THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 487 



M. DE Maillet, by this lcttei% becoming mafter of the 

 ambaflador's delliny, began firft to quarrel with him upon 

 etiquette, or who fhould pay the firft vifit ; and, after a va- 

 riety of ill-ufage, infifled upon feeing his difpatches. This 

 Murat refufed to permit, upon which the conful fent pri- 

 vately to the bafha, defiring him to take the difpatches or 

 letters from Murat, fending him at the fame time a conli- 

 dcrable prefent. 



The balha on this did not fail to extort a letter from; 

 Murat by threats of death. He then opened it. It was in 

 Arabic, in very general and indifferent terms, probably the 

 performance of fome Moor at Mafuah, written at Murat's- 

 inllance. And well was it for all concerned that it was fo ; 

 for had the letter been a genuine Abyffmian letter, like 

 thofe of the emprefs Helena and king David III. propoling 

 the defl:ru6lion of Mecca, Medina, and the Turkifli fhips on 

 the Red Sea, the whole French nation at Cairo would have 

 been maffacred, and the conful and ambaffador probably 

 impaled. 



The Jefuits, ignorant of this manoevure of M. de Mailletj. 

 but alarmed and fcandalized at this breach of the law of 

 nations, for fuch the baflia's having opened a letter, ad- 

 dreffed to the king of France, was juftly confidered, com- 

 plained to M. Feriol the French ambaffador at Conftantino- 

 ple, who thereupon fent a capigi from the port, to inquire 

 of the bafiia what he meant by thus violating the law of 

 nations, and affronting a friendly power of fuch confe- 

 qjience as France. 3 



