THE SOURCE OF THE N ILE. 547 



The village of Gooz is a coUetlrion of miferable hovels com- 

 pofed of clay and canes. There are not in it above 30 houfcs, 

 but there are fix or feven different villages. The heat 

 feemed here a little abated, but everybody complained of 

 a difeafe in their eyes they call Tilhafh, which often termi- 

 nates in blindnefs. I apprehend it to be owing to the 

 fimoom and fine fand blowing through the defert. Here a 

 misfortune happened to Idris our Hybeer, who was arrefled 

 for debt, and carried to prifon. As we were now upon the 

 very edge of the defert, and to fee no other inhabited place 

 till we fliould reach Egypt, I was not difpleafed to have it 

 in my power to lay him under one other obligation before 

 we trufted our lives in his hands, which we were immedi- 

 ately to do. I therefore paid his debt, and reconciled him 

 with his creditors, who, on their part, behaved very mode- 

 rately to him. 



When trade flouriflied here, and the caravans went re- 

 gularly, Gooz was of fome confideration, as being the firfl 

 place where they flopped, and therefore got the firfl offer 

 of the market ; but now no commerce remains, nor is it 

 worth while for flated guides to wait there to condud the 

 caravans through the defert, as they did formerly. Gooz 

 is fituated fifteen miles from the jundion of the two rivers 

 the Nile and Tacazze. By many obfervations of the fun 

 and flars,and by a mean of thefe, I found it to be in lat. if 

 57' 22"; and by an immerfion of the firfl fatellite of Jupi- 

 ter obferved there the 5th of November, determined its lon- 

 gitude to be 34° 20' 30" eafl of the meridian of Green- 

 wich. The greatefl height of Fahrenheit's thermometer 

 was, at Gooz, the 28th day of Odober, at noon, in". 



3 Z 2 Having 



