THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 635 



He had built a large and very coftly church at Kofcam, 

 and he was ilill engaged in a more expcnfivc work in the 

 building of a palace at Gondar. He was alfo rebuilding his 

 houfe at Riggobee-ber, (the north end of the town) which 

 had been demoliflied by the rebels ; and had begun a very 

 large and expenfive villa at Azazo, with extenfive groves, or 

 gardens, planted thick with orange and lemon trees, upon 

 the banks of a beautiful and clear river which divides the 

 palace from the church of Tecla Haimanout, a large edi- 

 fice which, fome time before, he had alfo built and endow- 

 ed. Befides all thefe occupations, he was deeply engaged in 

 ornamenting his palace at Gondar. A rebellion, malllicre, 

 or fome fuch misfortune, had happened among the Chrif- 

 tians of Smyrna ; who, coming to Cairo, and finding that 

 city in a ftill lefs peaceable ilate than the one which they 

 had left, they repaired to Jidda in their way to India ; but 

 miffing the monfoon, and being deftitute of money and nc- 

 cefiaries, they crofi^ed over the Red Sea for Mafuah, and 

 came to Gondar. There were twelve of them filver-fmiths, 

 very excellent in that fine work called fiUigrane, who were 

 all received very readily by the king, liberally furniflied 

 both with neceffaries and luxuries, and employed in his 

 palace as their own talle dire<51;ed them. 



By the hands of thefe, and feveral Abyffinians whom 

 they had taught, fons of Greek artifts whofe fathers were 

 dead, he finilhed his prefence-chamber in a manner truly 

 admirable. The fkirting, which in our country is generally 

 of wood, was finiihed with ivory four feet from the ground. 

 Over this were three rows of mirrors from Venice, all join- 

 ed together, and fixed in frames of copper, or cornices gilt 

 with gold. The roof, in gaiety and talle, correfponded per- 

 VOL.II. 4L fedly 



