The naturalist''''s library V11

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THETUKALIST'S LIBRARY.SIRWILLIAMJAUIMNK,BABT.,F.B.H.B,, V.L.H.,KTC,,XfO*VOL.XLORNITHOLOGY.BIRDSOFWESTKIiNAFEICA-PAKT I.YW SWAINSON,ESQ.

I'.H.i,F.L.B.,M.W.U.,ITC.,AJTPOilVlA.LFOI1IOW ACADIMTKM,

W ||. LI/.AES, 3, ST JAMBS'SQUABB.

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CONTENTS,MEMOIROFBRUCE 17INTRODUCTION ; 85FALCONID^orFALCON FAMILY 103CuckooFalcon.AvicedaCttctdoides. Plate1 104Rufous-necked Falcon.

Falcoruficollis. PlateII 107Rufous Kestral Falcon.Falcorufuscens 109GreyFalcon.Falcoconcolor. PlateIII 112Black-chinnedGoshawk.Aster monogrammicus Plate IV 114Senegal Sparrow-hawk.Accipiter brachydactylus 118LittleRed-billedHawk.Accipitererythrorynchus 121

THESTRAGHXEorOWLS 124White-faced Scops Owl.

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Yellow-bellisd, orCapeBanting PAW

Fringttlaria Capensis. PlateXVIIL QllWhite-spotted Lark.Certhuaudanivosa 213fellow-bellied, orSenegal Long-claw.Macronyxflaviy'aster 215Violet Plantain-eater.

Musophagaviolacea.PlateXIX 218

Variegated,orCrestedPlwitain-eater.

ChizcBrhis variegata. PlateXX. 223Senegal Touraco.CorytiiaixSenegalensis. PlateXXI 225Crimson-crested Touraco.Corythaioserythrolopus 228DENTIROSTRES.WoodchatShrike.Laniusrufus -, 231Corvine,orLong-tailedShrike.Laniuscissoides 233Knfous-wingedShrike.Telophonus erythropterus 235

LargeGrey-headedBush-Shrike.

Malaoonotusolivaceus. PlateXXII 237

LittleGrey-headedBush-Shrike.

Malaconotussuperciliosus 239

Puff-backed Bush-Shrike.

Malaconotusmolissimus. PlateXXIII 240

Barbary,orYellow-crownedBush-Shrike.

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Pale-winged Drongo.Dioruruscannipennis 354Even-tailed Drongo.Dicrurusatripenms 256WalkingDrongo.Melasomaedolioides. PlateXXIX 257Yellow-throatedShort-foot.H&matornisflavicollis 259AfricanBristle-bill.261Olive "Bristle-neck.Triwpfiorus olivaceus 264Whit*- throatedBristle-neck.Tricophorus gularis 266Stripe-breasted Bristle-neck.Tricophorusstrigilatus 267ClimbingLeaflove.Phyllastrephus scandens. PlateXXX, 270Broad-tailed Babbler.C-rateropus platycircus 274Black-crowned Babbler.Crateropus reinwardii 276Black-winged Babbler.Crateropus cUripcnnis 278OrioleBabbler.

Crateropus orwlides. PlateXXXI 280

GreaterWhite-crownedRock-Thrush.

Petrocincla leucoceps 282

LesserWhite-crownedThrush.

Petrocincla aUncapilla. PlateXXXII 284

PORTRAIT OPBRUCB

VignetteTitle-page

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MEMOIROFBRUCE.0^//\i>THEUNIVEKS1TY

ALTHOUGH the claims of Bruce, the African

Tra-veller, as a benefactor to science, belong rather to

Geographythan Natural History, yet from the

im-portance ofhis discoveries as enlarging the means

ofhumanknowledge,andopeningupanunexplored

region to future adventurers in the same path, hisnamewelldeservesaplace inthe catalogue of

dis-tinguished menwho have contributed to the

ad-vancement of Natural Science The interesting

countries through which he penetrated have been

repeatedlyvisitedby Europeans sincehistime; butwithhimreststhe merit ofhavingfirstexcited that

thirst for information respecting their antiquities,

mariners, and productions, which has led so many

enterprisingtravellers tothesamefountain.Abyssinia, the most prominenttheatreofBruce's

discoveries, hadthen aroused no

spiritof inquiry in

Great Britain; anditwasnearly aslittleknownto

the inhabitants ofthispart of the world, evenupto

themiddleof thelast century, asitwasinthedays

of Herodotusand Strabo FromtheMosaicrecord

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"

Ethiopia aboveEgypt,"which corresponds to the

Nubia and Abyssinia ofmodern geography. Theknowledgeof thesedistrictspossessedbytheGreeksandRomanswas chieflytraditionary, derived from

the merchants of the Red Sea, who imported intoEgypttherichproductsandmanufacturesof Arabia,Persia, andIndia Buttheirpoetsandphilosophers

universallyregarded that mysterious region as thecradleof those artswhich, atalater period,coveredthe kingdom of the Pharaohs with so many

won-derfulmonuments and stupendousedifices; as also

of those religious rites, which, after being slightly

modifiedbythepriests ofThebes, were adoptedby

the predecessors ofHomerandVirgil as the basis

oftheirmythology.

