhabitants had abandoned them ; in this Ilielter the wild beafts had taken up their abodes in very great numbers. When the army pointed towards K.arcagna to the left, the filence and foiitudc on the oppofitc fide made them turn to the right to where the N'ile makes a femi-cirde, the Jemnia licing behind them, and much overfiowed. When the army, therelorc, inilcad of marching fouth and by eail lo%vards Samieen, had turned their courfe north-w eft, their faces towardi (iondar, they had fallen in with thefe innumerable herds of deer and other bcalts, who, confined between the Nile, the jemina, and the lake, had no wav to return but that by whicji thcv had coinc. Thefe animals, finding men in every dircftion in which they attempted to pafs, became dcfperate wich fear, and, not knowing what courfe to take, fell a prey to the itoops. The foldicrs, happy in an occalion of procuring animal food, prefently fell to firing whfrc\-crlTatitly the mod continued rain they ever had yet feen, violent claps of thunder followed clofc one upon another, almoft without interval, accompanied with llieels of lightning, which ran cn the gropnd like water; the day was more than commonly dark, as in an eclipfc, and every hollow, or foot path, collected a quantity of rain, which fell into the Nile in torrents. The Atjyflinian armies pafs the Kile .-it all feafons. It rolls with it no trees. Hones, nor impediments; yet the fight of fuch a nionllrouj mafs of water t^rriiietl Mr. Bruce, and made bim think the iaea of crofling would be laid al'idc. It was plain in the face of cvt ry one, tlijt they gave thernft Ives over for loft; an iinivcr-fal dcjcflion had taken place, and it was but too vilible that the army » as deftateJ by «he weather, w ithout having feen an enemy. 1 he CJreeks crowdcd around Mr. Bruce alt forlorn'and defpairing, curfing the . hour they had fird entered that countr)', and following tjiefc curfes wiih fervent ]>rayiTs, where fear held the place öF devotion. A cold and brilk. gale now fprung up,at N, W, with a clear fun ; and foon after four, when the army arrived on ihe banks of the Nile, ihcfe temporary torrents were all fuSfidcd, the fun was hot, and the ground again beginning to become dry. M 6 Nctchp, Netcho, Rss Michael's Fft-Auraris. with about 400 men, had paJTed in the niuming. and (uid ll-nt back word to ihü king, that his men had p;ii!ed Avimming, and with very grf.it difficuliy j tliut he doubted wliciher the hories, or loaded mules, could crofs at any rate ; but if it were refolved to make the trial, they fhould do it immediately, without flaying till the incrcafe of the river. He faiil bolh banks were compofcd of black earth, flippery and rairy, which would become more fo when horfcs had puddled it; he advifed, above all, the turning to the right immediately after coming alhore, in the dircftion jn which he had fixed poles, as tlie earth there was hard and firm, befides liaving the ativantagc of fome round ftones, which hindered the bealVs from Slipping or finking. Inllead, therefore, of relling there that night, it was refolved that the horfe (hould crofs immediately. The firft who pafTed was a young man a relation of the king, brother to Ayamico, killed at the battle oi" Panja; he walked in with great caution, nnarking a track, for the king to pafs. He had gone upon rather folid ground, about twice the length of his horfe, when he -nUiriffpd out of his depth, and fwaui to the other fide. The king followed him immediately with a great degiee of hafie, Has Michael calling to him to proceed with caution» but without fuccefs. Afterwards came the old Fa<> on his mule, with feveral of his friends fwimming both with and without their horfcs on e.ich fide of him, in a manner truly wonderful. He feemed to have loll his acciiftomed calmnefs, and appeared a good deal agitated ; forbade, upon pain of death, any one to follow him di-direflly, or to fwim over, or, as their cuftom is, holding their mules by the tail. As foon as thefe ^verc fafely aftiore, the king's houfehold and black troops, and Mr. Bruce with them, adv.tnced cautiou/ly into the river, and fwam happily over, in a deep dream of rcd-difh-coloured water which ran without violence almolt upon a level. Each horfeman bad a mule in his hand, whichfwam after him, or by his fide, with his coat of mail and head piece tied upon it. It is impofiible to defcribc the eonfufion that followed ; night was hard upon them, «nd, .though it iacrcafed their lofs, it in great meafure concealed it; a thoufand men bad not yet pafTed, though though on mules and horfes ; many mired in the muddy landing-place, fell back ijito the ftrcam, and wen: carried awn)' and drowned- Of tlie horfe belonging to the king s houfehold, one hundred and eiglny in «umber, feven only were mifhng; vviih them Ayto Aj lo, vice-chamherlain to the queen, and 'lecia Mariam the king's uncle, a great friend of Ras Michael's, both old men. There .was no baggage (the lent of the Ras and ihat of the king excepted^ which had as yet come over, and thefc v.-cre wet, being drcnched in the river, Ihe Kii-Auraris had left, ready made, two rafts for O^oro Efther„ and ihe other t-,vo huiies, with which flic might have eafily been condudied over, and without much danger ; but the Has had made Ozoro Elllier pdfs over in the fame manner he had croJTed hinifelf, many fwimming on cach Äde of her mule. She would have fain Haid on the eaft Jide, hut it was in vain to rcmonllrate. She was with child, and had fainted fcveral times; but yet nothing could prevail with the Kas to truft hec on the bank till morning. She crofli^, Jiovever, fafely, though ahnoft dead wiih fright. 'I he night uas cold and clear, and a llrong wind at north-well had blown all the alternoon. The river had abated towards niid-rüght, when, whether from this caufe, or, as they alledged, that they found a more favourable ford, all the Tigre infantry, and many mules liglnly loaded, palkJ v/ith lefs difficulty lhan any of the rcfl had done, and with them fcvtral loads of flour ; I'lckily alfo Mr. i'ruce's two tents and mules, to-his great confolation, came faiely over when it was near morning. Still the army continued to pafs, and thofe that could fwim feemed befi oft", Ayto Aylo, the queen's thaniberkin, und Tccla Majiam, were probably drowned at the firil attempt to pafs, as they were never after heard •if. Before day iight the van ^nd the tfnter had all joined the king ; the number that had periihed was never dif. tiiiL^ly known, for tliofe that were milfing were thought to have remained on the other lidc with K.tt)a Yafous, at leafl for tlut day. On the 28th,' Kefia Yafous crolTod Amlac Ohha with fome degree of difficulty, and was obliged to abandon f.'vcral bagg.-ige-nmics. He advir.ced sftcr this wnh as great gre;tt tiij;p;encc aspollible to Delakus, and found the ford, tliouf^li deep, n)in;!i b^ttfr than he expected, l.ehad pi'.chcd his tent on the high load to Gord;ir, before Yafous, the enemy, knew he wa.s decuinjied, aiid of ihls piiiTiige he hnmediatelv advifed Michael re-frcihing Iiis troops tov rir.y emergency. About two in the al'tci-noori V,',ellera Yafuu^ UL-.pc.ired ^vi:h his hoife ou the other fide cf the N'!e, but it %va5 then too late. Keila Yafous wa-i !o nron^ly poAed, and the banks of the nvcr fo gu^irded witii hrc-arms, down to the water-crlgc, ihat I'liiil and wll his army wouid net have dared <0 attempt tlie pallage, or even approach the banks of the riv.'T. iliis ^^icllaeI, having receised this intelligence, dif-patched ihe Fit-Aiiraris, K^tcho, to take poJt upcn the inrd of the Kelti, a large rive!-, but rather broad than deep, about three miles off. He himfeif followed early in the morning, and puffed the Kelti juft at fiuj-riie, ■without halting; he then advanced to meet keiia. "k aTüus, as the army be-an to want provifions. the little flour that had been brtuight over, or which the äoldiers ha. 'l"hc Ras, though lie did not believe all thi?, no aiflidilty io ■''grecir.g to cvtry tiling thüt they aefirea. Hcproitiifcd the graiid-thughier; and, as an turnert. of Ilia l)L'lii:vino; tlie Kil, the king's two nugarec-is were brouf;lit to the door of the tc:,t, M-her^, to the vtry gre« furprife of oisr tr-ivcll^^rs, they he-irJ it procKiii'-.ea, " Fafil is oovctnov ot'ii.e Ago-.v, Mai[{!ia, Goj;im, siini Dainot; profj^eri'y to him. .i:nl lori'.^ m?.y lie live p. fiiif ii-ful fcrvai\t to thi; kin^r our iiiiiilcr !"—Tiiis v.;i5 an ck-traoidinary rtvoUilioii in fo finnll a ipacc of time. It WM fcai'tc 43 hoiirs fincc Falil h.aJ laid a Irhcr.ie for drowning; the greater [lart of the urniy in the Ni!c, and cutting the throats of tli,? rcliJueon btith ftdcs of it ; it uMs noE twenty-four hours, lince he hart met them to fight in open field, and now he was becomc the king's lieutenant-general in four of the molt opulen» provinces of AbySinin, This -was produced, however,, by the neceffity of the timci, and both parties were playing at the fame game wJio fliouLl ovet-ieach the-" other. Kafil's mtfleugers were magTvificently cloathed, and it was firft intended they thould .have gone back to him i but, after refiedion, another pcrfon %vas fcnt, thefe two chufing to go to Gondar with the king to remain hollagesfor Fafil's word, and to bring back his invelHture from thence to Bure. The whole camp abandoned itfclf to joy. On the 30th of May, nothing material happened,, and, in a few days, they arrived at Gondar. Several of the great officers of flate reached Gonclar, and many others met them at Abba Sa-nueL Mr. Bruce did not percei\'e tlie news they brought inereafed the fpirifs either of the King or the Kas ; the fcildiers, however, were all contt-TiEcd, becaufe they were at liome ; hint the officers,, who f')w farther, wore very difterent countenances, efpsciaÜy iliofe that were of Anihara. Mr. Bruce, in piirticiilafj had very little reafon to be pleafcd ; for, after having undergone a coiiftant ferics of fatigues, dangers, and C5;penees, he was returned to Gond^r difrip-pointed of his views in arriving at the faurce of the Nile, i«ithout any other acqtiilUion than a violent ague. The The whole nrmy being in motion, Mr. Tlrace had the evening before taken leave oF the king in an interview which coU him more than alraolt any one in his life 'I'lse fubfiance was, that he wa^ ill in his health, and quite unpreparcci to attend him into Tigre, to v/hicli place the army was to retreat; that Iiis bean was fct upon foinplcting the only porpofe of his coming into Ab'/fii-niii, M-irhout which he Hiould return into his own-country witli ttifgrace; that lie hoped, through his mnjedy's influence. Kalil might find fome way for him to a^icom-plilh it; if not, he trufled foon to fee him return, when he hoped it would be eafy ; bat, if he then weiir to Tigre, v,as iuliy psrfuaded he fliouid nct er have the rcfo-Itttion to come a ^ain to Gondar, 1 lie king feemed to take heart at tiie confidencc with which Mr. Bruce fjiokeof his return. " You, Ya^oiibe, (fays he in a humble, complaining tone,) cculd tell me, if you pleafed, wliether I ftall or not, and what is to bsfal me; thofe inftruineats and thofe wheels, with which you are conftantly looliing at the ilars, cannut be for any ufe unlefs for prying into futurity."—" Indeed, prince, (faid Mr. Bruce) thcfe are things by which we guide fliips at fea, and by thefe we mark down the way» that we travel by land; tfach them rtt people that never pafled thenrt bifore, and, being once traced, keep them thus to be known by all men for ever. But of the decrees of Providence, whether they regard you or myfelf, 1 know no more than the mule upon which you ride."'—" Tel! me then, I pray, tell me, what is ihe reafon you fpeak of my return as, ccrtain?"—" I fpcak [faid Mr. Bruce) from obfervai-lion, from refleitions tliat I h.ive made, mach mere c. Plain than prophecies and inations by liars, 'i he h' It cainpaigii of your reign at h'agitta, when you was If lying upon the eiifpofitions that the Ras had moft ably a:n! Ilvilitully maJc, a drunkard v. ith a lingle fnat, de-f-atid a numerous army cf your enemies. Pov.uHen a:ul (itilhfi were your friends, as you thought, wl en > i)'i marclied out b(l, yet they had', at thai very inftant,. m.i.lc a league to Hcftroy you at Derdera j and nothing h[it a niiracic could have favcd you, fliut np between tivo lakes and three armies. It was neither you nor Mich;«.! Micliacl clint tiiforJe.red tlicir councils, and made them fail in what ihey hnd coin;erted. Vou were for biirniiig Samfeen, wliitft Woodage Afahel was there in ainbulh, with a large force, with a knowledge of all the fords,, and mafter of all the inhabitants of the country. Remember how you palTt-'d thofe rivers,, holding hand in hand, and drawing one [iiwther over. Could you luivc dune this with an enemy behind you, and fuch an enemy as Vi'oodnge Afahel ? He would have foliowed and liar-r^ilTcd you till you took the ford at Goalto, atid there was ^^'clk■ta Yafcus waiting to cppofe yoa with čono men on the oppofiic bank. When Ras Michael marched by M.itlani Net, he found the priefls at their homes. Was th^t the cafe in any of the other churches we pafl'ed? Ko ; all were fled for fear of Michael; yet thefe were more guilty than any by their tonnciiions wiih Fafil: notwithftaiiding which, they alone, of all others, ftdid, though they knew not why ; an invifible hand held thezn that they might operate your prefervaiion- Nothing could have favcd the army but the defperatc paf-fagc, fo tremendous that will exceed tha belief of man, crufling the Nile that night. Yet if the priefls had «rofled before tliis, not a majt would have proceeded to the ford. The priefts would have been Ras Michael's prifoners, and, on the other fide, they never would have fpoken a word whilft in the prefeiice of Michael. Providenec, therefore, kcp: them with Ktfii Yafous; all was difcovered, and the army faved by the retreat, .itid his fpeedy p affin g at the ford of Dclakui. What would have happened to Xefla Yafous, had I'alil marched down to Delak useither before or after the paf. fagc Keila Yafous would have been cut olF before Rus Michacl had patfed the Kalti ; inftead of which, an unknown caiife detained him» moft infatuated-like,- beatr ing his kcKtle-dcums behind Bofkon Abbo, while our army under the Ras was fwimining that dangerous rj. ver, and moft of us paffing the night, naked, without tents, provilion,. of powder. Nor did he ever think of prefcntjng Iiimiblf till we had warmed ourfelvcs by an tafy march in a fine day, when we were every way his fuperiors, and Kcfla Yafous in his rear. From all thefe fi^iccidl marks of the iivour of an over-ruling Provide ncc. cience, I do believe ftcadfjftly tliat God wjlj not leave Jiis work half finillied. He it is who, governing tlie whole iiniverfe, has yet rcfcrved fpecially to himlelf the department of war; he it is \vho has itiled himfclf ihc God of Battles." The king was very much moved, and. as Mr. Brucc conceived, peifuaded. 11c laid, " t) Ya^oulic, go but with me to 'I'igre, and 1 will do for you whatever you defile me."—" You do, Sir, (fiiid Mr. BruecJ whatever I defire you, and more. 1 hjve told j-ou my reafons why that cannot be; let me ttdv here a few momhs, and wait your return," 'J he king then advi-fed him u> live entirely at Kofcam with the Itcghe, without going out unlefs Falll caine to Gondar, and to fend j'-niitlually word how he was tieuted. lipon this they parted with iiiexprefJilile reliiäance. Me was a king vvorciiy to reign over a bcticr people ; Mr. liruce's heait was deejiiy jK;iittrated with thofe marks of favour and condefceiilion, which he had unifoimly received from him ever fince he entered his palace. Two very remarkable things were faid to have hap-■peiicd the night liefore Michael left the city, fie had jlw a) s pj-ctended, iliat, before he undertook an cxpe-ditio'n. a perfon, or fpirit, aj^jieared to him, who told him thi- illue and eonfequence of the meafures he was then taking; this he imagined to be St Michael the arcliaiigel, and he prefumed very much upon this intcr-courfe. Jn a council that night, where none but friends Were prcfeiit, he had told them, that his fpirit had peared lotne niglus before, and ordered him, in iiis retreat, to furprile the mountain of Wcchnij, and either Hay or carry wi th him to 'l igre the princcs fcqueftercd there. Nebrit Tecla, governor of Axiim, with his two fons, (all concerncd in the late king's murder) were, it is faid, ftrong advifers of this meafure; but Rai Michael. (probabl)' fatiated u'ith royal blood already) Kella Yafous, and all the more worthy nien of any confe-quence, afting on principle, ahfolutely refufcd'to coa-fent to it. It was upon this the pafläge by ReleSTen was fubftituted inllead of the attempt on \^ echnc, and it was determined to conccal it. Though ■ Thou^Ii the queen fiiewcd very ri'fat di/lif.e to Mr. Brucc's :ittempl!t>g Ilia journey at i'i,th a time, v.?t (he (lid not poliiively command the contrary ; win prL'-jiared, tl-.crefuie, to leave Gondar the z^tli of Oftobcr, 1770, nnd thought to get a few i.iÜes dear of the toun, and tlicn itvakc a King ftrctcfi the next dnv. JIc had received his quadrant, time-keeper, and tclcicopcs from ihe iHand of Mitraha, wlicrche had placed them after the aflair of Giiebva Mehedin, and had now put them in the ■\ery heft order. But, about twelve o'clock, he ivas told a ]ucir,i<;e from Ras Michacl had arrived ivith great ncv* s from Tigre. Me went immedialcly to Kofcani as fait as lie could gallop, and found there Gucbra Chriftos,- a in-'.niifcd to bi ing the jars of bou^a to Ras Mirhae! , at his dinner and fuppcr: low men arc always en:j-loyed on fuch errands, that they-may not, from their confc-tjuence, excite a defire ol'vcngeance. The nnelTage that he brought was to order bread arid beer to be ready for ^^0,000 men who were coming with the king, as lie liad j'.iil decamped from before the mountain Haramat, u hicli he had Uiken, and put Za Menfus to the fword, with cvtry man that was in it; r)us mefTage ftruck the tjneen wu'ii fuch a terror that llie was not vifible the \v hole day. ■ In the evening before, Mr. I3n;ce had endeavoured to enj^ogc his o!d ccmpanion Stratcs to accompany him on (his attempt, as he had done ou.thc former; büt the recolIci^Hon of paft dangers and fiiflcrings was not )'et baniflied from his miud ; and upon his aiking hitp lo go and fee the head of this famous river, he coarielv, according to his flile, anfu'ered, Might the devil fctch him if ever he fought, cither his head or his tail again. On the 2Sth of tJftober, they left Gondar, pr.fTcd the river Kahha at the ibot of the town; and on the 5Cth reached Bamba, where Fafil was encamped. They found Uainba a coilcilion of villages, in a valley now filed with foMiers. They went to the left with their guide, and got a tolerable houfe, but the door had been tarried away. Fahl's tent was pitchcd a little be-lov/ liicm, larg-r than the others, but without further dillinftion: it was eafily known, however, by the lights about it, and by the nagarect, which fliil continued beat- ing : lie was then juft aiijj'-ring from his horfe. Mr. Bruce immediately Tent Ayco Ayir>'s fcrvnut, whom he had with fiini, to jirefent liis-coniplim^tits, and at-quaint him of his hting on the road to vilit him. lie thought now all his clifficultics were over . for hx kneu- it was in his power to forward them to their journey's end ; and his fcrvants, whom he faw at the palač« near the king, when I'alil was iuvctle«! with his comrn;\iid, had aflund Mr, Bruce, not only of an cfteflu:;! protcäinn, liut alfo of'a magnificent reccjjtion, if" he chanced to find liirn in Mditlha. It was now, however, near eight at night of the joth, before Mr. Bruce received a meiragc toatti^nd l iin. J le repaired immeiliatelj to his tent, and .-iftcr aiüionncing himfvlf, he wailed ;tbotit a qiir.rter of an hour hi fore he ^■ai admitted ; he was fitting i;p3n a cniliioii wiih a lion's fkiii u[joii it, and another ftretchcd like a carpet hcfore his foet, and had a cotton cloth, fomcrhing like a diity towel, wrapped about hib head ; his upp.:r cloak, or garment, was driwn tight about him over his neck and ihoukScr-s, fo ab to cover his hands. j\lr. Hriicc bo-Atd, and went forward to kiS's one of them, but it was fo -on-tangled in the cloth, that he was obliged tti kifs the clotii inliead of ilic hand. This was dons either ai not cxped-ing he (hoiitd pay li'm that compliment, as he ccrtainiy Ihould not have done, being one of the king's fcrvanrs, if the king had been at GondarJ or elfe il was intended for a mark of difrcfi-ieä, which was very much of a-piece with tlic veil of his behaviour afterw.irds. There was no carpct or ciitliions in the tent, and only a little Uraw, as if accidentally, thrown thinly a!>oii£ it. Mr. Bruce fat down upon the ground, thinking him fick, not knowing what all thii meant; he looked Ucdfa'lly ft our travellers, faying foftly, Endett nawi ? bngonawi? which, in Amharic, is, Mow do you do ? Are you very well ? Mr. Bruce made the ufual anfwer, " Well, ihat.k God." He again itopt, as for our traveller tn fpeak ; there was only one old man prtfent, who was ütting on the floor mending a mules's bridle. He took him ?,t jVit (or an attendant, but obferving that a fcrvant uncovered held a candl« to him, he thought he was r.ncof his tjalh;, but then lie faw a l)luc filk thread, which he had about his his neck, which is a badge ofCliriflianity all over Aliyf-iinia, and which -a Calla would not ^V]lat he wai, Mr. Bruce could not make out; he fecnied, liow-cvur, to be a very bad cobler, and took no tiotice of" them. A) to Aylo's feryant, %vbo flood behind Mr. Bruce, pudied him with his knee, asa fign that !ie (liould f|,eak, which be accordingly began to do \vith fome dilEcultv. ■"I am come, (faid be) by youi'invitation, and the king's leave, to pay niy rcf[it>Ss to yoti in your own government, begging that you would favour my curiofity fo far as to fuller me to fee the country of the Agows, and the fource o F the Abav, or Nile, part of which 1 have feen in Egypt." T he fource of the Abay ! (exclaimed he, with a pretended furprifc) do you know what you are faying ? \\'hy, it is, God knows where, in the country of" the Galla, wild, terrible people. The fource of the Abay! Are you raving) (rejicats he again Are you to get there, do you think in a twelvemonth, or ninrc, or wheji r" Sir, (faid Mr. Bruce) the king told me it was near Sncala, and tlilj nearer Gcelh; both villages of the Agows, and both in your government." -And To vou knoiv Sacala, and Gcefh ? (fays ■he) u-hiflling and t'lalf angry." " I can repeat the names that 1 hear (faid Mr, l^ruue] all Abyflinia knows the head of the Nile."