^50 
MASSOWAH. 
the case in Bruce's time. Achmet, whom he mentions as the Nayib's 
nephew and heir, certainly exercised a power in some parts of the 
country, while his uncle had it in others, and the duties seem to have 
been shared between them. At the death of Edris, Emir Moosa,his 
brother, will, by the laws of the country, be Nayib, but the sons of 
the former will then succeed, in preference to those of the latter. 
This custom, which I am told prevails in the other tribes, must 
frequently give rise to revolutions. The number of soldiers is 
very inconvenient, as the duties often do not amount to the sum 
of one thousand five hundred dollars, required for their monthly 
pay: they are, however, so connected by marriage with the Nayib 
and his family that it is impossible to reduce them. The Nayib 
calls them all brothers. The Sirdarship of them is always in the 
family. The two last years the trade, they say, has decreased, yet 
we have had a constant succession of dows coming in, and going 
out, during the whole time we have been here. I assured the 
Banian that I wished to see the Nayib, and that I was as much his 
friend as ever. He brought me a present from himself of Abys- 
sinian cloth, and honey ; the latter was put up with the wax, was 
very white, and remarkably good. 
The Vizier came off between three and four, to say that he had 
written for the Nayib, and to procure me a letter from the Dola, 
declaring that he would make no claims for anchorage of English 
ships, and that he wished to be at friendship with them. I made, 
of course, the same professions in reply, and gave him coffee and 
sweetmeats^ as we did to all our guests. He then requested we 
would give him two pieces of plank; as they were small, he re- 
quested a third, which was complied with, and the old gentleman 
