116 CIVIL HISTORY AND 



His son Ismael adopted the title of imam : he was 

 so economical that he made and sold bonnets for 

 his livelihood, to save the public revenue, and re- 

 stricted his household to one wife and a female 

 slave. He died after a reign of thirty years, and 

 was held in the highest esteem, both for his talents 

 and his piety. His descendants, to the number of 

 eleven in succession, had filled the throne at the 

 time when the traveller Niebuhr visited that coun- 

 try. The interval had been signalized by the con- 

 tests of various pretenders to the crown, chiefly of 

 the reigning family. The imam Mahadi, who as- 

 cended the throne in 1746, had some formidable 

 adversaries to oppose, particularly the heroic Ab- 

 durrab, governor of the small province of Hosjerie, 

 who proclaimed himself an independent sheik. 

 After taking possession of Kataba, Taas, and other 

 districts, on which he levied heaiy contributions, 

 the imam was obliged to conclude a peace with 

 him. 



Though the throne of Yemen is hereditary, and 

 devolves, if generally approved by the subjects, on 

 the eldest legitimate son, yet the rightful succes- 

 sion is often violated. The jurisdiction of the imam 

 in ecclesiastical matters, though absolute among his 

 own subjects, extends not over the dominions of 

 other sovereigns of the same sect, who employ a 

 mufti or cadi as their spiritual ruler. In the exer- 

 cise of his prerogative he is controlled by the su- 

 preme tribunal of Sanaa, of which he is only presi- 

 dent, and which consists of a certain number of 

 cadis, possessing the sole power of life and death. 

 These assessors, generally persons of incorruptible 

 integrity, are nominated by the sovereign, and re- 

 movable at his pleasure — a circumstance which, if 

 he is disposed to abuse his authority, puts it in his 

 power to extort their suffrages by threatening them 

 with disgrace ; but this extreme measure is seldom 

 resorted to. The public offices at court are numer- 



