SgS TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



ducTt them. Thefe were all to be thrown away, with other 

 not lefs valuable papers, and, with my quadrant, telefcopes, 

 and time-keeper, abandoned to the rude and ignorant hands 

 of robbers, or to be buried in the fands. Every memoran- 

 dum, every defcription, fketch, or obfervation lince I depart- 

 ed from Badjoura and paffed the defert to CofTeir, till I 

 reached the prefent fpot, were left in an undigefled heap, 

 with our carrion-camels, at Saffieha, while there remained 

 with me, in lieu of all my memoranda, but this mournful 

 confideration, that I was now to maintain the reality of thefe 

 my tedious perils, with thofe who either did, or might af- 

 fe(5l, from malice and envy, to doubt my veracity upon my ip- 

 fc dixit alone, or abandon the reputation of the travels which 

 I had made with fo much courage, labour, danger, and diffi- 

 culty, and which had been confidered as defperate and im- 

 pracflicable to accomplifli for more than 2000 years. 



I WOULD be underftood not to mean by this, that my 

 thoughts were at fuch a time in the leaft diiturbed with 

 any reflecStion on the paltry lies that might be propagated 

 in malignant circles, which has each its idol, and who, meet- 

 ing, as they fay, for the advancement of learning, employ 

 themfelves in blalling the fame of thofe who mufl be al- 

 lowed to have furpalled them in every circumftance of in- 

 trepidity, forethought, and fair atchievement. The cenfure 

 of thefe lion- faced and chicken-hearted critics never entered 

 as an ingredient in my ibrrows on that occafion in the fad- 

 nefs of my heart ; it I had not poflefled a fliare of Ipirit 

 enough to defpife thefe, the fmallelt trouble that occured 

 in my travels muft have overcome a mind fo feebly arn.ed. 

 My forrows were of another kind, that 1 fliouhi, of courfe, 

 be deprived of a conliderable part of an oiTering I meant 

 3 ^s 