From the days of the Ptolemies, or about the

beginning of the Christian era, more than a thou-sandyearspassedaway, duringwhichno European

acquiredany knowledge of thatremoteland, orsetafootwithinitsborders Itshistoryisshroudedin

titterdarkness; andwecanonly conjecture that the

Mahommedanconquerors,aftersubduingtheGreek

province of Egypt, or more probably some of the

barbarousnative hordes, more potentthantherest,

mayhaveestablishedtheirdominion in the desert,

andextinguished intheircivilwars those lights of

civilizationwhichonceillumined the fabledregionsof ancientMeroe Theonlygleamsofintelligencethat break occasionally through that longnight of

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19

wholaboured to connect the ecclesiasticalaffairsofthatcountry withthose of thepatriarchate ofAlex

andria.

Itwasnotuntilthe epochwhenthe Portuguese,attracted at once by their love of gold and theirzeal formakingconverts tothe Romishfaith,

pene-trated into Eastern Africa, that any degree ofknowledge wasobtainedrespectingits political

con-dition, oritsnatural productions Thegrandobject

of their maritime aswell as their missionary

exer-tions, was, asiswellknown, to reach theterritoryof that celebrated and mysteriouspersonage called

Prtster John, whomtheybelievedto bethe kingofthe Christians and emperor of Ethiopia Their

pious curiositywas at length rewarded bythe

dis-covery,orthesupposeddiscovery,thatthedominion

ofthissecondMelchizedekwas nootherthan

Abys-sinia. The error indeed was afterwards detected,

butithadthe effect of stimulatingtheir apostolicalzeal, and obtainingfrom eye-witnesses a more en-largedandaccurateaccountof thecountry thanhad

then reached Europe Thetravelsof the Jesuits inthe sixteenth century,while labouringtopropagate

their faith among the natives, are detailed in theCollection compiled by Father Balthazzar Tellez,whose curiousvolumemaybe regarded as the first

attempttocomposea general history of Ethiopia.

One of these missionaries, Peter Paez, who set

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after-wards given by Bruce JeromeLobo, another of

these missionaries, who resided there nine years,

and whose History was translated by Dr. Samuel

Johnson,alsodescribes the "

coyfountains" of that

celebratedriver, as ifhehadseen them; but

whe-therheactuallyvisitedthem,ormerely wrote from

informationcommunicatedbyothers,has never been

clearlyascertained. The namesofLudolfand Geddes

are familiar as having written on Abyssinia; but

since the journey of Poncet (1698), who visited

Sennaar, Gondar, and other

Abyssinian towns, along interval had elapsed, duringwhich the name

of the countrywasalmostforgotten; and notravel-lerseemedinclinedtorevive it, until the romantic

spirit of Bruce turned his attention to those

ne-glected regions, in the hope of tracingthe hidden

fountains of the Nile; a problemwhichhadexcited,

without rewarding, the curiosityofmenof science

fromtheearliestages.

JAMES BRUCE, ofKinnaird,was descendedofan

ancient Scottish familywhich claims kindred with

the royalhero of thatnamewhorestoredthe

inde-pendence of his country on the field ofBannock-bum.Hewas bornat Kinnaird Housein

Stirling-shire, onthe14th ofDecember, 1730 His motherwas a daughterofGraham of Airth, inthevicinity

ofhis own residence, whowas then Dean of the

Facultyof Advocates,and Judge of theHighCourt

ofAdmiralty in Scotland; a man ofdistinguished

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virtues YoungBrucehadthe misfortune to lose

his mother in the third year ofhisage; hisfather

marrieda secondwife,bywhomhehad twodaugh-tersandsix sons,someofwhomembracedamilitary

lifeanddied in theserviceoftheircountry.

Inhischildhood, Brucepossessednothing ofthatdaring spirit and athletic constitution which

after-wards carried him safelythrough so manyperilousadventures Theinsidiousdisorder thathurried his

amiable mother to a premature grave, seemed to

have markedhim out as another victim; but thephthisical symptoms of infancy gradually disap-peared,andateightyears ofagehisfathersenthimtoLondon, whereitwasintendedhe shouldreceive

aliberaleducation, suitable to his future prospects

in life, as the heir apparent of the family estate.

Hewasentrustedtothe friendly care ofhis uncle,

CounsellorHamilton, underwhose superintendencehe remained until 1742, when he was removed to

Harrow School, then conducted by Dr Cox At

thisfamousseminary he prosecutedhis studieswithunusual diligence, and hadthe reputation ofbeingone of themostpromisingboysthatthemasterever

hadunderhischarge.

Brucequitted thatinstitutiononthe8th ofMay,1746; and during the four years of his residence

there, he not only acquired a competent share of

classical learning, but gained theesteem of many

individuals whobecame his attached friends everafterwards Hehadnowreachedtheage ofsixteen,

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robustconstitution Histallstatureandhisgeneral

appearanceindicated thathe hadgrown faster than

his strength; however, as it was considered neces-sary that he should follow some profession, Mr.

Hamilton was requested to converse with him on

thatimportant subject Hisownpreferencewas to

prosecutethe study ofdivinityand becomea

clergy-man, as being more in unison with the gravity of

hischaracterandhabits.

Meantime,after leavingHarrow, hewassentfor

a short time to another academy, where, besides

Latin and Greek, he studied French, arithmetic,

and geography. Hisfatherhavingexpresseda wishthat he should abandon the church, he at once

complied,and consentedtoturnhisattentiontothelaw, with theviewofbecoming an advocateattheScottishbar.

