THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 193 



It was in the 13th year of the reign of Claudius, while 

 he was at Sire, that there happened a very remarkable eclipfe 

 of the fun, which threw both court and army into great 

 confternation. The prophets and diviners, ignorant monks 

 of the defcrt, did not let Hip fo favourable an opportunity of 

 increafmg their confequence by augmenting this panic, and 

 declaring this eclipfe to portend nothing lefs than the re- 

 newal of the Moorifli war. The year, however, pafTed in 

 tranquillity and peace. Two old women, relations of the 

 king, are faid to have died ; and it was in this great cala- 

 mity' that thefe diviners were to look for the completion of 

 their prophecies. It is from this, however, that I have ta- 

 ken an opportunity to compare and rectify the dates of the 

 principal tranfadions in the Abyffinian hiftory. Sire, where 

 the king then rcfided, was a point very favourable for this 

 application ; for, in my journey from Mafuah to Gondar, 

 Ihad fettled the latitude and longitude of that town by ma- 

 ny obfervations. 



On the 2 2d of January 1770, at night, by a medium of 

 different paffagcs of liars over tlie meridian, and by an obfer- 

 vation of the fun the noon of the following day, I found 

 the latitude to be 14" 4' 35" ^^o«l^' ^^"^ ^^^^ evening of the 

 23d, I obferved an emerdon of the firft fatcllite of Jupiter, 

 and by this I concluded the longitude of Sire to be 38" o' 15" 

 eaft of the meridian of Greenwich. 



The 13th year of the reign of Claudius falls to be in the 

 -1553, and I find that there was a remarkable eclipfe of the 

 fun that did happen that fiime year on the 24th of January 

 N. S. which anfwcrs to the i8th of theEthiopic month Teir. 

 The circumftanccs of this eclipfe were as follow : 



Vol. II. ^^ ■ Beginning, 