—" Aye, (fays he imilating my voice and manner) but all Abyflinia won't carry you there, that I promiie you." " if you are refolved to the i ontfary, (faid Mr. Brucc) they w ill not; I wißi you had (old the king fo in time, then i fliould not ha\ e at-temj'ted it ; it was relying on you alone I came fo lar, confident, if all the reft of Abyflinia could not protect me there, that your word fingly could do it. He now put on a look of more complacency. " Look you, Yaguube, [fiys he} it is true I can do it; ami, for the king's fake uho recommended it to me, I would do it; but the Acab Salama, has fent to me, to defirc me not to let you pafs funher; he fays it is againft the law of the land to permit Franks like you to go about the country, and that he has dreamed fomething ill will befal me if you go into Maitllia, Mr. Brucc was as much irritated as he thought it polfible for him to to be. " So fo, (tid oar traveller) the time of priefts, prophets, and dreamers is coming on again." " I unl fleriiand you, ( %s he laughing for the üril time) I carc as little for priefts as Michael docs, and for prophets too, but I have you confidcr the men of this country are not like yours; a boy of thcfe Galla would tliink nothing of kiliin;? » man of your country. You white peo{ilc are all effeminate; you arc like fo many women ; you arc not lit for going into a prov ince u heie all is war, and inhabited by men, warriors from rhcir cradlc." Mr, Bruce faw he intended to provoke l;iin ; and he., feai fiicceedcd fo effl'ttually tliat he !l\ould have died, he believes, imprudent as it if he had not told him his mind in reply. " Sir, [faid our traveller)! have paffed through nwiu" of the molt barbarous nations iti the vvorld ; all of them, excepting this clan of yours, hai-e fomc ^eat men among them above uiing a dc-fcncctefs ftruuger ill. But the uotft and loi'. eft iaclividua! among the moft uncivilised people never treated me as you have done to-day undei your o« n roof, where I have come fo fat for proteflion." He alkcd, " How?" " You have in the lirft place, (faid Mr. Bruce) piiblickly called me Fiank, the moft odious name in this country, and fiifficient lo occaiion me to be itoned ;u de:uh »vilhuut further ceremony, by any fet of men wherever I may prefent myfcH. By Frank you mean one of the Romiih religion, to which niy nation is as at!verfe aä yours; and again, without having ever feen any of my countrymen but myfelf, you havt.' difcovered, from that fpecimcn, that we are all cowards and effeminate people, like, or interior to, your boys or women. Look you. Sir, you never heard that I gave myleif out as more than an ordinary man in my own couniry, far Icfs to be a pattern of what is excellent in it. I am no foldier, though 1 know enough of war to fee yours are poor proficients in that trade. But there are fol-dices, friends and countrymen of mine, who jpould not think it an aftion in their lives to vaunt of, that w ith joo men they had trampled all yon naked favage$ into tliift." N On On tliis Fafil made a digned laugh, and fccnied ra-thcr to take his freedom amifs, it was, doubders, a pallionaic am! rafli fpecch. " As to niyfelf, (continued Mr. Bruce) unikilled in war as 1 am, could it be now without further confoqucnce, let me but be armed in my own country-fafliion on horfcback, as I was yefteiday, I would, without thinking myfelf overmatched, fight the two bed horfemen you ihall choofc from this your ;irmy of famous men, who are warriors from their cradle ; and il, when the king arrives, you arc not returned to your duty, and we meet again, as we did at Lim-jour, I will pledge myfelf, with his permiffion, to put yoii in mind of this ptotnife." This did not make things better. He repeated the word duty after him, and would have replied, but Mr. Brucc's nofe burft out in a ftreara of blood ; and, that inftant, Aylo s fervant took hold of Mr. Bruce by the fhoulder to hurry him out of the tent. Fafiä fcemcd to be a good deal concerned, for the blood ilreamctl out in plenty, our traveller then returned to his tent, and the blood was fooii {launched Ijy wafh-ing his face with cold water. He fat down, to reccl-Icil himfcll', and the more he calmed, the more he uns JilTatiiticd at beinw put oiF his guard; but it is impof-fible to conceive the provocation without having proved it. Mr. Brucc felt but too often how much the love of our native foil incrcafes by our abfcnce from it; and how jealous we are of comparifons made to the difad-lantageof our countrymen by people who, all proper allovvanccs being madq, are generally not their equals, when they would boalt thcmfelves their fupcriors. Mr. Bruce cunfelTea further, in gratification to his critics, that he was, from his infancy, of a fangiiine, pafTionatc difpolition; very fenfible of injuries that he had neither provoked nor delerved; but much refleftion, from verv early life, continual habits of fuffering in long and dangerous travels, where nothing but patiencc would ÜO. had he flattered himfelf, abundantly fubdued his natural proncnefs to feel oftences, which, common fenfe might tcach him, he could onK' revenge upon him-fcir. Mr. Mr. Bruce went to lied, and falling into a found fleep, was waked near inid-night by two of Fafil's fervaiits, who brought eJch of them a lean live fliecp; they faid ihr'y had brought the Üicep, and were come to all: how Mr. Bruce was, and to Iby ali night to watch the luntfc for fear of the thieves in the army ; they Uk.e;i ifc brought their mailer's order for him to como early in the morning to him, as he wanted to difpatch him on his joi.riicy bcf.irc he ga-.x the Galla liberty to return. This difpdled evcr\' doubt, but it raifcii his fpirits fo niiR-h, that, out of iinpaUeiice for morning, lie llcpt vcr\ little raore that n'ght. t'afil, having lent for Mr. Bruce the next ntoriiing, invited him to partakf of a great brcalcf.ilt; honey and butter, and raw Ixxf in abundance, as aUb fome ftewed diflies that v.ere very good. Ik- was very hungry, having tailed nothing fmce dinner the day before; and be had had much cxercife of body as welt as of mind. They were all very chcarfut, every one faying fomething .about the As^ws, or of the Nile. Mr. Brucc, at la!t, thus addreJTcd Kafil: " Vonr cunrinua! hurry, (faid he) all the times I have fcen you, has put it out of my power till now to make you the acksiowledgnienl it is ordinary for ilrangers to prcfent when they viCt great men in their own country-, and aik favours of them." Mr. Hrucc then took a napkin, and opened it before hin ; he feenied to have forgotten the prefcnt altogether ; but from that moment he faw his countenance changed, he uai like another man. " O Yagoube, (faid he) a prcfent to me! you fltould lie fenfible tliat is porfe^tty nicJlefs; you were recommended to me by the King-and the Ras ; you we are fjiends, and 1 woul.l do twenty times as much for yourfelf, without recom-rnendütlon from eilher ; befides, I have not behavetl to you lite a great man.'" It was not a very hard thing to conqtaer thcfe fctuples ; be took the fevcral pieces of the prefent one by one in his hands, and examined them; there was a crimfon filk Ml, made at Tunis, about five yards long, with a filt 1 ringe of the fame colour; it was as beautiful a ueb of fiilcas ever Mr. Brucc faw ; it had a fraali waved pattert» u'toiigbc in It; the next was a yellow, with a red nar- ^ ^ row row border, or ftrips, and a iilver-wrought fringe, but neither fu long nor fo thick as the other; the next were two Cyprus manufaiflurcd faflies. Silk and cotton, with a fattin lliipe, the one broader than the other, but five yards long each; the next was a Pcrlian pipe, with a long pliable tube, or wortn, covered wiih 1 urkev leather, with an amber moath-plece, and a chryftal' vafc for finoking tobacco through water, a great luxury in the calbern countries; the next were two blue bowls, as line as the one he had juft then broken, and of the fame fort. He (hoved them from him, laughing, and faid, " I will not [jke them from you, Yagoubc; this is downright robbery; I hn'e done nothing for this, which is a prefent for a king."—" It is a prefent to a friend, (faid Mr, Bruce) often of more confequence to a ftranger ilianaking; 1 always except your king, who is the ftrangci's bed friend."—Though he was not eafily dif-conccrted, lie feemed, at this time, to be very nearly IV)__" It' you will not receive them, (continued Mr. B-licc) fiich as they are offered, it is the greatcit affront over was put ifpon rae; 1 can never, you know, receive rhem agaisi." % this he was convinccd. More feeble argaments -.kH-jId indeed have fatified him, and he folded up the napkin with all the articles, .ind gave them to an oflicer; after which the tent was again clearcd for confiiltation ; and, during tbis time, he had callcd his msin of confi-^leiioe, whom he ^v^ls to fend with us, and inftrufted him properly. Mr. Btucc plainly faw that he had gained the afcendatil; and, in the cxpeftation of Ras iVlichael's fpeedily coming to Gondar, he was as willing to be on his journey the one way, as he was the other. It was abuut ene o'clock, or after it, when Mr. Bruce as admitted to Fafil : he received him with great com-jilacency, and would have had him fit down on the Vame culhion with himfelf, which he declined. " Friend Yagoube, (faid hej I am heartily forry that you did iiot meet me at Bure before I fet oat; there I could have received you as I ought; but I have been tormented with a multitude of barbarous people, who have turned my head, and whom I am now about to difmifs. I go to Gondar in peacc, and to keep peacc there, for the king king on this fide the Tacazze has no othef friend than me ; PowulTcn und Gufho are bo:h traitors, and fo Ras Michael knows them to be. I have nothing to return you for the prefent you have given me, for I did net expeit CO meet a man like you here in the fields; but you will quifkly be back ; we ftiul! meet (.-ii better terms at Gondar ; the head of the Nile is near at hand ; a horfc-nian, exprefs, will arrive there in a day> I ha,ve given you a good ra;uv, well known in this country to be my fervant; h; '.vill go to Geelh with you, and return you to a friend of Ayto Aylo's and mine, Shalaka Welied Amiac; he has the dangerous part of the country wholly iti his hands, and will carry you fafe to Gondar; my wife is at prefent in his houfe: fear nothing, I ihall anfwer for your fafety: When will you fet out? tomorrow?" Mr. Bruce replied, with many thanks for his kind-nefs, that he wiflied to proceed immediately, and thai his iervants %vere already far off, on the waj'. Fafit then faid to Mr. Bruce, I hrow off thofe clothes; they are not decent; I muft give you new ones, you are my vaiTal. The king granted you Geelh, where you are going, and 1 mufl: invcft you," A nambcr of taiil's fervants then hurried him out; our traveller pre^ fcntly threw ofF his trowfers, and his two upper garments, and remained in his waiilcoat; thefc were pre-fently replaced by new ones, and he was brought back in a minute to Fafil's tent, with only a fine kwfe muflin under gannent or cloth round him, which reached to his feet. Upon his coming back to the tent, Fafil took oiF the one that he had put on himfelf new in the morning, and put it about Mr. Bruce's fhoulders with hii own hand, his- fervants throuing another immediately ever him, faying at ii;c fame time to the people, " Bear witnefs, I give to you, Yagoube, the Agow Geefh, as fully and freely as the king has given it me." Mr. Bruce bo'.ved and tiffed his hand, as is cuilomary for feudatories, and he then pointed to him to fit down. ■ " Hear what 1 fay to you (continued Fafil). 1 think It riglit for you to make the beft. of your way now, for you will be the fooncr back at Gondar. You need not be alarmed at the wild ptcple who are going after you ^ 3 though though it is better to meet them coming this way, that> when they are going to their homes; ihey are commanded by Welleta Yafous, who is your friend, and is very grateful for the medicines you fetit him at Gondar :' he has not been able to fee you, being fo much bufied with thofewild people J but he lores you, and will take care of you, and you muft give me. more of that ph>-fic when we met at Gondar." Mr. Bruce bowed, and he continued,—" Hear me what I fay; you fee thofe fevcn people (our traveller never faw more ihief-like fellows in his life),—thefe are all leaders and chiefs of the Galla— favages, if you pleafc ; they are all your brethren, "^'ou ir.ay go through their country as if it were your o^vn, without a man hurting you : you will be foon related to them ali ; for it is their cuftom tliat a ftrangcr of diftiiic-tion, like you, when he is their gucft, fleeps wiih the filter, daughter, or near relation of the principal men among them. I dare £iy, you will not think the cuftoms of the Galla contain greater hardlhips than thofe of Amhara.'"' He tiicn jabbered foracthing to them in Galla, which Mr. Bruce did not underfland. They all anfwered by the wildert; howl he ever heard, aiid ftruck thrmifclvei upon the breaft, apparently afTent- ing- When Ras Michacl, {continued Falil) came from the battle of Fagitta, the eyes t)f forty four, brethren and relations of thcfe people prcfent, were ptilled out at Gond.ir, the day after he arrived, and they w^rc c>;pofed vipon the banks of the river .Angrab to ftnrve, wliere moli of them were devoured by the hy[jenas; von took three of them up to your houfe; nourilbcd, tloathcd, croteäed, and kindly treated them." " They arc now in good health, (faid Mr, Ernte} and want nothing : the Iteghc will deliver them to you. The only other thing I luve done to them was, I got thcra baptifed : I do not know if that will difplcafe them ; I did it as an additional proteflion to them, and to give them a title to the charity of the people of Gondar." " As for that, (faid Fafil) they don't care the leaft about baptifm ; it will nei:her do them good nor harm , they doni't trouble themfelves about thcfe matters; give them meat and drink, you v.'iU b« Tery wclcome to baptif^; them them all from morning to night; after fuch good cnrc thefe GaJla are atl your brethren, they will die for you before they ice you hurt." He then'faid fome-thiiig to them in Galla again, and they all gave another allent, and made a Iliew of kiffing our traveller's hand. They fat down ; and, Mr. Bruce confeffes, if they entertained any good-will to him, it-was not difeemible in their coanfenanees. " Befides this, (continued Fafil) you was very kind and courteous to my iervants while iit Gondar, and faid many favourable things of me before ihe king; you fent me a prefent alfo, and above all, whru Joas my mafter's body was dug up from the cluirch-yard of 5t Kaphael, and alt Gondar were afraid to ihew it the Icaft rcfpečl, dreading the vengeance of Ras Michael, you, a ftranger, who had never feen him, nor received benefit from him, at your own expencc pjid that attention to his remains, which would have better become many at Gondar, and me in particular, had I been within reach, or had intelligence of the matter: now, before all thefe men, a(k me any thing you have at heart, and, be it what it may, they know I cannot deny it you." He delivered this in a tone and gracefulnefs of manner, fnperior, Mr. Bruce thought, to anything he had ever bcs fore fcen, although the Abyllinians are all otators, aj, irr-deed, are moft barbarians. " Why then (faid Mr. Bruce) by all thofe obligations you are pleafed to mention, oV which you have made a recital fo truly honourable to me, 1 aik you the greatell favour that man can beffow upon mft — fend me, conveniently as poifible, to the head of ihr? Nile,and letursi me and my attendants in fafery, after baring ciifpaictieJ me quickly, and put nie under nj3 conrtratnt th.it may jirevent me from fatisfying my curiofity in nvy n «'ay." " This, [replied hej is no rcque(l,I havegnint-ci) it already ; befides, I" owe it to the commands of t],^-king, whole fervant 1 am. Since, however, it is fo much at ) ciur heart, ^o in peace, 1 will provide you with alt neceflarics. if 1 am alive, and governor of Dainot, as you are, wc all know, a prudent-and fenfible man, unfct-tlcd as the Uate of the country is, nothing difagrct-ahU-can b;;fal you." N 4 Ik- He then tui'iicd again to his fcven chiefs, who a]l got up, hiinfclf, Mr. Bruce, and his companions; they flood round in circle, and raifed the ]>alm of tbeir hands, while he and his Galla together repeated a prayer about a minute along; the Galla fcemingly with gieat devotion- " Now (faid Fafil) go in peace, you are a Galla; this is a curfe upon them, and their children, thiiir corn, grals, and cattle, if ever they lift their hand againft yen ot yours, or dp not defend jou to the iitmoO:, ii" attacked by otiners, or endeavour to defeat any defign they may hear is intended againft you." Upon this, Mr. Bruce offered to kifs his hand before he took his leave, and they all went to the door of the tent, where there was a very handfome grey horfe bridled and faddletj, " Take this horfe, (faid Fafil) as a prcfent from me; it is not fo good as your own, but, depend upon it, it is the horfe which I rode upon yeflerday, when I eame here to encamp; but do not mount it yourfeU, drive it before you faidled and bridled as it is; no man of Maitflia will touch you when he fees that horfe; it is the people of Maitiha, whofe houfes Michael has burnt, that you have to fear, and not your friends the Galla. Mr. Bruce then took the moft humble and refpeftful leave of him pofllble, and a!fo of Iiis new-acquired brethren the Galla, praying inwardly he might niiver fee them again. Mr. Bruce, then turning lo Taltl, accord, ing to the cuftom of the country to fupcriors, alkcd him leave to mount on horfeback before him, and was fpee-tliiy nu! of fight. On the fecond of Novemlx-r, they purfucd tlicir journey it) a direi\ion fouthward, and paffcd the church of Bofkon Abbo ; ever memorable to ihem, as being the Ha-tion of Fafil in May, when he intended to cut them off alter their paifage of the Nile. At three quarters after ten in the raoniing, they pafleJ (he fmall river Arooffi, which either gives its name to, or receives it from,^ the diftrift (hrough which is palTcs : it falls into the Nile about four miles below; is a ck-ar, finally briik ftream ; its banks covered with verdure not o be defcribed. All All the littie territory of Arooffi is by much the moil picafant that our travellers bad feen in AbylTmin, perhaps it is equal to any thing the eail can produce ; the whole is finely fliaded with aeacia-trces, wliich, in the fultry pnrtä of Africa, produce the gum-arabic. Thefe trees gro^v fcljoin above fifteen or fixtecn feet high, then fldtreii and fpread wide at the top, and touch each other, while the trunks are far afunder, and under a vertical fun, leave you, many miles together, a free fpace to walk in a eool, delicious Shade. After paffing the AlTar, and fcveral villages belonging to GouttD, they had, for the firfl; time, a diftinft view of the high mountain of Geeih, the long-wiflied-for end of their dangerous and troublefome journey. L'liJer this mountain arc the fountains of the Nile; about thirty miles, as near as they could conjc£lurc in a firaight line, without counting the deviations or crcioked-ncft of the road. At two o'clock in the afternoon of the fecond of November, they came to the banks of the Nile; the pafTage is very difticult and dangerous, the bottom l->eitig full of holes made by confidcrabtc fprings, light linking fund, and, at every little diftance, large rocky ftones; the eaftern fide was muddy aud full of pits,, the ground of clay : the Nile, here is about 2.60 feet broad, and very rapid; its depth about four feet in the middle of the river, and the fides not above two. Its banks are of a very gentle, ca^v defccnt; the weflcrn fide is chiefly ortiamented with high trees of the falix, or willow tribe, grov^-ing Uraight, without joints or kll;>t^. and bearing long pointed pods iull of a kind of cotton. Our travcHers having pafTed the Nile, arrived at Goutto, (tlie village fu called) and took up. their lodgings in the houfe of a confidcrable perlbn, who had abandoned it upon thcit approach, thinking ihem part ot Kafil'sarmy. 'I'hough this habitation was of ufe in pro^ tefting them from the poor, yet it hurt them by alarnung, gnd fo depriving them of the a®lance of the opulent, fuch as the prefent owner, who, if he liaatk ib feek after him ; and they had not gone but a fc'.v hundred yards when they fJun I him coming, but fo decrcpid and fo very ill, that he faid he couSd go no farther than (he church, where he was pof'tively fefolved to take nf his abode that nighr. Mr. iiruce felt his palfe, exiimined every part about him, aud fiw, he thonghti evidcmly, (hat nothing aüixl lijirt. Withoilt loftiic; his f.-mpcr, htnvever, Mr. liiuee told him firmly, that Fi" ptrccivcdht was ail impo^or ; that he (hould confidcr th.it he was ft phyfitian, as he knew he eured his mafVcf's.firft friend Welleta Ynfou? : that the filling of his tofd hiti as plain as bis tongtie could havedone, (hnt nothiti» aik-: him ; that it toitl him likewife he had In his heart fome prank to play, which would turn out very much to his difadvantage. He fcemed difmayed after this, faid little, and only defired them to halt for a few minutes, and he Ihould be betler ; " for, (fays he,) it requires llrcngth in us all to pafs another great hill before we arrive at Geefh." " Look you, (faid Mr. Bruce] lying is to no purpofe; I know where Geefli is as well as you do, and that we have no more mountains or bad places to pafs through; therefore, if you choofe to fiay behind, you may ; but to-morrow I fliall inform Wellcta Yaibus at Bure of your behaviour." He faid this with the moft determine«! air poffible, and left them, walking as hard as he could down to the ford of the Nile. Wolde remained above with the fervants, who were loading their inujcs; he feemed to be perfectly cured of his iamenels, and was in clofe converfation with Ayto Aylo's fervant for about ten minutes, which Mr. Brucc did not choofe to iriTerrupt, as he faw that man w:is already in poffeffion of part of Woldo's fecie't. This being over, they all came down to Mr. Bruce as he was (kctthitig a branch of a yellow rofe-trec, a number of which hang over the ford. The whole company pafled, and Woldo, feeming to ■wnlkas-wcll as ever, afcended a gentle-rifing hill, neat the top of which is St. Michael Gecfli. '1 he Nile here is not four yards over, and not above four inches deep where they croCTed ; it was indeed become a very trifling ^ook, i)Lit ran fwiftly over a bottom of (mall ftones. With bard black ruck appearing amidft them ; it is at tfais placc very eafy to pafs, and very limpid, but, a Jittle lower, full of inconfiderable falls; the ground ri-fes gently from the river to the fouthw.ird, full of fm;ill hills and eminences, which you afcend and de-fceiid alm^ft imperceptibly. 'I he whole company had ■ halted on the north fide of St. Michael's church, and there Mr. Bruce rcathcd them without aifefting any harry. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the day having been very hot for fome hours, they were fitting in the t^ a grove of msgnificcnt ccdars, intermixed with fome fome very large and beautiful cufTo-trees, all in the How-er ; the men were lying on the grafs, and the beails fed^ with ihe burdens on their back, in tlie moft luxuriant lierbage. Mr. Bruce faid indiftorcntly to Woldo in paf-fuig, that i-,e « as glail to lee him recovere (lid you not hear that truth and good behaviour will get you every thing you a(k f Sir, (continued he) 1 fee this affitir vexes you, and what this foolifll man wimts will neither make you richer nor poorer ; be has taken a great defiiC for that crimfon filk-fafli which you wear about your'middle. I told him to ftay till you went back (0 Gondar ; biU he fays he is to go no farther than to the houfe of Shaljka Welled AmJac in Maitfba, and docs not return to Gondar ; I told him to ftay till you bail put your mind at eafe, by feeing the fountains of the Nile, which you are fo anxious iibout. He faid after that bad hapjiened, he Aire you would nor give it liiin,' for you fecmed to tliiiik little of the cataract ac tJoLiito, and of a!I the fine rivers and churches which he had flicwn yoii ; except the head of the Nile fliall lie fvuer than all thcfc, when, in rtaJity, it will be juft like aiwthcr river, you v^ill then be diiTatisfied, and not give liim the faih." Mr. I'jruce thought there was foir.ething very natural in thcfc fufpicions cf VVoldo ; befidcs, he faiti lie was certain that, if ever the (afh catne itHo the fight of Wet-, led Ainlac, by feme means or otl.er, he would get it into his hands. '1 his rational difcoürfe had pacified Mr-Bruce a Uttlc ; but it muft havo been fine indeeti'to have ftood for a minute between hitn and the accompli(hment of his wifiies. Mr. Bruce then laid his hand upon the piftols that ftuck in his girdle, and drew them out to give them' to one of his fuitc, when Wddo, who apprehended it was f'.r ?nothcr purpofe, ran fome paces back, and hid himfelf behind .'