THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 355 



between Suakem, and the fuppofed river Frat, in lat. 21" 28' 

 north, called Gungunnah, which was referved to the Grand 

 Signior in particular, and a fpecial officer was appointed to 

 receive the pearls on the fpot, and fend them to Conflanti- 

 nople. The pearls found there were of the largeft fize, and 

 inferior to none in water, or roundnefs. Tradition fays, 

 that this was, exclufively, the property of the Pharaohs, by 

 which is meant, in Arabian manufcrip's, the old kings of 

 Egypt before Mahomet. 



In the fame extent, between Dahalac and Suakem, was 

 another very valuable nfhery, that of * tortoifes, from 

 which the fineft fhells of that kind were produced, and a 

 great trade was carried on with the Eaft Indies, (China ef- 

 pecially) at little expence, and with very confiderable pro- 

 fits. The animal itfelf (the turtle) was in great plenty, be- 

 tween lat. 1 8° and 20 , in the neighbourhood of thofe low 

 fandy iflands, laid down in my chart. 



The India trade nourifhed exceedingly at Suakem and 

 Mafuah, as it had done in the profperous time of the Ca- 

 liphs. The Banians, (then the only traders from the Eaft 

 Indies) being prohibited by the Mahometans to enter the 

 Holy Land of the Hejaz, carried all their veflels to Konfo- 

 dah in Yemen, and from thefe two ports had, in return, at 

 the firft hand, pearls, tortoife-fhell, which fold for its weight 

 of gold, in China ; Tibbar, or pure gold of Sennaar, (that 

 from Abyffinia being lefs fo) elephant's teeth, rhinoceros 



Y y 2 horns 



See the article Tortoife in the Appendix, 



