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584 
foher life, and are a much gentler fort of negro than 
their matters.” Though the eftablifhed religion of Sen- 
mar is that of Mahomet, the government has never at¬ 
tempted to convert the Nuba. On the contrary, a cer¬ 
tain number of pagan priefts is maintained for them in 
every village. This is a very Angular inltance of tolera¬ 
tion among Mahometans, and what we Ihould little have 
expefted from fuch barbarous and fanguinary wretches as 
thofe who have the fupreme power in Sennaar, had not 
our obferving traveller informed us, that thefe men them- 
felves know almoft nothing of the religion which they 
profefs, and are in their hearts rather Pagans than Maho¬ 
metans. 
The idolatry of the Nuba is defcribed as a mixture of 
Sabiifm and ftatue-worlhip : but, what is very uncommon, 
their worlhip is chiefly paid to the Moon, while they pay 
no attention to the Sun either riling or letting. It is an 
old obfervation, that the worlhip of every people is tinc¬ 
tured by their natural difpolitions ; and this is verified in 
the Nuba. “That their worlhip is performed with plea- 
lure and fatisfaftiQn, is obvious (fays our author) every 
night that the moon Ihines. Coming-out from the dark- 
nefs of their huts, they fay a few words upon feeing her 
brightnefs, and teftify great joy, by motions of their feet 
and hands, at the fir ft appearance of the new moon.” 
This is juft what we lhould haveexpe 61 ed from their gen- 
tlenefs and hofpitality. They worlhip likewife a tree and 
a itone, but our author could never difcover what tree or 
ltone ; only he learned that neither of them exifts in Sen¬ 
naar, but in the country where the Nuba are born. Such 
of them as are natives of the villages'where he flaw them, 
become, like their mailers, nominal Mahometans. The 
rell praftife the idolatrous worlhip of their anceftors, and 
are under the influence of fheir priefts, from fear rather 
than from affeftion. They are immoderately fond of 
twine’s ’ flefh, and maintain great herds of finr.ll hogs 
marked with ; black and white fpots. Few of the Nuba 
advance higher than to be foldiers and officers in their 
• own corps; and the Mek maintains about 12,000 of them 
near Sennaar, to keep the Arabs in fu bj eel ion. In a cli¬ 
mate fo hot as that which they inhabit, there is very lit¬ 
tle need of fuel ; and it is happy for them that fuch is the 
cafe for in the whole country there is not a dingle tree or 
turf, or any thing refembling it. They do not, however, 
eat theirmeat raw,like the Abyffinians ; but, with the ftalk 
of the <lora or millet, and the dung of camels, they make 
ovens under ground, in which they drefs their hogs whole, 
in a very cleanly manner, keeping their Ikins on till they 
are perfectly baked. They have neither flint nor fteel 
with which to light their fire at firft ; but do it in a man¬ 
ner ftill more expeditious, by means of two flicks, brought, 
we are led to think, from Sennaar, and there picked out 
of the river when flooded. They make a fmall hole in 
one of thefe fticks, and point the other: then, laying 
the former in a horizontal pofition, they apply the point 
of the latter to the hole ; and, turning the perpendicular 
flick between their bands, as we do a chocolate-mill, both 
flicks take fire, and flame in a moment; fo perfectly dry 
and prepared to take fire is every thing there on the fur- 
face oi the earth. 
NU'BAo, a fort of the Tyrolefe, to defend the pafiage 
of the Alps -, fix miles eaft of Fuefien. 
To NUB'BLE, v. a. [properly to hnihlle, or knobble, 
from hwb, for a clenched flit.] To bruile with handy- 
culfs. Ainfworth. 
NU'BEDAM, a town of Grand Bukharia: eight miles 
eaft of Saganian. 
