MAS 
Mafluah became mutually related, and always fubjeCt to 
the influence of the naybe. From motives of policy, it 
was agreed that one-half of the cuftotns fhould be paid 
by the naybe to the king of Abyflinia. Having thus fe- 
cured the friendrtiip of Abyflinia, the naybe declined 
paying tribute to the bafliaw of Jidda, to whofe govern¬ 
ment he had been fubjeCted by the Porte; he afterwards 
declined paying a fliare of the cuftoins to the king of 
Abyflinia: and in this Rate of independence he was when 
Mr. Bruce arrived there in 1769, on his way to Abyflinia. 
This gentleman found both the prince and his people ex¬ 
tremely unhofpitable and treacherous; fo that he under¬ 
went a variety of dangers during his reiidence there, nor 
was it without great difficulty that he could get away 
at laft. 
The ifland of Mafiuah, as we have faid, is entirely de- 
ftitute of water ; nor can it be fupplied with provifions 
of any kind but from the mountainous country of Abyf- 
finia on the continent. Arkeeko, a large town in the 
bottom of the bay, has water, but is in the fame predica¬ 
ment with regard to provifions ; for the adjacent traCl of 
flat land, named Samhar, is a perfeCt defert, inhabited only 
from November to April by fome wandering tribes, who 
carry all their cattle to the Abyflinian fide ot the moun¬ 
tains when the rains fall there. Being thus in the terri¬ 
tories of the Abyflinians, it is in the power of the empe¬ 
ror of that country to flarve Mafiuah and Arkeeko, by 
prohibiting the pafl'age of any provifions from the Abyf- 
finian fide of the mountains. 
The houfes of Maffuah are generally conftruCted of long 
poles and bent grafs, as is ufual with other towns of Ara¬ 
bia: only about twenty are of ftone, and fix or eight of 
thefe two ftories high. The ftones with which they are 
built have been drawn out of the fea; and in them the 
bed of that curious niufcle found embodied in the folid 
rock at Mahon is frequently to be feen. Thefe are called 
dattoli da mare, or fea-dates: but our author never faw 
any of the fi(h themlelves, though he has no doubt that 
they may be met with in the rocky iflands of Mafiuah, if 
they would take the trouble of breaking the rocks for 
them. All the neceffaries of life are very dear in this 
place; and their quality is alfo very indifferent, owing to 
the diftance from whence they mult be brought, and the 
danger of carrying them through the defert of Samhar, as 
well as to the extortions of the naybe himfelf, who, under 
the name of cujloms , takes whatever part of the goods he 
thinks proper; fo that the profit left to the merchant is fome- 
times little or nothing. All the money here is valued by 
the Venetian fequin; and it is owing to the commercial 
intercourfe with the Arabian coaft, that any money at all 
is to be met with on this ifland or the eaftern coafl of 
Africa. Glafs beads of all kinds and colours, whether 
whole or broken, pafs for final 1 money. 
Though MaiTuah has now loft very much of its com¬ 
mercial importance, a confiderahle trade is ftill carried on 
from the place. From the Arabian fide are imported blue 
cotton and other cloths; fome of them from India being 
very fine. Other articles are Venetian beads, cryftal, look¬ 
ing and drinking glaffes, with cohol or crude antimony. 
Thefe three laft articles come in great quantity from 
Cairo, firft in the coffee-<liips to Jidda, and then in fmall 
barks to the port of Maffuah. Old copper is alfo a valu¬ 
able article of commerce. The Galla, and all the various 
tribes to the weftward of Gondar, wear bracelets of this 
metal, which in fome parts of that barbarous country is 
faid to fell for its weight of gold. Here is alfo a (hell, an 
univalve of the fpecies of volutes, which fells at a high 
price, and paffes for money among the various tribes of 
Galla. The Banians were once the principal merchants 
of Mafiuah; but their number is now reduced to fix, who 
are filverftniths, and fubfift by making ornaments for the 
women on the continent. They likewife a flay gold, but 
make a poor livelihood. 
