BRUCE HIS AUTHENTICITY. 
95 
was pointed out to him, where Payz reports the 
visit made by himself to those sources ; so that, 
even if they were the real fountains of the Nile, 
Mr Bruce was not the first European by whom 
they had been explored. This charge he openly 
meets, and endeavours at great length to prove 
that the narrative of Payz could not apply to the 
spot which he pretended to visit. These argu- 
ments do not seem well founded ; but Bruce no- 
where misrepresents facts in order to support 
them. On the contrary, his opponents have con- 
tested these arguments chiefly by a comparison 
of his description with that of Payz. Hartman 
thinks it sufficient to print the two in parallel 
columns, in order to shew their correspondence^ 
Now, I think it is dealing rather hardly with 
Bruce to accuse him of positive falsehood, merely 
for forming erroneous opinions ; when, instead 
of disguising the truth in order to support these 
opinions, he furnishes himself the facts by which 
they have been refuted. 
A heavy charge yet remains. There are two 
journeys which Mr Bruce professes to have made ; 
one from Badjoura up the Nile to Syene ; the 
other from Loheia to the Straits of Babelmandel ; 
both of which, there is much reason to suspect, 
never were performed. There is no mention of 
them in his own journey ; none in those of his 
companion Balugani j none in a letter to Mi- 
ss 
