fifteen years, although an uneducated British seaman, cannot be otherwise than interesting to every inquirer after truth and impartial investigator of facts. It will not be expected that such a narrative should abound with the beauties of language; but if it contains what is more intrinsically good-a faithful description of the country, however homely the language, that is what we particularly seek.

When Mr. Salt visited Abyssinia the second time, and found Mr. Pearce still there, he says, "I found Mr. Pearce, to my great surprise, very little altered in complexion, and he spoke English almost as perfectly as when I left him. It was truly gratifying to witness his raptures at finding himself once more among Englishmen, and in an English ship. In the fulness of his heart he seemed to consider every countryman aboard as a brother; and it was interesting to observe with what respect and astonishment our sailors looked up to him in return, from the various accounts they had previously heard of the intrepidity with which he had surmounted so many dangers. He subsequently gave proofs of extraordinary activity, for although there were several excellent sailors on board, there was not one that could follow him aloft, owing to the rapidity with which he darted from one point of the ship to another. I was also glad to find that the cultivation of his mind had kept pace with the improvement of his bodily powers: with a knowledge of the languages, he possessed so perfect an insight into the manners and feelings of the Abyssinians, that his assistance to me, as an interpreter, became invaluable."-Salt's Voyage, p. 203.

Our interesting traveller, on his return to England through Egypt, in 1820, has added another loss to the fatal list of African travellers. In May, 1818, however, he was in Abyssinia, the Ras not allowing him to leave the country, but he had of late suffered much from disease and oppression; and in a letter of the 20th October, 1814, to Theodore Forbes, Esq. the British resident at Môka, he complained "that the Ras* behaved in a very niggardly manner, in spite of all his services, scarce giving him and his family enough to live on; though," continues he," the Ras, on account of his religion, sends, at this present time, to Muhamed Ali, to bring the Kopti Bishop, or Aboon, from Cairo, 10,000 dollars, 15 slaves, 24 pieces of Abyssinian cloth, 2 fine horses, and 2 mules." The arrival of the Aboon, or Patriarch, from Egypt, was peculiarly unpropitious to poor Pearce, who was now worn down with sickness and suffering.

"As soon as I arrived at Massow, says Pearce, (Letter, 20th March, 1816) the Ras sent me word to quit my house, and that the Aboon was to take it on his arrival at Challicut, which I strictly denied, and swore that I would die in my own house, which I had been at the expense of building, which at first enraged him very much; but finding that I was determined to die sooner than quit my house by force, the wretched old savage (I can call him no better) coaxed me over with promises, even swore to give me the price of my house, garden, &c. which, after great persuasion, I agreed to.

by Lord Valentia (now Earl Mount Norris), during his Visit to Mossowa, in 1805. From the 2d volume of the Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay. * From the Arabic Ras, i. e. a head (man) a chief.

But I soon saw him go far from his oath. As soon as the Aboon arrived, I went to pay him my compliments, and endeavour to get into favour with him; but before I could see him, I found that the old wretch had ordered people to watch my motions, and not on any account to let me speak with the Aboon. You would be surprised were I to mention the multitude of people that flock from all quarters of Ethiopia to this Egyptian monk; but I shall send you all particulars another time. The reason the old wretch does not wish me to see him is, that he is afraid I shall tell him what expense and industry I have been at with my house and garden. I leave you to guess how it would touch an Englishman's heart, after seven years endeavouring to teach these idle villains to be a little industrious, by showing them the produce of my gardengrapes, peaches, limes, English cabbage of all sorts, turnips, carrots, potatoes, pigeon-house, &c.-to have all taken from me without one farthing of payment, by an old miserly wretch, who I have been serving in all his wars above ten years. I beg of him to let me go to Môka, but he says he can never agree to that, as I know all the country, and shall of course be able to conduct an army through any part of it. He says that the Musselmen tell him the English got into India by first sending people to live among them." &c.

Pearce writes to Mr. Forbes, and informs him " the Ras is greatly afraid of dying; he is upwards of eighty years of age, but as nimble as a boy." The Arabs in the (Sahara El grarbie) Western Sahara, at the age of seventy, eighty, and even ninety, have this extraordinary agility, and appear to be free from those pains and aches that generally afflict people of that advanced age; and like a candle whose light is brilliant to the last, they maintain their health and activity, in spite of years, until the period of their dissolution!