Having greatly improved in his health, he

re-turned in May, 1747, to his native place, and

devoted the following autumn to the invigoratingsports of the field, whichgave himadecided tastefor that sort of amusement. In the winter he

repairedtoEdinburgh, where heattended the

pro-fessors of Civil and Scotch law; but a short trial

soon convincedhim that his mind wasnotadapted

for these pursuits. Hehad norelish fordry

tech-nicalities, theuse orimportance ofwhichhecould

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23

from the impaired state of his health to return

home, by the advice of his physician, in quest of

fresh air and exercise This simple prescription

restored his constitution; and it wasnow deter^mined that heshould abandonthe legal profession,

asits

drudgerieswerebeyondhis strength, and not

likely afterallto ensure success.

For several years Bruce remained idle, withoutaiming at anyparticular line oflife; Indiawas at

lastsuggested asafieldsuited to his ardent imagi-nation; but as he was considerably above the age

for receiving a writership from the Company, he

resolvedtopetitionthe Courtof Directorsforleave

to settle under its patronage as a free trader. In

July, 1753, he left Scotland for London, with aview to carry this plan into execution On his

arrivalhemetwiththemostcordialreceptionfrom

his former friends and acquaintances; and while

waiting in suspenseforthe permission of the

Direc-tors, a new object took possession of his heart,

which speedily obliterated all thoughts of foreign

travel in pursuit ofwealth or business This was

an elegant and accomplished young lady, named

AdrianaAllan, daughter ofa widow, whose

hus-band,an eminent wine-merchant,hadraisedhimself

to opulencebyhissteadinessandintegrity. Brucehad been introduced to her by one of his

com-panions; her engaging mannersand affectionate

disposition soon won his love; their regard was

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andthe prospect ofriches in Indiawas exchangedfor ashare in the wine-trade Our traveller knew

nothing atall about the business, but asitwas an

additionalbondofconnexion with thefairobject of

his choice,heembarkedinitwithall theardourof

professionalenthusiasm Thedealingsof the com-panywereextensive, and he nowseemedfixed for

life in an employment which promised to secure

himbothfortuneandhappiness.

But the morning of his hopes was soon over-clouded His youngwife inherited a consumptive

Babit, whichmade it necessary for her to seek a

healthier clime than the thick noxious atmosphere

ofLondon Finding thewaters ofBristol

unavail-ing, sheundertook a journeytothe south of France,

but expired on reaching Paris, exhausted with

dis-easeandfatigue. ThepoignantgriefofBrucewas

exasperated almost to frenzybythe refusal of the

intolerant Catholic priests to allow her Christian

burial To obtainthisrite

required the influence ofthe British ambassador, Lord Albemarle; and at

thedeadhourof midnight, the disconsolatehusband

bore her remains to a grave, for which he was

indebted to the humanity ofthat nobleman Thedistraction ofhis mind, withthewant of food and

rest, threw him into a fever at Boulogne, from

which herecoveredso farastobeable toreturn to

London His usual avocation was resumed, but

thetiethat endeared it to himwasbroken, and itnolonger affordedhimeither interestoramusement.

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UNIV]

MEMOIROF BRUCE \X C/4 25he endeavoured to soothe his sorrows with study

andtravel.

Fortwo yearshe devotedhimselfto the

acquisi-tionof theSpanish and Portugueselanguages, andalsomade considerable progress in severalstyles of

drawing Itfortunatelyhappenedthattheconcern

in which he was engaged required a regular and

constant intercourse with those countries, so that

his desire tovisit the continent coincidedwith theordinary routine of thebusiness.

After having madeashort visittothe islands ofGuernseyandAlderney, he sailed inthe month of

Julyforthe continent, and spent the remainder ofthe year in Portugal and Spain. From Corunna,wherehelanded,he proceededto Ferrol,andthence

toOportoand Lisbon Hisprofessed objectwasto

be present at the vintage of that season, but hisjournals showedthathehad paid moreattentionto

the mannersand customs of the people. From

Portugal Bruce entered Spain, passed through

To-ledo, andmadean excursion over the mountains

intothe province ofnewCastille Aboutthemiddle

ofNovemberhe reached Madrid, having traversedthedistricts ofCordova andSeville Hisintimate

knowledge of the Spanish language was ofgreat

service to him, in enablinghimtoappreciate more

narrowlythe habitsandcondition ofsociety.

The traces of Oriental manners visible in thesouth, the ruinous palaces of the Kaliphs, andthe

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manu-scripts deposited in the monastery ofSt. Laurence

and the famous libraryof the Escurial at Madrid.

Havingaslight acquaintancewith that tongue, he

might perhaps have brought to lightsome oftheir

hiddentreasures; although little couldbe expectedfrom Bruceafterthe laborious researches ofMichael

Casiri, whowas atthat verytime engaged in com-pilinghis celebrated work the Billiotheca

Aralico-HispanaEscurialensis, inwhich he hasclassedand

given copious extractsfromno fewerthan one

thou-sandeighthundredandfifty-oneArabicmanuscripts,

But the jealousy of the Spanish government

pre-ventedhim from

gaining admission into that vastsepulchre oforiental learning, exceptuponacondi-tionwithwhichhisunsettled imagination couldnotcomply, that of attaching himselfto the Spanish

court.

After sojourning there for a fewmonths, he de-partedforPampeluna, thecapitalofNavarre,where

he arrivedon Christmas day, 1757> on^s wajtoFrance Crossing the Pyrenees, he reached Bour-deaux, where he tarried for some time, delighted

withthe cheerfulvivacity ofFrench society. From

that

cityhetraversedthecountry eastwardto

Stras-burg, andthenfollowing the course of theRhineto

itsconfluencewiththeMaine, hevisitedFrankfort.

