354 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



Tribes of Cushites had fought their way by sea or by land, 

 and formed a great power in Arabia Felix, till the present 

 Arabians compelled them to cross the straits of Bab-el-Alandeb. 

 They returned, however, more than once, to hold dominion 

 in Yemen, carrying the first coffee-plant with them from 

 Africa, and continuing to hold up the commercial prosperity of 

 the country to the time of the Hegira. Since the decline of 

 the Abyssinian empire, subordinate kings still retain the 

 ancient title; such, for instance, as that of Bahar Negash, or 

 king of the plain, &c* The Nubian people are of the same 

 origin, mixed with Arabs of the Rebiah tribe about Ibrim, and 

 more pure from thence to Tinareh in the hills. It was from 

 this region (Etaush) that queens, denominated Candace, became 

 historical personages;! and the case of the eunuch baptized 

 by the apostle Philip, shows that the Hebrew Scriptures were 

 studied before the advent, even as far up as Abyssinia, and 

 that persons of the progeny of Ham came up to Jerusalem to 

 worship. 



To trust solely in the linguistic character of nations, where 

 slaver)', polygamy, and where barter and violence alike daily 

 interchange crowds of captives, is at best unsafe ; all unwritten 

 dialects, and even permanent nationality, become dubious ; 

 consequently manners are greatly varied with the circum- 

 stances of existence. 



* Apophis, supposed to be the Pharaoh visited by Abraham, may have 

 been a Naga king in Lower Egypt, as his name is synonymous with 

 Python. If he were the Apophis slain by Horus, we would have an 

 approximate date for the known system of Egyptian religion. 



t Candace does not appear to have been a proper name, but a title, per- 

 haps a mutation of Khan or Kong. In that case, Thosh or Taush would 

 denote tusk. Etaush, the land of ivory, which would again indicate the 

 ruling power to have originated in a northern or high mountain race of 

 conquerors. 



