5 o8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



thing elfe ; 750 cloths for wrapping round them, 3000 oun- 

 ces or' gold, which is 30,000 dollars^ or crowns, are allowed 

 by the ltate for their maintenance. Thefe princes are hard- 

 ly ufed, and, in troublefome times, often put to death upon 

 the fmalleft mifinformation. While I was in Abyffinia their 

 revenue was fo grofsly mifapplied, that fome of them were 

 faid to have died with hunger and of cold by the avarice 

 and hard-heartednefs.of Michael neglecting to furnilh them, 

 neceffaries. Nor had the king, as far as ever I could difcern, 

 that fellow-feeling one would have expected from a prince 

 refcued from that very fituation himfelf ; perhaps this was 

 owing to his fear of Ras Michael. 



However that be, and however diftrefling the fituation of 

 thofe princes, we cannot but be fatisned with it when we 

 look to the neighbouring kingdom of Scnnaaf, or Nubia. 

 There no mountain is trutted with the confinement of their 

 princes, but, as foon as the father dies, the throats of all 

 the collaterals, and all their defcendents that can be laid hold 

 ■of, are cut; and this is the cafe with all the black ftates in. 

 ■ the defert weft of Sennaar, Dar Fowr, Scle, and Bagirma. 



Great exaggerations have been ufed in fpeaking of the 

 military force of this kingdom. The largeft army 'that ever 

 was in the field (as far as I could be informed from the old- 

 eil officers) was that in the rebellion before the battle of 

 Scrbraxos. I believe, when they firft encamped upon the 

 lake Tzana, the rebel army a*t together might amount to a- 

 bout 50,000 men. In about a fortnight afterwards, many 

 had deferted ; and I do not think (I only fpeak by hearfay) 

 :that, when the king marched out of Gondar, they were then 

 bosre 30,000. I believe when Gojam joined, and it was 



known 