Returning northward, he passed through Cologne

toBrussels,having astrongdesire tovisit theAus-trian Netherlands On the second day after hisarrival he innocently inveigled himself in a duel

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27

ti1st, hewas obligedto makethe best ofhiswayto

Holland Thencehe proceededtoHanover,where

he hadthefortuneto witness the battle of Crevelt

(June 23, 17^8), the first engagementhehad everseen.

Yielding to the romantic ideas of military glory

with which that spirit-stirring scene had inspired

him, he resolved to quit the peacefulwalksoflife

and the insipid avocations oftrade, andbecome a

soldier His imagination pictured to him the

ex-ploits andthe fameofhis illustriousancestors; and

he might probably have embarked as a militaryadventurerin foreign service,had henot received a

letter at Rotterdam informing him ofhis father's

death This intelligence, and the consequent suc-cession to the family estate, altered his intentions,and obliged him to return without delay to

Eng-land Having gradually disengaged himself from

his partnership in the wine-trade,hemade prepara-tions for returning to Scotland, the value of hisproperty in themean time having been consider-ably raised by the large demands of the Carroniron-company onhiscoal-mines.

A circumstance at this time happened which

formed the pivot on which the future destiny of

Bruce wasto turn Duringhisshort stayat Ferrol,

in Gallicia, he had been led, in consequence of a

rumour of war betweenBritain and Spain, to

con-siderthat place asthemost advantageous pointfor

the Britishsquadron toattackwithaviewtoinvade

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communi-catedto Mr.Pitt,withwhomhehad thehonourofconversing on the subject. That able minister

seemed inclined to adopt his plan; but before it

could be carried into execution, andwhen Bruce

had received orders to waitupon him on the sub-ject, Mr Pitt resigned his office. Thescheme

however,wasnotallowedtodrop:ithadbeenlaid

before the king, andwas highly recommended by

Lord Halifax The Earl of Egremont and Mr.

Grenville had several meetings withBruceto

con-cert the expedition, which was to be entrusted toLordHowe.But the Portuguese ambassador in-terfered, andtheideawassuddenly abandoned.

After these repeated disappointments, Brucere-tired to Scotland; but hewas soon againcalled toLondon by Lord Halifax, who suggested to him

the congenial task of exploring the coasts of Bar-baryandthe magnificentremainsofMoorish archi-tecture, which hadbeenalreadypartiallyvisitedby

the learned Dr.Shaw Thediscovery of the sources

of the Nilewaslikewise made the subject of

con-versation; anditwasfromthisincident thatBruce

conceived the

design of solving that great geogra-phicalproblem which, ashe'expresses himself, hadbaffledthe researches of all travellers for the last

two thousand years. Fortune seemed tosmile on

this arduous

undertaking, for the consulship ofAlgiers having become vacant by the death of

Mr.Ford,Brucewasinducedtoaccept theofficeasaffording additionalconvenienceformakinghis

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pro-hisdeparturehehadthehonourofbeingpresented

to hismajestyGeorgeIII.whoconversedwithhim

onthenature ofhisexpedition, and requestedhimto make accurate drawings of the ruins he might

discoverin the course ofhis travels To improvehis tasteandhisknowledge of these matters,itwas

arranged that he should travelthrough FranceandItaly, witha viewtoobserveandstudytheremains

ofRoman antiquityinthelattercountry.

Brucewas overjoyed at the delightful prospect

nowopenedbeforehim; hesailedfromEnglandin

June, 1762, and arrivedat Rome in the monthof

August The paintings, statues, ruins, and other

curiosities which he examined during his visits to

Naples, Florence, and Bologna, have already been'

seenanddescribed by thousands oftravellers; itis

only necessarytherefore toremark, that on all the

particularshemadevery minuteobservations,which

indicatedthe extent ofhisknowledgeas well asthe

correctnessof histaste andjudgment. Having

en-gaged anartistnamedLuigiBalugani, and availedhimself of every opportunity to improve his own

skillindrawing,as alsoof theArabiclanguage, he

sailedfromLeghornon boardtheMontreal

man-of-war, and arrivedat

Algiers on the 15th ofMarch,

1763 With the view of observing the transit of

Venus, which would be visible at that place, he

had provided himselfwith a completeapparatus ofinstruments, in the selectionof whichhehad been

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The despatches which Bruce sent home in hi

capacityof British consul(andwhicharepreservecin the ColonialOffice), gave a curious and correcpicture of the customsof the Algerines, and oftin

barbarous government under which they lived Iwasusualforeverynewconsul to make large pre

sentsonenteringuponhisofficialemployment; th

rapacity of the Dey, which extended to his lowesmenials, led him to render their situation as dis

agreeable aspossible, inorder thathe might enricl

himself by compellingthe Christianstatesfrequentl;

to change their diplomatic servants. The conse

quencewas, that our traveller soongot involved ii

disputeswiththeDey, whoviolatedwithoutscruplloth the persons and properties of such Englis]

subjects as fell into his hands WhenBruce re

monstrated, hewas instantly toldbyhis Highnes

that " he cared neither for the King of Englan

nor his consul." He thenventured, in a letter t

his patron, Lord Halifax, to recommend" forcibl

measures, as the onlywayofmaintainingthe dignity of his country at Algiers." This bold advicevidently placed his own life in jeopardy, and hbeganatlasttoapprehend that he mightfallavie

tim"tothese lawless butchers."

