THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 153 



thefe, beads, needles, cohol, and incenfe at times only, are 

 confidered as money. The articles depend greatly on chance, 

 which or whether any are current for the time or not ; but 

 the latter is often not demanded ; and, for the firft, there are 

 modes andfafhions among thefe barbarians, and all, except 

 thofe of a certain colour and form, are ufelefs. We have 

 already fpoken of the fafhions, fuch as we have found them, 

 at Kella, and we heard they were the fame here at Sire. But 

 thefe people were not of a humour to buy and fell with us. 

 They were not perfectly fatisfied that Michael was alive, 

 and waited only a confirmation of the news of his defeat, 

 to make their own terms with all mangers unfortunate 

 enough to fall into their hands. On the other hand, wc 

 were in pofleffion of fuperior force, and, knowing their in- 

 clinations, we treated them pretty much in the manner 

 they would have done us. 



On the 2 2d of January, at night, I obferved the paffage of 

 many ftars over the meridian, and, after that, of the fun on 

 the 2 ^d at noon ; taking a medium of all obfervations, I de- 

 termined the latitude of Sire to be 14 4' 35" north - The 

 fame evening, I obferved an immerfion of the firft fatellite 

 of Jupiter, by which I concluded its longitude to be 38 o' 

 15" eaft of the meridian of Greenwich. 



Although Sire is fituated in one of the fineft countries in 

 the world, like other places it has its inconveniencies. Pu- 

 trid fevers, of the very word kind, are almoft conftant here; 

 and there did then actually reign a fpecies of thefe that 

 fwept away a number of people daily. I did not think the 

 behaviour of the inhabitants of this province to me was 

 fuch as required my expofing myfelf to the infection for 



Vol. III. U thc 



