SEN 



SEN 



Senna, in Botany. See Cassia. 

 Senna, Bladder. See Colutea. 

 Senna, Scorpion. See Emerus. 

 Senna, in the Materia Medica. See SenA. 

 SENNAAR, in Geography, a kingdom of Africa, in 

 the country of Nubia, fituated on the banks of the Nile, 

 between Egypt and Abyflinia. At the beginning of the 

 l6th cent-ury, the whole country from the frontiers cf Egypt 

 to thofe of Abyflinia, though nominally fubjtA to Egypt 

 for the fake of trade, had its own prince of the race of 

 Beni Koreiih, whofe title was Welled Ageeb,yo« of the good; 

 and he was alfo called All, or Mahomet Welled Ageeb. 

 This prince was, neverthelefs, only the ftieikh of all the 

 Arabs, to whom they paid a tribute for the fupport of his 

 dignity and authority. The refidence of this Arab prince 

 was at Gerri, a town fituated on the ferry which leads 

 acrofs the Nile to the defert of Bakiouda, and the road to 

 Dongola and Egypt, joining the great defert of Selima. In 

 the year 1504, a black nation, hitherto unknown, inhabit- 

 ing the weftern banks of the Bahar El Abiad, in about 

 lat. 13°, made a defcent, in a multitude of canoes or boats, 

 upon the Arab provinces, and in a battle near Herbagi, de- 

 feated Welled Ageeb, and forced hini to a capitulation, in 

 confequence of which the Arabs became tributaries to their 

 conquerors, and Welled Ageeb was allowed to retain his 

 place and dignity, on condition tliat he fhould be always 

 ready to ufe coercion in favour of ti;e victors, in cafe any 

 of the Arabs, who were to enjoy their tormer poffeflions 

 unmolefted, rcfufed payment ; and thus he became, as it 

 were, their lieutenant. This race of Negroes were called 

 in their own country Shillook. It was in the year 1 504 

 that Amru, fon of Adelan, the firll of their fovereigns on 

 the E. fide of the Nile, founded this monarchy, and built 

 Sennaar, which has ever fince been the capital. From this 

 period to that in wliich Biuce vifited the country, 266 years 

 had elapfed, and 20 kings had reigned, that is, from Amru 

 the firtt to Ifmain, who was king at the time of Bruce's 

 being at Sennaar. At the eitablifhment of this monarchy, 

 the king, and the whole nation of Shillook, were Pagans. 

 But they were foon after converted to Mahometanifm, for 

 the fake of trading with Cairo, and took the name of 

 Funge, which they interpret fometimes lords, or conquerors, 

 and at other times, free citizens ; though Bruce fays, that 

 titles and dignities are under-valued, and that flavery in Sen- 

 naar is the only true nobility. Mr. Bruce has given a lid 

 of the kings, with their names and the years of their reign, 

 from 1504 to 1772. Upon the death of a king of Sennaar, 

 his eldell fon fucceeds by right ; and immediately after- 

 wards, as many of the brothers of the reigning prince as can 

 be apprehended are put to death. This pradlice of mur- 

 dering all the collaterals of the royal family is fimilar to 

 that which prevails in Abyflinia, of confining the princes 

 all their lives upon a mountain. In Sennaar, as is alfo the 

 cafe in Abyflinia, women do not fucceed to fovereignty. 

 The royal family were originally Negroes, and remain fo 

 ftill, when their mothers have been black like themfelves ; 

 - but when the king has liappened to marry an Arab woman, 

 as he often does, the black colour of the father cedes to 

 the white of the mother, and the child is white. In and 

 near the metropolis of Sennaar there is a conllant mortality 

 among the children, fo that the people would probably be 

 extinft, if they were not fupplied by a number of flaves, 

 brought from all the different countries to the fouthward. 