Fresh quarrels

having arisen on the subject ccertain English passportswhich the Frenchgovei

norofMinorcahadseizedwhenhe tookthatislancand sold toSpaniards, Neapolitans, and other ene

miesof theBarbaryregencies,withaviewtoinvolv

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opposed the cruel resolution of the Dey to orderevery ship carrying a passavant, or writtencertificate,

to be captured, concluding that as they differed

from the old printed form they must have been

forgeries The result of this determined conduct

was, that the British consulhadhisdragomantakenfrom him, andwascommandedto quit thecountry

in three days; andhad not the savage passion of

the Dey been somewhat abated by the opportune

arrivalofproperadmiraltypasses, the discoverer of

the sourcesof the Nile might have fallenasacrificetothecaprice of an ignorant barbarian. The dan-gerous post from which Brucehad so narrowly

escaped, wasimmediatelyfilledbyasuccessor, who

overstepped the bounds ofconciliation so far as to

allow theAlgeriiietyranttoimpose ataxonBritish

vessels,whichhehad norighttolevy.

Thetimethat elapsedbetween Bruce's dismissal

andhisobtaining an answer from Lord Halifax tohis despatch, was assiduously devoted to study in

making him familiar with every thing that wasrequisite for his intended journey. From Father

Christopher, a Greek priest of Cyprus, whohad

formedhis acquaintance atAlgiers, he acquired athorough knowledge of the Romaic or modern

Greek, which was ofgreat importance to him inAbyssinia From Mr.Bell, theking's surgeon,and

fromhisfriendDr.Russell, physicianto the Britishfactory at Aleppo, he obtained some professional

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32

ofmedicines,which afterwards servedasavaluablepassportinallthe countrieswhich hevisited.

Nosooner was herelieved from histedious

resi-dence oftwo years and a quarter at Algiers, thanhe preparedfor his departure; and accordingly, he

sailedonthe 25th ofAugust, 17&>> forTunisandTripoli,heingfurnishedwith recommendatoryletters

from the Deyto the Bey of both these regencies.

Proceeding along the coast, he visited Bona, theancient Aphrodisium; on anchoring at Biserta, hepaid avisit to Utica, not so much (as he says) in

the expectation of findinganything remarkable, as

out of respectto the memoryof Cato He found

the city a heap of rubbish, but the trenches and

approaches of the ancient besiegerswerestill

tolera-bly perfect After doubling Cape Carthage, and

rowingalong the bay, he sawseveral buildingsand

columns still standing under water, bywhich it

appears that Old Carthage hadowed part of its

destruction tothe sea; and hence maybe inferredthe absurdity ofany attemptto representthesiteofthatrenownedcityonpaper.

The inhabitants of Tunis he found to be morecivilized than the Algerines, and living under a

milder government Havingdeliveredhis letters to ,

theBey, heobtained permissiontovisitthe countryin any direction he might please; and about the

middle of September, hemade an excursion into

theinterior, accompanied byhis draughtsman, ten

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the Bey's wife he received a present of a two-wheeled covered cart, resembling those commonly

usedbybakers, andthisservedasa conveyanceforhis quadrant and telescope, protecting them

suffi-cientlyfromtheweather.

AtTucca he found a Corinthianpillar ofParian

marble,andthe ruins ofatemple, amongwhich he

remained fifteen days, making various interesting

drawings, which, itappears, have never yet beengiven tothe world. At Hydra (the ancient Thu-nodrunum) hemetwith atribe ofArabswhowere

immenselyrich,butremarkableforbeingexemptedfrompaying tribute either to Tunis orAlgiers, on

the frontiers ofwhich kingdom they dwelt. The

pretence for this immunity was rather singular.

Beingobligedbytheinstitutions oftheirfounderto

Jive uponlion's flesh, theyenjoyed this indulgence

fromthesegovernments, because they devoured thf

naturalenemiesofthestate. Brucepartookofthis

extraordinary fare, and mentions an anecdote of

Dr.Shaw,who madethe same statement; but

find-ing itridiculedatthe university ofOxfordasanin

versionofthe orderof nature,sincethemoregeneralpractice isfor lions to eat men, he did not venture

to publish the fact in his travels, but contentedhimselfwith merelyprintingitinthe appendix.

FromHydraBruce proceeded to Spaitla, andwasoccupiedeightdays in measuringand drawing

its extensive and elegant ruins To this place he

returned asecond timeaftermakinga short visitto

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correcting his sketches. During these journeys,

his health was good, notwithstanding the heat ofthe climate; the only annoyanceto which he was

exposed was an attack of a tribe of plundering

Arabs FromTunis hesetoutforTripoli, travelling

along the coast; the only incidents of importance

that occurredonthe route were his

falling inwith

theHajor pilgrim caravan on itswaytoMeccainArabia, and his being assailed bya party ofArab

horsemen, who were repulsed with considerable

difficulty.

At Tripoli he was hospitably received by theBritish consul, a countrymanofhis own, the

Ho-nourable Mr Fraser ofLovat; but in consequence

ofsome misunderstanding between the Pasha andMr. Fraser, ourtraveller founditabsolutely neces-saryforhimtoreturntoTunis,untilthedifferences

withtheBarbaryStateswereadjusted. In August

1766, he again set out from Tunis, crossing thedesart bySfax andGerba, andarrived in safety at

Tripoli He then despatched an English servant

to Smyrnawith his books, drawings, and super-numeraryinstruments,toawait hisarrival.