NU'BIA, a country of Africa, bounded on the north 
by Egypt, on the eaft by the l\ed Sea, on the fouth by 
Abyflinia, and on the weft by countries' of Africa of 
-which hardly the names are known. Nubia is compofed 
of feverul kingdoms, among which Sennaar and Dongola 
appear to be the moll: powerful,.at leaft they are bell 
known ; great part of the coaft is under the power of the 
Turks, as well as the country between Egypt and D011- 
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gola. Great part of the country is compofed of Tandy 
defects ; but, on the other hand, many diftriCts, particu¬ 
larly near the rivers, are uncommonly fertile. Merchants 
trade here for the purchafe of fandal-wood, gold, civet, 
and ivory. The inhabitants are laid to be acquainted 
with a poifon of fo fubtle a nature, that a grain is fuffi- 
cient to deltroy ten perfons. Millet grows in great abun¬ 
dance ; and the fugar-cane is cultivated ; but, for want of 
knowing w'ell how to prepare it, the fugar is black. 
Nubia is famous for a race of horfes the molt powerful 
and docile in the world. Thefe animals are generally 
about fixteen hands high ; and by Mr. Bruce they are 
faid to be the breed which was introduced into Nubia at 
the Saracen conquell, and has been preferved unmixed 
to this day. Our author reprefents this as a much nobler 
animal than the Arabian horfe. “What figure (fays he) 
the Nubian horfe would make in point of fleetnefs is very 
doubtful, bis make being entirely different from that of 
the Arabian; but, if beautiful fymmetry of parts, great 
lize and ftrength, the moll agile, nervous, and elaltic, 
movements, great endurance of fatigue, docility of tem¬ 
per, and feeming attachment to men beyond that of any 
other domeltic animal, can promife any thing for a ftal- 
lion, the Nubian is above all comparifon the molt eligible 
in the world.” He thinks, and juftly thinks, that an at¬ 
tempt Ihould at leaft be made to import them into this 
country. The expenfe, he fays, would not be great, 
though there might be fome trouble and application ne- 
ceffary : but, if adroitly managed, there would not be 
much even of that. The Nubians are very jealous in 
keeping up the pedigree of their horfes, which are black 
or white, but a vaft proportion of the former to the lat¬ 
ter. Our author never law the colour which we call grey, 
i.e. dappled ; but he has feen forne bright bays, and Tome 
inclined to forre- 1 . All noble horfes in Nubia are faid to 
be defcended of one of the five upon which Mahomet 
and his four immediate fucceffors, Abu Beer, Omar, 
Atmen, and Ali, fled from Mecca to Medina, the night 
of the Hegira. No one will pay much regard to this le¬ 
gendary tale, or believe that the ftrength and beauty of 
this breed of horfes is owing to any virtue communicated 
to the firlt of them by the prophet or his apoltles. Mr. 
Bruce accounts for their excellence upon rational prin¬ 
ciples : “ The bell horfes of the Arabian breed are found 
(belays) in the tribe of Mowelli and Annecy, which is 
about 36° north latitude. Dongola, which is in 20 0 la¬ 
titude, feemed to him to be the centre of excellence for 
this noble animal.” Hence he infers, that the bounds in 
which the horle is in greateft perfection, are between the 
20th and 36th degrees of latitude, and between 30 degrees 
of longitude eaft from Greenwich, and the banks of the 
Euphrates. If to the efreCts of climate we add the man¬ 
ner of feeding the Nubian horfes, we lhall perhaps have 
the true caufe of their fuperiority over all others. “ They 
are kept fat upon dor a ; and fuffered to eat nothing green 
hut the lhort roots of grafs that are to be found by the 
fide of the Nile, after the fun has withered it. This is 
dug out where it is covered with earth, and appears 
blanched, and laid in fmall heaps oncea-day on the ground 
before them.” 
In the year 1817, M. Belzoni, a fcientific and enter- 
prifing traveller, vilited this inhofpitable country, and 
made fome important difeoveries. The following is a 
lhort extract of a letter from him to M. Vifconti at Paris, 
dated Cairo, Jan. 9, 1818. “ The people of this country 
are quite lavages, without any idea of hofpitality. They 
refilled us things the molt necefiary; entreaties and pro¬ 
miles had no effeCt on them. We were reduced to live 
-upon Turkilh corn foaked in water. At length, by dint 
of patience and courage, after twenty-two days’ perfeve- 
ring labour, I had the joy of finding myfelf in the Tem¬ 
ple of Ybfambul, where no European has ever before en¬ 
tered, and which prefents the greateft excavation in Nubia 
or in Egypt, if we except the tombs which I have lince 
difcovvred at Thebes. The Temple of Ybfambul is 152 
