88 GRAND CAIRO. 
CH^^P- altogether unknown. His testimony, therefore, 
' , ' as a native oi Abyssinia, to the accuracy oi Bruce s 
description of the country, will not be disre- 
garded ; and the following result of our conver- 
sation with him mav terminate this chapter' 
(l) There has not been an example, in the annals of literature, of 
more unfair and disgrareful hostility than that which an intolerant and 
invidious party too sui.-cessfuily levelled, during a considerable period, 
against the writings of Bruce. Soon after the publication of his 
"Travels to discover the Source of the Nile," several copies of the work 
were sold in Dublin as waste paper, in consequence of the calumnies 
circulated against the author's veracity. This happei.ed in the year 
1791. In the year 1800, Mr. John ^ntes, of Fulnec in Yorkshire, pub- 
rished a small volume of " Observations on Egypt:" a work not less 
remarkable for its fidelity and genuine worth, than for the little notice 
it received. Speaking of i?yMre, that author observes: "When Mr. 
Eruce returned from .'ibyssinia^ I was at Grand Cairo. I had the 
pleasure of his company for three months, almost every day: and 
having, at that time, myself an idea of penetrating into Aiyssinia, I 
was very inquisitive about that country, on hearing many tilings from 
him which seemed almost incredible to me. I used to ask his Greek 
servant Michael [a simple fellow, incapable of any invention) about the 
same circunistames, and mu^t sav that he commo.nlv agreed with 
HIS master in the chief points." {See Observat. on the Mann, and 
Oust, of the Egyptians, by John .-/nteSyEsq. p. 17. Lond. 1800.) Many 
stronger testimonies in favour oi Bruce''; accuracy have also at different 
times been adduced, particularly by Mr. Browne 'See Pref. to his 
Travels)-^ and the work has consequently risen very considerably in 
the public estimation. "^ome travellers, indeed, have attempted to 
invalidate certain of his assertions, which, after all, are not of much 
moment, whether they be true or false : such, for example, as the 
circumstance related by Bruce of the part he took in the wars of the 
country; and of the practice he witnessed of taking flesh from a living 
animal as an article of food : this last has, however, now been fully 
confirmed by the statement of the native priest, as given above. It is 
, probable 
