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Climate. The climate of the districts on the Nile, though i summer intensely hot, is said to be remarkably healthy; but the deserts are liable to the simoom or poisonous blast which often proves fatal to those who are overtaken by it. The only resource for the traveller, when he sees it coming, is to fall flat upon the ground, with his face to the earth, till the noxious wind has gone by. Another curious phenomenon is the lofty pillars of sand, which sometimes move across the desert with such rapidity that the swiftest horse would in vain attempt to escape them. When they pass between the traveller and the sun, they have the appearance of pillars of fire.

Chief Towns.] Dongola, the largest town, is on the Nile, in lat. 19° 20' N. Since the expulsion of the Mamelukes from Egypt, they have taken possession of Dongola, and established here a petty state. Their number, however, does not exceed 500, with 3000 or 4000 negro slaves. Suakem, on an island in the Red sea near the coast, in lat. 19° 20′ N. is the rendezvous of the caravans which cross the desert on their way to Jidda in Arabia, and carries on considerable trade with Arabia, Egypt and the East Indies. It is under the government of an Arab sheich, who is nominally subject to the Grand Seignor. Ibrim, is a small town on the Nile, 120 miles S. of Syene.

Inhabitants. The population is composed of numerous tribes of independent Arabs, some carrying on trade in towns, others cultivating the ground, and a still greater number roaming over the extensive wastes which cover this part of Africa.

Government.] The country on the Nile is divided into a series of small independent states, each governed by its own chief. The governors of these little districts are described as very violent and arbitrary in their proceedings, and rude in their treatment of strangers; yet, under the protection of the pacha of Egypt, Europeans may now travel in perfect safety as far as Ibrim, all the principal forts between this place and the Egyptian frontier being in possession of the pacha's troops; but beyond Ibrim, they must incur the hazards usual in barbarous Countries.

Antiquities] One of the most remarkable features of this region consists in the splendid remains of antiquity with which it is covered. Some of these exceed in size the colossal monuments of Thebes. The most magnificent is the temple of Ipsambul, which was recently discovered by Mr. Burckhardt, and is situated immediately on the banks of the Nile between 1brim and Syene. It is excavated from the solid rock, and when discovered was nearly two-thirds buried under the sand, which has probably covered it for more than 2,000 years. After great labor Mr. Belzoni succeeded in clearing away the sand, and arrived at the door way of the temple. On entering, he found the interior divided into numerous chambers, and spacious halls, supported The walls by massy pillars, and adorned with colossal statues. are covered with beautiful paintings representing battles, storming of castles, triumphs over the Ethiopians, sacrifices, &c. The

outside of the temple is 117 feet wide and 86 feet high. In front there are 4 enormous sitting colossi, the largest in Egypt or Nubia, except the great sphinx at the pyramids, to which they approach in the proportion of about two thirds. On the top of the temple there is a row of monkeys, 21 in number, in a situng posture, and each 8 feet high and 6 across the shoulders.

Commerce] The chief trade of Nubia consists in slaves im ported from the interior of Africa, and either conveyed northwards into Egypt, or across the Red sea by Suakem to Arabia. The number annually imported is estimated at 5,000, of whom 2,500 are for Arabia and 1,500 for Egypt.

II. SENNAAR.

Situation.] Sennaar is bounded N. by Egypt; E. and S. by Abyssinia; and W. by Kordofan. It extends from 14° to 17° N. lat. A great part of Sennaar being nearly inclosed between the Nile and the Tacazze, formed what was called by the ancients the island of Meroe, the central seat of the empire of ancient Ethiopia, which repeatedly conquered Egypt.

Soil and Productions.] The country contains many desert tracts, over which the Arabs wander with their flocks; but there is also much fertile land on the banks of the Nile and the Tacaz ze, where rice, grain, melons, tobacco and the sugar cane grow luxuriantly.

Chief Towns. Sennaar, the capital and residence of the king, is situated on the Bahr-el-Azrek, about two hundred miles above its junction with the Bahr-el-Abiad, or main branch of the Nile. It is a large city and is supposed to contain 100.000 inhabitants, but the houses are in general poorly built and only one story high.

