384 
ANT ALO. 
provinces prevented the usual circulation of gold and other articles^ 
which are brought from the interior. Could any plan, however, 
be arranged for obviating these difficulties, he assured me, that 
he would most readily concur in carrying it into effigct, though, 
he observed, it would be useless for him to interfere with the 
Mahometans on the coast, so long as that power had a naval 
superiority in the Red Sea. There was so much good sense in 
these remarks, and they so exactly corresponded with my own 
views of the subject, that they did not admit of any reply ; 
except the declaration, that I would never lose sight of the 
interests of Abyssinia, and that I was disposed to think, that his 
Majesty's ministers would find a pleasure in doing their utmost to 
promote the welfare of his country. This and similar conversa- 
tion had engaged us from two o'clock A. M. till daylight, when 
we rose to take our leave. The old man, on this occasion, got up 
from his couch, and attended us to the door of his hall, where he 
stood watching us, with tears running down his face, until we 
were fairly out of sight. 