 Hence it is concluded, that the climate mult have under- 

 gone a ftrange revolution, as Sennaar is but a fmall diftance 

 from the territory where the ancients placed the Macrobii, 

 fo called from the remarkable length of their lives. Al- 



though thefe people are Mahometans, they are fo brutal 

 with regard to their women, that they fell their flaves after 

 having lived with them, and even after having had children 

 by them. The king himfelf, it is faid, is often guilty of 

 this unnatural praftice, utterly unknown in any other Ma- 

 hometan country. Once in his reign the king is obliged, 

 with his own hand, to plow and fow a piece of land. From 

 this operation he is called Baady, the countryman or pea- 

 fant ; and this name is common to the whale race of kings, 

 as Cxfar was among the Romans. 



No horfe, mule, afs, or any beall of burden, will breed 

 or even live at Sennaar, or many miles about it. Poultry 

 does not live there. Neither dog nor cat, fheep nor bul- 

 lock, can be preferved there for a feafon. All of them 

 mufl be removed every half year to the fands. Though 

 all poflible care be taken of them, they die in every place 

 where the fat earth is about the town during the firft 

 feafon of the rains. Hence, it appears that the foil of 

 Sennaar is very unfavourable both to man and beaft, and 

 particularly adverfe to their propagation. This circum- 

 ftance is aicribed by Bruce to fomc noxious quality of the 

 fat earth ; for this noxious quality is not known in the 

 fands. Aira, between three and four miles from Sennaar, 

 which has no water near it but the Nile, furrounded with 

 white barren fand, agrees perfeftly with all animals. Never- 

 thelefs this foil contributes very abundantly to the nourifh- 

 ment of man and beaft. It is faid to render 300 for I : 

 though this muft be an exaggeration ; it is fown with 

 dora or millet, which is the principal food of the natives. 

 The fait ufed at Sennaar is wholly extrafted from the earth 

 about it, efpecially at Halfaia, in lat. 15° 45' 54". E. long. 

 32° 49' 15", fo flrongly is the foil impregnated with this 

 ufeful fofTil. Halfaia is a large, handfome, and pleafant 

 town, though built with clay. The houies are terrafl'ed at 

 the tops. This town is the limit of the rains, and is fitu- 

 ated upon a large circular peninfula, furrounded by the Nile 

 from S.W. to N.W. about half a mile from the river. It 

 confifls of about 300 houfes, and derives its principal gain 

 from 3 manufafture of very coarfc cotton cloth, called 

 Deinour, which ferves for fmall money through all the 

 lower parts of Atbara. The people here eat cats, and alfo 

 the river-horfe and the crocodile, which are very plentiful. 



About tvifelve miles from Sennaar, nearly to the N.W. is 

 a colledlion of villages called Shaddly, from a great faint, 

 who in his time directed large pits to be dug, and plaltered 

 clofely within with clay, into which a quantity of grain was 

 put when it was .it the cheapell, asd thefe were covered up, 

 and plaftered again at the top, which they cdM/ealiitg, and 

 the hole itM{^?nalamore. Thefe matamores are in gieat 

 number all over the plain, and, on any profpeft of corn 

 growing dearer, they are opened, and corn fold at a low 

 price both to the town and country. 



To the north of Sliaddly, about twenty-four miles, is 

 another foundation of this fort, called Wed Aboud, ftill 

 greater than Shaddly. Upon thefe two charities tlie chief 

 fubfiftcnce of the Arabs depends ; for as there is continual 

 war among thefe people, and tfieir violence being alv/ays 

 direfted againfl the crops rather than the perfons of their 

 enemies, the dellruttion of each tribe would follow the 

 lofs of its harvelt, was it not for the extraordinary fupplies 

 furnifhcd at fiich times by thefe granaries. 



The fmall villages of foldiers are fcattercd up and down 

 through this immeiifc plain to watch the grain that is fown, 

 which is dora only, and it is faid that here the ground will 

 produce no other grain. Prodigious excavations are made 

 at proper diflances, which fill with water in the rainy fea- 

 fon, and are a great relief to the Arabs in their paiiage be- 

 1 1 twcen 



