THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. fij 



The command of Mahomet Wed Ageeb is very extenfive. 

 It reaches from this pafiage of the river at Halifoon on the 

 fouth, as far as Wed Baal a Nagga on the north, and to the 

 eaft as far as the Red Sea, though a great part of thofe Arabs 

 have been in rebellion, and have not paid their tax for fomc 

 years. His command on the weftward of the river reaches 

 to Korti, all over the defert of Bahiouda, though lately the 

 Beni Gerar, Beni Faifara, and Cubba-beefli, have expelled the 

 ancient Arabs of Bahiouda, who pretend now only to be the 

 fubjefts of Kordofan. He has alfo the charge of levying the 

 tribute of horfes from Dongola, in which confifts the great 

 ftrength of Sennaar. 



Halfaia is the limit of the rains, and is fituated upon 

 a large circular peninfula furrounded by the Nile from S. 

 W. to N. W. that is, at all the points of W. It is half a mile, 

 or fomething more, from the river. This peninfula cou' 

 tains all their fown land, and is not watered by the river, 

 but by what is raifed from the ftream by wheels turned by 

 oxen. Halfaia confifts of about three hundred houfes ; their 

 principal gain is from a manufadure of very coarfe corron 

 cloth, called Dimour, which ferves for fmall money through 

 all the lower parts of Atbara. There are palm-trees at Hal- 

 faia, but they produce no dates. The people here eat cats, 

 alfo the river- hori'e and the crocodile, both of which are 

 in great plenty. Halfaia, by many altitudes of the fun and 

 liars, was found to be in lat. 15' 45' 54", and in long. 32* 

 49' 15" eaft from the meridian of Greenwich. 



On the 29th, at fix o'clock in the morning we left Hal- 

 faia, and continued our journey about 3 miles and a half 

 further, when we came to two villages, a fmall one to the 



2 T a north 