Crossing the gulf of Sydra (the Syrtis Major),

Bruce visited Bengazi, but he found the wholedistrictinastate of lawless disorder, owingtothe

mismanagement of the governor, whowasbrother

totheBeyofTripoli.

Quittingthisdreadful scene,

and travelling over the

greater part of the

Penta-polis,hevisitedthe ruins of Orsinoe;but

discovering

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to Has Sem, the petrified city, where the Arabs

pretend that menand horses, women churning,

littlechildren, dogs, cats,andmice,wereto be seen

inastate ofpetrifaction. Itisneedlessto say that

Bruce discovered noneof these marvels,andfound

themallto befables Approachingthe sea-coasthe

cametoPtolemeta, the ancient Ptolemais, the walls

andgates ofwhichhe foundstillentire, andcoveredwithanimmensenumberofGreekinscriptions.

Theturbulentstateof the country, theappearanceofthe plague, and the plundering of thegreat

pil-grim caravan, induced ourtraveller to fly at oncefromthat inhospitable coast, tosavehislifeandtheinformation he had so laboriously acquired.

Em-barking with his little party on board a Greekjunk belonging to Lampedosa, a small islandnear

Crete, he resolved to proceed on hisjourney; but

thevesselbeing badlyappointed, and overcrowdedwith starved passengers, he discovered, when too

late, that he only escaped one species of danger

to encounter another The captain was ignorant

ofhisduty, andbeing overtaken with a storm, the

ship struckuponasunkrockat theentrance of the

harbourofBengazi; afewofthemenperishedby

attemptingto save themselves inaboat; Bruce wasanexpertswimmer, andreachedthe shore inastate

ofgreatexhaustion; fora considerabletime helayinsensible,and wasatlengthroused fromhis stupor

byablow onthehead fromthe lance ofan Arab,apartyofwhomhad come toplunderthevessel.

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purchasedat Algiers, the Arabs mistook himfora

Turk; andafter manykicks andcurses,theystripttheirdefencelessandhalf-dead victim, leavinghimin a state ofnudityon the sand Suspecting thetrue cause ofhis misusage (the Arabs detest theTurks), he contrived to let the robbers knowthat

hewasa poor Christian physician, a dervish going

about doing good, and wrecked while on his wayto Greece to get bread. This information

pro-curedhim better treatment; theSheik or chiefofthe tribe ordered himaplentiful supper, where hehadthehappiness to meet his attendants Camels

were thenbrought, and thewhole partyproceeded

toBengazi; hereBrucewroteto the Sheik, entreat-inghim to endeavour to fish up his cases and

in-strumentsfromthewreck; butthiswasnoteffected,

though ahandsomerewardwas offered, andhelostby this importune accident a sextant, telescope,time-piece, a small camera obscura, several guns,

pistols, drawings, with many ofhis notes and

ob-servations.

After being detained at Bengazi about two

months,Bruceobtainedapassage ina smallFrench

sloop,themasterofwhichhehadknownatAlgiers;

and bidding farewellto Africa, he landed atCrete,

whereinconsequence ofhis exertion in the waves,

hewas seizedwithanobstinate ague, andforsome

days laydangerouslyill. From Crete he sailed to

Rhodes,wherehehadthe pleasuretofindhisbooks

and instruments Being desirous to view some

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3?

Asia Minor, he proceeded to Castelrosso; buthisfever increasing, hewas reluctantly compelled toabandon his object, and taking again to sea, he

touchedatCyprus,and then landedatBeirootnear

Sidon,onthecoastof Phoenicia, inJune, 1767*

Hishealthand constitutionhadsufferedseverely,

stillheresolvedtopersevere; butbefore

undertak-inghis bold attempt to reach the fountain of theNile, he was anxious to visit Syria, and add theruins ofPalmyra to those of Africa Proceeding

by Latikea and Antioch to Aleppo, he was again

seizedwith his relentless malady; and had it notbeenforthekindattentionofM.Belville,aFrench

merchant, andthe professionalskill ofDr Russell,

physician to the British Factoryin that city, it is

probable Brace's travelswould have ended in the

capital ofNorthern Syria. Assoon as his health

wouldpermit, he departed for Palmyra, which he

reached, after making a narrow escape from thetreachery of the inhabitants in fording the Orontes.

Theviewof these stupendous ruins madeastrongimpression on his imagination, as surpassing any

thing he had ever seen With the assistance ofBalugani, he proceeded to sketch the magnificentscene beforehim,dividingthewholeinto six

angu-lar views; and after finishing thirteen large

draw-ings,heandhisparty quitted thatenchantingplace,andtravelled almost ahundredand thirtymiles to

Baalbec.

Having taken a number of drawings of these

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hospitable mansion of M. Clerambaut at Sidon,muchfatigued, butgratifiedexceedinglywithwhat

hehad seen On his arrival, he found a supplyof

mathematicaland astronomical instruments, whichhadbeensentto himfrom Europe, to makeupfor

thelosshehad sustainedatBengazi: histelescopeshad been forwardedto him from London; atime-piece andastop-watchfromParis; andaquadrant

from LouisXV., whohadlearned the story ofhis

misfortune from the Count de Buffon Equally

flatteredanddelightedwiththissupport,heresolved

todelaynolongerhisvoyagetoEgypt; andonthe

15th of June, 1768? three

years after quittingAlgiers,hesailedfrom SidonforAlexandria,whichhe did not reachuntilthebeginningofJuly,having

been detained for some time atCyprus, as it was

notknowntherewhether the plague hadceased in

Egypt.

