52 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



[Red Sea. 



most winds, within the S. E. isle and its adjoining shoals. Massuah is on 

 a small island close to the Abyssinian shore- The inhabitants arc civil, but 

 beggars, and sometimes thieves. It is the principal seaport in Abyssinia. 

 The Chief resides at Arkeko. The landing-place is near the town, to which 

 boats can come with ease. 



Tuade is considerable with Judda and Mocha, estimated at 400,000 

 dollars annually, besides cotton-wool, purchased by the Abyssim'ans, of 

 which three ships' cargoes may be sold in a year. The merchants want 

 capital, but they are honourable, and may be trusted. The Banians are 

 comfortable, and some wealthy. The imports are benjamin, cotton, copper, 

 camphire, cloves, china, cardamoms, cinnamon, gunjwwder, ginger, iron 

 in bars, lead, musk, pepper, piece-goods, rice, red-wood, steel, sandal- wood, 

 tobacco, tin, tutenague, turmeric, vermilion, and many European articles, 

 as glass, cutlery, &c. The exports are gold, civet, rhinoceros' horns, ivory, 

 honey, rice, ghee, wax, &c. A caravan arrives at Massuah in February. 

 A considerable quantity of gold could be brought by these caravans, to pay 

 for suitable goods. 



Duties. — The Nayib receives 10 per cent, on all imports and exports, 

 and one dollar for each individual who comes to trade ; but this is not 

 settled. The following is a list of articles upon which he demands a duty ; 

 and the sum demanded is generally moderate, though graduated by no 

 regular principle of trade : — 



Tobacco, per bale of IS rods. ... * dollars. 



Rice, per bag of 160 lbs ^ » 



Pepper, per 9 frazils . 



Cotton, per 12 mds, of 28 lbs... 3 



Tin, per frazil \ 



Copper, per 20 frazils 3 



Fine piece-goods, per corge 8 dollars. 



Blue cossaes 5 



Baftacs 21 , 



Chintz, of all sorts l j 



Tutenague per frazil \ „ 



No duty on iron and gunpowder. 



Provisions and Refreshments. — Though the country may be consi- 

 dered plentiful, the necessaries of life are dear. The Nayib monopolizes 

 the supplies, charging a dollar for 12 fowls, or 2 goats, or 2 sheep; 5 dol- 

 lars for a cow ; 1 dollar for 23 skins of water; 360 beads for a mans load 

 of wood. 



Coins. — Spanish dollars pass at Massuah, and Venetian sequins, as well 

 as Austrian dollars, called patakas, circulate throughout other parts of the 

 kingdom. Large payments are made in ingots of gold, weighed by the 

 wakea, or Abyssinian ounce ; and bricks of salt dug out of the mines, 

 about 80 of which are valued at a wakea of gold, are used for smaller 

 payments, as well as glass beads, called borjookes. 



