I 
EGYPT, AND SYRIA. i8i 
whofe defigns are any way analogous to mine. The Europeans 
in this quarter, as well as the natives, being immerfed in com- 
merce from their early years, are unable to conceive the advan- 
tages promifed by voyages of difcovery, to which no immediate 
profit is attached ; and accordingly as they know the hazard 
great, and imagine the atchievement frivolous and ufelefs, even 
from the beft motives they are rather inclined to difcourage, 
than to animate, any one who undertakes them. 
From convidion fufficiently clear, arifmg both from reading 
and the fentiments of thofe who were beft informed on the fub- 
je£t, that the river whofe fource Mr. Bruce defcribes is not the 
true Nile, I thought it an objed: of ftill greater importance, that 
the fource of the more Weftern river fhould be inveftigated. 
But what might have been a matter of choice, was with me only 
the refult of neceffity. The idea of reaching the fources of this 
river, (the Bahr-el-abiad,) laid down in the maps apparently at 
about two hundred leagues farther South than Sennaar, feemed 
to me fo hopelefs, that this object alone would hardly have in- 
duced me to undertake fuch a voyage. I fhould rather have 
been inclined to attempt AbyiTmia, and endeavour to certify, as 
well as circumflances might permit, how far authentic former 
narratives had been, and what might offer that was new to Eu- 
ropean obfervation. For this purpofe the obvious and moft 
eafy route was by the Red Sea to Mafouah, But all accounts 
concurred in magnifying the difficulty, and almoft impoffibility, 
of an European pafTing there undifcovered; and, being difco- 
vered, of his penetrating any farther. 
The 
