by Portuguese missionaries, thanks to whose zeal some 
information about the country had been obtained, al¬ 
though far less accurate in detail than that which we 
owe to Bruce. Although his veracity has often been 
questioned, succeeding travellers have confirmed his 
assertions. 
From Massowah to Adowa the road rises gradually, 
and passes over the mountains which separate Tigre from 
the shores of the Red Sea. 
Adowa was not originally the capital of Tigre. A 
90 AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
hurriedly visited some of the islands of the Archipelago, 
Syria, and Egypt. Leaving Djedda he proceeded °to 
Mecca, Lobheia, and arrived at Massowah upon the 
19th September, 1769. He had taken care to obtain a 
firman from the Sultan, and also letters from the Bey of 
Cairo, and the Scherif of Mecca. This was fortunate, for 
the Nawab, or governor, did all in his power to prevent 
his entering Abyssinia, and endeavoured to make him 
pay heavily with presents. Abyssinia had been explored 
VIEW NEAR ADOWA 
