MOCHA. 
513 
written to the SherilFe of Abou Arish, who was making war against 
the Imaum, and taking his country from him." The fact certainly 
was so ; but it was merely commercial, respecting coffee to be 
purchased at Loheia. This I represented ; but he seemed by no 
means satisfied. I assured him in the most solemn manner, that I 
knew it was the determination of the Bombay Government not to 
assist the Wahabees against the Imaum of Sana ; and that had 
such been their intention, they would have sent a direct intima- 
tion, and not through the medium of Mr. Pringle, who was only a 
civil servant employed for the purposes of trade. He could not, 
for some time, be convinced. He said, " Why was not the letter 
shewn?" And asked me explicitly, if the carrying on such a cor- 
respondence was not criminal. I replied, that if Mr. Pringle wrote 
to any enemy of the Imaum, in a way that could be injurious to 
that Prince, while living under his protection, he would certainly 
act criminally, and deserve to be punished; but if it was merely 
about coffee, he must not blame Mr. Pringle, but that Providence 
which had placed the coffee country under the control of the 
Sheriffe ; that where the articles were to be had, there the merchant 
would go. He said it had never been so, and that the Imaum 
would not permit coffee to be exported from Loheia. I asked how 
he would hinder it. He laughed, and said, " well, if you are de- 
termined, you must send ships to Loheia, but the Imaum will not 
like it." 
He enquired where the Assaye was gone, and where I was going. 
I told him, to Masssowah, as he might know by the pilots I had 
hired, He was evidently uneasy, and under an impression that I 
had some hostile intentions. I again repeated all I had said; and 
