axum: 
407 
in the country, one of whom actually remarks his having made 
out the word Basilius so that it was probably upon this latter 
circumstance that Mr. Bruce founded his erroneous conjecture. 
Mr. Smith and Mr. Stuart, who both assisted me in my exa- 
mination of these ruins, perfectly agreed with me upon the 
subject, and the latter had previously traced the characters I . 
have mentioned during a journey which he had made to Axum 
a few days before he met me at iidowa, and in the attempt* 
though he was not particularly successful, a sufficient number of 
the letters were made out to prove them Ethiopic. In conse- 
quence, I have thought it right to give a fac-simile of his per- 
formance, notwithstanding that I consider my own copy in Lord 
yaientia's work to be the more correct of the two. 
I must observe, that Mr. Stuart, in making out these letters, 
copied them the wrong side upwards, and that, from the difficulty 
of tracing them, he has omitted a large portion of the characters 
with which the inscription commences. 
From this part of the ruins, a small gateway leads to the 
church, w hich latter still appears to be kept up with considerable 
attention, though the steps in front of the portico, which are evi- 
dently remains connected with some more ancient structure, are 
falling fast to ruin. In a wall to the right, on a narrow project- 
ing stone, is inscribed a short Ethiopic inscription, said to be 
very ancient, a copy of which is here given. 
