MOCHA. 
387 
the districts of Yemen, under a kind of feudal tenure, which ad- 
mitted the right of the soil to be in the Imaum, but who hardly paid 
him any thing for it, were encouraged by the success of the SherilFe 
of Abou Arish, and threw off even the appearance of obedience. 
The Imaum was too weak to conquer them ; but they had a more 
powerful opponent in the Wahabee, who soon reduced the Sheriffe 
of Abou Arish to obedience, and to the necessity of adopting their 
religion, plundered him of his whole property, and then told him 
to go and indemnify himself in Yemen. He followed their advice, 
or rather orders ; and, recognising Suud as his sovereign, carried 
devastation, in his name, to the gates of Mocha. Beit-el-Fakih, and 
the greater proportion of the coffee country, are his, and Hodeida 
alone prevents him from securing the Tehama from Loheia to the 
straits of Bab-el-mandeb. Although this place remain to the Imaum, 
as a possession, it is useless; since the Dolawas obliged to burn the 
town, to prevent the houses from being occupied in the attack on 
the forts. In the latter his soldiers remained perfectly safe, as the 
Wahabee had no cannon ; but he will probably soon be obliged to 
embark, and fly to Mocha in search of food, when Mocha itself 
must expect to be attacked. 
Mecca and Medina have been so long recognised as the two 
principal cities of Arabia, that the Wahabee who aspired to the 
sovereignty of the whole country, were particularly anxious to 
secure them, Galib, the present Sheriffe, is a monster of iniquity, 
having scrupled no means to accumulate treasure, and having 
poisoned two Pachas, and a young prince of the Maladives, who 
came in a vessel of his own to Jidda, on his way to Mecca. He was 
of course unpopular, and his subjects by no means inclined to 
VOL. ii. 3 d 