\ylo's fervant. Mr. Bruce after having taken off his fafb, " Here is your faili, Wolde, {faid he) but mark what I have faid. and nOw molt ferioufly repeat to you, truth andgiiod behaviouf will gel any thing from me ; but if in the courfe of this journey, you piay one trick more, though ever fo triflißg, 1 will biiog fuch a vengeance upon your head that you (liall Rot noi he abie to find a place to hide it ire, when not the fifii only will be taken from you:, but your (kin alfo will ibilow it." tie took the fa(h, but feeracd terrified at the threat, and began to make apologies. " Come, come, {faid MV. Erucc) we underftand each other; no more words; it 13. now late, lofe no more time, but carry me to Geefli, and the^head of the Nile direilly, without preamble, and fhew me the iiill that fepjrates me frona it." He then carried our traveller round to the fouth fide of the ehurcli, out of the grove of tr;e) that furrounded it, " This is the l-.il!, {^3id he) looking arcbly, thjt, when you was on the otiicr fuie of it, was between ypu and the fountains of the Nile , there " "" 5 ^^ hillock of green fod in the middle of tliat watery fpot, it is in that the two fountains of,the Nile are lo be found : Geelh is on the face of the rock where yon green trees are; if you go the length of the fountains, pull oiP your fhoes as you did the other day; for thefe pople are all Pagans, \vo'rfc than thofe that were at the ftTrd, and they believe in nothing that you ivVieve, hut only in this river, to which they pray every day as if if \%ere God; but this perhaps you may do likewifc." Half undreffed as Mr. Hruce was by lofs of his faih, and throwing his ihoes off, lie ran down the hill towards the little ifland of green fods, which was about two hundred yards diftant; the whole iide of the hill was thick grown over ivitii flowers, the large bulbous roots of which appearing above ilie furfatc of the ground, and their (tins coming otF on treading upon them, occafioned two very feverc falls before he reached the brink of the marfh. Mr. Bruce, after this, came to the ifland of green turf, which Was in form of an altar, apparently the work of art, and he Hood in rapture over ihe principal fountain which ri-fcs in the middle of it. It is eafiqr to guefs than defcribe the fituation of Mr. Bruee's mind at that moment—landing on that fpot which had baffled the genius, indiiflry, and inquiry of both ancients and moderns, for the courfe of near three thoufjnd years. Kings had attempted this difcovery at the head of armies, and each expedition was diflin-. guiflied from the laft, only by the dilTcrencc of the iiiimSeis niimbers which bati penllied, and agreed alone in the dlC uppüititmciu u-hich had uniforojcrly, and without cxccp-tiiin, (blinwcd them alJ. Fame^ rjclk's, and honour lud been held out for a fcrics of ages (o every individual of thofc myriads tliefe priuccs coinmandedj witlioüt havin'J* produced one man capablc of grarifying the curiofit/ of his fovcrcign, or wiping off this Itain upon the cn-ti-rprifc and iibitities of mankind, or adding this defi-dcratuin for the encouragement of geography. Mr. Brucc now proceeds to dclcribe the fources of the Nile, which have, as hi fays, remained to our days-as unknown as they were to antiquity, no good-or genuine voucher having- yet been produced capable of proving that tliey were before difcovercd, or fcen by the curious eye of any traveller, &om the eailieft ages to this day ; and it is with confidence Mr. Bruce propofes to his reader, that he will confider him as fljll Jtanding □ t thcfe fountains, and patiently hear from him the recital of the origin and circum(iances of this the moll famous river in the world, which arc nor to be found in books, or from any other human authority whatever, and which by the care and attention he has paid to the fub-Ječl, wiU, he hopes, be found fatisfafiory here. ■ Divine honours are paid by the Agows of Datnot to the Nile ; they worfbip the river, and tlioufands of cattle have been offered, and ft ill are offered» to the Ipirtt fuppofed to refide at its fourec. They are divided into elans, or tribes; and it is worthy of obfervation, that, it is fuid there never was a feud, or hereditary animoJiiy betweeen any two of thefc cians ; or, if the iceds of any fucli were füwn, they did not vegetate tonger than till the next general convecatioii of all ihe tribes, who meet annually at the fource of the river, to which they faera-ficc, calling it by the name of tlie Gael of Peace, One of the leaft conlidcrable of thefe clans, for power and number, has flill the preference among its brethren, from the circumftance that, in its territory, and near the miferaiile vill^e that giies it name, are fituated the much fought-for iprings from which the Nile rifcs. Geelli, however, though not farther diftant from thcfe than 600 yards, is not in fight of the fources of the Nile. The country upon the fame plane with the fountains, terminates terminatfs m a cliiFabout 300 yards deep down to the iilain gf AUba, which fiat country continues in the fame iubaltern degree of elevation, till it meets the Mile again about ievemy miles fouihwarJ, after it lias made the circuit of the provinecs of Gojaiii and Damot, A prodigious cave is in the middle of tiiis clifT, in a direction ftruight north towards the fountains, whether l!ic work of nature or art, Mr. öruce cannot determine ; in it are many bye-paths, fo that it is very difficult fjr 3 ftranger to extricate himfelf; it is a natural Ubyrinth, large enough to contain the iiilubitants of the village, and their catt'e. In this large cliff, iMr. Brace tired himfelf part of fcveral days, endeavouring to reach as far northward as jjoDlble ; but the air, when he had advanced lomething above one hundred yards, feenied to threaten to extinzuifli his candle by its dampnefs ; and ihe people were bcfides not at all difpofcd to gratify his curiolity farther, after alluring him that there was nothing at the end more remarkable than what he then faw, which he had reafon to believe was the cafe. The face of this cliff, which fronts to the fouth, has a moft pifturefijue ap- {n-arance from the plain of Aflba below, parts of the ■.oufes at every ftage appearing, through the thickets of trees and buftes with which the whole face of the cliff is thickl)- covered ; imjiCQeirable fences of the very worll kind of ihorn, hide the mouths of the caverns above mentioned, even from fight; (here is no otlier communication with the houfis either from above or below, but by narrow-winding fbcep-paths, which through thef^ thorns arc very difficult to b= difcerned, for all are allowed to bf overgrown with the utinoft wifdnefs, as a part of their (!'• fence ; I )fiy and Ijrge trees (moft of them of the thorny kindj tower high u;? above the edge of the clifl-', and feein to br a fcnct" againfi j>eople falling down ioto the plain ; thefe arc all at their proper feafon covered with flowers of different forts and colours', fo arc the hulhes below on the fuLe of the cliff: every thorn in Abvlfinla indeed bears a beautiful flower. i'roin the edge of the clitf of üccfh above where tlie village is lituated. the ground Hopes with a very ealV dc-fcent due north, and lands you at the edge of a triangular marfli above eigl.ty-lix yards broad, in the line of the the fountains, and two hundred and eightj-'fix vards two feet from ihe edge of the cliff dbove the ho'ufe oi' the pricit ()t the river, where Mr. Bruce refidcd. Upon the rock in the middle of the jilaj'n, the Agoiv^ ufed to jiile up the bones of the hcnfts killed in facrifice mixing (hem with billets of wnod, after which ihcy fa thera on fire. This is now difcontinued, or rather transferred to another place near the church, as they arc at prefcDt indulged in the full enjoyment of their idoktrous rites, both under Fafi! and Michael. In the middle ot" the martVi, near the bottom of the mountain of Geefli,. arife; a hillock of a circular form, about three feet froiir the furface of the raarfii itli^If, though apparently founded much deeper in ir. The diameter of t lis is fomething Short of twelve feet, it is furroiinded by a (hallow trctich, which collefts the waier and voids it eaftward ; it is firmly built with fod or earthen tnrf, bi oii^ht from the fides, and conftinly Kept in repair, and (his is the altar upon which all their religious ceremonies are performed. In the middle of this altar is a hole, obvioufly made, or at leaft enlarged, by the hand of man. It is kept clear oF grafs, or other aquatic plants, and the water in it is perfedly pure and limpid, but has no ebullition or motion of any kind difccrnible apon its ftirface. 1 his mouth, or open-iiier of the fource, is forcie parts of an inth lefs thaji tlirec feet diameter, and the water flood at that time, the jth cf November, about two inches from the lip or brim, nor did it either increafc or diminifh during all the time of his ftav at (jeefh, though ihey raadc plentiful uje of it. 1 his fpring is about fix feet fix inches deep. At ihe dlilance often feet from the firft of thcfe fpring.', a little to the weft of foath, is the lecond fountain, about ckven inches in diameter ; hut ihis is eight feet, th.ree inches deep. _ And about twenty fret diitant from tht firft, is ilic third foufcc, its mouth being fomething more ih.iii two feet large, and it is five feet eight inches deep. Jloth thefe Irtrt fountftins üand in the middle i:f fmall altars, made, like the former, of firm (bd, but neither of them above three feet di;tni('ter, a.nd having a foot of lefs elevation than the Srft. '1 he altar in this third fource feeined almo!l diflbb ed by the water, which in both flood nearly up lo the brim ; .it the foot of each appeared a deai clear and brifk running rilJ; thefe uniting joined the water in the trench of the firit altar, and then proceeded dircčtly out, poititinjf caftward, in a quantity that would have filled a pipe of about twu incli« diameter. The water from tbcfe fountains is very light and good.and perfcflly laftelefs; it was al tliis time mod jntenfcly cold, though expofod to the mid-day fun wiihout fti-her, there being ru tre« nor bufhes nearer it than the clifTof Geefh on its fouth ftde, and the trees that furround Saint Michael Gfcdi on the north, which, according to tlie cuftom of Ahyirinia, it, like other churches, planted in the midil: of a grove. On the jth of November, the day after Mr. Brucc's arrival at Getfli, the weather perfetlly clear, clondiefj, and nearly calm, in nil refjicfls v/ell adapted to obferva-tion, being extremely anxious to afcertain, be>'ond the power of controverfy, the precife fpot on the globe that this fountain had fo long occupied unknown, he pitched his tent Tn the north edge of tbc cliff, immediately above ihe prieft's houfe, having verified the inffrumcnt with all the care pofiibic, both at the zenith and horizon. With a brtft quadrant of three feet radius, by one meridian altitude of the fun's upper limb, all neceflary equation^ and dcduftions confidered, he determined the latitude of ihe place of obfervaticn to be 1 o® 59' 11 "; and by another obR-rvation of the fame kind made on the 6th, 10' 59' 8"; af(er which, by a medium of thirtj'-three obfer-vatlon-h all tr^vellers who have once entered the kingdom ; ttic conicioufnefs of the puln that he was tlien occafionini; to many worthy individvals, cxpcäing daily that information concerning his fituation, whicli it was not in his power to give them ; fome other thoughts, perhaps, ilill ncarct nenrer the licari thaa thofc, crowdeil upon bis mintl, and forbade ail approath uf Jleep. 1 le was, at tlint very mo-mem, in poiieffion of what Fiat!, for many years, bwn tiic principle objctt of his amlmion and willies ; intiif-fcrcnce, Ironi the ufiial iurirmicy of luimnn nature follows, at Icail for a time, complete enjoyment) had taken place of it. 'I'hc rnarfh, and tlie fountains, upcm ccinparifon with the rlHof many of our rivers, became now a trifling objeft in hts figlit. Me remembered that magnificent fcene in his own native country, wbere the Tw eed, Clyde, and Annan rife in one liill; three rivers, as he now thought, not inferior to the Nile in beauty, preferable to i: in the cultivation of thofe countries through which they flow ; fupcrior, vaftly fujicrior to it in the virtues and qualities of the inhabitants, and in the beauty of its flocks, crowding its paftures in pcace, without fear of violence from man or beaft. He bad feen the rifeof the Rhine and Rhone, and the more magnificent fources of the Soane: he began, in his forrow, to trmt the inquiry about the fource of the Nile as a violent effort of a diftempered fancy. Grief or defpondency now rolling upon him like a torrent, relaxed, not refreüicd, by unquiet and iinpcrfeft fleep, he ilarted from his bed in the utmoft agony ; he went to she door of his tent; every thing was ftill; the Nile, al whofc head he ftood, was not capabic either to promote or to interrupt his (lumbers^ but the cooltiefs and ferenity of the night braced his nerves, and chafcd away thofe phantoms- that» while in. bed. had oppreflcd and tormented him> Numerous dangers, hardlhips, and forrows had indeed liefet him through this half ol liiscxcurfion ; but it was ftill as true, that another Guide, more powerful than his own courage, lieahh, or underflanding, if any of tlicfe tan be callcd man's own, had uniformly protafled hijn in all that tedious half; he found his confidence not iibated, that ftill the !amc Guide was able to coruhicl him W his now wifbed-fot liome, 1-Ia immtfJtateJy refumed his former fortitude, eonfidercd the Nile indeed as no Bioie than rifing from Iprings, as all other rivers do, but widely diiFerent in this, that it was the palm for three thoufand years held out to all the nations ia the world a'i a d'jutr a äetur dignißmo, which, in his cool hours he had tliou^ht M-as M-ofth the attempting iit the rifk of his life, u-htch hehad long either refulved to lofe, or hy this dilcoverv, a trophy in « hich he could have no competitor, for the honour of his coutitiy, at the fed of his forereign, whofc ftrvant he was. Mr. Bruce had procured from the Englifl-k Iliip';, while at lidda, fomc quick-Clver, perfectly [iure, and heavier than the cotninoii fort; v.arrning therefore the tube gently at the fire, lie filled it with this quick-filver. and, 10 his great furprife, found ihat it flood at the height of 22 linglifh inches. Stifpeäing that fomeair might havc inlinuated itftlf into the tube, he laid it by in a warm pan of the tent, covcred till morning, and returning to bed, llept there profoundly till fix, when, fatiiiied the whole was in perieft order, he fouuJ it to ilatid at 22 EngliQi inches ; neither did it vary fenlibly from that height any of the following days he ilaid at GceHi ; and ihencc he inferred, that, at the fources of the -Vile, he w as then morethan two miles above the level of the fca ; a prodigious height, to enjoy a fky perpetually clear, as -.iVfo a hot fun never over-calt for a moment with clouds from rif:ng to fetring. On the 6th of November, at a quarter part live in the morning, Fdhrcnheit's thermometer flood at 44°,' at noon gG*', and at fua-fet 46®. It was, as to fenfe, cold at night, andflill more fo .in hour before fun-rife. 'I'he Nile, keeping nearly in the middle of the mardi, runs cart for thirty yards, with a very little increafe of Ikcam, but perfectly vifible, till met by the grally brink of the hnd declining from Sacala. This turns it rouiul gradually to the N. E. and then due north ; and, in the two miles it flows in that dirccHon, the river rcceivos many fmall contributions from fprings that rife in the banks on each fide of it: there are two, particularly one on the hill at the back of St. Michael Gecih, the other a little lower than it on the other fide, on the ground declining from Sacala. Thcfe laft-mentioncd fprings are morethan double its quantity ; and being arrived under the hill whereon ftands the church of Saint Michael Sa-caia, about two miles from its fource, it there becomes a Uream that would turn a common mill, Ihallov,-, clear, and shaw's abridgement of und l uiming over a rocky bottom about three yards wide ■ this mull be uiiderftood to be variable according to the fcafon ; and tlic prcfcnt obfcrvations arc applicable to thc5tli of November, when the raiuihadceafed fur ftvc-jal weeks. Our travtller fays, nothing can be more beauiiful than this fpot; the fmall riling hills about them were all thick-cuvcred with verdure, efpecially with clover, ihe largeil: and (incft he ever faw ; the tops of the heights crowned with trees of a prodigious fi/.e ; ths ftream, at the banks of which they xverc lining, was limpid and pure as the fir.eft crj-ftal; the ford, covered chick with a bulhy kind hiIofophers, defcribing; without fylleni or prejudice what their eye faw, have found lliat the inundation of Kgypt has been effeiicd by natural means, pcrfcftly confonant with the ordinary rules of Providence, and the laws given ibr the government of the reil of the univcrfe. They have found that tile plentiful fall of the tropical rains produced every year at the fame time, by tlie aiUon of a violent fun, has been uniformly, witiiout miracle, the caufe of I'-gypt being regularly overflowed, 'i"he fun being nearly ftationary for fume days in the tropic of Capricorn, the air there becomes fo much rariJicd, that the heavier winds, charged with watery particles, rufli in upon it froin the Atlantic ori the weft, and from the Indian Ocean on the caft. The fouth wind, moreover, loaded with heavj^ vapour, condenfed in that high ridge of mountains nut far fouth of the Line, which foims a fpinc to the peuinlula pcninfuh of Africa, and, running nortlnvard with tlie other two, furnilh wherewithal to rcftore (lie equiU-triuni. The fun, having thus gathered fuch a quantity of vapours as it were to a locus, now puts them in motion, and drawing thcn\ after it in its rapid progrcfs northward, on ihe 71h of Jaiiuary, for years together, fccsncd to have extended its power to the atmofphere of Gniidar, when, for the firft time, there appeared in the JJ<,v vhite, dappled, thin clouds, the fun being then diiiant 34" from the zenith, without any one cloudy or dark fpeck having been fecn for feveral monihs bejbre. Advancing to the Line witli incrcafed velocity, and de-ftriWing larger fpirals, the fun brings on a le^v drops of win iU Gondar the ift of March, Iteing then diltant from the zenith; tlicfe are greejile, before it falls down the cataraft of Alata. In the beginning of June, the fun having paffed all Abyflinia, (he rivcrt there aie all full, and then is the time of the greatell ^rcatell rains in Abvflinia, while it h for fome davs as It were, ftationary in tht tropic of Cancer. ' ' i ImmcJiately after the fun has palTcd the Line, he begins the r^iny fcafon to the fouthward, ftill as he ap-pronciies the /.cnith of each pUsce ; but the fituation and neceffities of this country being varied, the manner of promoting the inundation is trliangcd. A high chain of mountains run from about 6" fouili all along the middle of the continent towafds the Cape of Ciood Hope, and in-terfefts the fouthern part of the peninfula, nearly in the fame manner that the river Nile docs ihe northern. A flrong wind from the fouth, flopping the progcfs of the condenfcd ^'apours, dafhes them againft the cold fumroits of this ridge of mountains, and forms many rivers which cfcapc in tJie dircftion citlier eaft or n'cft, as the Ic^el prefenis itf.-lf. If this is towards the weft, they fall down the fides of the mountains into the Atlantic, and if on the eaft, into the Indian Occar. Three remarkable appearimces attend the inundation of the Nile, Every morning in Abyffinia IJ clear, and the fun fhines ; about nine, a fniatl cloud, not above four feci broad, appears in the caft, whirling violently round as if upon an axis, but arrived near the zenith, it firit abates its motion, then lüfes its form, extends itfelf grcMly, and feems to call up vapours from all op-poiite quarters. Thefc clouds, having attained near y the fame height, rufli againft each other with great violence. The air, impelled before the heavieft mafs, or fwiftcft mover, makes an imprefljon of its own fonrj in the collcftion of clouds oppofite, and the moment it has taken pofreifion of the fpace made to receive it, the mod violent thunder poflible to be conceivcd inftantly lblIo\is, ^vith rain; after fume hours, the Iky again clears, with a winJ at north, and it is always dif-agrcebly cold when the thermometer is below 63". The fceond thing remarkable is the variation of the thermometer; when the fun is in the fouthern tropic, 36® diftant from the zenith of Gondar, it is feUlom lower than 72«'; but it falls to 60" and 59® \vhcn the fun is ijnmediately vertical; fo happily does the «p. ^iroacli of rain compenfate the heat of a too-fcorching ^ Th<; Tlie third is, that rfmaikabic flop in the extent oj' the rains northward, when tlic fan, that has conduflcd ihc vapours from the Line, and fliouki ftcm, jiow more than ever, to he in poffcflion of them, is here overruled fuddenl)', till, On it.i return to the xenith of'Gerri, again it rcfunies the abfolutc command over the rain, and rccoiidtifts it to the Line to furnifli diftant deluges to the fouthward, Mr. Erucc fays it is in Februarja March, or April only, the pbguc begins in Egypt. Mr. Bruce docs not believe it an cndemial difeafe, hut ratlier thinks it otitncs from Conilantinoplc with mercliandifc, or paf. feiigers, and at this .time of the year, that the air having jittaincd a degree of putridity proper to recei\e it by ihe long abfence oi" dews, the infeäion is thereto joined, and continues to rage till it is fuddenly flopped by the" jlews orcafioiied by a refrefliing tnixture of rain-water, which is poured out into the Nile at the beginning of tSie inundation. The fii ft an d m ofl remarkable fign of ihec hange brought fibout in the air is the fudden flopping of the plague .it .Saint John's day; every perfon, though fliutup from foci-ety fox months before, buys, fells, and communicates with his neijghbour without any fort of api>rehenfion; and it was never known, as far as Mr. Bruce could learn iipon fair inquiry, that one fell fick of the plague after this annivcrfiry ; it will be obfen-ed Mr. Bruce does not fay died-, there are, examples of that, thotigh he believes but few ; tlie plague is not always a difeafe that fuddenly terminates, it often takes a confiderable time to come to a head, appearing only by iymptoms; fo that people taken ill, utuler the moft putrid influence of the air, Inger on, firuggling with the difeafe which has already got fuch hold that they cannot recover ; but whatiVIr. Bruce fays he means is, that no perfon is takcu ill of the plague fo as to die after the dew has fallen in june; and no fyniptoms of the piagtic are ever commonly cen in Eg) pt but in thofc fpring months already mentioned, the greater part of which arc totally deftitutc of moifturc. Mr. Brucc then mentions a circumflance, which itniYcrfally known, and cannot bedcnicd. The Turks and Moors Moors are known to bf predeftinariam ; they Vel'fv,-hour of man's deaih is fo imm.daljlv fixcd'iliat : -. -y can cither advance or drfcr't ^n inft.int. St-c m- • t' .1 principle, they expofc in the market-pl.ice, iinmir .L.i e y after Saint John's day, the cloihes of the -.J fands that have died during the Ijte continu- -.ct .■ ii.-plagu-.-. all which imbibe ihe mo'ft air of mc ■ - . and the inorn-ng, are hnn led, bought, put i.ti, ;, i worn without any apj-rchcniTon of daiv^cr ; and diou^^h thefe fonrirt of iors, cotton, filk, and wooll n clot:, , which areftuif-. the mod ictenti. o of the iiif^ ilUoii, t, , accident happens (o thofe who wear thcin froia ihn their happy confidence. ■ , 1, Mr. Bruce no«- returns back to his guide W oldo, \vhom thev had left fettling th-.ir reception uitli the chief of the village of Geefli. They found the mcalurcs_ taken by this man fiidi as convinced tlicin at onre uf his capacijv and attaehmt-nt. The mifersble Ago«■^, af-fembled all around him, were too much inlerelled in tiie appearance our travellers made, not fo be exceedingly inquilltiic how h>!ig their ftay was ro be am;ing t.'icni. nhev-faw, by t'-e hirfc driven Ik fore them, that they bk-'Songed to Vaiil, and fufpetted, for the fame reafoii, that thev w-re 10 .maintain them, or, in other words, t'lat they ftioiild live at difcretion upon them as long as tliey cl:ofi' to tany there; b;it \N"oldo, with great ad-drrf', had difpilied thcle fears almoft as foon as they «ere formed, f Je informed them of the king's grant t'n Mr, Mr'j.--e of the village ofGcefli : that Falil's tvranny and avariie would end (hnt day, and another niafter. like Ni-g'jde Ras Ge^r^is, iva'. come to pafs a ciicarftil tiüie among th^'in, wjih a refolution to pay fc>r cvcr\ labour they v.i-re ordered to perform, and piircbafe ill things for ready money : he added, moreover, that no militarv' fervice v.-ai furiJicr to be exatk-d from them, cither by the kin.j or governor of Damot, nor from their piifent mailer, as he bad no enemies, _The>- fosinj this nc\v<: had circ'jiated with great rapidiiy, and th.