MEMOIR OF BRUCE. 33 



the Bey's wife he received a present of a two- 

 wheeled covered cart, resembling those commonly 

 used by bakers, and this served as a conveyance for 

 his quadrant and telescope, protecting them suffi- 

 ciently from the weather. 



At Tucca he found a Corinthian pillar of Parian 

 marble, and the ruins of a temple, among which he 

 remained fifteen days, making various interesting 

 drawings, which, it appears, have never yet been 

 given to the world. At Hydra (the ancient Thu- 

 nodrunum) he met with a tribe of Arabs who were 

 immensely rich, but remarkable for being exempted 

 from paying tribute either to Tunis or Algiers, on 

 the frontiers of which kingdom they dwelt. The 

 pretence for this immunity was rather singular. 

 Being obliged by the institutions of their founder to 

 Jive upon lion's flesh, they enjoyed this indulgence 

 from these governments, because they devoured thf 

 natural enemies of the state. Bruce partook of this 

 extraordinary fare, and mentions an anecdote of 

 Dr. Shaw, who made the same statement ; but find- 

 ing it ridiculed at the university of Oxford as an in 

 version of the order of nature, since the more general 

 practice is for lions to eat men, he did not venture 

 to publish the fact in his travels, but contented 

 himself with merely printing it in the appendix. 



From Hydra Bruce proceeded to Spaitla, and 

 was occupied eight days in measuring and drawing 

 its extensive and elegant ruins. To this place he 

 returned a second time after making a short visit to 

 Tunis, and spent five days more in revising and 