Our traveller tells us, "that Goga, governor or king of Igue Garler, turned Christian, and the King of Shoar gave him his daughter; but the Gasmartie Libban being at variance with Goga, would not allow the King of Shoar's daughter to pass through his country. There being no other road, they planned a scheme to get her through unknown to Libban. They sent her disguised with the priests and poor that travel about the country. When Libban heard that Goga had received his wife from Shoar, he was greatly enraged; but being informed of the manner the King of Shoar had sent his daughter, he held his peace, being determined to revenge himself on the Christian priests. He gave notice to all priests and poor travelling people, that he was going to give an offering of a thousand bullocks, and as many cloths, as a fellart, or forgiveness, for his father Coulassy, and appointed the day they were all to assemble. The news being spread, the poor sort of priests assembled together on the day appointed. As soon as Libban heard they were assembled, he picked out twelve of the principal priests who had come from Igue and Shoar as a reserve. He then ordered his horse, which were about 10,000, to gallop in upon the priests and beggars, and destroy them. The order was immediately obeyed,

and 1100 were put to death. The twelve he had picked out he ordered to be rolled up in cloth waxed all over, and as they lay on the ground, set fire to them at both ends. Libban died ten days after, and his son has got his country."

This conduct of Libban is truly African, and is probably an imitation of his Musselmen neighbours, with whom it is no uncommon thing to invite a host of people to a feast, and when they are eating, to charge upon and destroy them; and such is the force of opinion, that this treacherous conduct in rulers is by no means considered dishonourable, but they are commended for it, as men possessing the art of government.

The general condition of Pearce was very uncomfortable; he laments the loss of Mr. Forbes, who had now left Môka for Bombay. The following incident, related by himself, cannot fail to be interesting to all who can appreciate untutored talents and native superiority of mind struggling with difficulties. In a letter to that gentleman in 1816, from Challicut (which has now become the capital), he says, "I give you some particulars of what has befallen me, after the wretched old traitor of a Ras took away my house, &c. without paying or even giving me another lodging. The cursed villain of an Egyptian monk, more like an English gypsey in his ways and manners, than a patriarch, for which he was sent (indeed, as mean a wretch as he is, the Abyssinians worship him equally as if he was Christ himself,) not being contented with my house, garden, and every comfort had endeavoured to bestow upon myself by expense and labour, took a liking to a small piece of meadowground, which the Ras granted me to feed my horse and mule, above nine years ago; after which I gave half to Mr. Coffin on his staying in the country with me. One day the Aboon, as he is called, ordered his servant to turn his mules into the grass, which vexed Mr. Coffin very much, who went to the Ras, and told him he had nothing to keep his horse on, except the little grass he had formerly given me, and that the Aboon had ordered his servants' mules, &c. into it to graze. The Ras said it was not his orders that the Aboon should do so, and told Mr. Coffin to take care of it as usual. On hearing this, he immediately went and drove all the Aboon's cattle out; the people, at the same time, crying out to Mr. Coffin, that they were the Aboon's cattle, and that none but a Feringi would hinder them from eating their corn, much more their grass!

"The Aboon, seeing all that had happened from the house, was very much enraged; and thinking he could destroy a Feringi with one order, immediately sent word to the Ras and the head priest, that it was his particular order that no church should be opened, nor the sacrament administered; nor should the Ras give or take counsel until Pearce and Coffin should be deprived of every thing in the world they had belonging to them, and to strip them naked, excepting the waist, and to flog them three times round the market, and then to be sent into the Garler or Shangarler's territories.

"When the Ras's servant came to warn me of the order, I was for some time struck senseless, being in such a weak condition; but

after coming to myself I told the Ras's servant to tell his master that all was very well, as he could not disobey the orders of the Aboon. I also told the servant to tell him to persuade the Aboon to come himself with the people who were to take me. I immediately sat myself down between a well-loaded pair of pistols and a gun, in readiness to receive whoever should be sent for me; at the same time Mr. Coffin came to keep me company.

"We sat in this manner two days; during which time every order of the Aboon's had been fulfilled in respect to the church, &c. until the third day; the whole of the chiefs that were then at Challicut attending upon the Ras, assembled together and went to the Aboon and to the head priest, telling them, that they could never be guilty of such cruelty to people that were far superior to their own countrymen in truth and manners, and had so long lived with them.

"Challicar Comfeya, the Ras's head field-general, a very great friend of mine and Mr. Coffin, told the Aboon to his face, in case he still insisted upon his orders being obeyed, that he might go back again to Egypt, and that they would send for another. This soon made the gentleman quite calm, and he immediately sent for me to make it up, owning that he himself had not done right, and we are at present on good terms."