-v inetuith a hearty wckome iij'Oii their arrival at the villa.iie. Woldo bad aiked a bfufe from the Slnuii, who very civilly had granted Mr. ^rucc his own; it wa's' jvift O 2 h rge large enough to Tci-ve him, but they were obliged to ta^cc püilcffion of full r or five others, and tliey w'ure fcarcc-ly fettled in ihcfe, when a fcrvant arrived from Fafii to iiuiinate to the Sbum his furrendry of the property and fovercignty uf Geedi to Mr. lirucc, in coiifcquence of a grant Irom the king : lie brought with him a fine, laree, milk-white cow, two Oiecp, and two goafs; the flicen and goats Mr. Bruce underftood were irom Welleta Yafous. Fafil alfo fcnt them lix jars of hydromel, fifty wheat loaves of very excellent hreail, and to this WcI-leta Yafous had added two middle fi-^ed horns of ex-cclicnt ftrong fpiiiis. Their hearts w-cre now perftdly at eafc, and they paffed a very merry evening. Woldu, who had done his part to great pcrfcflion, and had reconciled the minds of all the people of the village to cur travellers, bad a little apprehtiifson fur himfelf; he thought iic had loft crcdit with Mr. Bruce, and therefore employed the fervant of Ayto Aylo to defire Mr. Bruce not to freak of the fiiOi to Fafil's fervant. Our traveller affured him, that, as long as he faw him afting properly, as he now did, it was much more probable he fhould give him another fafh ori their return, than complain of the means he had ufcd to get this laft. 'i his entirely removed all his fears, and indeed as long aftrr as he was with ihem, he every day defcrved more and more their commendations. Woldo was now pcrfeflly h.ippy; he had no fupeiior orfpy over hisaflions; he had ejiplained himfeifto ll-.e Shtim, that they Ihould want fomebody to buy neccffa-ries to make bread for our travellers, and to t^e care of the management of their houfe. They difplaycd their IclTer articles for barter to the Shum, and told him the inoft coniiderablc purchafes, fuch as oxen and ihccp, were to be paid in gold. He was llruck with the appcar-jmce of our travellers wealth, and thcgenerofity of their propofals, and told Woldo that he infiRed, fince they were in his houfes, tliey would take his daughters for their houlc keepers. The propofal was a moft reafona-blc one, and readily accepted. He accordingly fent for three in an inftant, and they delivered ihem their charge. The eldcft took it upon her readily, fhe wasahoul (ixteen years-of agCj of a flature above the middle fize, but fhc was vtas rcmarVaJjly genteel, and, colour apart, her (taturei vould have made her a beauty in any country in Europe ; fhe was, beiides, very fpiiglitly ; they undcrHood no-one word of her lant^uage, though fhc comprchenJcd very cafiJy the figns tliat they made. This nymph of the Nile was called by nick name Irpone, which fignifies fbme animal that ddlroys mice, but whether of the ferret or fnake kind, Mr. Bn're could not perfeftty underhand ; fomctimes it was one, and fometimes another, but w hich it was he thonght of no great impurtancc. After difpofing of fome of their ilock in purcliafes, (he thouglit hcrfelf obliged to render our iravclK-ri an account, and give back the :c-year, and they will probably refuine their fiift altar when the church is fallen to min«, which th«y are every day privately haftening. Having finiihed their bloody banquet, they carry the head, clafc wrapt from fight in the hide, into the cavern, which they fay reachci below the fountains, and there, by a common light, without torches, or a num. ber of candles, as denoting a fulcmnity, they perform their worlhip, the particulars of which iš^r. Brucc never could learn ; it apiece of free-mafonary, which every body knows, and nobody ventures 10 reveal. At a certain time of the night they leave the cave, but at what time, or by what rule, our traveller could not learn ; neither would they tcH him what became of the head, whether it was ate, or buried, or how confumed. The Abyffinians have a ftory, probably created by themfeivos, that tlic devil appears to them, and with bim they eat the head, fwearing obedlcnce to him upon certain Loiiditions, that of fending rain, and a good fe^ibii for th;ir bees and cattle ; however this may l)e, it is certain, that thiv pr^y to the fpit;t refiding in the river, whom they call., the F.vcrkfting GoJ, Light of the Woiid, Eve of the World, Gud ofPcace, their Saviour, and Father of tlie UnivL'rfe. Tlieir landlord, the Shum, made no fcrilple nf reciting his prayers for feafonable rain, tor plenty of grafs, for the prefervation uf ferpcnts, at leal! of one kind of this rt-ptile ; lie alfo deprecated thunder in thefe prayer,',, which he pronounced very pathetically with a kind of tone u' fong ; he called the river " .Moft High Gcxl, Sa. viour of the \\iirld;" of the other words Mr. b'iucc could uot well judge, but by the iiuctptctation of + do. ThoA; titles, liowever, of divinity which lie gave to the river, he could perfodlly compreliciid without an interpreter, and for tlicfe only he is a vouclier, Mr. Brucc afkcd the jiricll, into whoft gootl "raccs he liKtl purpofcly infinuatcd liinifelf, if ever ajiy^'ipirit had been I'cen by him 1' He anfwcrcd, witliout hefiia-tiüii, Yes; very frequently. He faid he had feeji the fpirit the evening of the 3d, fjiiH a? the fun was letting) under a tree, which he flicvved tmr traveller at a dill:incc, who told him of the denth of a fon, and alfo tijat u party from Fufit's army w.is coming; that, beinp; afraid, he'confulted his fcrjicnt, who ate readily and heardly, from which he knew no iiarm was ta befal hiin from his vificors. iMr. Bruce aikcd him> if he could prevail on the fpirit to appear to lijm. He faid he could not venture to make that reqiieft. He faid he was of a very graceful figure and appearance ; he thought rather older ihan middle age; but he feidom chofe to look U hi,s face; he had a Jong white bra,d, his cloths not like theirs of leather, but like fi!k, of ihe fafliion of the country. Mr. Bruce alked him how he was certain it was not a man he laughed, or rather fncered, fliaking his head, and faying, " No, no, it is no man, but a fpirit." Ml-. Bruce then defired to know why he prayed againft thunder. He faid, bccaufc it was hurtRd to the bees, their great revenue being honey and wax : then, wliy he prayed for ferpents? lie replied, Bccaufe they taught him the coming of good or evil. It feoms they have ail feveral oF thefe creatures in the neighbourhood, and the richer fort always in their houfes, whom they take care of, and feed before they undertake a journey, or any alFair of confeijuence. They take this animal from his hole, and put butter and milk before him, of which he is extravagantly fond ; if he does not eat, lU-fortune is near at hand. Before an invafion of the Galla, oran inroad of the enemy, they fay thefe ferpetus difappear, and arc nowhere to be found. Fafil, the fagacious and cunning governor of the country, was, as it was faid, greatly addit'ted to this fpecies of divination, ir; fo much aä never to mount hit his horff, Or go from liome, if an animal of this kinJ, which he had in his keeping, reFiifed to cat. The Shum's name was Kefia Abay, gr Servant of the river ; he was a man about fevenCf, not very lean, but infirm, fully as tnuch fo as miglit have been expsitciJ 'from that age. He conceived that he might have had eighty-four or eighty-five children. That honourabio charge which he poflefled had been in his family from the beginning of the world, as he imagined. Indeed, if all his ptcdeccflbrs had as numerous families as he, there was no probability of the fucceflion devolvlnji to ftrangers. He had a long white beard, and very moderately thick ; an ornament rare in Abylfinia, wlicre they have feldom any hair upon their chin. He had round his body a Ikin wrapt and tied with a broad belt. Above this he wore a cloak with the hood up, and covering his head ; he was bare-legged, but had fandals, much like thofe upon ancient ftatues; thefe, however, he put off as foon as ever lie approachcd the bog ^vhere tite Nile rifes, which our travellers were all likcwife obliged to d . They were alloM-cd to drink the, wate^', but make no other ufe of it. None of the inhabitants of GccQi ^talh themfelves, or their cloths, in the Nile, hut in a llreain that falls from the mountain of Geefh down into tlie plain of Aflfoa, which run) fouth, and meets the Nile in Its turn northward, pafling the country of the CJafats and Gongas. The Agows, in whofe country the Nile rlfes, are, in point of number, one of the molt confiderable nations in Ahyfltnia ; when their whole force is raifed, which feldom hapjwns, they can bring to the lield 4000 horfc, and. a great number of foot; they were, however, once niuch more powerful ; fevernl unfucccfsful battles, and the per-pstual inroads of the Galla, have much diminifhed t leir ftrength. The country, indeed, is ftill full of inhabitants ; hut from their hidory we team, that one clan, called Zeegatn, maintained finely a war againft the king hiiYl-fi-lf, from the time of' Socinlos to that of Yafonj the Greit, who, after aH, overcame thrm by fm prifc and itratagem ; and that anothtr clan, tlic D^-n^uis ill like manner maintained the war againft l'uciltda/ Hannos I. wid Vafcui II. all of them ailivci princes' 5 Their Their riches, however, are ftil] greater than their power, for though their province in length is no whi;re 60 milus, nor half that in breadth, yet Gondar and all the neigh-fcjuring country depend for ihe neceflaries of life, caule, honey, butter, wheat, hides, wax, and a immber of fuch a rticles, ujion the Agows, who came cotiftaiul/ in fuccelTion, a thoufand and fifteen hundred at a time, loaded with thefe commodities, to the capiia!. As the ticpondence upon (he Agows» is for their producc rather than on the forces of their country, it has been a maxim with wifeprir.ces to compound with them for an additional tribute, iniicad of their military fervice; the ncceflities of the times have fomctimes altered thefc wife regulations, and between their attachment to Fafil, and afterwards to Ras Michael, they have been very much reduced, whereby the ilate hath fufFered. It may naturally be fiippofed, that, in a long carriage, fuch as that of hundred miles in fuch a climate, butter muft melt, and be in a (late of fufion, confequently very near putrefaction ; this is prevented by tlie root of an herb, called iVJoc-nioco, yellow in colour, and in .1 ihape nearly refembling a carrot; this thev bruüe and mix with their butter, and a very fmall quantity prefervet it freih for a confiderable time ; and this is a great faving and convenience; for, fuppofing fait was employed, it is very doubtful if it would anfwer the intention ; befides, flit'is a money in this countrj-, being circulated in the form of wedges, or bricks, it ferves the purpofc of filver coirii and is the change of gold ; fo that this herb is of the utraoft ufe in preventing the increafe in price of this -rcccifary article, which is the principal food of all ranks of people in this country. iefjdes the market ot Gondar, the ncighbourng black favages, tHe wodly-headedShangaila, purchafe the great-eft part ot thef>;cammod!tic5 from them^and many o'thers, which they brin^ from the capital when they return thence; they receive in exchange elephants teeth, rhino-c'.ros horns, gold in fmall pellcts, and a quantity of very "fine cotton ; of which goods they might receive a much greater quantity were they content to cultivate trade in a fait vvay, without making incoads upon thefe favages f'T the the fake of flam, and thereby diiturbing them in thi-ir üccupations of feek-ing for gold and hunting the elephant. The cloathin^ of the Agows i s all of hides, which they foftea and ininufaiftLire in a method peculiar to themfelves, and this they wear in the raitiy feaibn, when the weather is cold, for here the rniny feafons are of long duration and violent, which ftill incroafej the nearer you approach the Line, The younger iorl are chiefly naked, the married women carrying their children about with them upon their backs; their cloathing is like a fhirt. down lo their feet, and girvied with a belt or ^rvile about their middle : the lo'.ier part of it refembies a large double petticoat, one ply of wiiich they turn back over their fliouldcrs, fattening it with a broach^ or (kewcr, acrofs their brcalt before, and carrying their childn-n in it behind. The ^vomen arc generali v thin, and, like ihe men, bdow the middle fi^e. There is no fueh thing as barrennefs known among them. They begin to bear children before eleven ; ihey nurry generally about that age, and are marriageable two )x-ars before: they clofe child-bearing before they are thirty, though there are feveral inibrntcs to the ccmtrary- Belides what they fell, and wjiat the)'pay to the governor of Damot, the AgonK have a particular tribute which they prefent to the kinj^ : one ihoufand dabra of hono', each dabra cont.tining about fixty pounds weight, being a Ifirgc earthen vcffel. They pay, moi'eover, fif-' ^■en hundred oxen ami looo ounces of gold ; fortnerly tlie iiu nncr of jars of honey was four thoufand, but feveral of thef,' villages being daily givt'n to private peo-' pie by the king, the ritiiy is diminilhed by the cjuota it) alienated. The butter is all fold ; and, fince the fatal battle r>l Bcnja, the king's fbare comes only to about one thoufand jars. The officer that keeps the accounts, and fi.'cs the rents pai l, is f illed Agow Mizikev ; his port is worth one tboufarnl ounces of gold; .-»nd by'thi^ ' it may be Judged with what oeconomy this revenue is collei'ted. Tho'.igh Mr. Rruce hn'.i with hl;n two large tents fuf-ficietu/or his-people, hc.w.vs advifed-to take poffeflioH of' the houfes to fec'Jie ihcT inulfs and liorfes fro.n tliicvti () 6 in the ni^ht, :is alfo from tlic silTaiilts of wild licafls of which tins country is full. Alinoll every fmall collection of houfes has behind it :i large cave, or fiibtcrrn-neous dwelling, dug in the rock, of a prodigious capacity, and which mull have been a work of great taUoiir. It is not poflible at this diftancc of time, to fay whctiicr thefc caveriu were the ancient hubitation of the Agow»-when they were Troglodytes, or whetlier they were intended for retreats upon any alarm of an irruption pf the Galla into their country. On the gth of November, Mr. Bruce having finiflied his memorandum releatiiig to thefe remarkable places, traced again on foot the whole courfe of this river from its fource to the plain of Goutto. Me was unattended by any one, having with him only two hunting dogs, and his gun in his hand. The quantity of game of alt forts, cfpecially the deer kind, was, indeed, fumrifing ; but though he was. as ufual, a very fuccefsful Qjortfman, he was obliged, for want of help, to leave each deer where he fell. They lleep in the wild oats, and do not rife till you arc about to tread upon them, and then Hare at you for half a (ninute before they attempt to run off. Our travellers having now finifhed their bufincfs, nothing remained but to depart. They had paflcd their time in perfeft harmony ; the addrefs of Woldo, and the great attachment of their friend Irepone, had kept their Jioufe in a chearful abundance. '1 hey had lived, it is true, too magnificently for phifofophers, but neither idly nor riotoufly ; and he believes never wilt anyß'trdgn of Geelh be again fo popular, or reign over his fubjcčta with greater mildnefs. Mr. Bruce had praftifed mediciiic gratis, anS killed, for three days fuccelFively, a cow each Say for the poor and the neighbours. He had cloathed the high prieft of the Nile from head to foot, as alfo his two fofis, and decorated two of his daughters with beads of all the colours of the raj^bow, adding every ether-little prefent they feemed fond of, or that our travellers thought wouFd be agreeable. As for their amiable Irepone, they had referved for her the choiccll of their prefents, the moft valuable of every ariicle they had with them, and a large proportion of every one of of them, they atfo gave her fome gold ; but (he, raorr generous and nobler in her fentiments than they, feemed to p;iy little attention to thefe that announced to her the feparation from her friends ; (lie tore her fine hair, which fhc had every day before braided in a newer and more graceful manner; (lie tlirew herfelf upon the ground in tha honfe, and refuftd to fee our travellers mount on horfcback, or take their leave, and came not to tho door till they «'ere already fet out, then followed them witli her good wilhes and her eyes as far as ihe could fee or be heard. Mr. Bruce took his leave of Kefla Abay, the venerable prielt of the moft famous river in the world, who reco^nmended him with great e^irncftnefs to the care of his god, which as one of our travellers hutnoroufly enough obferved, meant nothing lefs than he hoped the devil would take him. All the young men in the village, with laaces and (hields, attended them to Saint Michael Sacala, that is, to the borders of their country, and end ot Ml. Uruce's little fovcreignty. travels -o--o——o—o--o——o- TRAVELS To D I S C OV E R The SOURCE of the NI L E. BOOK VII. Rtliirti /rim the .^mtrce c/ the Nile to Condai-—Mr. Entce pnfares io lea-vc Jiyßnitt. ON the loch of November, xqio, our travellers left Gccdi in their return to Gondar, and palTcJ the Abai", under the church of Saint Michael Sacal;i. The next day, they continued their journey in their former road, and in the afternoon they halted at the hoiife of Shalaka Welled Amlac, with whom Mr. Bruce was well acquainted at Gotidar; his houfe is calletl \Vt'lled Abea Abbo, from a church of Abbo about an eighth part of a niile diftant. Here Mr, Bruce fettled with his fcrmer j^ulde W'oldo, to his perfefl fatisfaftion, anti canceiled eniitely the me-jnory of fome difagreeable things { aiTcd. 1-le tln-n ton-figtied our travellers very folcranly to Ayto Aylu's fer-vant, in prefencc of Welled Amlac, and then took his l;;ave. On the nth of November, having fettled their arcount with iheir h<)!l, they fet out from the hofpitable houfe of Shalaka Welled Amlac. 1 heir lan^ilord accompanied chciB in pctfon to ihe ford, and by this, and his readincfs rcadtners to flicw tliem \viiat he tliought worthy of ihcir curioilty, and by his carc in afcertaining for them the diftaiices and fituntions of places, he gave them a certain prociF he was well contented, and therefore that they had nothing to fear. They gained with difScultj' the middle of the river, where the bottom was firm, and theie they rcfted a little. Whilfl they were wading near the other fide, they found foul ground, but the water was niallow, and the banks low and eafy to afcend. The river fide, as far as ihey could fee, was bare and defltlnte of wood of any kind, only l)ordered \vith thifties and lii,!;h. grafs, and the water tinged deep with red earth, of which its banks are com-pofcd. 'This paflage is called Debikus, and is paffable tVom the end of Oftober to the middle of May. Jmmc-diately on ihe top of the hill afcending from the river is the fmall town of Delakus, which gives this ford its name; it is more confidcrable in appearance than is the generality of thefe fmall towns or villages in Abyf-Jiiiia, becaufe inhabited by Mahometans only, a trading, frugal, intelligent, and induftrious people. 'I'lieiv conduftor, Welled Amlac, put our travellers in mind of the fervice he had rendered them, and they were "ot unmindful of him. He had been received with very great refpeft at t!ie laft place, and it is incrcdible with what cxjiedirion he fwallowed near a jwiiid of raw flefh cut from the bnttccks of the animal yet alive. After lome horns of liydromel, lie pafled to the other fide, ^^'here he was received with (till more afTcftion, if pofli-l^le, by \\ ellera Michacl, and there he began again to «■at the raw meat with an appetite as keen as if he had faßed for whole davs; he then configncd our travellers »0 A_vto ^\'elteta Michael, bis friend, who furnillied them'ii-ith a fervant to condufl them on'their way, while he himfelf remained that night at the ford. They left the ford at firc^in the evening, and, purfiiisig' their journey north, they pafTed the fmall town of De-lakus, continuing along the hiil among litilc fpots of l)ru(h-\vood and fmall fields of corn intermixed. Maitfha, the place our travellers were now preparing to leave, is governed by Jtiinetv-nine Shums, and is an »ppcndage of the officc of iictwtidct, to whom it p.y an s two two tluiufrfiiJ üitiices of gold. The people are origJ-nally of thofc Cialla welt of the Abay. Yafous ilie Great, wlien at war villi that people, who, in many jiroccdiiig reigns, had laid walle the piuvinces oi Gojain and Damot, and efpccially Agow, when he palled the Abay, found thcl'c people at variance among therafclves ; and the king, who was every where viitorious, being joined by the wcakeil, advanced to Narca, and, on his return, tranCplantcd tliefe Galla into Mailllia, placing part of them along the Nile to guard the pafles. His fiiccetrors at different times followed his example; part tliey fettled in Maitiha, and part along the banks of the Nile in Dainot and Gojam, where being converted to Chriftinnity, at leaft to fuch Chrlftianity as is profeffed ill Abytlinia, they have tncrcafed exceedingly, and amounted, at leaft before the war in 1768, to 15,000 men, of whom about 4000 aie hoifemcn. Mr. Bruce's fcrvants and baggage arrived at Gondar, while he himfelf went to Kofcani, and thus finiftied their long-proje£lcd expedition, or journey, to the fonntaiia of the Nile, having, in their return home, made as it ■were the chord of the arch of theii former journey, or about ninety-three miles. It %vas not till the 43d of November, owing, to the troubles that then reigned in the capiial of Abyffinia, that Mr. Bruce faw the Itcghc. She fenc for hltn early in the morning, and had a large brcakfalt prepjired : ihe looked very much worn out and indifpofed. When he came firft into her prefcnce, he kneeled, with his forehead to the ground. She put on a very ferious countenance, and, without definng him to rile, faid gravely to her people about her, " There, fee that madman, who in times like theft, when wc the natives of the country are not fafe in our oh n houfes, ralhly, againft all advice, runs out into the fields to be hunted like a wild bead hy every robber, of which this country is full." She then made him a fign to rife, which he did, and kifled her hand. " Madam, (faid he,) if I did this, it was in confcquence of ihe good lelfons your majclty deigned to givcmc."—" Me! (fays flis,) with furprife, waa it [ that advifed you, at ^uch a time as this, to put yourfelf in the way ef men like Coque Abou Barca, and W'o d- aj-e age Afahel, to be ill-ufed^ robbed, and probably mur-?"—" No, {faid Mr. Bruce.) Madam, you cer-t:iin!y never did give mc fuch advicc; but you mull own that every day i have heard you iay, when you was (lircatened by a multitude of powerful enemies, that you was not afraid, you was in God's bands, and not ia tlieirs. Now, Madum, Providence has hitherto protedlcd you : I have, in humble imitation of you, had the fame Chriftian confidence, and 1 have fucceeded. 1 knew I was in God's hands, and tJiercfüre valued not the bad intentions of ail the robbers in Abyf-finia." Mr. Bruce next proceeds to give the liiftory of the Abyffinians during his refidence among them. 1 his fubjeft employs feveral (hects; but, as they contain only a detail of horrid rebellions, battles, blood and Haughter, and fuch as tiic readers of this abridgement can be no ways interefted in, we (hall content ourfclves with ob-ferving, that Mr. Bruce feems to have fhewn great courage in feveral inftances, and on that account was prefented by the king with a large chain of gold, with very mafly links, which he doubled twice, and ihen put it over Mr. Uruce's neck. The chain confi.ted of 184 links, each cf them xveighinj 3 i-ii pennyweights of fine gold. " k was with the uiinuft reluftance, {fays Mr. Bruce) thnr, being in want of every thing, I fold a great part of this honourable dirtiniSinn at Sennaar in my return home. It is hoped my fucceffors will never have the fame e:;cufe 1 had for further dirainilhing this honourable monument which I have left ihcm." After the troubles had ccjfcd, anil Ras Mich.