THE SOURCE T3F THE NILE. 12$ 



or any thing clfe, to Gondar, in order to diitrefs the king 

 and Michael's Tigre foldiefs, who were then there. 



The church of Mariam is on the hill S. S. W. of the town, 

 and eaft of Adowa; on the other fide of the river, is the other 

 church, called Kedus Michael. About nine miles north, a 

 little inclined to the eaft, is Bet Abba Garima, one of the 

 moft celebrated monafteries in Abyffinia. It was once a re- 

 sidence of one of their kings ; and it is fuppofed that, from 

 this circumftance ill underftood, former travellers *, have 

 faid the metropolis of Abyffinia was called Germe. 



Adowa is the feat of a very valuable manufacture of 

 coarfe cotton cloth, which circulates all over Abyffinia in- 

 flcad of ftlver money ; each web is fixteen peek long of i {- 

 width, their value a pataka ; that is, ten for the ounce of 

 gold. The houfes of Adowa are all of rough Hone, ce- 

 mented with mud inftead of morter. That of lime is not 

 ufed but at Gondar, where it is very bad. The roofs are in 

 the form of cones, and thatched with a reedy fort of grafs, 

 "ibmething thicker than wheat ftraw. The Falafha, or Jews, 

 enjoy this profeffion of thatching exclufrvely ; they begin 

 at the bottom, and finifh. at the top. 



Excepting a few fpots taken notice of as we came along 

 from Ribieraini to Adowa, this was the only part of Tigre 

 where there was foil fufficient to yield corn ; the whole of 

 the province befides is one entire rock. There are no tim- 

 ber trees in this part of Tigre unlefs a daroo or two in 

 the valleys, and wanzeys in towns about the houfes. 



Q^2 At 



* Gol. p. 2 1. proem. 



