Buch 
A voyage to Abyssinia, and travels into the interior of that country, executed under the orders of the British government, in the years 1809 and 1810 : in which are included, an account of the Portuguese settlements on the east coast of Africa, visited in the course of the voyage : a concise narrative of late events in Arabia Felix : and some particulars respecting the aboriginal African tribes, extending from Mosambique to the borders of Egypt : together with vocabularies of their respective languages ... / by Henry Salt
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lxviii

APPENDIX V.

££ Moors , his enemies ; and on this consideration, he commissioned a“ bishop, of great reputed sanctity, who went in his stead, and made his“ offerings at Jerusalem . On his return, he was taken captive in the city“ of Adel, where the Soldan ordered him to his presence, and with threats“ endeavoured to make him a convert to the Mahomed an faith ; but as he re-t£ mained firm and obstinate to the Christian religion, the Soldan ordered££ him to be circumcised, out of spite to the King of Abyssinia. The priest££ returning, and relating his disaster and the disgrace done to him, the“ King suddenly ordered his forces to be put in order, and marched out“ with them, bent on the destruction of the Sultan of Adel ; which prince“ hearing of the King of Abyssinia’s intention, called to his assistance“ two ether Moorish chiefs (of Hurrur probably), with very numerous“ armies : but they were all routed by the sovereign of Habesh, who took“ the city of Aden (Zeyla possibly) and laid it waste, to revenge the dis-“ grace done to his priest. (Vide Mr. Bruce’s Travels, Vol. III. p. 32)

“ The people of Abyssinia live on wheat, rice, flesh, and milk ; and they“ make oil of sesamum, and have abundance of every sort of provisions.“ Elephants, lions, giraffes ; and they likewise have many goats and fowls££ of different kinds, and a number of other animals ; among which may be“ mentioned monkeys, and apes resembling men. The interior provinces££ are rich in gold ; for which the merchants travel voluntarily into the££ country, as they derive great advantage from the trade.* I shall now££ speak of Adem.” Here the author proceeds to describe Aden, thoughit is certain from the context, that by Adem he had hitherto meant Adel;a mistake which may have arisen probably from the inattention of thetranscribers.

This was written about the year 1290, and appears to me very valuajjgfrom its occurring at a period when we have no other European accountsof the state of Abyssinia; and from its being throughout very consistentwith the narrations extracted from their own chronicles. It is much to beregretted, however, that the author does not give the name of the king, as itmight have materially assisted in clearing up the chronology of those times.

* It is curious to observe how completely the style is formed on that of the Arabic .

 
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