THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 467 



pearance of the enemy, before a man was killed or wound- 

 ed on either fide. He was graceful in his perfon and car- 

 riage, but a liar and drunkard beyond all conception. 



The praAice which obtains at Sennaar of murdering all 

 the collaterals of the royal family, feems to be but ;• part 

 of the fame idea* which prevails in Abyffinia, of confining 

 the princes all their lives upon a mountain. The difference 

 of treatment, in cafes perfectly parallel, feems to offer a 

 juft manner of judging, how much the one people furpaffes 

 the other in barbarity of manners and difpofition. In Abyf- 

 fmia, the princes are confined for life on a mountain, and 

 in 8ennaar they are murdered in their father's fight, in the 

 palace where they were born. 



As in Abyffmia, fo neither in Sennaar do women fucceed 

 to fovereignty. No hiflorical reafon is given for this exclu- 

 fion. It probably was a rule brought from lil-aice, their 

 own country, before founding their monarchy, for the very 

 contrary prevailed among the Shepherds, whom they fub- 

 dued in Atbara. The princeffes, however, in Abyffmia, are 

 upon a much better footing than thofe of Sennaar. Thefe 

 laft have no ftate nor fettled income, and are regarded very 

 little more than the daughters of private individuals. A- 

 mong that crowd of women which I faw the two nights I 

 was in the palace, there were many princeffes, fifters of the 

 king, as I was after told. At that time they were not di- 

 ftinguiffiable by their manners, nor was any particular 

 mark of refpcd: fliewn them. 



3 N 2 The 



Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne. Pops. 



