THESOURCE OF THE NILE, — 63; 
Ir may. be faid, that the trade carried on there by Suez 
and the Ifthmus would not be of any advantage to the India 
Company, but rather a detriment to it. Such was the an- 
fwer [ got from Lord North upon my firk interview with 
his Lordthip after my return, and upon which I fhall not 
pretend to decide. Bur this I fhall fubmit to the public, 
whether, when a great object, fuch as that was, is unex- 
pectedly in the power of an individual, he is not obli- 
ged, as a good citizen, to avail himfelf of the occafion 
that offers, and leave it to that part of the public concerned, 
to determine whether they can make it of fervice to them 
or not. 
I wave read, either in Abbé Prevot or M. de Maillet, (the 
reader will affit me, as neither of thefe books are in my 
hands at prefent) that the French, in the beginning of this 
century, offered a very large fum of money to the govern- 
ment of Cairo, to be allowed to fend only an advice-boat to 
Suez, to carry and bring back their difpatches from their 
‘fettlements in India, but they were conftanuly refuted ; both 
the India Company and Britifh Government are, by my 
means, now in poffeflion of that privilege, and 1 am in-— 
formed it has already been of ule, both in public and pri- 
vate difpatches. 
I must further be permitted to fay, that, independent of 
thefe particulars, it feemed very ftrange thar, contidering 
the immenfe empire which belonged to Britain in the Eait 
Indies, the Company and their fervants fhould be, to a man, 
fo perfectly ignorant of the Red Sea and ports in it,and foin- 
different as to the means of being better informed ; a fea 
Vou. IV. 4L which 