-iel, of uhoni we have before fpoken, was fent away prifoner from Condar, the queen returned to Kofcam, where Mr. Rruce palled a great part of his time ; but his health declining every dav.he had obtained, with great difficulty, liberty from her to attempt his return home. The king, too, after a hundred exceptions and provifos, had at length been brought to gi\ e an unwilling confent. Captain Thomas Price, of the Lion of Bombay, had been obliged, by his bufinefs with the govern:nent of Mctca, to coatiiiuc at Jidda, till the fcufon after Mr. Brucc Bruce went from thcncc to Abyfliiiia. He had alrcaily heard once from him, am) now a ftcond time. He informed Mr. Bruce, chat his totintrj meii had been in th« greateft |.i»in for him ; that fevera! reports had been cur-retit, both at Jidda and Mocha, of his having been airafBnated ; fometinies it was faid liy the Navhc of Mafuah ; fomctiines that it liad happened at Gondar; b)-othors at Senna->r. in his return home. Captain Prirc wrote in this lall letter, that, thinking Mr. Bruce mtiil be diltrefTed for want of mnney, he had Jeft orders with Ibrahim .Ser.it}", liie Englifii broker at jidda, to advance iiiiu !o " crowr.s, dcliring his driiit to bi>fcnt to Ibrahim, directed to him or hii brother at Pombay, and to make it payable to agentleman of that name who lived in Smithfidd. Mr. Bruee's refoluiion being now taken, and leave obtained, he confiders this as the proper pUce to refumc the account of his finances. Mr. finice had occafioually borrowed from a Greek, whofe name wati Petros. 'Ihis man was originally a native of the ifland of Rhodes, ■which he mult have left early, for he ivä« not at this time much jiall thirty ; he had been by trade a (hoeni.-iker. For what rrafon he Icfi bis own country, Mr. Bruce dots not know, hut he wa*; of a very pkaling figure and addrefi, thougli very timid. The le^hč very much (iiftinguiflird him, and the king had made him Aw-Ifffa el Caniitlia, which anfwcrs precifciy to groom of the Uo!e, or finl lord of the bed-chamber in Kngland. Being pbant, civil, and artful, Tind always well-drellt:d, be had gained the good graces of the whole court; he was alfo rich, as the king was generous, and his perqut-files not inconfidcrable. After one of the campaigns, in which a dwarf was (hot who was (landing before Kas Michael, and liie palace fet on fire in the fray which foilowe'i, the crown, which was under Fetros's charge, was melted; the gold, indeed, that it confided of, was afterwards found, but there was faid to have been on the top of it a pearl, or jewel, of immenfc price and fize, larger than a pigeon's egg; and this, whatever it was. had difapjieared. being in all probability confumcd by the fire. K»s MichacI, on tlie tonirarv^ contrary, believed that it had been taken out by Pctroa with a view to iell it, and for this reafon he had con-üantly rcfufcd him liberty to Jeave AbfiTinia, and had kept him always in fear, that fome day or other he would Ihip him of all that lie had faved. While Michael was bdicging the mouniaiii Haramat, Petros befeechcd Mr. Erute to take 30 1. of him, and give him his fir(t, fecoiul, and third bill of extliangc upon Meflrs Julian and RoIh, his corrcfpondents at Cairo, payable a month after fij^ht, to the Miirciiiitc Eidiop ot Mount Sitiai, after V'hith he fetout for his own country, in funnn jinupetif, and thereby efcaped the rapacity of lioth Ras Michael and the Nay be of Mafuah. As for the bill, it came duly to hand, and was paid to the Wdiopj-who would very fain have received for each of the duplicates, and was near being bafunado'd for infifting upoti this before the Bey at Cairo. Mr! Bruce had made a (licw, and, as he himfelf fays, with fomc degree of oftentatiou, of fending his gold, c)iain to Cairo by the hands of Metical Agas fcrvani, declaring always that it was the only of Abvfiiniaii fjold he (hould carry out of the country, which lie was to leave, buih in faft and appeatancc, a pftnpi-r. Mules are the only beafts äüi carnage commonly ufcJ in Abyllinia, though buKs and cows, of a particular kind, are bought for the purpofe by carrierp, merchants, and fuch like, in that country, cfpecially near the minis or quarries of fait; they aie very flow, however, ancapa h!c of no gftat burden, though very eafily ni;iiiitaincd. Mr. Bruce had abundance of mules of his 0..11 tor carrying his inllruments and bagga};^, and tho king and Iteghč fiiiniflied him with others for his owrt Tidmg. He liad, befides, two favourite horfes, which lie intended to attempt £0 carry home, foolitlily enough ; for though be tlioiight in his own mind, that he was lufti-ciently informed oC, and urcpnred for ail forts of hiirdfliips, he bad not lorefcen the hundreth part of the d-riicuities and dangers that were tlien awaiting .^incc the Iteghč had returned, Mr. Hriicc always lived at Koftam by her own defire, as her health «'as very piccarious fuicc l.er rcfidcntc in CJojum, 'Iliii fuiteil his his intfntion of withdrawing piivately, and thePfforr, not to multiply ihc number oi leave-takings, lie iiad reduced his whole attendance to the king and tjueen. Mr. Bruces whole atiention was now taken up in preparations for his rel;urn through the kingdom ot Sennaar and the defert. Mr. Brute's does not wiili to take up the reader's time with a lon^g nnrrativc of leave-taking, or what paffed between him and thofe illudrioiis pej--fonages, with whom he had lived fo long in the moit perfe*;!; and cordial frlcndftiip. Men of Httie, and envious minds, would perhaps think he was compofing a panegyric upon hlmfelf, from which, therefore, he fays, he moft willingly refrains. Mr. Bruce then mentions what paded at the laft interview he had with thelteghe, two days before his departure. 'lenfa Chriftos, who was one of the chief priefts of Gondar, was a nalive of Gojam, and confe. quently of the low church, or a follower of Abba Eufta-ihius, in other words, as great an enemy as polTible to the Catholic, or as they will call it, ibe religion of the Franks. He was, however, reputed a perfon of great probity and fanöity of manners, and had been on all oc-cafions rather civil and friendly to Mr. Bruce when they met, though evidently not defirous of any intimate connexions or friendihip j and as Mr. Bruce, on his part, expeiled little advantage from connefting liiinfclf with a roan of his principles, he very willingly kept at all potTi-ble diftancc. This priert came often to the-Itcghe'sand Ayto Aylo's, with both of whom he was much in favour, and here Mr. Pruce happened to meet him. when he was lakins; his leave in the evening. " I beg of you, (faid lie) Yagönl«, as a favour, to tell me, now you are immediateSy going away from this country, and you can anfwer me without fear. Ate you really .t Frank, or are you not f"—Sir, (faid Mr. JJruce) I do not know what you mean by fear ; I fhoald as little decline anfwering you any quellion you have to alk kad I ten years to flay, as now 1 am to quit this country to-raorrow : I came recomrncinkd, and was well received by the king and Ras Michael; 1 neither taught nor preached ; no man ever heard me fay a word about my particular modeof worftiip; and as often as my duty ^mv has cnlled me, I have nerer füiled to attend divine fervice as it is cftablil'hcd in this country. What is tlie ground of fear that 1 (liould have, while under ihe kin-i's }irotcrtion,and cullomsof Abyffiniar '—" True, (replied Tenfii Chriftos) I do not fay you fhould be alarmed ; whatever your faith is I would di-fcnd you myfelf; the ItegSic knows I always fpoke well of you, but will you gratify an old man's curiolity, in telling me whether or not you reallv arc a Frank, Catholic, or Jefuit ?" *• I have COD great a regard, /replied Mr, Brucc) toth« requeft of a ma:;, fu truly good and virtuous as ytni, not to have anfvtcred you the ijueftion at whatever time you could have aikcd me; and I do now dcclare to you, l>y the word of a Cliridian, that my countrymen and I are JTiure dillant in matters of religion, from thefe yon call Catholics, Jefuits, or Franks, than you and your Abyfii-tiians are; and that a prieft of my religion, preadiinij in any country fubječi to thole Franks, would as cerlaiii!/ be brought to the gallows as if lie had cominitted murder, and jull as fpeedily as you would rto'.ie a Catholic prielt preaching here in the mldll of Gond^ir. Every man i i Bur country is allowed to fcrvc God in his own way ; an I as long as their teachers confine theinfelves to what the facred books have told them, they caT tench no ill, and therefore deferve no puiiiihment. No religion, indceri, teaches a man evil; but, ivhen forgetting this, they preach againft government, curfe the king, aiifolve his fiihjccts from allcgiancc, or incite thera to rebellion, as being luw-ful, the iword of the civil power cuts them olF, without any blame falling \ipon their religion, becaufe thefe things ^vere done in contradiilion to what tbcir priefts, from the fcripture, fliould have taught them were truly the tenets (if tliat very religion." I he Iteghe now interpofcd, and the fubječl was dropped. Mr. Bruce then got up, and, paffing to the other fide of the room, be ftood by Tenfa Chriftos. faying to him, " And now, holy father, I ha\-e one, lall liivour to alk you, which ia your Ibrgivenefs, if I have iit any time oIFendcd you ; your bleifing, now that 1 am immediately to depart, if i have not; and your prayers while on my Jong and dangerous journey, through couiuries of Infidels and I'agans." A huin A hum of applaufc founded all throughout the room.. The Itcghe faid fomcthing, but what, Mr. Bruce did not hear. 'J'enfa Chrillos was furpvifcd apparently at Mr. ilruce's humility, which he had nut cxpcclcd, and cried out, with tears in his eyes, " Is it pofliblc. Vagcmbc, that you believe my prayers can do you any good ?"__ 1 fhould not be a Chrifiian, as I profef:; tobe, l-;ithcr, (replied Mr, Bruce) if 1 had any doubt of the etTea of good men's prayers." So faying, lie floopcd to kils his hand, when he laid a fmall iron crofs upon his head and, to our travellers great furprife, inllcad of i bene* dičtion, rejK-ated the Lord's prayer. Mr. Bruce was afraid he would liave kept liim liooping till he fliould add tlie ten coinniandjiicnts likewifc, when he concluded, Criicr y' ßaracucj" May God blcfs you. After which, Mr. Bruce made his oheifancc to the Itcghe, and immediately withdrew, it not Iwiiig the culloni, at public audiences, to falute any one in the prefence of the fuvereign. Twenty greafy monks, however, had placed thrmfelves in his way as he went out, that they might liavc (he ere. dit of giving him the blefting likewife after Tenf^ Chriftos. As he had very little faith in the prayers of thefe drones, fo he had fomc reluftance to kifs . their greafy hands .ind fleeves; however, in running this difagreeable gauntlet, he gave them his blefling in Kn-glifb,—" l.ord fend you all a lialter, as he did to Abba ,Saljm:i," {meaning the Acab Saat.J But they, thinking he was recommending them to the patriarch Abba Salama pronounced at random, with great feeming devotioiij tJ.cir Amen,—So be it. TRAVELS TRAVELS to discoves. The SOURCE of the NILE. BOOK VIII. Mr. Bruce returns hy Setmaar ihrough Nubin and ihe gr^at dfjirt—Airives at Alexandria, and a/ienitarili at Siar-fiilki. ON the 26th of December, 177 i. at one o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Hfuce left (ioiular. He had purpofcd to fct out early in the morning, but was detained by the importunity of his friends. The king hnd delayed his fetting out, by fevcral orders fent liirn in the evening each day ; and he plainly faw there was fome meaning in ibis, and that he was wifliing to throw difficulties in the way, till feme accidcnt, or fudden emergency [tiever wanting in that country] fhould make itab-Jolrttdy impoflibte for him ra Tzai, having the moisntain on their right hand. Fronn the top oi" that afcent, they faw the plain and flat country below, black, and, in its appearance, one thick wood, which fome authors have callcd lately, the bhu-incta, or Nubian forcft. All the difailers ^^■hich Mr. Hnice had been thrcatrn-cd with in the courfe of the journey, which he had thus begun, now prefcntcd themfelves to his mind, ?nd made, for a moment, a flrong imprcfiion upon his fpirits. Tint it was too late to draw hack, llic dye was talt, for life or for death ; home was before him, however diftant; and if, through the proteftion of Providence, be fliotild he fortunate enough to arrive there, he promifed himfclf both eafc and the applaufe of his country, and of all unprejudiced men of fenfe and learning in Europe, for hav, in;;, bv bis Oivn private efforts alone, compleated a difto-vrry, which had, from early ages, defied the addrefs, in-(iutiry, and courage of all the w-orld. Having ratlier hardened, than comforted his heart by tKcfe reflciftions, he noiv advanced down the fteep fide of the rtjouniain, through very ftrong and rugged ground, torn up by the torrents that fall on every Jldelroin above. This is called tke Defccnt of Moura ; and though both they and their beads were in great health and fpirits, they could not, with their utmoit endeavours, aut ance much more than one iniiean hour. Two Greeks, one of whom only was his fervant, and a third, nearly blind, flying from poverty and want; an old janilTaiy, who had comc to AbyiSnia with the Abuna, and Copht who left them at Scnnaarj thefe, and fome coiTinioa men whit took charge of the bcalls, and were to go no furlher than Tchcrkin, were his only companions in this long and weary journey. On the 28th they entered a thick wood, winding round a hill, in a foiith-caft diretSion, to gee into the piain below, where ihey were furrounded by a great multitude of men, armed with lances, fliields, flings and Jarge clubs or flicks, who rained a ihower of ftoncs towards wards tlieiTi; bat they were at fucli a diftance, that all cf them fell gn arly fnoit of them. V\' liethiT this was owing tofear, 'ir tra-oilers tüLild not, nt-rtlici did ihey cndciivour to undcrlla.nl. While rc:liiv,f on ihe bjiiks of the river Mogetcli, tht.-y had been overtaken by tu o men, and two vuiien, who wers driving twti loaileJ ad'es, and were going tT 'I'therkiii ; they had dciired Icaw- to keep connpijj' with oitr tiavi'lli't't, forfi.'itr of danger mi the road. Mr. Brtirc had two Abylfinian fervants, but they were not yet comc up, attending one of the baggage mutes tiiar was lanr*.-They were obliged then to have recourfe to one of ihrfc flranger wo:ncn, who undetftood the language of'I igic, and undeitonk readily to carry tiieir mcii'jge ii) a ftranger, who was flill very hufy inaki.'ig fii^ns IrOt« behind a tree, without coming cue flcp nearer. Mr. Ilrucc's inclTage to thein was, that if they fl:cwei t!ie fmallell apinrHianee of fmther infnlence, either by approaching the iciit, or Hinging iton.-s th.u. night, the next morning, when tiic horfc he e>ipeikl" bou/.a, and to prej are hlty of b-e:id fir nox-t inornintf. The goat^ wetdiijiatched iiiflaittiy, fo wai the bou/a ; but when the moriiin;; came, the jict'plü bad ail fled from their houfi>. vi-ithcur p!e[iaring any bread. 'Ihcfeviliag es werccaUtd Giinbsar. i hey wcte ^ tiirce three in numlTcr ; e^c'^ fuuatcd upon the top of a pointed hill, in a tlirečlion from eafl to welt, and made a very beautiful appearance from the plain below. On the 29th, they loft the inhofpitable villages ..f Gimbaar, not without entertaining fome apprehenfioiiä of meeting the inhihitants again in the courfe of the day. Jint though they took every precaution againft being fur-jirifed, that prudcnce couiti dictate, their I'cars of the cn-cnantcr did net rife to any great height. Mr. Bruce gor, indeed, on horfeback, leaving his mule, and, putting on his coat of mail, leaving the lire-arms under the tom-trand of Hagi Ifmael, the old Turk, he roue always about a quarter of a mile before the baggage, thc:t they might not come fuddciily upon them, as they had done the night before. Ilov^xver, ihey met with no oppofi-tion, liut proceeded on to Waalia, and at half paft four in the afternoon encamped in the market-place. Waalia is a colleiftion of villages, each placed upon the top of a hill, .-ind incloling, as in a circle, an exttnfive flat piecc ofgrotind about three miles over, on ivhich a very w-ell-froqut nted market is kept. The n.ur.c is given jt from a fpccies of Ciiaall pigeons, with yellow brc.tfts and variegated back, thef.iteft and bed of iill the pigeon kind. Waalia l:es due N. VV. from Gondar. On the joth, they fet out from Waalia, and proceeded along the Mai l.utni, or the River of Lemons. A prodigious quantity of fru't loaded the branches of thefe trees even likely to break them ; and thefc were in all ftstges of rTpeneis. Multitudes of bloflbms covered the op-pofste part nf the tree, and fent forth the moft delicious odour polfible. They provided thcmfclvcs amply with this fruit. The natives make no ufe of it, but our travellers found it a great refrelTimcnt to them, both mixed with their water, and as fauce to their meat, nf which they had now no great variety fince iheir onions had failed thrin, and a fupply of them was no longer to be prticured. Thev foon after reached the pafs of Dav-Dohha, a very narrow defile, full of ftrafa of rocks, like ftcps of ftairs, but fo hi^h, that, without leaping, or being pulled up. no hoHc or mule can afcend. Befides, the d, not rellccting hoiv muny palies, full of real danger, were Itlll before them. On the moriiing of the 2d of January, 1772, Mr. Bruce having drellčd his häir, perfumed it according to the ciifloin of the country, and ^JUt on clean cloths, with no other arms but his knife, and a pair of piftols at his girdle, came out of the rent to mount his mule for 'I'clierkin. He now faw Confu's fcrvant, whofe name ivas W tlleta Yafuus, pulling the Guinea-fo^ls and pigeons Out of the pannier, where his fcrvants had put thetn, and flattering them upon the ground, faying to tliofe who interrupted hirn, " Throw away this carrion ; you fliail have a better breakfall and dinner, to-riay and turning to Mr, Hruce, more than ordinarily picafcd .nt feeing liim drefltd, arid that he continued to uli; the Abyfiinian habit, lie j.:iiiped upon hii mule, and apjieared in great f lirit-.. "I'hey all fct out at a bri(kcr pace than ufual, by t It aiTiftance of the two freth mules. They ;>aircd through the mittft of feveral fmall villages, and at ialt Mf. Hrute pitched his tent in the marketplace at Ttherkin, hich fecined a lieauiiful lawti laid tiut for pieafurc, lhaded with fine old trees, of an enormous height and fi7,e, and watered by a fmall but voy limped brook, running over beds of pebbles as white a$ fllO«'. The impatient Welleta Yofous would only give Mr. Bruce time to fee hi» quadrant and other inliruments falciy flowed, but hurried hira through a very narrow and crooked path up the lide of the mountain, at every turn of which was placed a great rock or Itone, the ftatton for mufvo elephants of tbof^: t]iat bad beeil dilcovered', wliici! were a (he one with a calt'. Tiie Aga^eer would willingly have let thefe alone, as the teeth oi (iie fejiule are very fuiall, and the yonng one is of no fart of value, even for food, its llefh fhrinicin^r UHich u[wn drying, liut the hunters would not be Hinit-ed in their fpoit. The people hin ing- obfcrved the place of her retr^-nt, tliither they eagerly followed. She was very ro.)H found, aid as foonlamed by tlie Agagcers; but when tiiey caiiic to wounJ her with the darts, as erery ünc did -It their turn, to tbeir very rn:'at fnrprife, tbe yuiing u!ie viiiith had bcon fuMcred tn" efcape unheeded and ii'.ipurfned, caiii; imt frorti the ih;rk.et ap)>arcnt!y in great anger, runiiing upon I he horfcs and ir!';n iviih all the violence it was jnader of. Mr. Hruee M'as am:i/.cd, and as iniicli as ever he wiis. apon Ineli an oci-alon, aiilifteti, at fe.-ing the gicjt alfe:li;iii of the liitle animal defending its wounded mythcr, hecdlefs (if its 0,1 n life or fafety. He il'.erefore cried to them for CJod's fake to fpare the nioiiior, thou':jh it wai t!ien too Lire ; nnd the o^lf had ma.lo feveral rude attacks np-.>n Mr,. Drixe, which ho a-voidi;,! without difliculty ; liut he fays !ic is happy to this tla)-, in the teilectior. tliai he did not iUike it. At Uli-, Hukljig one oi' iti attacks tspon Ayto Engedan, it hurt liiiii a liitle or> the leg ; iipon which be throil it thrntgh wiih hi.i lance, as ot Hers did after, and it then fell d;aJ liefere its wounded mother, \^■holn it had fo airertionatcly defended. " Mere (Mr. Bruce fay.^ is an example of a beafl, a young one loo, polTcliing abftraeled fentiments to a very id^h dcj>r: c. liy its fliuht oji tbe firil apji-'ara-.c - cf the hunters, it is ]>)ain it apprehended danger to itfelf, it aiio reileftcd iipoti that of its mother, which was the taufe of its return 10 lier aiiillancc. '! Iiis rdleutiiin cr duly, or let us c^dl it an/ thing we pleafc, cxcepi inliinJt. w.is than the f ar fif -d:! iger ; ami it inuil li.i/f t : :;:• Ii ar h,- r - : ''Ld- 't v.-,:. 1 it rcfolvcd to m^kc its bed and lull effbfts, for it never attcinpreci to % al'tcrwards," . Mr. Brucc and his party then fouglit about i«r thebuf-filoes and rhinoccrol'cs; biu th t>ngli there plciitv of both in the neighbourhood, ihc-y could not (ind tliem j their noifc and {hooting in the morning having probably feared them away. One rhinoccros was only Teen by a fervant. They returned in the e\'ening to a great fire, and !ay all night under the lliade of trees. Tiie next morning they were on horfebacli by the dawn of day in fearch of the rhinoceros, many uf wliieh they bad heard make a very deep groan and cry as the morning approached ; fevcral of the Agagecrs then joined them, and after they bad fcarched about an liour in the Very thiekeft part of the wood, one of them ruftied out with great violence, croffing the plain towards a wood of canes that was about two miles diftance. But though he ran, or rather trotied, with furpriling fpecd, tonfidering his bulk, he was, in a very little time, ttnnsfixcd with thirty or forty javelins; which fo confounded him, that he left his purpofe of going to the wood, and ran into a deep'Tiolc,. ditch, or ravine, z cd dcpic, wishout outlet, breaki»g- above a dozen of the javelins as he entered. Here they thought he was caught as in a trap, for he had ftarcc room to lurn ; when a fervant, who had a gun, Jtanding direflly over him, fired at his hca3, and the animal fell immediately, to all ;ipp°urdnce dead. Al! thofe on foot now jumped in M'ith their knives to cot him up, and they had fearce begun, when the anima! recovered fo far as to rife upon his knees; happy then vi-as the man that efcajied firft ; and had not one of the Agageers, who was himfelf engaged in the ravine, cut thefinew of the hind-leg as he was retreating, there would have lieen a very forrowful account of the foot-hunters that day. After having difpatchcd him, Mr. Bnicc wjs curious to fee what wound the fhot had given, which had operated fo violently upon fo huge an animal; and he doubted not it was in the brain. Rut it had liruck him no where but upon the point of the forcmoft horn, of which it had carried off above an inch ; and tbis -ficcaiioned a concuffion that had Ilunned hini for a roinütc, till the bleeding had iccovcred recovered him. Mr. Bruce prefer. ed the horn from ca-riofity, and lias it now by Inm. 