Brucecarriedwithhimlettersofrecommendation

tothe mercantilehouseof JulianandBertram,andto them he imparted his

design of pursuing his

journeyinto Abyssinia; but as the government of

Cairo had always been jealous of visitors tothatcountry,he wasobligedtopretendthathisdestina-tionwasto India.

When his cases of instruments were opened at

the customhouse atAlexandria,theynaturally

sug-gestedtoRisk, the secretary ofAli Bey, that their

owner must beversed in the science ofastrology.

Hissupposedknowledgeof the stars, andabilityto

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ratheradangerous accomplishment. In a few dayshewasdesiredtorepairtotheconventofSt.

George,

where hemetwith his old friend, Father Christo-pher, whohadlivedwithhimat Algiers; andfrom

that venerable patriarch he received much useful

intelligence respecting Abyssinia, where several ofthe highestofficesinthekingdom, hetoldhim, were

heldbyGreeks, withwhom hecorresponded. Thefame of his astrological science led the Bey to

request an interview, that he might ascertain the

resultof thewar then pendingbetween Russiaand

Turkey Bruce answered with true sybilline

ob-scurity,whichamazedtheBey,andhewasdismissed

withan offerofcoffee, sweetmeats, andprotection.His knowledge of physic likewise attracted thenoticeofAli, who again sent for him to prescribeacureforafitof sicknesswithwhich he had been

seizedafterdinner Brucerecommendedanemetic;

a remedy which, being contraryto the religion aswellasthestomachofa Musssulman,wasdeclined,untilthe experimentwasmade on a young monk,

Mwhowasabsolutelyturnedinsideout beforethem,"that theBeymight havethesatisfaction toseehow

themedicineoperated.

Anxioustoadvance onhis

journey, ourtraveller

procuredrecommendatoryletters tothegovernorof

Syene andUpperEgypt, also to the Beyof Suez,the Sheriff of Mecca, the Naib of Massuah(then

part of Abyssinia), and to the King of Sennaar.

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De-cember,heproceededuptheNilein a canja,which

was to carry him to Furshoot, the residence ofHaman, Sheik ofUpper Egypt As he passed

along, he was gratified with a sight of the pyra-mids, and surveyed with delight the picturesquescenery of that ancient country The situation of

Memphis, the old capital of Egypt, excited his

attention, andheenteredkeenlyintothe conflictingopinions respecting its position, as maintained byShaw, Pococke, Niebuhr, and others; but itis

needless for us to touch upon that controversy,

which willlikelyremainforeveratopic ofdispute,

as the reader perhaps knows that not avestige of

Memphishas existedformanycenturies.

Theruinous villages and Arab encampments on

themarginof theriver, gavelifeandvarietytothe

scene Palmtreesstuddedthegreen narrowvalley,

andbehindthemrosethebarren hills ofa whitish

sandycolour, and completelydestitute ofall

vege-tation AtRhoda, Bruce sawthe magnificent ruinsof the ancient cityAntinous, builtbyAdrian In

some parts ofthevalley theground wassownfrom

the foot of the mountains to thewaters edge, thegrainbeingmerely thrown, after theriverhas

sub-sided, uponthemud,without anypreparationoftheplough In the progress of his voyage, Brucevisited Girge, Dendera, Furshoot, Thebes, Luxor,Karnac, and other places memorable fortheir

stu-pendous ruins, which have since his time been

depicted and described by a hundred subsequent

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hazardof beingmurdered bytheArabrobbers; andin one of the sepulchres at Thebes, hedrew two

ancient harps, which were preserved among

his-papers, and given to Mr Burney to illustrate his

HistoryofMusic.

Twodays afterthe canja had sailedfrom Luxor,

it reached Sheik Amner, the encampment of the

Arab tribe that extended ft3mCosseir onthe Red

Sea far into the desert which Bruce had to cross.He thought it politic to cultivatetheir friendship.Thetravellerandhispartywerewell receivedbythe

old Sheik, calledNimmer (or theTiger), whowas

very ill, and lying in the corner ofhis tent on a

carpet Bruceprescribedsoappills,whichafforded

him great relief; afterwhich the grateful veteran

solemnlyofferedhimhisprotection asfaras Cosseir.

Bythe advice of the "Royal Tiger,"to whomfor

thefirst time he unfoldedhis real

design of

pene-trating into Abyssinia, he was induced totake theroute from Kenne to Cosseir; thence to cross the

RedSeatoJiddain Arabia; andfromthat portto

sail direct for Massuah on the coast of Sennaar.Accordingly, onthe16thofFebruary, 1769, heset

outfromKenne,retracing his coursedowntheNile;

having previously visited the celebrated cataracts,

which are aboutsixmilesfrom Assuan Muchto

his

surprise, hefoundthatvessels couldsail uptherapids, therivertherebeing not halfamilebroad,butdividedintoanumberof small channels.

