SENNAAR. 



ipreads itfelf all over the territory, and, divided into a quan- 

 tity of fmall channels, (vs'hether by art or nature we know 

 not,) furrounds a number of little iflands, upon each of 

 which is a village, and this colleftion of villages is called 

 the town of El-aice. The inhabitants are all fifliermen, 

 and have a number of boats, like canoes, in which they fail 

 jp and down to the catarafts. With incredible fleets of 

 ;hefe their invafion was made when they undertook the con- 

 queft of the Arabs, who had not the fmalleft warning of the 

 attempt. They had, at that time, no weapons of iron : 

 their fwords and lances were of a hard wood called Dengui- 

 Sibber. It muft be a relation of the Mek of Sennaar that 

 commands at El-aice ; and he is never fuffered to leave that 

 poft, or come to Sennaar. 



The fecond government, next to this in importance, is 

 Jvordofan. The revenue confifts chiefly in flaves procured 

 from Dyre and Tegla. It feems this fituation is the moft 

 convenient for invading thofe mountains, either from its 

 having water in the way, or from fome other circumftance 

 that is not known. Mahomet Abou Kalec had this govern- 

 ment, and witli him about looo black horfe, armed with 

 coats of mail, with whom he maintained himfelf at this time 

 independent of the king. It is a frontier neareft to Dar- 

 Fowr, a black ftate itill more barbarous, if poffible, than 

 Sennaar, and by them it often has been taken from Sennaar, 

 .ind again retaken. 



The third government is Fazuclo, bounded by the river 

 El-aice on the vveit, and the Nile on the eaft, and the moun- 

 tains of Fazuclo, where are the great catarafts, on the 

 louth. Thefe are part of the large chain of mountains of 

 Dyre and Tegla, which reach fo far weltward into the con- 

 tinent, from whence comes the chief fupply both of gold 

 iind flaves which conilitute the riches of this country ; for 

 the greateil part of the revenue of Fazuclo is gold ; and 

 ;lie perfon that comvr.ands it is not a Funge, but the fame 

 native prince from whom the army of Sennaar conquered it. 

 This ieems to be a very remarkable piece of policy in this 

 bai'barous nation, which mull have fucceeded, as they con- 

 Itantly adhei-e to it, of making the pi-ince of the ftate they 

 have conquered their lieutenant in the government of his 

 own country afterwards. Such was the cafe with Dongola, 

 whofe Mek they continue ; alfo with Wed Ageeb, prince 

 of the Arabs, whom they fubdued ; and fuch was the cafe 

 with Fazuclo, Wed Aboud, Jibbel Moia, and other petty 

 ftatcs, all of which they conquered, but did not change 

 their prince. 



The forces at Sennaar, immediately around the capital, 

 confift ot about 14,000 Nuba, who tight naked, having no 

 other armour but a (liort javehn and a round (hield, very 

 bad troops, as Bruce fuppoles ; about 1800 horfe, all black, 

 mounted by black flaves, armed witli coats of mail, and 

 without any other weapon but a broad Sclavonian fword. 

 Thefe, he fuppofes, by the weight and power of man and 

 horfe, would bear down, or break through double the num- 

 ber of any other troops in the world : nobody, that has 

 not feen this cavalry, can have any idea to what perfeftion 

 the horfe rifes here. The Mek has not one mulket in his 

 whole army. Befules thefe horfe, there is a great, but un- 

 certam number of Arabs, who pay their tribute immediately 

 to the Mek and to the great men in government, and live 

 under their proteftion clofe by the town, and thereby have 

 the advantage of trading with it, of fupplying it with pro- 

 vifions, and, no doubt, mull contribute in part to its ftrength 

 and defence in time of need. 