Population.] The population is estimated at 2,000,000. It consists principally of three distinct classes. 1. The Shilluks, a race of negroes who originally inhabited the country on the upper part of the Bahr-el-Abiad, but in the beginning of the sixteenth century they conquered Sennaar, and their descendents have ever since been the ruling people. 2. The Nubians, or original inhabitants. They are negroes, and make the largest class of the population. They profess Christianity, but have connected with it many Pagan superstitions. 3. The Arabs, who

inhabit the desert.

Government and Army.] The government is despotic, the power of the king being unlimited; but several of the provinces are governed by tributary chiefs, and the Arabs of the desert are virtually independent. The standing army, stationed in the vicinity of the capital, consists of about 16,000 men, of whom 1,800 are cavalry and equal to any in the world.

Commerce.] Considerable commerce is carried on at the city of Sennaar, the caravans passing through it on their way to Abyssinia, Arabia, Egypt and the interior of Africa. The commodities drawn from interior Africa, for export to Egypt and

Arabia, are gold dust. ivory, civet, but above all, slaves. The gold has the reputation of being the purest and best in Africa. The foreign commodity chiefly sought after is blue cotton cloth from Surat.

III. ABYSSINIA.

Situation and Extent.] Abyssinia is bounded N. W. and N. by Sennaar; E. by the Red sea; S. and S. W. by the country of the Galla. The limits are not accurately known, but the area is estimated by Hassel at about 500,000 square miles.

Face of the Country.] Abyssinia is entirely a mountainous country. A lofty range, called Lamalmon, bars the entrance from the Red sea. The mountains of Samen, which run along the western bank of the Tacazze, are still more elevated. The mountains of Gojam, which give rise to the Bahr-el-Azrek, or Abyssinian Nile, are not supposed by Mr. Bruce to exceed half a mile in height, and are cultivated to the summit. A lofty range is said to run along the whole southern frontier and is supposed to form a part of the Mountains of the Moon. The height of none of these mountains has ever been accurately ascertained, but some of the summits in the ridge of Samen are known to be covered with snow during the greater part of the year.

Rivers. The two principal rivers are the Bahr-el-Azrek or 1. The Bahr-el-Azrek rises near Blue river, and the Tacazze. lat. 11° N. and lon. 37° E. and flows almost immediately into the lake of Dembea, through which it passes without mixing its waters, so that the current remains always visible. It issues from the lake at its southern extremity, and pursuing a semicircular course, turns gradually to the north, and flows in this direction through Sennaar, till in lat. 16° N. it unites with the Bahr-elAbiad or principal branch of the Nile. In Abyssinia, and in Europe, till the middle of the last century, this river was always considered as the head of the Egyptian Nile, but the superior magnitude of the Bahr-el-Abiad seems now to be clearly proved. The principal tributaries of the Bahr-el-Azrek are the Dender and the Maleg. 2. The Tucazze rises near lat. 12° N. lon. 39° E. and running in a N. W. direction through Sennaar, joins the Nile in lat 17° 45' N.

Divisions. Three centuries ago the whole of Abyssinia was firmly and happily united under one sovereign, but internal dissensions and the inroads of the Galla, a barbarous people from the south. bave gradually dismembered the finest provinces of this once flourishing empire. The country is now divided into three principal independent states: 1. The kingdom of Tigre, comprehending the provinces between the Red sea and the lacazze, viz. Tigre proper, Agame, Enderta, Wojjerat, Wofila, Lasta, Avergale, Samen, Zemben, Sire and the kingdom of Baharnegash. 2. Aihara, comprehending the provinces west of the Tacazze, the principal of which are Amhara proper, Dembea, Damut, Gojam, and Begemder. 3. The provinces of Shoa and

fat, lying south of the sources of the Tacazza. Besides these divisions, there are several ports on the Red sea, under the gov ernment of Arab princes, who acknowledge the sovereignty of the Grand Seignor; and several districts in the interior are occupied by independentibes.

Climate.] The climate of Abyssinia is on the whole fine. The ranges of mountains, with which it is everywhere intersected, preserve the air cool, and afford a supply of water sufficient to maintain fertility. Most of the towns and villages are delightfully situated on the declivities of the mountains. The deep vallies, from the combined influence of heat and moisture, are somewhat unhealthy.

Soil and Productions.] In consequence of its physical structure, Abyssinia is exceedingly fertile, and is exempted in a great measure from the sand, which dooms so large a portion of Africa to sterility. Wheat is raised in considerable quantity in the high grounds, but the plant most commonly cultivated is teff, which grows on almost every soil, and affords the bread which is in universal use. Among the other vegetable products are the papyrus, so celebrated among the ancients as the original material of paper; balsam, myrrh and other odoriferous products, which are obtained along the coast of the Red sea.

