46 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



and did not fufFer me to pafs unknown.; this was the 

 Acab Saat, ^)aiama, who had ini^igated the king, on the 5th 

 of December, in one of his drunken fits, to fet our from the 

 palace in the night, attended by a number of banditti, moll- 

 ly Mahometans, to plunder feverai houfes; he flew one man, 

 as it was faid, with his own hand : among thefe devoted 

 houfes mine happened to be one, but I was then happily at 

 Kofcam. The next was Mecical Aga's, one of whofe fervants 

 efcaped into a church-yard, the other being flain. The lead- 

 er of this unworthy mob was Confu, brother to Guebra 

 Mchedin. Every thing that could be carried away was 

 flolen or broken ; among which was a refle(5ting telefcope, 

 a barometer, and thermometer; a great many papers and 

 •flcetches of drawings, firft torn, then burnt by Confu's own 

 hand, with niany curfes and threats agaiml me. 



The next day, about nine o'clock, I had a meiTage to 

 come to the palace, where I went, and was immediately ad- 

 mitted. Sccinios was fitting, his eyes half clofed, red as icar- 

 let with lafl; night's debauch ; he was apparently at that mo- 

 ment much in liquor; his mouth full of tobacco, fquirt- 

 ing his fpitrle out of his mouth to a very great diftance ; 

 with this he hau fo covered the flof^r, that it was with very 

 great difficulty I could chufe a clean place to kneel and 

 n ake my obeifance. Ke was dreiled like the late king, 

 but, in e\ery thing elfe, how unlike ! my mind was filled 

 with horror and deteftation, to fee the throne on which he 

 fat fo unworthily occupied. I regarded him as I advanced 

 with the molt pertcCt contempt : Hamlet's lines defcribed 

 him exactly : — ■ 



2 A 



