nefs, invincible perfeverance, and vigour of mind which neceffarily mark the character of a man who has accomplished such adventures, and not the les ftrikingly for his displaying them with little of modest delicacy

That the Abyffinians eat beef in a raw state is agreed, by both Lobo and Poncet; and the former fays reeking from the beaft. Mr. Antes moreover was told by a Francifcan monk, who went with the caravan from Abyffinia to Cairo, that he was witness of an ox being killed, and immediately devoured by the band of travellers.

One reason, perhaps, for this ufage may be, the great heat of the climate, which will not permit meat to be kept a fufficient time to make it tender (as with us); and it is generally allowed, that a fowl, dreffed immediately after it is killed, is in better order for eating, than if it is kept four and twenty hours.

Is it therefore extraordinary, that an Abyffinian epicure may really find (or perhaps fancy) that a piece cut from the beast whilst alive, may be more tender or have a better relish than if it is previously killed by the butcher? To this I mult add, that according to the information which I have received on this head, Mr. Bruce's account of this practice is much mifreprefented by the objectors, who fuppofe that the ox lives a confiderable time after these pieces are cut from it. When thefe dainty bits, however, have been fent to the great man's table (and which are probably taken from the fleshy parts) the beast foon afterwards expires, when the firft artery is cut, in providing flices for the numerous attendants.

Upon the whole, the not giving credit to a traveller, because he mentions an ufage which is very different from ours (and is undoubtedly very barbarous) feems rather to argue ignorance than acuteness.

This brings to my recollection the incredulity which was fhewn to another diftinguished traveller, Dr. Shaw, who having mentioned, in an Oxford common room, that fome of the Algerines were fond of lion's flesh, never could obtain

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delicacy in his narrative; the new and ftrong light with which he has illuftrated several paffages in the facred writing which had baffled all former attempts to explain them ;--in fhort, the peculiarities in the character

apy credit afterwards from his brother-fellows of the fame college, though many of them were learned men.

It is well known, however, though Dr. Shaw states this fame circumftance in the publication of his travels, that he is cited with the greatest approbation in almost every part of Europe.

The natural cause and progrefs of the incredulity which a traveller generally experiences, feems to be the following :

When he returns from a diftant, and little frequented country, every one is impatient to hear his narrative, from which, of course, he felects the moft ftriking parts, and particularly the ufages which differ moft from our own. Some of the audiance, disbelieving what the traveller hath mentioned, put queftions to him which fhow their diftruft. The traveller by this treatment becomes irritated, and anfwers fome of them peevishly, others ironically, of which the interrogators afterwards take advantage to his prejudice.

I have been at the trouble of collecting these facts, and which I have endeavoured to enforce by fuch obfervations as occurred, from being truly defirous of seeing Mr. Bruce's account of Abyffinia, who is certainly no common traveller, nor can the publication be a fuperficial one, as he refided there fo long.

That Mr. Bruce hath great talents for the information of his readers, appears by his differtation on the Theban harp, which Dr. Burney hath inferted in the first volume of his Hiftory of Mufic, and in which Mr. Bruce alfo mentions several of the Abyffinian inftruments. Mr. Bruce, moreover, is faid to have a great facility in learning languages, and talents for drawing, nor perhaps was any other traveller furnished with fo large and scientific an apparatus of inftruments, This I

character of the author, and the fingular difficulty and utility of his undertaking, muft long enfure to his work an high rank among books of the fame nature, and to himself, that reputation for boldness, versatility, and energy of mind which he has fo dearly earned.

His volumes have now been fome months in the hands of the public: but eager as moft people were to peruse them, their number, fize, and the high

price will add, that Mr. Bruce's spirit and enterprife will not be eafily equalled.

If I can therefore be the least inftrumental in the earlier production of fo interefting an account of an almost unfrequented part of Africa, my pains will be amply repaid.

As this is my fole view in what is here laid before the public, I am not under the obligation of making aplogies to any one but to Mr. Bruce himself, who perhaps may not have occafion to thank me for undertaking his defence, to which he is so much more equal in most respects.

A defence, however, from himself merely, will never be a complete one with those who are incredulous, becaufe it must depend upon affertions, as there is perhaps no other person in Europe who ever was in Abyffinia.

If a traveller defcribes a country frequented by others, he is liable to contradiction, and may be foon detected by the cross examination of those who have been equally eye-witneffes as himself. But where is the traveller to be found, who hath braved the dangers that must have furrounded Mr. Bruce during four years refidence in a barbarous empire ?

Mr. Bruce himself, moreover, hath not the means of refuting the groundlefs infinuations of Baron Tott, which I have happened to procure, and which indeed have been the prin cipal cause of my entering into this controverfy.

price at which they are neceffarily fold, have hitherto prevented many from gratifying their curiofity. Nor does it appear, that they can be readily reduced, even though printed on a coarfer paper, in a smaller type, and in a different form, to fuch a price, that all who wish to read, may conveniently enough purchase. We may therefore hope to be justified in offering this abridgement to the public. It has not been eagerly produced to injure the circulation of the original work. It is defigned to extend Mr. Bruce's fame, to render the new information, which his book affords more generally useful; and thus to promote the chief purposes for which he may be supposed to have given his book to the world,

INTRODUCTION.

MR. BRUCE, after a tour through the greatest

part of Europe, was preparing to retire to his paternal eftate, and embrace a life of retirement and ftudy, when he was informed by his friend, Mr. Wood, that Lord Chatham meant to employ him in a particular piece of fervice. He was highly flattered with the idea of being esteemed by Lord Chatham worthy of fuch employment though fo young. But he had fcarce made himself ready to receive his Lordship's orders when that minifter refigned, and his hopes of employment under him were, of confequence, difappointed.

After seven or eight months of expenfive attendance, and fruitless expectations from other minifters, it was at length propofed to him by Lord Halifax, to visit the coaft of Barbary, explore the geography and curiofities of that part of Africa, and make draughts of the large and magnificent remains of ancient buildings which it was faid to contain. Hints were

dropped how desirable an object it would be to penetrate to the fources of the Nile; but the enterprife was regarded as too arduous to be abfolutely required of him. He was at the fame time encouraged by the promise of liberal patronage, to engage in an undertaking which, if fuccessfully accomplished, could not fail to do honour to the reign of the fovereign who had newly afcended the throne.

At the very period when this propofal was made, the confulship of the British nation at Algiers happening to become vacant, by the death of the conful, Mr. Bruce was, by the fame nobleman preffed to accept that employment, as highly favourable to the purpose of ex

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