THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 325 



The cufto'ms, which at Mocha are three per cent, uponm-- 

 dia goods, are five here, when brought directly from India; 

 but all goods whatever, brought from Jidda by merchants, 

 whether Turks or natives, pay {even per cent. atLoheia. 



Loheia is in lat. i5°4o' 52" north, and in long.. 42 58' i$f 

 eaft of the meridian of Greenwich. — The barometer, at its 

 higheft on the 7th day of Auguft, was 2 6° 9', and its lowell 

 2 6° i', on the 30th of July. — The thermometer, when at its 

 higheft, was 99 on the 30th of the fame month, wind north- 

 eaft ; and its loweil was 8 1° on the 9th of Auguft, wind fouth- 

 by eaft. 



On the 31ft of Auguft, at four o'clock in the morning, 

 I faw a comet for the firft time. The head of it was fcarce- 

 ly vifible in the telefcope, that is, its precife form, which 

 was a pale indiftincT: luminous body, whofe edges were not 

 at all defined. Its tail extended full 20 . It feemed to be 

 a very thin vapour, for through it I diftinguilhed feveral 

 ftars of the fifth magnitude, which feemed to be increafed 

 in fize. The end of its tail had loft all its fiery colour, and 

 was very thin and white. I could diftinguifh no nucleus, 

 nor any part that feemed redder or deeper than the reft ; 

 for all was a dim-ill-defined fpot. At 4*"* i' 24", on the 

 morning of the 31ft, it was diftant 20 40' from Rigel; its 

 tail extended to three ftars in Eridanus.. 



The ill of September Mahomet Gibberti arrived, bring- 

 ing with him the firman for the Naybe of Mafuah, and let- 

 ters from Metical Aga to *Ras Michael. He alfo brought 



a letter 



♦Governor of the Province of TigreinAbyflinia... 



