498 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



place of that ungrateful culture, flax ; will employ more 

 hands, and be a more ample field for diftinguifhing the in-, 

 genuity of our manufacturers. 



We. fee,- then, how the leaft confederation poflible de- 

 stroys thefe ill-founded objections, upon which thefe very 

 ignorant enemies of Poncet attempted to deftroy his credit, 

 and rob him of the merit of his journey. At laft they ven? 

 tured to throw off the mafk entirely, by producing a letter 

 fuppofed to be written from Nubia by an Italian friar, who 

 aflerts roundly, that he hears Poncet was never at the capi- 

 tal of Ethiopia, nor ever, had audience of Yafous ; but flola 

 the clothes and money. of father Brevedent* then married, 

 and foon after forfook his wife and Ethiopia together. 



Maillet could have eafily contradkled this, had he acted; 

 hbneftly ; for Hagi Ali had brought him the king of Abyk 

 finia's letter, who thanked him for his having fent Poncet, and 

 fignified to him his recovery. But without appealing toYM. 

 Maillet upon the fubject, I conceive nobody will doubt, that 

 Hagi Ali had a commiffion to bring a phyiician from Cairo 

 to cure his matter, and that Poncet was propofed~asthat 

 phyfician, with confent of the .cpnful. Now, after having 

 carried Poncet the length of Bartcho, where it is agreed he 

 was when YBrevedent died, (for he was fuppofed there to 

 have robbed that father of his money) what could be Kagi 

 Ali's reatbn for not permitting him to proceed half a day's: 

 journey farther to the capital, and prefenting him to the? 

 king, who had been at the pains and expence of fending 

 for him from Egypt I What excufe could Hagi Ali make 

 for not producing him, when he mult have delivered the:' 



r conful's> 



