'the same nation are to be found in a south-west direction, per'haps almost to the neighbourhood of the Kaffers bordering on 'the Cape of Good Hope.'

The Makooa are a strong athletic race of people, very formidable, and constantly in the habit of making incursions into the small tract of territory which the Portuguese possess on the coast. Their enmity is inveterate, and is confessed to have arisen from the shameful practices of the traders who have gone among them to purchase slaves. They fight chiefly with spears, darts, and poisoned arrows but they also possess no inconsiderable number of muskets, which they procure in the northern districts from the Arabs, and very frequently, as the Governor assured me, from the Portuguese dealers themselves; who, in the eager pursuit of wealth, are thus content to barter their own security for the gold, slaves, and ivory, which they get in return '

In addition to the bodily strength of the Makooa, may be added the deformity of their visage, which greatly augments the ferocity of their aspect. They are very fond of tattooing their skins, and they practise it so rudely that they sometimes raise the marks an eighth of an inch above the surface. The fashion most in vogue ís to make a stripe down the forehead along the nose to the chin, and another in a direct angle across from ear to ear, indented in a peculiar way so as to give the face the appearance of having been sewed together in four parts. They file their teeth to a point, in a manner that gives the whole set the appearance of a coarse saw; and this operation, to my surprise, does not injure their whiteness or durability.'

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He recounts a number of additional particulars illustrative of their violent ambition to surpass even nature herself in contrivances to deform their persons. Notwithstanding their wildness and barbarity in their savage state, it is astonishing,' says Mr. Salt, how docile and serviceable they become as 'slaves, and when partially admitted to freedom, by being enrolled as soldiers, how quickly their improvement advances, ' and how thoroughly their fidelity may be relied on.' He endeavoured to ascertain what notion they might have of a Deity, and found they have no word for such a being but the same which in their language signifies the sky.

Among the natural curiosities may be mentioned a species of tree called Malumpava, which seems to expend its powers ' of vegetation in the trunk, and might, from its bulk, not unaptly be called the Elephant tree, as it sometimes measures 'full seventy feet in circumference, though it bears few leaves or branches in proportion.' The traveller saw many specimens of a kind of fish which is employed by the fishermen in catching turtles. It is confined by a line to the boat, when it is said invariably to dart forwards, and to attach itself by its

'sucker to the lower shell of the first turtle found on the water, which prevents its sinking, and enables the fisherman to secure his prey.'

The climate of this settlement is so noxious to Europeans, that it is said not more than seven soldiers out of a hundred, survive five years. The salaries of all sorts of officers are excessively small; and the situation is on the whole so uninviting that its residents are chiefly persons exiled for their offences. There can then be no wonder that the grossest and most ruinous corruption pervades every part of its govern

ment.

In addition to the many other circumstances of adversity and danger oppressing or threatening the colony, our Author describes a nation of pirates, called by the Portuguese, Sekelaves, but by him, Marati, occupying the north-east point of Madagascar, and exceeding all other lawless tribes in diabolical ferocity and cruelty. He gives a description of their horrid devastations in Johanna and some other islands, and almost presumes to hope that the English power in the neighbonring seas will be exerted to restrain their ravages-encouraged in this hope, no doubt, by the resolute and efficacious measures by which England has so long since destroyed, or frightened off the sea, all the pirates of the Barbary coast!

In his brief statements respecting the commerce of the colony, he observes that it has been very greatly injured by the English abolition of the Slave-Trade, as the whole supply

of the Cape, of the isles of France, and of Batavia, was for'merly derived from these settlements;' but still he says 'the 'number of slaves annually exported from Mosambique is said

to amount to more than four thousand,' the export duty on each of whom is sixteen and a half crusades. All other exports are exempt.

After a sojourn of more than three weeks, Mr. S. departed for the Red Sea, and our eastern navigation is under obligations to him for the course of observation which he describes in the following paragraph.

As the track from Mosambique to the Red Sea is little known, I have been induced to give a nautical journal of our passage as far as Aden, and particular care has been taken to mark the variation of the compass, (which was regularly observed whenever occasion offered,) on account of the existence of similar observations made on the same coast as early as the year 1620, (Vide Beaulieu's Voyage to the East Iudies,) in order that, from a comparison between the different remarks, the change that has taken place in the variation may be ascertained.'

In this Part of the voyage a phenomenon occurred twice

of which Mr. S. acknowledges he cannot even conjecture an explanation.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, when distant about five leagues from the land, we met with a shoal of dead fish, many thousands of which lay floating on the surface of the water, and we continued to pass through them about five and thirty minutes, sailing at the rate of two leagues an hour. Many of these fish were of a large size, and of several different species, chiefly of the genera sparus, labrus, and tetrodon. They bore the appearance of not having been long killed, from the freshness of their colour and the redness of their gills. In the evening we passed another shoal of dead fish, which had become white and putrid. An occurrence of this nature is extremely rare, especially in deep water, and I cannot in any way pretend to account for it.' p. 95.

Nearly at the same time the sun, at the moment of emerging from a dark cloud, and when its disk touched the horizon, 'seemed to expand beyond its natural dimensions, became of a 'palish red hue, and assumed a form greatly resembling a portion of a column. This is one of the many singular effects produced by the refraction of the atmosphere in this part of 'the world.'.