Mafluah was found by Mr. Bruce and his companions, 
as the refult of various obfervations of the fua, and itars, 
vpi.. xiv. No. 99 i, ■ 
Mas 517 
to be In laf. 15® 35' 5" N. and by an obfervation of the 
fecond fatellite of Jupiter, September 22, 1769, its longi¬ 
tude was fixed at 39 0 36' 30" E. of Greenwich; the varia¬ 
tion of the com pafs being 12 0 48' W. As Loheia is nearly 
oppofite, (lat. 15 0 40' 5a" N.) the breadth of the Red Sea 
between Maffuah and Loheia is 4 0 10' 22" ; and, fuppofing 
a degree to be equal to 66 ftatute miles, this breadth, in 
round numbers, will be 276 miles. The height of the 
barometer, on the 4th of OCtober, at fix in the morning, 
was z 5 0 8' 2"; at two P.M. 25 0 3' z” ; and half pa ft fix 
P.M. 25° 3'7"; and the greateft height of Fahrenheit’s 
thermometer, October 22, at two P. M. was.93 0 . 
Maffuah is very infalubrious, as is the whole coaft of 
the Red Sea from Suez to Babelmandel, but more efpeci- 
ally between the tropics, and fubj Ct to violent fevers, 
generally terminating in death on the third day. Fevers 
generally end in intermittents, and dyfenteries, always 
tedious, and often mortal. Another difeafe, endernial in 
this country, is called hanzeer , “ the hogs, or the (wine,” 
and is a (welling of the giands of the throat, and under 
the arms ; and another complaint conlifts of fmall fwel- 
lings all over the body, but thickelt in the thighs, arms, 
and legs. Another di(order, common in thele countries, 
is called Farenteit, fignifying “ the worm of Pharaoh,” 
which afflicts thole who are in the conftant habit of drink¬ 
ing ftagnant water. This plague appears nnlilcriminatcly 
in every part of the body, but moft frequently in the legs 
and arms. This worm is feized by the natives gently by 
the head, and then wrapped round a thin piece of (ilk, or 
fmall bird’s feather. Every day, or feveral times a-day, 
they try to wind it upon the quill as far as it comes 
readily; and, upon the fmalleft refiftance, they defilt for 
fear of breaking it. When this operation, which fome- 
times lafts for three weeks, terminates, the hole or punc¬ 
ture difeharges, by preffure, a fmall quantity of lymph ; 
and in about three days it is healed without a fear. The 
elephantiafis is alfo one of the endernial difeales of the 
country. It is a general cuftom for people to bum 
myrrh and incenfe in their houfes, before they open the 
doors in the morning; and when they go out at night, 
or early in the day, they have always a fmall piece of rag 
highly fumigated with thefe two perfumes, which they 
fluff into each noftril, to keep them from the unwhole- 
fome air. Bruce's Travels, vol. iii. 
MASSUF/T (Rene), a learned French Benedictine of 
the Congregation of St. Maur, was born at St. Owen de 
Maucelles, in the diocefe of Evreux, in the year 1 665. He 
devoted himfelf to the monaftic life at the abbey of Notre 
Dame de Lyre, in the year 1682; and became diftinguifhed 
for his proficiency in ancient literature, particularly th® 
writings of the fathers and ecclefialtical antiquities. In 
the year 1710, he publiffled a new and correct edition of 
the works of St. Irenasus, in folio, with new notes and 
learned prefaces. While preparing it for the prefs, he had 
the advantage of confulting feveral MSS. which had not 
been before examined ; he alfo added to it fragments of 
fuch pieces of Irenasus as are no longer extant; and pre¬ 
fixed to the whole three differtations, which refteCl credit 
on his erudition, induftry, and judgment. The firft con¬ 
tains an account of the heretics againit whom Irenasus 
wrote, and of their opinions ; the lecond, of his life, ac¬ 
tions, and writings; and the third, of his opinions, under 
ten different articles or heads. After this, it was his in¬ 
tention to undertake new editions of fome other ancient 
authors 5 but he was prevented by the unexpected deaths, 
of fathers Mabillon and Thierri Ruinart. In confequence 
of thefe events, his fuperiors engaged him on a continua¬ 
tion of “ The Lives of the Saints,” and the “ Annals of 
the Benediftine Order,” of which the fifth volume was 
rutted., with the Life of Mabillon prefixed in Latin. He 
ad begun a fecond edition of that father’s Works of St. 
Bernard; and he was about to commence another volume, 
of the Annals, when he was carried off by a paralytic at¬ 
tack in 1716, at the age of fifty. In 1700, he published a 
fmall piece in defence of the BenediCtiae edition of the. 
*Q, Works, 