The difeafes of Sennaar are the dyfentery, or bloody flux, 

 fatal in proportion as it begins with the firil of the rains, or 

 the end of them, and return of the fair weather. Intermit. 



ting fevers accompany this complaint very frequently, which 

 often ends in them. Bark is a fovereign remedy in this 

 country, and feems to be by fo much the (iirer, that it 

 purges on taking the firll dofe, and this it does almoil with- 

 out exception. Epilepfies and fchirrous livers are likewife 

 very frequent, owing, as is fuppofed, to their defeatino or 

 diminifliing perfpiration, or flopping the pores by cc nftant 

 unftion, as alfo by the quantity of water they deli' ire them- 

 felveswith at the time they are hottefl;. 



The elephantiafis, fo common in Abyflinia, is not known 

 here. The fmall-pox is a difeafe not endemial in the coun- 

 try of Sennaar, It is fometimes twelve or fifteen years 

 without its being known, notwithftanding the conftaiit ir- 

 tercourfe they have with, and merchandizes they bring from 

 Arabia. It is likewife faid this difeafe never broke out in 

 Sennaar, unlefs in the rainy feafon. However, when it 

 comes, it fweeps away a vail proportion of thofe that are 

 infefted : the women, both blacks and Arabs, thofe of the 

 former that live in plains, like the Shillook, or inhabitants 

 of El-aice, thofe of the Nuba and Guba, that live in moun- 

 tains, all the various fpecies of flaves that come from Dyre 

 and Tegla, from time immemorial have known a fpecies of 

 inoculation which they call Tifliteree el Jidderee, or, " the 

 buying of the fmall-pox." The women are the conduftors 

 of this operation in the fairell and drieft feafon of the year, 

 but never at other times. Upon the lirlt hearing of the 

 fmall-pox any where, thefe people go to the infefted place, 

 and, wrapping a fillet of cotton cloth about the arm of 

 the perfon infefted, they let it remain there till they bargain 

 with the mother how many flie is to fell them. It is necef- 

 fary that the terms be difcuflcd judicially, and that the bar- 

 gain be not made coUufively or gratuitoufly, but that one 

 piece of filver, or more, be paid for the number. This 

 being concluded, they go home, and tie the fillet about 

 their own child's arm ; certain, as they fay, from long ex- 

 perience, that the child infefted is to do well, and not to 

 have one more than the number of puftules that were 

 agreed and paid for. There is no example, as far as Bruce 

 could learn, either here or in Abyflinia, of this difeafe 

 returning, that is, attacking any one perfon more thau 

 once. 



The trade of Sennaar is not great ; they have no m.anu- 

 faftures, but the principal article of confumption is blue 

 cotton cloth from Surat. Formerl)', when the ways were 

 open, and merchants went in caravans with fafety, Indian 

 goods were brought in quantities to Sennaar from Jidda, 

 and tlien difperfed over the black country. The return 

 was made in gold, in powder called Tibbar, civet, rhinoce- 

 ros's horns, ivory, ollrich feathers, and, above all, in flaves 

 or glafs, more of which was exported from Sennaar than all 

 the eafl; of Africa together. But this trade is almoll de- 

 flroyed, fo is that of the gold and ivory. However, the 

 gold ftill keeps up its reputation of being the pureft and 

 bell in Africa, and therefore bought at Mocha to be car- 

 ried to India, where it all at lail centers. If the wakea of 

 Abyflinian gold fells at 16 patakas, the Sennaar gold fells 

 at the fame place for 22 patakas. The ivory fells at i^oz. 

 per rotol at Cairo, which is about 25 per cent, lighter tliaa 

 the rotol of Mocha. Men-flaves, at a medium, may be 

 about a wakea per head at Sennaar. There are women, 

 however, who fell for 13 or 14 wakeas. What their pecu- 

 liar excellencies may be, which fo far alters the price, 

 Bruce could not tell, only they are preferred by rich peo- 

 ple, both Turks and Moors, to the Arab, Circaflian, and 

 Georgian women, during the warm months in fummer. 



The Daveina Arabs, who are great hunters, carry the 

 ivory to Abyflinia, where they are not in fear. But no 



caravan 