'J'hey had not gone far before a wild boar arofe between Mr. Bruce and Ayto Engedan, which our traveller immediately killed with his javelin. This was the /port Mr, Bruce had been many years ufed to in fiarbary, and was infinitely more dextrous at it than any of the prefpnt company ; this put him more upon a par with Jiis companions, who had not failed to laugh at him, upon his iiorfe'« lefufal to carry him near either to liie elepliant or rhinoceros. Ammonios was a man of approved courage and con-duft, and had been in all the wars of Ras Michael, and was placed about Ay to Confu, to lead the troops, curb the prefumption, and check the iinpctuofity of that youthful warrior. He was t.ill, and aukwardly reade; flow in fpeech and motion, fo much as even to excite ridicule ; about fixty years of age, and more corpulent than the Abyffinians generally are; in a word, as. pedantic and grave isi his manner as ii is poflible to exprefs. He fpent ■his whole leafure time in reading the fcripiure, nor did lie willingly difcourfe of any thing elfe. fie had been bred a foot foldier; aod,. though he rode as well as many of the Abyffinians, yet, having long fiiri up-leathers, with iron Lings at the end of them, into which he put his nalied toe only, inllead of ftirrups, he had no ikength or agility on horfeback, nor v/as his bri'dlc fuch as could command his horfe to ftop, or wind and turn (liarpiy among trees, though he might make a tolerable figure on a plain. A boar, rouied on our right. ! ...i wounded a horfc and a fuotman of Ayto Comu, and then efc.nped. Two buffäloes were found by thofe on the right, one of which wounded a horfe likew'ifc. Ayto Confu, Engedan, Fue-bva Mariam, and Mr. Bruce killed the other with equal fbarc rif merit, without being in any fort of danger. Ail this was in little more tlian an hour when their fport fccmcd to be at the bed ; their horfes were confiderabiy blown, not tired, and though they were beatir.g homewards, ßill they were looking very keeniy for more game. Ammonios was on the left among the" hi^fhes, and fi-ine !.-rgt-, beautiful, tjll fpreading-trteSj clofc'on the banks I' 6 of ihc river Eedowi, whkh ftands chcrc in pools. Whc-thi'i- the LiuiTnlo found Ammonios, or Ammonios the bi»il';ilü. is what they ciuid never get him to explain to them; but lie liad woundt-d llic hcaft flifhtly ill thu buttock, vvhitli, in return, had gored hi'« horfc, and thrown both him and it to the ground. Liiclilly, however, hii cloak had fallen off, which the buff-jio lore in pieces, and employed himleif fur a minute with that and witli the horfe, but then left them, and followed t he man as foon as he law him rife and run. Ammonios got behind one large tree, and from tha: to another fKU larger. The butialo turned very aukwardly, but kept clofe in purfuit; and there v.as nt> doubt he would have worn out their companion, who was not ufed to fucli quick motion. Ayto P^ngedan, who was nearhi'n, and might have affiled him, was laughing, ready to die at the tlfoll figure a man of Amtr.onios's grave carriage m.ide, tunning ard (kipping about naked, with a fwiftiitis he had never prac-tifed all his life before ; and Engcdan continued calling to Confu to p.irt.Tkc (tf the diverlion. The momeiit Mr. Htucc heard his repeated tries, he galloped out of the bufiiea the pla^^ where he was, and could not help laughing at his ridiculous Kgure, very attentive to the bealls motions, which feemtd to dodge with great addrefs, and keep to his advetfary with tl'.e utmell oV.ftinacy. As foot) as Engcdan faw Mr. Bruce, he cricd, " Vugoube ! for the love tu'CIirlft ! for the love of tiie bleffed virgin ! don't interfere till Confu coinos up." Confu imtnediatfly arrived, and laui;hed jnore ih.Tti EnjjC.lan, but did not offer to interfere ; on the contrary, he tlai;fH;d his hands, and cricu, Well dune, Ammonios," fwearing he never faw fo equal a match in his life. The unfortunate Aratnonios had been driven from tp;e to tree, till he had gut behind one witb-ir. a few yards of the n.-iler ; but the htufli-wood upon the banks, and his attention to t)ie buffalo, hiiulcred him fe-oiu ftcing how far it was below him. Nothing could I,e more ridiLuloL;s than to fto.him holding the tree with biith his liaiids, peeping iir!l one way, and then another, to fte by whicli t te beaft would turn. And well he i.iight Ik -n Iiis g'la.-d ; for th; an'm.il was alif: h'.tely M r-.y "".i!. • t't- »;.! ii!: 1. . • i behind. "Sir, {Mi Mr. Bruce, to Ayto ConfuJ thiswill be but an ugly joke to-night, if we bring home that man 's corpfc, kiked in tile very midft of usj while we were looking on." -Saying, this, he parted at a canter behind the trees, crying to Aminiuiios to throw hirpfeif into the water, when he Oiould ftrike the heaft; and feeing the buffalo's head turned from Mr. Hruce, at fuU fpeed, be ran the fpeat into the lower part or i>is belly, through Ills whole interlines, lill it came out above a foo5 on the other fide, and there he left it v/ith a view to iiindcr the bafFalo from turning. It -rtas a fpear wl.jch, though Jmall in the head, had a llj-on^, tüugh, feafoncd flialt, which did not break by ftiiking it againft the trees and bullies, and it pained and iinp^'ded the animal's, motions, till Ammonios quictiiifr the tree, daÜicd through the buflies with fonie difficulty, and threw hinifelf into the river. But here a danger cccnrred that Mr. Bruce had not forefccn. 1 he pool was-vi-iy deep, and Ammonip:^ could not fwim ; fo that though he efcaped from the buffalo, he would infallibly have been drowned, had he not caught bold of fome ilrong roots of a tree fiiooting out of the b.rnk ; and there he lay in perfedt lafet)' troin the cneniy diL liic fetvants went round, and brought Jiim out of the pool on tlie furihcr fide. In the mean t!n>e, the bufi'aio, n^ortally wounded,feeing his ei-.cmy had tfcapet!, kept his eyes inient upon th.e hunters, who were about forty yards from him, walking backwards lowards the company, with intent to tura fuddeniy upon the neareft horfe; when Ayto Confu ordered two mesi with guns to Ihoot him through the head, and ho infJa.-itly fell. The two they finl: kilkd were females ; this laft was a hull, and one of the larjeft, con-feOcdly, that had ever been feen. Tho^'gh not fat, Mr. ]3ruce'luppofes iie weighed nearer fifty than forty ftone. His horns ironi the root, following ihe line of tht> curve, were about fifty-rwo inches, ar.d nearly nine whtre thicktfl in the eircumfctence. Tliey \rerc flat round. Ayto Confu ordered ihe head to be cut off, and cleared of its fleni, fo that the horns and Ikelcton of the head only remained ; this he hung up in his great hnll Among t'-c pro'.n:.!.-cs o." ; in:ti:i ;Ls, i,!' rl • i-.i- cprofes, with this inftriptinn in Iiis own language, " goii/ie ike l^ift kiUcJ t/:i< up-.n the ficiiow." Tilt: evening of the day whereon they fct out to hunt, fomt- msri arrived from Ras el ]''tel fent by Yafine, with cainelj for their bagi^ngc, nothing hut mu'les being ufi'it at'I'cherkin. 'I'ht-y brought word, that the Shangalla were down near the TacJZ/c, Co that now was the lime to pafs without fear; th;it Abd cl Jeleel, the former Shiim of Rasel Feel, Yaliiie's mortal enemy, Jind been feen lurking in the country i"iear Sancaho; but as he liad only four men, and was himi'elf a known coward, it was not probable he would attempt any thing mgaiiid our traveücrs, though it wotild be always better for them to keep on their guard. 'I clierkin has a market on Saturdays, in which raw cotton, cattle, Iioney, and coarfe cofton cloths are fold. The Sbangalla formerly inoltftcd Teherliin greatly, but for thiriy years pail: they had done Utile damage. Tlie finali-pox raged fo violently for a number of years among them, that it greatly diminifhetl their numbers, and confc-tjuently their power of troubling their neiglibours, On 'Wednefday the eighth of January, Wr. Bruce, hai'ing reftified his quadrant with gicat attention, found the latitude of Tcherkin, to be t ^j" 7' 55" north. But thfiUgh from that time he was rc.idy to depart, he could not poffibly get difenjjaged from his friends, but by a compoficion, which was, that he (hould (lay till the 15th, the day bcfcrc Oioro Efiher and her conip.my were to f;:t out on their return to Gondar; and that ihey, on (heir part, flimild fuffer Mr. Bruce 10 depart on tliat day, without further pcrfuafion, or throwing any obllacle whatever in his way. On the morning of ihe i jth of January, they left Tcherkin, and entered immediately into tlii,ck woods; but proceeded very flowJy, t!ie road being bad and unknown, if it could be called a road, and their camels {A'crloadtd. On the I-til in the morning, rhcy came to Sancaho, an old i'rontier territory of AbyiUn-a. Ttie town may ccmfill of about 3C0 huts or houfcs, neatly built of cunes, r.nd curioufly thatched with leaves of the fameft rifcs in the mi-Ui of a plain, arid refemblcs in Ihape Tcherkin ERUCE's TRAVELS. Toherkin Amba, though much larger; a confiderable tUf- triftail around belongs to it, ot wilds and woods, if fuch as thcfe, abandoned entirely to wild beads, can be faid to belong (oany man. The caft end Hopes with rather a ttcep defcent into the plain; and through that is a narrow windirsg road, fecmingly the work of art, beinn-obftrafted at turns by huge ftones, and at different fta-gcs, for the purpofe of dcfsnce by guiis or arrows ; all the other fides of the rock are perpendicular precipices. The inliabitants of the town are Haafa, a rjce of Shan-galla, converted to the Mahometan religion. Oti the 2oth, our travellers proceeded but a mile and a half; their i>eafts and themfelves being equally faijgued, and tlwir cloaths torn all to rags, when they arrived at Guanjock, which is a very delightful fpot by the river fide; fmall woods of very high trees, interfperfed_ with very beautiful lawns ; feveial fields alio cultivated v/!th cotton; variety of game (efpecially Guinea fowls, in great abund-ince) and, upon every tree, par-roqucts, of all [he dili'erent kinds and colours, compofe the beauties of Guanjo(>k. Mr. Bruce faw no parrots, and fuppofes there were none; but on firing a gun, the firft probably ever heard in thofe woods, there was fuch a fcreaming of other birds on all fides, fome flying to the place whence the noife came, and fome Hying from it, that it was impoßible to hear diiUnftly any other found. 1 hey continued the journey from thence, and at a quarter after one came to Mariam-Ohha, and at half jjaft three arrived at Hor-Cacamoot. Hor, in that country, fignilles the dry deep bed of a torrent, which has c"'afcd to run; and Cacamoot, the fliade of death ; fo that Yafinc's village, where they noxv took up tlieir quarters, is eailcd the Valley of the Shadow of Death: A bad om;n for weak and wandering tra-^'ellers as they were, furrounded by a multitude of dangers, and fo far from home, that there feemed to be but one that could bring tln:m thither. Tlicy truftcd in Him, and Me did deliver them. Hor-Cacamoot is fituated in a plain In tlie midft of a wood, fo much only of which has been cleared away as to make room for the miferable hi;ts of which it conlifts and for thcfmall fpots of ground on which they fow mal 11a, ftiilla, or maize, lo fiirniih ttiem v/ith firenil. Their other fooii conülts eniircly of the fitfh of ihe flci-hant arid rhiiiut'eros, and thiefly of the former, for ihc rrou-lilc of hunting tlie elpphant is not greater than chafing ihf rhinoceros, and the difFersncc of gain is much f»()c-lior. 'I'he elcpliatit ha^ a greater <]uantit)' of bftter f.efl), while his large teeth arc\t'rv valuable, and nffiird a ready price every where. The inhab-tan^s bc'ng fttie acquainted with the L;fe of fire-arms, the fmalJcr game, of the deer kind, are not much moieded, unlefs Ijy ti.e \vtid Sliar.galla, who make tifii of bows and arröws, fo that ilwJe animals are inercaiefi beyond imagin ilion. Kas el Fee! confiiled once ol' lliiny-nine villages. All the Araiii of Atbara reforted to tliem uith biitier, hOr ney, hori< s, poki, and many oiher commodities; and ilic Sliekh of Atbaia, liv.'ng upon the fromier of Sennaar, ciitcrti'iiied a conftaiit good ccrrcfpondenec v.'itli thn Shekh I)f Ras el lee!, to whom he fent yearly a IJoii^ola liorfe, two ra/'-rs, aud Iwo dogs, live Shekh of Rase] Kiel, in return, gave hirn a mule and a female flave; and the efitrt of this intercourfe wai to keep all the iniermediate Arabs in thtvir duiy. Pus fince the expedition I'f Yaft.us H.-againil t^enniiar, no jH'ace luis ever fubfiiled between the two dales ; e cing for their lives; th;; ^Vi/^.v^'j. or iioi-vi-i'id, having- liruck tk'in not I ;;ftci t'.,ey i.;«.! il-t out from l:^iitrili;i, and their !jt;!e coiiij any, all but Mr. lirjcc, fell lick with the tjLihniity of pjifonous vapour that they li:id imbibed. Ciir traveller li3p;)ofcs, thiit from Rafhid to Iinferrha it is about five iuil« ; and though ir is one of 'he molt dangerous halting places between Ras cl Feel and ^cnna.ir, yet ihey were fo e-nervati'd, thiir flomachs fo weak, and tlie'r head-aclis fo violent, thai ihi-i' could not pitch their tent, but caeli wrapping hiiiiiVlt ia his cloa.-;, r^ligjied hmilflf immediately 13 ileep, ti!i:lfr the cool fiijde of tlie large trees, inviied bv the pleafant !>ri'cze Irom the north, whieli f.c.ned to be inerely local, confi:;cd to tbis fmall grovq, created probably by the vicinity ot the water, and the agitation they had oceanoned in it. In thi-; belplefs flate tü whicii thev were reduced, Mr. Kruce alone cor.riiuicJ not vveak-. iied by th;; Siniootii, nor overcome by flcep. A Ganj:ir .-Xr.ib, wbo drove aii afs htden with fait, took tliis opportunity of llcaSin^ otic one of tilt iTiulcs, together with a lance and fhleld belonging to one of Mr. Kruct's fcrv.mts. The counirv-ivMs (o'lvootlj', aiitl lie linii fo much the ailvnnt.ipe of thtjTi in ppint of time, and tKcy ucre in fo weak aiidtiif-čourgcil a ftatc, th.it it was thought in vain to piirfuc him one ftt-p. So he got otF with Iiis booty, unlcfs he was intercepted by Himc oi thofc wild bcalls, ivliich he would find every where in Iiis way, i\l:cthcr he return, (d to R;i5 cl Feel, or the frtmtiers of Kuara, his own country. Hnving rcfrcthed tlicmfelvcs with a little flpcp, the next thing was to fill their girbas, or (kins, with water. But before they attempted this, Mr. Bruce thought to try an txperiment of mixing about twenty drops of fj-.irit of nitre in a horn of « ater about the fizc of an ordinary tumbler. This he foun-i greatly refrcHu-d him, though his head-aeh iUll continued. It had a much better efl'eft upon his fervants, to whom he gave it; for they all fecmed immediately recovered, and their fpirits much more fo, from the reflečtion that they had with them a remedy they could truft to, if they {hould again be fo unfortunate as to meet tliis poifonous iviud or vapour. On the 23d, which was the fevcnth day ftncc they had left Ras cl Feel, they arrived at Tcawa, the principal village and refidencc of the Shekh of Atbara, between three and four miles from the ruins of Garigana, The whole diftance, then, from Hor-Cacamoot, may be about fixty-fiVC miles to Tcawa, as near as Mr. Bruce then could compute. The ftrength of Teaw.i was about 25 horfe, of w>^!ch about ten were armed with coats of mail. The. had about a dozen of firolocks, very contemptible from the order in v/hich they weve kept, and fiiil moie f» fr.pm the hands that bore them. The reft of the inhabitants might amount to twelve hundred men, naked, miferable, and defpicable Arabs, like the reft of thofc that live in villages, who are much ioferior in courage to the Arabs that dwell in tents; weak as its ftate »as, it was the feat of government, and as fuch a ccriatn degree of re-vsrencc attended it. Such was the'late of Teawa. It« confequcnve was only to remain till the Dawifla tbnnld refolva icfuh-c to .ittack Ir, when its corn fields being- burnt and deftroycd in a night by a moltirude of horfemcn, ihe boijcs of its inhabitants fcaitcrtd upon iiie earth would be 3Ü its remains. We mjiy jud^ of tlie dangerotis fituation of NFr. Eruce at Tcawa from wliat jijtifed between him Siid Fi-dcle, the Shekh, who was a man of .1 moit infamous chiiraftcr. Mr. Bnice being fmt for b)' the Shekh, he found him fitting in a fpacious room, in an alcovc, on a large broad fofa like a bed, with India curtains g.tdier-cd on e?ch iide into feftoons. He called to a black bij^' who attended him, in a very furly tone, to bring him a pipe ; and, in much the farce voice, foid to Mr. firuce, "What! alone ?" Otirtraveller replied, " Yes, wi:at are your commands with mc ?" Mr. Brucc faw he either wa;, or afTefted to be, drun'rf, and which ever ivas the cafe, he kneiv it would lead to mifchief; he therefore repented heartily of having come into the houfc alone. After he had taken two whiffs of his pipe, and the (lave had left the room, " Arc you prepared ? (faiil he) !:a'.-e you brought the needful along with you ?" Mr. Bruce withed to have occafion to join Soliman, his fer-vant, nnd anf\v'ercfl, " My fervants are at the outer door, and have the vomit you wanted." D—n you and the vomit to3, (faid he with great paffion) I w:uit Uit'ney, and not poifon. NVherc are your piaifres ?" " I am a kidperfon (replied Mr. Bruce) to furnifli you with either. I have neither money nor poifon ; but I advife you to tirink a little warm water to clear your ftomach, cool your head, anJ then lie down and compofe youifclf; I will fee you to-morrow morning." Mr. Bruce was go-irg out. " Haikim, (faid he) infidel, or devil, or what-ei-er is your name, hearken to what [ fay. Confider where ycu are; this is the room where Mel-: Baady, a king, was Ibiin by the hand of niy father ; look at his bbod, where it has flained the floor, which never could be w.ift-cd (jut, I am informed you have 20,000 piaSrcs in gold with you ; cither give nic 2000 before you go out of this chaniher, or you Iball die ; I will put you to dea:h wiih my own hand." Upon this he took up his fwcrd, that was lying at the head of his fofa, and, dr-iwing it' with a bravado, threw the fcabbard into the fiddle of the loom; room ; and, tiicking the flecve of Iiis fhirt above Ills elbow like a l)uic!ici-, faid, " 1 wait your anfwer." Ml', ßracc iicjw llept one |iacc baLkwards, and liclU (he little bluudcrbufi in his hand, without taking it iifF the btll. He laid, ill ."i,'inn tunc of voice, '1 )ijs is n>y aiifwei : I am r.ofa nuui, as 1 have told you before, to ilic like abcall by the hand of a drunkurd; on your life, i charge you, ftir not from your fnfa." He liad no need to give this irjiiiičtiorr, he heard the noife wliieh thetlof-ing t':c jo.'nt in the iloek of (lie bluriderbuls made, and thought he had cocked it, and was inilaiitly to fire. }Ie let hii fword drop, and tl.rew hiinfelf oq his back on the fofacrying, " For Gud'i fake, i 'aikim, i was but je(l-iii};." _ At the farac time, wstb nil h s m!;;h!:, ho cried, "lirahim! Mahon-.n! lil cooin' Iii coom!"—" If one of your ft rvants ap^iroaeh iiie, ( Taid Mr LriiceJ that infant i will LI jv," yuu to I'.Lxes; not one of them (hall crtrr this roüiu tiSl ihev bän^ in my fcrvants with diom j I have a nnnibcr of thein aritiid it your ^ata, who wtil break in the inltant they he^.r mc fii;." " he women h:ul ccmc to thef'ocir, arid Mr. firuce's fcrvar,ts v- cre .idinitted, eaci: ha.^ a bkuuierburj in his I,and, and pilloli at his {"ircle. ! Ley v\erc now greatly ail bvcrn.atch for ihe f-liekh, who fat fiir back cn ihc io'fa, a'ld i rctcnded that all he had done was in joke, ill which his feivants joined., and a very confuled, de-fultory difcourfe foDo^'.eJ, tiU the 'link, nicrrifS- If-fnacl, liappeiied to obferve the Shckb's feabbard of his fword thr'i-A a upon the floor, on which he f II into a violent fit of laiigiitcr. He endeavoured to make tlic Shekh underfland, that drunkards and co\\ ards h
    fuch fiich tliint; as jioifon in Ailiiira; the lancc nn'l tli.-^ Uiiifc in the field, thai is the manner iu which they kill onr; another Irere." They then fhcwed lier their dinner !mcnto;i, imd Ihe again fsU hito i vicilcni fit unaugluer, and took the meat away that Hie might warm it, anil chey heard litr taugli-ijig all the wiv as fhc v.ent l^y hcrfclt'. Slic was not kmg ir. vcCUTniiig «'ith provifionb in plenty, and tolii thcni, that her niilivefics never were fo diverted in dicir lives iind that (lie left them ftiSl laughing. During the whole of Mr. lirtiee's ftav ;it Tcawa, the behaviour of Fidcle was all of a piece:, atid it is probable our travclk'r would have finidicd lus iravels in thrtt plr.cc, had not fome of his poivcriul friends interfiled themfclves in his fecurity. However, after vurio'JS im-pcdiincnts, on fhe i8ih, they took leave of the Shekh to proeced on their joiirncy. The day had been imitiodc-ratcly hot, und they had rcfoivcd to travel all n^ght, tl:0iigh they did not fay fo to the Shekh, who advifed them to flecp at Imgededemaj where there was frefli water. But they hiad taken a girha .of water with them, or rather, in cafe ofatcident, a little in each of the Üiree «irbas. Their journey, for the firll fevcn hours, was through a barren, bare, and fandy plain, without finding a veftigc of any living creature, without water, and without grafs, a tount^ry that fceined under the Immediate curfe of Heaven. However, after a n^oft difa^jreeable journey, on the I gth, at eight in the evening they anived at Bey la. Mr. Bruce found Bcyla to be in lat. 42,'4" ; that is, about eleven miles weft of Teawa, and thirty-one and a half miles due fouth. They were met by Mahomet, the Shekh, at the very entrance of the town. He faid, he looked upon them as rifen from the dead ; that they niufl be good people, and particiiliirly under the care of Providence, to have efcapcd ihe maiiy fnares the Shekh of Atbara had laid for them. Mahomet, the Shekh, had provided every fort of refrefliment po(iible for them, and, thinking they eould not Uvc without it, he had ordered fugar for them from Scnnaar. Honey for the imoll part liitberto had been its fuhftitute. They had a good comfortable fupper; as fine wheat-bread as ever Mr. Bruce P^ruce ate in his life, brouglit from Scnnjar, n; alfij rice; Iii a word, every tniiig tr>at their kiiui lanillord could contribute to their pliir.Tiful and hofpitable enieriain. mciit. Our traveller's wHols company was full of joy, to which Uie Shekh greatly encouraged them ; and iT there vas any alloy to ihe haopiiiefs, it was the ft;L'ing that Mr. linice did net partake of it, Sytnptoras of an aguifh e contris'cd b}' Fidele. T hey had again a large a:id plenlüiil dinner, and a quantity of boiixa ; venifcin of {everal differer.! fpecies of ihc antelope or deer kind, Ouinca-fo'.'. ts, lioiled with rice, the heft part of their fare, for the v cn i Am fmclled and tailed rtrongly of mufli. This was the proviiiort jr.aiic by the Miekh's two fnns, hoys about fourtec'n or fifteen years old, who bad got each of them a gun with a match, loek, and whofe favour he fecured to a vcrj' high degree, by giving them fome good gunpowder, and plenty of fmall leaden bitlkts. In the al'tt'noon, they walked out to fee the village, which is a very pleai.mt one, fuiiuted iipot\ the bottom of a hill, covered with wood, all the reft flat before it. Through this pl.jin there are many large timber trees, planted in and joined with high hedge-:, as in I'.u- rope, foimiiig inclofnres for keeping catiie; bet of tliefc thev ia'v none, as they had been moved to the Deiider for fciir of the llie^. There is no wdter at Eeyla hut what is gi^ from deep wells, l.arge plantations of Indian corn are even' where about the town. ' 'I'he inhabitants are in continual ajiprehenfron frnm the Arabs I'Ja-vcina at Sim Sijo. about 40 rriiles fouth-eafl from them; and from another poxverful race called Wed abd el Gin, i.e. Soti of th^. Jla-Tjcs of ihr Dr.-J!, Vi'ho live tn the fotuh-wefi; of them, between the Dendef and the Nile. IJcyla i i another frontier lown of Sennaar, on the fide of Sim Sim', ''nd betu'een Tcawa and iltis, nn the Sennnar fide,'and l^as el Fee!, Nara, and Tehclga, ui'on t!-.e - Abvillnian fid-^, al! is defert and w aflc, the ,-^ral s only fjlfwing the water to remain there wiiliOiit vihages near near it, thai tlicy and their flocks may come at certain feafoiis while tlae grafs grows, and the pools or fprings fill clfewhcre. Though Mr. Bruce went early to bcil with full determination to fet out by day-break, yet he found it was impoffibie to put his dcfign in execution, or get from the hands of their kind landlord. One of their girbas feem-cd to fail, and needed to be repaired. Nothing good, as he truly faid, could come; from the Shekh ot At-bsra. On the 21ft of April, they (eft Peyla at three o'clock in the afternoon, and proceeded through a very j.lca-fajit, flat country, but without water; there had been none in their way nearer than the river Rahad. About eleven at niglit they alighted in a wood: The place is called Bahorie, as near as they could compute, nine miles from Beyla. On the i!2cl, at lialf pall five o'clock in the inornt'ng, they left Baherie, ftil) coniinuing «-eftward, and at nine they came to the banks of the Raliad, The ford is culli'd Tchir Chaira, 'I'he rii'er itfelf was now ftaii'ling in pools, the watL-r foul, flinking, and covcred a green niantle ; the bottom foft and muddy, but there was no choice. The w:HT at Hcyki w.is fo bad, that flu-y took on!y as much as was abfolulcly neceflary till they airived at running water troin the Rühad. On the 23d they met l'c\'er.il men, on hoiTehatk and on foot, coming out from ainoii^ i!ie buflics, wlio endeavoured to carry ofF one of their eJiiicls. They indeed were foinewhat alarmed, an J were going to prepare for n-li(iance. The camel they had taken auay had on it the king's and Shekli Adelan's prcfints, and fome other things for their future need. 