Soon after this the old Ras died; his relations endeavoured to succeed him, but in consequence of dissentions among themselves they were defeated; a civil war extended throughout the country, which became a miserable scene of plunder and desolation, with the exception of the cities and holy places, which are never plundered by the Abyssinians, but enjoy safety and afford protection to those who take refuge in them. Civil war continues to rage; Abyssinia is without a ruler and without laws or police. The chief combatants are Subbergardis, (who, Pearce says, is the bravest man in Abyssinia,) and a chief namedt Wolder Raphel. Wolder Raphel marched two days to meet Subbergardis, but he was defeated and his army cut to pieces: for about fourteen miles there were so many killed in the retreat that scarcely two hundred yards throughout the whole distance was clear of a dead body. After the victorious army entered Challicut, some of the troops approached Pearce's house, cutting down the cane doors, and entering like a pack of tired hounds; many of them having suspended from their arms those barbarous and indecent trophies to which he alludes in the body of this paper: 1970 of these‡ trophies he says were thrown down before the conqueror Subbergardis. Pearce, Coffin, and the inmates of the house were saved by the interposition of some

The Musselmen have the same veneration for the sanctuaries and holy places in the Muhamedan countries of Africa; they afford refuge and protection to the guilty.

From the Arabic words Wold Rophel, i. e. the Son of Raphel.

This practice is similar to that of giving a reward for the heads of enemies, as is the custom among the neighbouring Musselmen; for it is presumed that the man is killed or unable to offer resistance when he suffers another in battle to circumcise him.

Christian soldiers, with whom he had been acquainted, but fiftysix of their neighbours were killed before their faces. Soon after another hard battle was fought, and Subbergardis, through some treacherous chiefs was defeated, taken prisoner, and given up to Wolder Raphel, who sent him in chains to the mountain Arraner. Mr. Pearce afterwards, in 1817, writes that the Aboon is still at Challicut, that he is very friendly to him, that he has been severely reprimanded by Mahomet Ali, pasha of Cairo, for his former unjust treatment of him, which was reported to the pasha by Mr. Salt. He then gives us a trait of Abyssinian Christianity, interesting to those who seek to refuse the pure principles of Christianity in that barbarous, superstitious, and ill-fated country. "I have distributed," he says, "a great number of the books of Psalms in Ethiopic, sent here by Mr. Salt from the Bible Society, to the different churches in the Ammerrer and Tigri provinces; but those people find* many faults in them; not in the exactness of the explanation, but in the smallness of the print, the thin strokes, the pale ink, the letters crowded too much together, and no red ink at the name of God, &c.; but in exactness they allow them to be superior to their own writings."

The civil dissentions in Abyssinia have weakened the Christian government, producing a great dereliction of principles and morals among the people. The continual wars have given the Muhamedans great power among them; and at present Christians frequently turn Muhamedans, and nothing is thought of it; there being no king, no head, no laws to punish the most abominable crimes. Pearce receives a supply of money, forwarded to him by that societyt which reflects unsullied honour on Great Britain, and of which his Majesty George the Fourth is the munificent patron and support. After which, again alluding to the distribution of Ethio- pic Bibles, he says, "I am sorry to say that the population find many faults in them, and many refuse them as a present; however, I give them to the lower sort of churches and to the monks; they

The Bible Society would do well to attend very minutely to the translations of the Scripture, into the Ethiopic or Abyssinian language; for if they are translated from the English vulgate version they will not agree with the Arabic translation now in Abyssinia, a circumstance which might tend to depreciate the authenticity of the original; for example, some verses of the 13th chapter of the First Book of Samuel, in the Arabic version in Africa, are materially dif ferent from all the English versions; and the Muhamedans in Abyssinia would avail themselves of such circumstances as this, to abuse the authenticity of the original, and to give a preference to the Koran. The translation of the Decalogue also, as in the Arabic version now in Abyssinia, differs from our English translation, and has more resemblance to the translation lately made directly from the Hebrew by Mr. John Bellamy. Moreover, it is well known or generally believed in Africa, that Ben Hakim, the son of Solomon, took the proverbs of his father to Abyssinia, and it is to be presumed that he also took the Pentateuch, the Books of the Prophets, and the Psalms, which were translated into the Ethiopic tongue. This being premised, we may presume that the Scriptures when read by the eunuch of Candace, queen of Ethiopia, (vide Acts, chap. 8. verse 27th) were in the Ethiopic tongue, translated, if not in the days of Ben Hakim, at least long before the Christian æra!

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