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42

the dreary desertatafunerealpace; nothingwasto

beseenbut burningsands, orbarrenhillsofabrown

calcined colour, like the cinders on the side of

Vesuvius Therewas nowater, brackish orsweet;nor the traces ofany living creature; neither

ser-pent norlizard, antelopenorostrich. Infourdaysthey reached Cosseir, "

a small mud village

de-fendedbyasquare fort with a few pieces of can-non." Hereoneofhisattendants, Abd-el-gin, had

nearly fallen a victim to the fury of the Arabs;

butbythe addressandintrepidityofBruce, hewas

recovered from their hands when almost strangled

by meansofahairropepassedround hisneck.

Whileat this place, Brucedeterminedtoattempt

a survey of the Red Sea, whichwas then but

imperfectlyknowntoEuropeannavigators Having

provided avessel forthe purpose,heembarkedwith

his party, and proceeded along the Egyptian coastas far as the entrance to the gulf of Suez Theraisor captain had the reputation ofbeing asaint,

but his absurdities were too ridiculous to impose

upon any bodysave the ignorant Arabs To calm

thefearsofhispassengers,he

gravely assumedBruce,

thatany rock which stood in hiswaywould eitherjump asideat their approach, or else turn softlike

a

sponge His miraculous virtues, however, werenot proofagainst storms, for after muking a shortexcursion to Jibel Zumrud, the emerald mines

described b}T

Pliny, a violent tempest of wind and

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being completelyovercome with terror, and unable

tomanagethe ship, kept muttering something about

the mercy andmerits ofSidi AH.

On the 5th of April, Bruce again embarked to

continue his survey, and proceeding up the coastfour days, he crossed the gulf of Suez to Tor, a

small straggling village in the region of MountSinai On the llth he again sailed; advancing

downtheArabianshore,he touchedatYembo,and

thencecontinuedhisvoyagetoJidda, themost

im-portant place (except Mocha) on the eastern coastof the RedSea.

From the effects of sun and weather, and theattacks ofhis Bengazi ague, Brace'sjaded appear-ance and shabbydress madehimresemble anative

Arab or Turkrather than an Englishman. Evenhisowncountryman atJidda, CaptainThornhillof

the Bengal Merchant, could not at first recognize

himasaEuropean; andimagininghimtobesome

poor starved adventurer, sick and in distress, he

orderedhis cooktogivehimaheartymealof broth

and mutton; Bruce despatched his dinner, and

immediately fell asleep upon a mat in the open

court yard, before another apartmentcouldbepro-vided for him While enjoying this welcome

re-pose, hisluggagearrived at the customhouse; and

the Vizierbeing exceedinglycuriousto knowwhat

somanylargeboxescontained, he orderedthemto

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Thefirstthing he beheld wasthe finnan of the

Grand Signior, splendidly written and titled, the

inscription being powdered with gold dust, andwrapped up in green taffeta. Next appeared awhitesatinbag, addressedto theKhan ofTartar y!

Thena greenandgoldbag, with lettersdirected to

the SheriffofMecca! Thena crimsonsatinbag,

con-taining others for Metical Aga, his chief minister,sword-bearer, and favourite!

Lastly, appeared a

letterfrom AliBeyof Cairo to the Vizier himself,writtenwithallthe haughtypomp ofa princetoa

slave,and concludingbysaying, thatifanyaccident

should happen to Bruce through his neglect, theoffence should be punishedatthe gates of theHolyCity TheVizier'scuriosityatthe sightofsomuch

mysteriousgrandeur, wassoon changedintofeelings

of very painful alarm; he ordered the mightystranger's boxesto be nailed up immediately, and

upbraidingthe servantsfornottellinghimtowhom

theybelonged, hemountedhis horse, andinstantly

rode down to the English factory, inquiring every

wherefortheEnglish nobleman,whomnobody hadseen.

Brucewasstilllyingonhismatin thecourt,which

wasnowfilledwitha crowdofpeople; and onthe

question being put to him, byone of theofficers,

where his master was? " In heaven" he replied,

yawning from his sleep; but soon recovering his

scatteredsenses, he roseand introduced himselfto

the Vizier, as theownerof thetremendousluggage.

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45

instantlymadeforgettinghimthestrongestpossible

recommendations to theNaib orgovernor of

Mas-suah, to the sovereign of Abyssinia, and the kingof Sennaar All the English at Jidda were

par-ticularly attentive to hiswishes, anditwas agreed

thatanative Abyssinian, calledMahometGibberti,shouldaccompanyhim, tobe an

eye-witness of thetreatmenthe shouldreceive.

While these preparations were getting ready,

Bruceprosecutedhis survey oftheRedSea

Leav-ingJidda onthe8thof July,he landedatGonfodah,

and thence continued his voyage to Gibel Raban,

a small island in theStraitsofBabelmandeb, where

hedrank from ajar ofbrandytothe health of hisBritannic majesty Havingdeterminedthelatitudeandlongitude of the straits, andotherplacesontheadjacent coast,he sailednorthward(8th ofAugust)

and arrived at Loheia, an Arabian town directly

oppositeMassuah,andthe port of Abyssinia Here

hewasjoinedbyhisnewguide,MahometGibberti,

whobrought thefirmanfortheNaib,andlettersforRasMichael,governorof the great province of Tigre.QuittingLoheia onthe3dofSeptember, they passed

Gibbel Teir, a volcanic isle, about midway fromeither shore; on the 14th they reached Dahalac,

thelargestislandintheRedSea,beingthirty-seven

miles in

length and eighteen in breadth; and on

the 19th, the vessel cametoanchor intheharbour

ofMassuah.

Duringhiscircumnavigation of theArabianGulf,