'I'heir clothes too, hooks, and papers, were upon the fame caniei. However, as this was onlv a contrivance to extort a prcfcnt from Mr. Bruce, the matter v/as cafily got over, and the camel rc-ftored. On the 24.1!!, they came to the river Dender, ftanding now in pools, but by the vall widencfs of its banks, and the great dcepn?fs of its hed, al! of white fend, it flioukl fecm that in time of rain it will contain nearly as miicli water as the Nile, 'i'hc banks are every where thick y over- grown with the rack and jujcb tree, efpccially tlic latter, 'riic wootl, which had continued inoilly from Bcyla, here failed entirely, and rciiched no further towards SciinJar. Thefe two forts of trees, however, were in very grciit bcjiuty, It uus not without fome difRculiy liiar Mr. Eruce get his quadrant and heavy baggage faftly carried down the hill, for the banks are very fteep to the edge of the water. 'I he intention of their afiiftants was to Aide the quadrant down the hill, in its cafe, which would ha\'e ulttrlv de-ihoyedit; and as their boat was but a very indifle-rent embarkation, it was obliged to make fcveral turns lo and fro before they got all their fevcral packages landed on the weftern fide. They were conduced by Adel an's fervnnt to a very fpacious good houfe belonging to the Shekh himfelf, having two üories, a long quarter of a mile from the king's palace. He left a meflage for them to repofe themfeU cs, und in a day or two to w.iit upon the king, and that he Ihould fend to lell them when they were tocomc to him. '["his they refolved to have complied with moil cxa£Hy;. but the very next morning, the 3Cth of April, there carne a fervant from the palace to fummon them to wait upon the king, which they imsnediately obeyed, Mr. Lnite took with bim three fervants, black >SoJiman, Ilinael the U i:rk, 0tKl his Greek fervant Michaei- 'i'he palace co, Y-ers a protiigioas deal of ground. It is all of one itorey, huilt of clay, and the floors of earth. 'J he chambers through which lliey paiTed were ail unfurnifned, and fcemed as if a great many of them had formerly hccn. deftined as barracks for foldjers, of whom Mr. Bruce did not fee abc^x fifty on guard, '1 he king was in a finail room, not twcnt)' feet.fquare, tov.-hlch they afcend, dcd bv two Jhort flights of narrow ftrps. '1 he fioor of the room was covered with broad fquare tiles ; over it was bia laid a Perfuin carpst, and the walls himg with tapeflry of the {iime country ; the whole very well kept, and in good order. Thy king was fitting upon a niatrefs, l.jid on the ground, which v.-.is likcxvife covered with a Porfian carpet, und ro'-ind him "'as a mimber ol ciifhioiis ot X^ciistian cloth of gold. His drel5 did not corrcfpond wiih this magnificence, for it was nothing buta large, loofe [hire, of Su-rat cotton cloth, which fe:-mcd not to differ from thü fame worn by his ferviiuts, cxcept that, all roun.l t'lo edges of it, the ftams were double-lUtched with whit.-filk, a-,id likewife round the nsek. His head was u.t covered ; he wore his own fliorl black hair, and \v.',5 as white in colour as aa Arab. He feemed to be a man about thirty-four, his teet were bare, but covered by his ftiirt. He had a very plebeian countenance, on which was ftai'^np-cd no d'-'cided charaOcr; Mr. Bruce (liould rather gucr« him to bf a foft, timid, irrefolute man. At our traveller's coming forward and killing his hand, he looked at them for a minute as if undetermined what to fay. He then alkcd for an Abyflinian interpreter, as tkere are many of thefe about the palace, ile faid to him in Arabic, " I apprehend I underflaiid as much of that language as will cnaUe me to anfwer any quedion you have to put to me." Upon which he turned to the people that were with him, " Downright Arabic, indeed ! You did not; learn that language in Habefh?" faid he to Mr. Bruce, who anfwered, " No ; I have been in Egypt, Turkey, and Arabia where I learned it; but I have likewife often fpoken it in Aby/Iiuia, where Greek, Turkiih, and feveral other languages are ufcd." lie faiJ, Impofli-ble! he did ;iot think ihey knew any tiling of languages, excepting their own, in AbylfmiH." There wero fitiing in the iide of the room oppofitc tii him, four men drelTed in white cotton fliirts, with a white üiaul covering their heads and part of their face, by which it was known they were religious men, or men of learning, or of the law. One of thefe anfwered the king's doubt of the .'Vbyflinians knowledge in languapes. " They have languages enough , and yon know that Habefh is called the paiadife of Affes." During this con-vcrlation, Mr. bruce took the ftierrifFc of Mecca's letter" + alfö Ifo one from the king of Abydinia ; he gave him the king's firft, and ihen the fiicriflc's. He took them both as Mr. Bruce gave them, but laid afidc the kisig's upon a t ufhion, tin he had read the fherifle's. After this he read t!-,? king's, and called immcdiarely again for an Abyffi, nian iiiterpretLT; upon which Mr. Bruce faid nothing, fuppofing, perhaps, he might chufe to make him delivtr fome mefTjgc to him in private, which he would not have bis people hear. Eut ii was pure confufion and ah-cnt-e of mind, for he never fpoke a word to him when he cair.e. " You are a pliyfician and a fuldicr," favs the king. " Both, in time of need," faid Mr. Bruce. But the (herriiTc's Jetter tells me alfo, that you are a nobleman in the fervjce of a grc3t king that they call Englife-man, who is mafter of all the Indies,and who has Mahometan as well ts Chriftian fubjefts, and aliou-s them all to be governed by their own Saws."—" Thougli I never faid lo to the fherriffb, (replied Mr. Brucc) yet it is true; I am as ncble as any individual in my nation, and am alfo iei"vant to the greatcft king now reigning upon earth, of wbofe dominions, it is likewife truly iaid, thefe Indies are but a fmall part."—"How comes it, (fays the king) you that are fo noble and learned, that you know all things, all languages, and fo brave that you fear no danger, but pafs, with two or three old men, into fuch countiics as this and Habtfh, where Eaady my father pcriihed with an arfQv ? How comes it that you do not Hay 2t home and enjoy yoarfcif, eat, drink, take plea-fnre and reft, and net wander like a poor man, a prey to every danger —" You, Sir, [rej.lied Mr. Bruce) may know fome of this fort of men ; ccr'aiiily you do know them; for there are in your rci gica. as well as mine, men of Icarnirg, and thofe too of great rank and nobility, who. Oil .icccunt of l:ns they liavc committed, or vows tl'.ey have made, renounce the wcrl.l, its riches and pkafures : They lay down their nobility, and be-tcme hoHiblc and poor, fo as often to be infulted by wicked and low mvn, not having the fear of God before their eyes."—" True, thefe arc Der'. i(h," faid feme that wer; prcfent. " I am then one o!' thefe l>er\'!lh, (f^id Mr. ßrucci content with the brrad that is. given me, and bour.d for fjme years to travel i^i hardihips and danger. danger, Joinj n'l the good I can ro poor and rich, Tcit-ing every nisn, anj hurting mne." " Tvbe! that is weli," {'aid the kiag. " And long have you been travellingabout?" adds one "f the otlierä. " Near twenty )fears," faid Mr. Bruce,—Yoii rrnift be very ycnng-, 'Javs the king-) to li^jve committed ib many fins, and Jo early ; they mufl all have bceti \t'ith women ?"—" Part el" them, I fuppyfe were, (replied Mr. Bruce) but I did not fay I was one of thofe that iravcikd on account of their lins, but that there were fo;ne JJerviftes that did Co on account of their vows, and foine to learn wif-do:n." Mr. Brucc now withdrew. The driim beat a little after fix o'clock in the evening. They then had a very comfortable dinner fenc ri-.em, camels fkfh Hewed with an herb of a vifcou9 flimy l'ubßance, called Bammia. After having dined, and finiihed the journal of the day, Mr. Bruce fell CO unpacking his inllrmnents, the barometer and ther-monnetcr firlt, and, after having hung them up, was con-verfing with Adelan's fervant when he (ho 11 Id pay his vi-fit to his mailer. About eight o'clock Crtnie a fervant from the palacc, telling Mr. Bruce now was the time to bring the prefent to (lie king. He forted ihe fe-prate articles with all the fp^cd he could, and they went direilly to the palace. The king was th'jn fitting iti a large apariment, as far as he could gue'fs, at fame diftance from the former. He was naked, but had fevcral clothes lying upon his knee, and abuüt him, and a icrvani was rubbing him over with va-fy- ftinkrng. butter or greafe, with which his hair was drdpmn^ as. if wet with water. Large as the room was, it göwIH lie fraelhd through the wlioJe of it. 'I'lv^ king niTccd Mr. Erticc if ever he greafeJ Irmfelf as he did? Mr. Bruce fjid. Very fcldom, but ranci-,:d it would be very ex-penfive. He then told him, th-it it was elephants grejfc, wldch inaJe p;ople flrong, and preferved the fkin vc-ly fmoolh. Our trai'ellcr laid he thought it very pro-]jtr, !>ut touKi not bear the fmcll of it, though his (kin fhoiild turn as rough as an elephant's for the want ol It. He faid, if Mr. had ufed it, his liair would not have turned fo'' rod as it was, and that it would all bccoiiic wliiti prefeiitly when that ^ !iK;fs earns off. "VüÜ " You may fee, (contiiiuctl he) the AraUs ctriven in hero by the I^aveina, mnl all their cattlc tnken from thcsn, btcaiiic they have no longer any grcafe for tlieir hair. Ihe fun firll turns it red, and then f-ierfcflly white; and you will know their! in the ftrect by their hair being the colour of yours. As for t!ic fmcll, you will It'c that cured prcfently." After having rubbed him abundantly with grcafc, they brought a pretty large horn, and in it fomething fccnted, about as liquid as honey. It was plain tliat civil was a great part of the compofition. '['he king went out at the door, Mr. Erucc fuppofes into another room, and there two men deluged him over with pitchers of cold water, whilft, as he ima^iticd, he was rtark-naked. He then returned, and a ilavc an-nolnted liim with this fweet ointment; after which he fat down, as completely dreiled, being jiift going to bis woman's apartment where he ■\vas to fnp. Mr. Bruce told him, he wondered why he did not ufe rofe-water as in Abyffinia, Arabia, and Cairo. He faid, he had it often from Cairo, when the merchants arrived ; but as it was now long fmee any came, hia people could not make more, for the rofe would not grow in his country, though the women made fomething like it of lemon-flower. His toilet being finifhed, our traveller then produced his prefent, which he told him the king of Abyffinia had fent to him, hoping that, according to the faith and ciiftom of -nations, he would not only protcft him while here, but lend him fafely and fpeedily out of his dominions into Egypt. He aniwered, there waa a time when he could have done all this, and more, but thofe times were changcd. Sennaar was in ruin, and was not like what it was. He then ordered fomc perfumed forbet to be brought for Mr. Bruce to drink in his prcfence, which is a pledge that your perfon is in fafcty. The king thereupon withdrew, and went to his ladies. It was not till the eighth of May Mr. Bruce had his audicnce of Shekh Adelau at Aira, which is three miles and a half from Sennaar j they walked out early in the morning, for the ^rcateft part of the way along the fide of of lUe'Nile, wliicli Iiad no beauty, being totally divcfled of tr;ts, the bottom fotil and miidd}', and the edges of the varer v/hiti; wic!i final! concretions of calcarlous earth, wlilcli.with t.he brlglu fun upon them, dazzled and affected tlicir cyci very much. They then ftriiek :icrof!> a largo fniidy plain without trees or bufhes, and came to Adelan's habitatinn. Within the gate was a number of horfes, with the foldiers barracks behind thc;Ti ; they were all picqueted in ranks, their faces to their niiilers barracks. It was one of the fineell fights Mr. Bruce ever faw of the kind. They were all above fixtcen hands high, of the breed of the old Saraccn horl«, all fiaelj' made, and as ftrong as our coaeh-borfes, but exceedingly liirable in their motion; rather thick and fhort in the forehand, but with the mofi: beautifu! eyes, cars, and heads in the u-orld ; thev were multly black, fome of them black and vvhite, fo]iie of them milk-white foaled, fo not white by age, with white eyes and white hoois, not perhaps a groat recommendation. A fieel fhirc of mail hun;T upon each man's quarters nppofite to his horfe, and by it an antelope's (Idn made foft like (liamoy, with which it was covered from the dew of the night. A head-jiiece of copper, without treft or plumage, was fufpcndid by a lace above the fliirt lca-fure; a iiumbcr of black people, his own Tervants and friends, were ftanding round him. He had on a lon^ drab-colourcd camlet gown, lined with vellow fattin, Q. ^ ' and .md a camlet cap like a head piece, with two (horc joints tli;ic covered his ears. 1 Iiis, it ftcms, was his drefs uhcn he rofe ciirly in the morning to vifit his horiK, which he never negkäcd. The Shekli was a man above fix feet high, rather corpulent, had a heavy walk, fcemingly mare from affeftation ot" grandeur than want of agility. He was about fixty, of the colour and features of an Arab and not of a Ne»ro, but had rather more beard than fails to the lot of people in tills country ; large piercing eyes, and a determined,-though, at the fame time, a very pieafing coantenatice. Upon Mr. Eruce's coming near him he got up, " You that are a horfeman, (fays he, without any falutation) what would your king of Habefli give for thcfe horfes r" —" What king, (anfwered Mr. Bruce in the fame tone) would not give any price for fuch horfes, if he knew their value r" They themvent Into a large faloon, hung round with mirrors and fcarlet damalk; in one of the longcft fides were two large fofa's covered with crimfon and yellow damaCk, and large cufliions of cloth of gold, like to the king s. He now pulled off his camlet gown and cap, and remained in a crimfon fattin coat reaching down below his knees, which lapped over at the breaft, and was girt round his waift with a fcarf or falh, in which he had ftuck a fliort dagger in an ivory Ihcath, mounted with gold ; and one oi the largeft and raoft beautiful amethyfts upon his finger that Mr. Bruce ever faws mounted plain, without any diamonds, and a fmall gold ear-ring in one of his ears. Why have you comc hither, (fays he to Mr. Brucc) without arms, and on foot, and without attendants Ta^ojtbe. " I was told that horfes were not kept at Sennaar, and brought none with me. Adelan. " You fuppofe vou have come through great dangers, and fo you lave. Ent what do you think of me, who am day and night out in the fields, furrounded by hundreds .ind thoufands of Arabs, all of whom would cat me a live if they dared ?" Yagouhe. " A brave man, ufcd to command as you are, does not look to the number of his enemies, but to their abilities; a wolf does not fear ten thoufand iheep more liian he does one." Ad, " True; look out at the door ; thcfc theft- are ihtir ciiiefs whom I am now taxing, and' I have' brought them hither thai they may judge from what they lee whether I am ready for thrrn or not." Tag'. " You could not do more jjroperly ; but, as to my own affairs, 1 wait upon yoo from- ihe king of Ahyffiniaj defiring fafe conduft through your couniry into ligypt, with his royal promife, that he is ready lo do the like for you again, or any other favour you may call upon him' for." He took the letter and read it. Jd. " The king of Abyffinia may be affured I am ahvays ready to do more for him than this. It is true, fince the mad attempt upon Sennaar, and the next dill madder, to.re-pi ace old ßaady upon i he throne, we have had go'for-mal peace, but neither are we at war. We anderfland one another as good neighbours ought to do ; and what elfe is peace T/tg. " Yoli know I am a ftranger and traveller, feeking my way lipme, I have not!iing to do with peace or war betiveen nations. All I beg is a fafe condui.1 through your-kingdom, and the rights of hof-pitality liellowed'in fuch cafes on every common ftran-S^r ; and one of the favours 1 beg is, your acceptance ofafmalJ prefent. 1 bring it not from home; I have been long abfent from thence, or if would iiave been l>ctter." Ad. nl not refufe it, but it is quite uiinc-celfary. I have faults like other men, but to hurt, or ranfom firjngers, was never one of them. Mahomet Abou Kalec, my brother, is however, a much better man to ftrangers than I am; you will be lucky if you meet him here ; if not, I will do for you what 1 can' when once the confufion of thefe Arabs is over." Mr. Bruce gave him the fhcrrifFc's letter, which he opened, looked at, and laid by without reading, faying only, " Aye, Metica! is a good man, Jie lomeiimes takes cnre of our people going to Mecca; for my part^ I never was there, and probably never fhall." Mr. Bruce then prcfented his Ictt'^r from A!i Bey to him. He placed it upon his knee, and gave a flaji upon it with his open hand, M. " What! do you not know have you not heard, Mahomet Abou Dahab, his Haf-nadar, has rebelled againft him, banilbed him out of Cairo, and now fits in his place ? But don't be difcon-rcrtcd at that, I know you to be a man ofhonour and pruJentc; prutk'ncc ; if Mahomet, my brother, docs not come, ns I'oon Its I Cdti f^ct Icifirre, 1 will dilpatcfi yon." 'Ihe fLr'.LiiU tliat had fondiittcd Mr. Jiriici; to Sciiiuiir, niul was ihcji with Ivhii, went forward clofe to liiiii, and faici, in .1 kind of w hifpcr, " Shosild. he go ol'teii tu the king ?"—" Wlicn lie iilfafcs ; he may go to Tl-i; the town, i:iid take a walk, but iitvcr aluiie, and alfo to the palace, that, whtii he icturns to his o■^^'n country, he may report he law a king at Scnnsar, that neither knows iiow to govern, nor will fuller ofhcrs to teach him ; who knows not how to inake war. and yet will 'r^ilj^fit in pcacc." Mr. Jiriice then took his leave of liliiir^t^t there was a plentiful hrcr.kfaft in the other room, to-w!ut:li he fen t i hem. At going out Mr. liruce took his leave by kiflingbis hund, whirh he fiibniiticd to without rehiäanee. " Shckh, (faid our travel!t:r) when 1 pafs thefc Aral;s in thefqvuire, I luipe it will not difühiige you if I converfe with foineoi them out of cnri-ofity r" ^'c/. •• By no means, as much as you pkiife ; but don't let them know where the}' can find ^ou at Sennaur, or they will bo in your houfe from morning till night, will cat up all your vtilu.i!,., and then, in return, will cut your throat if they can meet you upon your journey." Mr. j^rucc returned home lo Sennanr, very well plea-fed with his reeeption at Aira. He liad not ften, fince he left Gondar, a man fo open and frank in his manners, and who fpoke i\-ithotit dilgiufe what apparcnlly he had in his heart. The next morning, after Mr. Eruee came home from Aira, he was agreeably furprifed by a vifit from Uagi Rehil, to whom he had been rcrommcnded by Metical Aga, and to whom Ibrahim ^ieiaif, the Bnglifli broker at Jidda, had addrc(re very narrow picce of cntton rag about their waiits. While he was niufing whether or or not tliefe all miglit be queens, or whether there «-as anj- queen among them, one of them took him by the hand and led him rudely enough into another apariraenr;. This was much better lighted than the fidt. Upon a large bench, or fofa, covered.with blue Sur?.t cloth, fat three perfons cloatbed from the neck to the feet with blue couon ihirts. One of thefe, who Mr. Bruce found was the favourite, was-about fix feet high, and corpulent beyond all proportion. She fecnied to him, next to the elephant and rhinoteros, to be the largelt living creature he had met with. Her features were perlefily like tliofe of a Ne^ro;. a ring of gold pafied ihrou.^h her under Hp, and ueigh-cii it down, till, like a flap, it coveted her chinj and left her teeth bare, which were very fmall and fine. The infsde of her lip üie had made black with antimony. Her ears reached down to her fhculders, and had the appearance of wings; Oie had in each of them a large rin^ of gold, fomewhat fmalSer than a man's litllc fir.!-gcr, and about five inches diameter. The weight of thcfe had drawn down the hole where her c.ir was pierced fo -much that three fingers might eafil/ pafs above the ring. She had a gold necklace, like what we uTed to call Efclavage, of feveral rows, one below another, to which were hung rows of feqoins pierced. She had on her anclcs two manacles of gold, larger than any he had ever feen upon the feet of felon>i, with which he could not conc-'ive it was poifibjc for her to walk j but afterwards he found they were hollow, 'i he athers were dreiTed pretty ranch in the fame inatincr; otily there was one that had chains which cainefrom her ears to the tutfide of each tioflril, where they were fa._flencd. There was alfo a ring put thnuigh the grillle of her nofe, and which hims du-.vn to the opening of her mouth. It had ' altogether fomething of the appcarjiica of a horfe's bridle. Upon his coming near them, the eldeft put hcf hand to her mouth and killed it, faying, at the fame time, in very vulgar Arabic, " Kifhalek howaja ?" (fiowdo you do, mercl)ant], IWr, Bruce never in his life was more pleafod with difiant falutaliuns than at this tiirue. He anlwer,:d. " Peace be atiiong you ! I am » phyfician, and aot a jnertl\Tj:t."' Mr, Britct here omits t(j to enumerate the multitude of ihcir compiaints ; being a lady's phyfician, he coiilidcrs difcrction and filence as his fir't duties. Ko hül fe, mule, afs, or any olhcr of burden, breeder c-^-cri live at Sennaar, or many miles about it. Pou!-try tioes not live there. Kciihcr do, nor cat, flieep nor bullock, can be preferved fcafon there. '1 hey mull go all, every half year, to the fanos. 1 hough ail poiRhle' care be t.ikcn ol (hcin, they die in every place ^vheffe the iat earth is aboiii the town dutin'j; the firäl füafbn of. the rains. 'I'u'o grcy-houiids '.v-liich Mr. Bruce brought from At'.jr.ra, and the mules wliieh he bronght irn-n Abvfiinia,-, lived only a few v/eeks after he arrived. '1 hey leemed to have^fome inward complaint, for notMng appeared outwardly. Several kings have tried !o keep lions, but no care could prolong their lives bsycnd the firft rains. Shekh Adclan had two, which weie in great health, being kept with his horfes at grsfs in the fands but three niiies from Scnnaar: neitlicv rofe, nor any fpecies of jef-famine, grow here; tio tree but the icmoii floivers near the city, that ever Mr. Bruce faw ; tlie rofe has been oftcii tried, but in vain. Seiinaar is in Iat. 13® S-l'gö" north, and in long. 33° 30'30" eaftfrom the mcridiF.n of Greenwich. Jt 'is on the welt fide of the^Nile, and dole upon the banks of it. The ground whereon it Hands rifes jurt enough to prevent the river from entering the town, even in the height of the inundation, when it comes to be even with the flrcet. 'J'he country around Sennaar is exceedingly pleafant iniheendof Auguft and beginning of Se itei'nber, Mr, Erutc means fo far as the eye is concernec ; inflead of that barren, bare waltc, which it appeared on their arrival in May, the corn now fprung up, and covering the ground, made the whole of this iminenfe plain apjicar a.. icvi l, green land, iiitcrfperfed with great lakes of water, and ornamented at- certain intervals with groups of villages, the conical toj^s of the houfes prcfenting, atadil'-tance, the appcarance of fmall encamp men Es. Through this immente.extenfive plain, winds the Nile, a.delightful river there, above a mile broad,, full to the very brim, but ncvjcr ovcrllowing. Every where oa thefe b.