Animals.] There is a great variety of wild animals. Among these are the hyænas, which appear to be the most fierce and untameable of all animals. In most parts of the country they are found in vast numbers, and travellers are in continual danger from them. They are not naturally gregarious, yet sometimes assemble in vast troops, attracted by the scent of dead bodies, which according to the barbarous custom of the country are often left unburied. The elephant and rhinoceros are numerous in the low grounds. Hippopotami and crocodiles abound in all the rivers. The domestic animals are generally the same with those of Europe. The most remarkable is the Galla ox, which has horns of an enormous magnitude. Mr. Salt saw one four feet long, and 21 inches in circumference at its root.

Chief Towns.] Gondar, the capital of the kingdom of Amhara, is situated about 30 miles N. E. of the lake of Dembea. It contains 50,000 inhabitants, and is now in the hands of the Galla, together with the whole province in which it is situated.

Axum, the ancient capital of Abyssinia, lies about 150 miles N. E. of Gondar. It is distinguished for its magnificent ruins. Of these the most remarkable is a large obelisk, which stands in the middle of the principal square. It is 80 feet high and is composed of a single block of granite, curiously carved. The order of architecture is strictly Grecian. Axum contains at present about 600 houses. Adowa, 12 miles E. of Axum, is the capital of Tigre. It contains 8,000 inhabitants, and is remarkable for the extensive manufacture of cotton cloths. It is also the channel by which the communication between the coast and the interior is almost exclusively carried on. The other considerable towns in Tigre are Antalo and Dixan.

Masuah, the principal sea-port of Abyssinia, is situated in lat. 15° 34' N. on a small island in the Red sea, separated from the continent by a narrow channel. Its intercourse is chiefly with Mocha and Jidda, and the imports consist of cotton, spices, piece goods, lead, iron, copper, tin, and European manufactures. The exports are rhinoceros' horns, gold, ivory, honey, slaves and wax. The governor of the city acknowledges the sovereignty of the Grand Seignor. Arkeeko is a sea-port, at the bottom of the bay of Masuah, and not far from the town of the same name.

Salt plain.] In the eastern part of the kingdom of Tigre is a large plain, about 4 days journey across, and covered with salt. The salt is perfectly pure and hard for about two feet deep; but that lying beneath is coarser and softer till purified by exposure to the air. It is cut with an adze into pieces, which not only serve as seasoning to food, but even circulate as money in Abyssinia. The digging of the salt is attended with considerable danger, from the vicinity of the Galla, who frequently attack those employed, as well as the caravans which convey the salt to Antalo.

Population and Religion.] The population is not less than 4,000,000. It consists partly of Abyssinians, partly of Arahs, partly of the Galla, together with some other negro tribes. The Abyssinians were converted from Judaism to Christianity prior to the middle of the fourth century, but their religion still retains many Judaical observances. They abstain from the meats prohibited by the Mosaic law; they practise circumcision, and keep both Saturday and Sunday as sabbaths. The Coptic patriarch of Cairo is the nominal head of the church, and from him the Abuna or resident head receives his investiture. They have monasteries, both of monks and nuns. Their veneration for the Virgin is unbounded, their saints also are extremely numerous and surpass in miraculous power even those of the Romish calendar. This system of Christianity does not prohibit polygamy. The Galla were formerly idolaters, but a very large proportion of them have been recently converted to Mahometanism.

Political Condition.] The kingdom of Tigre, the most powerful of the three states into which the country is divided, is under an Abyssinian prince whose power is unlimited; Amhara, originally the centre of the Abyssinian power, is now under a chief of the Galla, who is said to be able to bring into the field an army of 20,000 cavalry; the southern provinces of Shoa and Efat are under an Abyssinian prince, who is entirely independent of the sovereign of Tigre. These different states are constantly at war with each other, while at the same time the governors of the smaller provinces are almost continually rebelling against their sovereigns. Abyssinia thus presents a scene of perpetual bloodshed, from hostilities carried on in the very bosom of the country, nor is a single district for a moment secure from devastation. Manners and Customs.] The manners of the Abyssinians are characterized by a peculiar barbarism and brutality. They seem to have no more regard for the life of a man than for that of a

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