308 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
thing elfe; 750 cloths for wrapping round them, jooo oun- 
ces of gold, which is 30,000 doliars, or crowns, are allowed 
by the ftate for their maintenance. Thefe princes are hard- 
ly ufed, and, in troublefome times, often put to death upon 
the fmalleft mifinformation. While I was in Abyflinia their 
revenue was fo grofsly mifapplied, that fome of them were 
faid to have died with hunger and of cold by the avarice 
and hard-heartednefs of Michael neglecting to furnifh them 
neceflaries. Nor had the king, as far as ever I could difcern, 
that fellow-feeling one would have expected from a prince 
refcued from that very fituation himielf; perhaps this was 
owing to his fear of Ras Michael. 
However that be, and however diftrefling the fituation of 
thofe princes, we cannot but be fatisfied with it when we 
look to the neighbouring kingdom of Sennaar, or Nubia. 
There no mountain is trufted with the confinement of their 
princes, but, as foon as the father dies, the throats of all 
the collaterals, and all their defcendents that can be laid hold 
of, are cut; and this is the cafe with all the black ftates in 
the defert weft of Sennaar, Dar Fowr, Selé, and Bagirma. 
Great exaggerations have been ufed in {peaking of the 
military force of this kingdom. The largeft army that ever 
was in the field (as far as I could be informed from the old- 
eft officers) was that in the rebellion before the battle of 
Serbraxos. I believe, when they firft encamped upon the 
lake Tzana, the rebel army altogether might amount to a- 
bout 50,000 men. In about a fortnight afterwards, many 
had deferted ; and I do not think (I only {peak by hearfay) 
that, when the king marched out of Gondar, they were ther 
above 30,000. I believe when Gojam joined, and it was 
2 known 