-uiks are feen numerous numerous herds of the inoft beautiful cattle of various, kinds, the tribute recently extorted from all the Arabs, who freed from their vexations, return humc with the remainder of their flocks in peacc, at as great a difbcce from the town, country, and their opprcflbrs, as they poffibSy tan. War and treafon feem to be the only employment of this horrid pcopk, whom Heaven has fcparaced, by al-moft impalTaWe tlcil-rts, from the rell: of mankind, confining them to an accurffd fpot, feemijigly to give them, carneftin time of the only other worie which he hasye-ferved to then) for au eternal hereafter. Tlie drefs of Sennaar is very funple. It confilh of a long flilrtol' blue Sural cloth called Marowty, which covers them from the lower part of the neck down to their feet, byt does not conceal the ncck itfelf; and this is the only diSerencc between the mens and the woniens drefütliat of the women covers their neck altogether, being buttoned like ours. The men have fometinjes a fafh tied about their mi'.ldle; and both men and women go bare-footed In the houfe, even thofc of the better fort of people, I'heir üoors are covered with Pc-fsan carpets, elpeciaily the v. otnens apartments. In fair \\'eal!icr, they wearfandais; and without doors they ufe a kind of wooden patten, very neatly ornamented w^ith fiietls. In the groatell heat :v't noon, they order buckets of water to be thrown upon ihem inlK-ad of bathing. Both men and women anoint thcinfcives, at leall once a-day, wi'.h camels greafe mixed with civet, which they imagine fofteus their fkin, and pref.-rves them from cutaneons eruptions, of v.diich they are fo fearl'uJ, that the fmallelt pimple in any vifiblepart of tliL-ir body keeps them in the houfe till it difappcars : I'or the fatnc reafuii, tlvjiigh tliey liavc a clcan fliirt every day, they "fe one dipt in groafe to He in ail night, as they have no covering but this, and lie upon a bull's hide tanned, and very much fofteiicd by this conftant gi euliiig, and at the fame time very cool, though it oc-cafions a fmell that no walliiiig can free them from. The poorer fort live upon niijlct, made into bread or flour. 'I'he rich make a pudding of this, toaflin» the ilour before the fiic, and pouring milk and butter into It; bciidci whic.hj they eat becf^ partly roafted and partly. raw. raw. Their horned cattle are the largetl and fatteft the world, and are exceedingly fine; but ilie coininon meal lold in the market U tatncla flcfh. The liver of the animal, and the fpare rib, are always eaten raw througli the whole country. Mr. Bruce never faw one iiißaiite where it was dieflcd with fire, it is not tlien true that eating raw flefh is peculiar to Ab}'ffiiila; it is praiHfed in this inftance of camels ßelli in all the bljclc countries to the weftward. Hogs fltfh is not fold in the market; but all the people of ?ennaar eat it piiblickly : men in office, who pieteiid to be Mahometans, eat theirs in fecret. On die 7th of Atiguft, Mr. Bruce was iiiformed by Hagi Belal, that Shckb Fidcle of Teawa had been fevc-ral days in the paUce with the king, and had informed him that Mr. Bruc; was laden with money, befides a quantity of cloth of golJ, the richeft he had ever feer-, which the king of AbylBnia ha J deftincd as a prcfent to him, but which our traveller had perverted to his own ufe : He added, that the king had exprelTid hitn((;lf in a very threaleniHg manner, and that he was very much afraid he was not in fafety if Shckh Adelan was gone from Aira. Upon this Mr. ßruce defired Hagi Beial to go to the palace, and obtain for him an audience of the king. In vain he reprefeftted to our traveller the rilk he ran. by this meafnre ; he pcrfifted in his refolution^ he was tied to the (lake. To fly was imp.xribie, and he had often overcome fuch dangers by braving them. Eelal went th«n unwiiHnuJy to the palace. Whether he delivered the melTage he knows not, but he returned faying, the king was bu(y and could net be feen. Mr. Bruce had, in the interim, fen t Soliman to the Gindi, or Sed el Coora, telling liim his difficulties; and the news be had heard. In place of returning an auf-.ver, he came direflly to him hinifelf, and was fitting with him when Haoi Belal returned, who-appearedfomewhat difconcert-ed at the meeting. Gindi chid Hagi Bcla! very {barply, afking hitn wliat good alL that tittle-tattle did either him or Mr, Bruce, and infinuateJ pretty plainly, that he believed Hagi Belal did this in concert with the king, to extort fome prcfent from our traveller. After fume further con-verfation, Gindi took lus leave, and Mr. Bruce attended attended him down flaiij, with many profeffions ofgra-t'üude and at ihe door lie faid, ivi a very low voice, to our travtller, " Take care of" yon Bulal, he is a dog worCe than a Cjii'llHan." U was now the aolh ; and^ forfevcral days fince Ade-lan's departure, no provifsons were Cent to Mr, Bruce's houie, us before was ufual. Money therefore became abfolutely neccflary, not only for their daily fubfiflenee, but for camels to carry their baggage, provifions, and water acrofs the defert. lie now defpaircd abfolurely of aiTifiaiice of any kind from tl:e king; and an accident that luTppened made him lay aU ihou,^his afide ofe\Tr troubling him more upon the fubjtfl. 'i here arc at Mecca a nuniber of black eun'ichs, wh! we ha^'c been cnJeavouiIng to waken you this hour. The king is ill ; tell Yagoubc to come to the palace, and open the door inftanily." " Tell the king { faid Mr. Bruce) to drink warm water, and I will fee him in the morning." At this time one of Mr. Bruce's l'er\ ants fired a pillol in the air (lut of an upper w indow, upon which they all ran oli. They fecmed to Ik about ren or tuelv-c in iiui»her, and left three handfpikes behind tacni. The noife of the pillol brought the guard, or patrole, in about h.ilf an hour, who carried inteltigencr. to the Sid el Coom, our traveller's friend, by whom he was informed in the morning, th:it he had found ihem all out, and put them in irons ; that Mahomet, the king's fer-vant, who met them at Teaiva, was one of them ; and ■that there was no poflibility now of concealing :hiä from Adelan, who would order him to be impaled. Things were now jome to fuch a crifis that Mr. Bruce was determined to leave his inilruraents and papers w ith •Kittou, Adclaii's brother, or with the Sid cl Coom, while he xveut to .Sliaddly to fee Adelan. But firft he thouglu it ncceOaryto appiv to Hagi Belai to try what fundi they could raife to provide the necelTaries for their journey. Mr. Kruce (hewed him the letter of Ibrahim, the Englifli broker of Jidda, of which before he had received a copy and repeated advices, and told him he iliould want 200 fequins at lead, for his camels and prc-vifions, as well as for fome prefents that he (liould have occafion for, to make his way to the great men in Ai-bara. Never was furprife better counterfeited than by this man. He held up his hands in the uimoft ailonÜli-ment, repeating, 200 fequins 1 over twenty times, and alked Mr. Bruce if he thought money grew upon trees at Sennaar, that it was with the utmoll dilTiculty I;e could fpare him 20 dollars, part of wiiicli he muft borrow from a friend, Tlic This Wils a ftroke that fcemcd to Infurc Mr. Bnice's (lenriiftioii, no otlier icfource being now left. '1 hey ^vc^c ahvad} indebted to Hagi Ecial twenty dollars for provilion ; ihey had fevcn mouths to feed daily ; and as they had neitiier meat, money, nor credit, to continue at Sennaar was. impoflilile. 'i hey had feen, a few nights before, that no houfc could proted ihem there ; and to leave Scnnaar was, in their fituation, as impofllble as to flny there. Tl;ey had neither camvls to carry their pro-\ ilion5 and baggage, nor ß:ini for their water, nor, in-I'.eed, any prQ\ iiions to carry, nor money to f'.ippl}' them with any of thefe, nor knew any p'.'rfon that could give ihtin afiiftance ncjrrr titan Cairo, from whieh ihcy were diliant about 17" of the meridian, or above loco miles in a (Iraigbt line ; great part of w hich was through the moft barren, unbofpitable deferts in the world, dcfti-tute of all vegetation, and of every animal that had the breath of lite, Maj;i Beljl was'inflexible ; he began now to be eary of our travellers, to fee them bin feldom, iind there was great appearance of hii foon withdra'i^'ing l.inifclf ciuirelr. Mr. Kruce'i ierva.its began to murmur; fome of them had knoxvn of his gold eiiain from the beginuing, rjid thefe, in the common danger, imparted v/hai they knew to the reft. In Ihort, he rofolved, though very unwillingly, "ot to flier i lice his own life and that ofhisfer-i itnts, and the Snifhing his travels, now fo far advanced, to cluldifli vanity. He determined therefore to abandon his "old chain, the hcmouiable lecompt'nee of day full of t^Hiigue and danji^r. ^^'hom to intruft ii to v. as the next coiifideratioii ; and, u];Dn mature deUberaiion, be found it could be to nobody but Majji Eelal, bad as he bad reafon to think he « as. Hovi ever, to put a check upon him, 1-c fent for the Sid el Coom, in whofe pre-ferce he repeated his accuf.ition agnlnd Relal ; he read the >Sereen produced iiiid fcen, and it was become exceedingly dangerous to carry fuch a quantity of gold in any lhapc alon|; with him. He therefore confented to fell it to Hagi Belal in prefence of the Gindi, and they immediately fet a'jouc the purchafe of neceflaries, with this provilo, that if AdeJan, upon Mr. Brucc's going to Shaddly, did furniili him w ith camels and neccffahes, fo much of t!ic ■chain fhould be relumed. Ic was the yth of .Septeiober that they were all prewired to leave this capital of Nubia, inhoipilable country from tlie beginning, antl which, every day they continued in it, had engaged thcra in greater difficulties aiid dangers. Tliey flattered thcinli?lves, that, once dif-fiiga^ed from this bad ftep, the gnratelt part of their fuf-fcrings was o\ er; for they apprehended noihing but fi:jm men, and, with very great reafoti, tliought they bad fecn the worft of them. In the evening Mr. Bruce received a meflage from the king to come dircftly to the palace. He accordijigly oJicjed, taking two fervants along with him, and Jound him fitting in a little, low chajnber, very neatly fitted up with chintz, or printed callico curtains, of a very gay and glaring pattern. He was fmoaking with a very Jong Perfian pipe through viater, was alone, and Icomed rather grave than in ill-luimour. He gave Mr. Bruce bis hand to kifs as ufual, and after paufing a moment without fpeaking, (during which our traveller (landing before him) a flave brought him a little llool, and fet it R down down juft oppofite to Iiiin ; upon whicli he laid, in a low voice, fo tlsat Mr. Bruce could fcarcely hear liim, " Fudda, lit down," poiniing to the ftool. He lat down accordingly. " You are going, I hear (fays he) to Ade-lan." Our traveller anfwered, " Yes." " Did he fend for 3'ou ?" Mc laid, "No; but, as he wanted tore turn to Egypt, he expcfteJ letters from him in anlwcr to thofe he brought from Cairo," King- "You are not fo gay as when you firft arrived here." }"/?. " I have had ii® very great rcafon." Their converfation was now taking a very laconic and ferious turn, but lie dfd not fccm to underhand the meaning of what he faid I !t was, Madam, hut in confeqnencc of your difcourle j'cfterday. 'That heavy gold cap with which you prefs your hair will certainly be the caufe ot a great'part of it falling off." •Sii/. " F believe fo ; buL I ihould catch cold, 1 am 'b acciiltomed to it, If I was to leave it off. Are you a man of nume and family in your own country?" J'a, •• Of hotli. Madam." Sär. " Are the women handfoine there ?" Jn. The hand-foineft in the world. Madam; but they are fo good, atxffo excellent in all other refpedls, that nobody thinks at all of their beauty, nor do they value themfelvcs upon it." S//t. " And do they allow you lo kifs their hands r" 7'/. " I undcrftand you. Madam, though you have millakcn me. There is no familiarity in kifling hands, it is a mark of homage, and diltant refpcft paid in my country to our foverelgns, and tn none e;uthly bcfides.'' Si/i. " O yes! but tlie kings." Va. " Yes, aud the ijucens loo a)u-.-ivs on the knee. Madam- I faid our foveiclgns, meaning both king and queen. On he^ part it is a mark r,f gracious condcfcenfion, in €ivour of lajik, merit, and honourable behaviour; it is a rewartl for dangcrütis and diflicLilt fervices, above all otlies tompenfation," Si!.". " But do you know that no man ever kiifetl niy hand but you ?"' l a. " It is impoflibe I Jhould know that, nor is it material. Of this 1 am confident, it was meant refpertfully, cannot hurt you, and ought not to offend you." S/ft, " ft ccrtaiiily lia.s done neither, but 1 wifh very much Idris my üm would eome and Ice you, as it is on his account 1 drefitd Jiiy-fi'lf to-day." }>/. " I hope. Madam, when I do fee (liiii he will think of foine ivay of forwarding me lately to To-Parbiir, in my wny to Egypt." Si/t. "Safely! God forgive you! you arc throwing yourfelf away wantonly, hlrls liirnfelfj king of tiiis country, dares not undertake fucli a jaurney. But why did not you go along with Mahomet 'I'owath ? He fet out only a few days ago for Cairo, the fame way you are going, and has, believe, taken all the Hyheers witlthim. Go call the porter,'' faid flie to her flave. When the porter came, Do you know if Mahomet Towafh is gone to Egypt ?" '* 1 know, he is gone to Barbar, fays the porter, the two Ma-homets, and Abd el Jclleel, the Bilhareen, are witli him." " Why did he take all the Hybeers ? ' faid Sit-:ina. " The men were tired and difcouraged, (anfwer-ed the porter) by their late ill-ufage from the Cubba-bselh, and, being ftripped of every thing, they wanted to be at home,"- Si/t. •• Somebody elfe will offer, but you rnuft not go without a good man with you; I will not fiifTer you. Thefe Bifhareen are people known here, and may be truftcd ; but while you flay let me fee you every day, and if you want any thing, fend by a fervant of mine. It is a tax, I know, improperly laid upon a man like you, to afk for every neceflary, but Idris will be here, and he will provide you better." He went away upon this converfation, and foon found, that Mahomet Towafh had fo well followed the direction of the Mek of Sennaar, as to take all the Hyheers, or Guides of note with him on purpofe to difappoiut Mr. Bruce. Chendi is in lat. i6® 38'3j"north, and 33" h'+S" eaft of the meridian of Greenwich. On the zoth of Oftober, in the evening, they left Chendi, and refled two miles from the town ; and, on the 9th of November, having received all the alTurances poffible from Idris, the guide whom Mr. Bruce had engaged at Chendi, that he would live and die with them, after having repeated the prayer of peace, they put on the beft countenance poffible, and committed themfelves to the defert. There were Ilhmacl the Turk, two Greek fervants befides Georgis, who was almoft blind and ufelefs. Two Barbarins, who took care of the camels, Idris, and a young man, a relation of his, who jdined him at Barbar, to return home ; in all nine per- fons. fons, eight only of wliom were effeftive. The;»- were all well-armed with blunderbudes, fworcis, piÜuls, and doubld-barrelled guns, except Idris and Iiis lad, win) hud knees, the only arms they could uTe. The 14th, ihcy were ;u once fiirprifed and tcrrillecl by a fight furely oiis of (he moll magiiifici'nt in i)i(; world. Jn that v;i(t expanfc ofdcfert, from VV.and tu N. W. of them, they law a number of prodigious pillars of fand at different diflanc^s, at times moving u itli great celerity, at others ftallcing on with a majeflic llow-nefs ; it intervals they thought t-hey were coming in a very minutes to ovcrwhchii ihem ; and final! qiiantl-ries of fand did aftually more than oncc rea'.-li tiicm. Again they would retreat fo as to be alraofl out of fi.i'ihr, their tops reathing to ihe very clouds. '1 here the tups often feparated from the bodies; and thefe, otxe dif-joined, difperfed in the air, and did not appear more. Sometimes they were broken near the middle, aj if fh uck with a large cannon (hot. Abaut noon they brgan to advance with confiderable fvviftnefi upon them, tliO wind being very ftrong at i;oni!. Eleven of thum ranged alon^ fide of them, about the diftance of three .mil!;s. The greateft diameter of the largell appeared to Mr. Krnce at that diftance as if it would mcafure ten feet. They retired from them-with a wind at S. E. leaving an imprcdion upon our traveller's mind to wliich he can give no name, though furely one ingredient in it was fear, with a confiderable deal of wonder and aftoni/h~ inent. It was in vain to think of flying; the fwiftcfi: iiorfe, or fafteft failing Ihip, could be of no ufe to carry tlieni out of this danf;er, and the full perfiiafion- of thi* rivetted him as if to the fpot where }ie itnod, and h= let the camels gain on him fo much in his ftate of lame-ncfs, that it was with fome dilliculty he could overtake tlipin. From this day, lubordinatton, though not entirely ccafed, was fall on tiie decline; all was difcoutcnt, (iiiirmuring, and fear. Their water was greatly dimi-niÜied, and that terrible death by thirfl began to ftare them in the face, and this was owing in a great mcafure to their own imprudence, Ifliniael, who had been h<-en left ceniini-l over the fV.ins of water, had ilept To fuinidly, iliiit t!iii had given an opportunity to a "j uco-rovy to op-'ii one of the ikins thai had not ijcen touched, and fcrve himfiifout of it at his ov. n difcrction. ,Mr, Brucc fiipiiofes, chiit, hearing fomebody rtir, and fraring dft". L-iion, lie had withdrawn hindelf as Cpeedily as pof-filik, \sidiui!t taking tiir.c to lie the mouth of the girba, which they found in the morning with ftarce a quart of water in it. 'J'he phrcnomenon of the Simoom, unexpefled by them, though forefeen by Idjis, cauied them ail to relaple into the greatcH defpondcney. It ttill cojiti-nncd to bloxv, fo as to exhauft tlicm entirely, though the blail wjs fo weak as fcarcely would have raifeil a leaf 11 cm the ground. At twenty minutes before five the aitnoom teafed, and .1 comfortable and cooling Lretze camc by ftarts from the north, bioi^ ing five or lix minutes at a time, .ind then falling calm, 'ihit dcfert, whidi did not afford inhabitants for the afTdlance or relief of travellers, had greatly more than fufiicicnt for deftroying them. Large tiibes of Arabs, two or three thoufand, encamped together, were cantoned, as it were, in different placcs of this defcrt, where there was water enough to ferve their numerous herds of cattlo, and theft, as their occafion required, travcrfed in parties all that wide expanfe of folitude, from the mountains near the Red Sea eaft, to the banks of the Nile on the weft, according as their feveral defigns or necef-fities required, 'i hefe were Jahtleen Arabs, thofe cruel, barbarous fanatics, that deliberately (hed fo much blood during the time they were eftablifhing the Mahometan religion. If it had been their lot to fall among thefe people, and it was next to a ceriainty that they weie at that veiy inllant Airrrounded by them, death was certain, and their only comfort was, that they could die hot once, and that to die like men was in their own option. Indeed, without conlidering the bloody cbaračtcr which thefe wretches naturally bear, there could be no tcafon for letting them live: '1 hey could be of no fervice to them as flaves; and to have font them into Egypt, aficr having firft rifled and dcHroyed their goods, could not not be done by them but at a great expcnce, to wliich ivell-iiiclined people only cuuUi have been iiidutcd fioin cliarity, and of iha: liift virtus tlity had nor even h-.Hrd the name. 'l liElr only chance then remaiti'ng ivas, th;'t their mimbcr might be fo final!, that, by our irnvcllcrs great fuperiority in fin'.arms and in cour.ioe. ihey might turn the miifortune upon the aj^grcilors, deprive them of their camels and means of carrying vater^-and Kave them fcatteted in the dei'crt, to that death whitli either ofthem, without an alternative, miilt fuftlr. However, they were Iticky enough not to meei with any of tiioj'c l-iarbarians. On the azd, their camels ivore reduced t j five, anti it did not i'eem that tluTe were tapablc of continum^^- their ourney much loi>ger. In that cafe, no tsnicdy remained, 3Ut that each man ßiou^d carry his oivn \*':uer and provifions. Now, as no one man cotiM carry tlie v.'ater he Ihould uA- between well and well, it was more chan probable that didance would be doubled !)y fame of the ivi lis being fonnJ dry ; and if that not ihe cafe, \ ct, as it was impi>/tible for a man to Cdi ry his provifions who could not walk without an)- burden at all, their jjtuation fccined to lie molt defjx'rnte. On the 27th, at li:ilf jwlt lii'c in tbe morning, they attempted to raife their eamfls liy every method that they could deiife, but all in vain, ojily oni- pi thcin could get upon his legs, and that one d'id not Hand two mi-nuies tiil he kneeled dow-n, and could never be raifed afterwards. iMery way they turned thcmfelvcs, death now lliired them in the t.u e. 'ihey ha.i neither time nor firengtii to watte, nur provifions to fupport them. They thi-n took the fniall Ikirii that hnd contained their water, and filled thetn as far as tljey tivni^ht a man c.-:nLi carry them with cafe; but after all thefe iluffs. there was not enough (o fervc tliem three daj'S. at which lie had elii-mated their journey to Syene, which ftiil however was uncertain. Finding, therefore, the camels would not rile, they killed two of tbeni, and took fo much'nefli as might fcrve for tlie deficiency of bread, and, from the floinach of each of the camels, got about fotir gallons of water. The fmall remains of their milerable ftock ofblack bread and dirty water, the only ftipporl ihey had h.iii hitherto lived on aniidU tlie Imming fjoils, and t>icir fpirits llk.cwi(c WL-rt cxh;iu!icd by an Uncertainty of their journey's end. They were furroiindcd among thofc terrible and unufual phienomena of nature whicli Providencc, in mercy to the wcaknefs of his creatures, has conec.iled far from their fight in deferts alnvjll inaccelHble to ihtin. Nothing but death was befurt their eyes; AH Mr. Brace's jiapers, his quaiirant, telefcopes, and time-keeper, were now to be abandoned to [he rude and ignorant hands of robbers, or to be buried in the fands. However, on the 29tJi, to their in-expreilible joy, they faw ll-.c palm trees at Aflbiian, and a (juavter before ten arrived in a grove of palm-trees on Ihc north of that city. They were not long arrived, before they received from the Aga about lifty loaves of fine wheat bread, and feveial large diQies ofdrcft meat. But the finell of thcfe iafl no fooncr reached Mr. Bruce than he fainted upon the floor. He made fevcral trials afterwards, with no better fuccefs, for the firft two days, nor conld he reconcile bimfclf to any fort of food but toafted bread and coffee. His i'ervants had none of thcfe quahns, for they partook, largely and greedily of the Agas bounty. Mr. Bruce was obliged to keen his room five or fix d a vs after his arrival; but, as foon as got better, he anil his fervants fct out on di omedaries, in order to recover his baggage. 'I'he Aga had lent four fcrvants belonging to his ftables to atcompany them: aiii\e, lively, and good-humoured fellows. Abtnu twel'.'e o'clock, they got into a valley, ?.nd hid themfelvcs in the lowefl: part of it, under a bank, for the night was exceeding cold ; Mr. Brucc was afraid, that they had jiad'ed his baggage in the dark, as none of them were Jjcrfefliy fuie of the place; but as foon as light came, ihey recovered their traä as frefh and entire as when they made it. After having gone about half an hour in their former footlleps, they had the unfpeakable fatif-fadion to 6nd the quadrant and whole baggage ; and by them the bodies of their (laughtercd camels, a fmall part of OIK of thcin having been torn b}^ the haddaya, or icitc. Mr. Mr. Bruccj after having received a very kind recep-ttnn at thit placc, on the iith of December, fct out for Cairo, where he arrived on the 10th of January, 1773. After fonie ftay there, lie proceeded to Alexandria, where he arrived without any thing njaterial occuring. At length, our traveller happily reached Marfaillcs, where he finilhes the account or his travels. THE END. -'.M. i :■ ^ t -•Hiti. .. • • - C . -