154 
ANTALOW 
they rarely get sufficient, even of the coarse tefF bread of which 
their food almost entirely consists. The pay of the Ras's soldiers, 
beside their food, is only from thirteen to fifteen pieces of cloth in 
the year, and his head builder has but six wakeas of gold a year, 
and two gerbuttehs of corn per month. Money seems to be an ex- 
ttemely scarce article, from its being chiefly employed in the Mas- 
sowah commerce ; and the want of small currency for common use, 
is a most seribiiS inconvenience throughout the country. The car- 
riage of a dollar s worth of salt to any distance, would scarcely be 
repaid by the small sum which it produces ; and that this is the 
case, can be only owing to the cheapness of labour and provisions. 
The price of maize is about one penny per quart. The value of a 
dollar at Antalow is equal to twenty-eight pieces of salt; but the 
greater part of the traffick is carried on by exchange. One piece of 
cloth (about a dollar) will buy five gerbuttehs of grain. 
" Letters were delivered to me this morning by the Ras, from his 
Sovereign, for the King of England, which I was requested to convey 
safely to Lord Valentia. With them several complete dresses of the 
finest cloth, manufactured in the country, were sent as presents. These 
were delivered to me in great form. In the afternoon I went down 
with Captain Rudland to the Ras, and he invited us to partake of 
his fast-day's repast, consisting, as usual, of fish, Indian corn, and 
wheat grilled. He was kinder than ever in his attention to us, and 
gave me, on their being accidentally brought in, two rhinoceros's 
horns, and a partridge ; the latter of which I sent to Mr. Carter. 
I, in return, as a parting gift, presented the Ras with a convex lens, 
having observed his great delight on seeing the effect of the sun's 
rays through it, which I had before repeatedly tried on gunpowder, 