The passage round Cape Guardafui, in the evening and at midnight, inspired our Author with the most poetical feelings, by its combination of the view of lofty mountains with the moon-light on the sea, and other fine effects of night. They were soon afterwards met and grievously retarded by a current from the Red Sea; but they had the comfort of being kept in a genial temperature by a heat of 90 degrees. They at length succeeded in getting across to Aden.

From this voyage along the eastern coast of Africa, and from observations made in the Red Sea, Mr. Salt collected the means of making what appears to us a very successful war on Mr. Bruce, relative to his theory of the Jewish voyages to Ophir. In the course of this argument, he states some facts interesting to navigation, respecting the winds in the Red Sea.

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Aden, he says, though still of some consequence as a place of trade, is a wretched heap of ruins, and miserable huts, 'which none but Arabs of the lowest description would think of 'inhabiting.' He examined these ruins, among which he found some fine remains of former splendour. What attracted him the most powerfully, however, was the sight of some ancient Turkish towers on the pinnacles of a steep and craggy mountain. With a perseverance and daring that left all his companions behind, he attained the most elevated and formidable point of the ridge, and was stimulated to encounter the last

and greatest hazard in examining the tower, in the hope of discovering some inscription.

I succeeded in getting into it, by clinging with my arms round an angle of the wall, where, supported only by one loose stone, I had to pass over a perpendicular precipice of many hundred feet, down which it was impossible to look without shuddering. I had now done my utmost to attain my object, but found nothing to reward me for the danger, except the view, which was indeed magnificent; and at this moment I confess I could not help looking round with a feeling of gratification somewhat bordering on pride at beholding my less adventurous companions, and the inhabitants of the town gazing up from beneath, together with the lofty hills and the broad expanse of ocean extended at my feet. The pleasure however which this prospect afforded was greatly allayed by the necessity there existed of retracing my steps, which required a much stronger effort than the entrance itself had done; for after a few moments' reflection, I found a feeling o hesitation coming over my mind, which would, I am convinced, in a few minutes have ac tually disabled me from the undertaking, and nothing but the absolute necessity of making the attempt enabled me, with a sort of desperation, to surmount the difficulties into which I had unwarily drawn myself.'

A few days were agreeably spent in a visit to Lahadj, the capital and residence of Hamed, the Sultaun of Aden, who is described as an old man, of a very patriarchal appearance, 'with a benign yet intelligent expression of countenance,' and as having highly merited the appellation of Father of his country,' now commonly conferred on him by his people.

During a rather long stay at Mocha, where Mr. S. could not but be very much at home, especially as he found his former associate Captain Rudland there, he had time to learn what all the ambitious and contending scoundrels in that part of the world had been doing since his former sojourn there. He found that the affairs of the Wahabees had not proceeded so prosperously as they had at that time appeared in train to do.

On reaching the opposite coast, he was involved in uncertainty for a considerable time, whether to penetrate to Abyssinia directly from Amphila Bay, or by the longer route from MasSowa. From Pearce, the spirited man whom in his former visit to Abyssinia he had left in Tigré, at his own desire and that of the Ras Welled Selassé, governor of that province, he received letters, in a style remarkably characteristic of a bold, clear-headed, and decisive man, strongly dissuading him from attempting any other route than that from Massowa; which latter, though very competently beset with miscreants, did not put a traveller so wholly in their power as that on which Mr. S. was meditating to adventure. An unexpected cir

cumstance finally determined him to go by Massowa, even after he had made a formal agreement, confirmed by money on the one side and the Koran on the other, with the Arab chiefs of the districts between Amphila and the Abyssinian frontier, for conveyance and protection through that barbarous territory, inhabited or infested by tribes bearing the general denomination of Dumhoeta*. A long and curious relation of his negotiations with these cunning, treacherous, and most rapacious refuse of Ishmael and the Prophet, affords a striking picture of human nature debased below all conscience, honesty, or decency. Such at least is its appearance when viewed under the additional and stronger illustration thrown upon it by the narrative afterwards given of a journey hazarded through their country by Mr. Pearce, whose situation had not enabled him to appear among them in so imposing a character as Mr. Salt, in virtue of his high commission, was qualified to do. Every thing displayed in the conduct of these people authorizes his assertion that nothing but fear will restrain their villany.

These petty chieftains of thieves have their ceremonies and formalities of state, as well as their august brotherhood of the larger and more garnished communities of the world. Mr. S. was to return, according to etiquette, a visit of Alli Goveta, the least of a rogue, perhaps of any of them with whom he had to transact.

On approaching the village of Madir' (the metropolitan station of said Alli) which consists of a few miserable huts only, the old man came out to meet me, accompanied by the Dola of the place and about twenty savages before him, dancing and shaking their spears by way of doing me honour, and in the midst of this rabble I was conducted to the largest of the huts. After the usual compliments, an interval of silence ensued, during which Alli Goveta dropped asleep, and the Dola busied himself in sewing up a new garment, while the natives of the place, gaping with astonishment, crowded in to catch a sight of us. I remained a short time amused with the singularity of the scene, which was as complete a burlesque on court-ceremony as can well be conceived; and on departing was presented with a bullock as a present from the chief.' p. 151.

The Dumhoeta and all the tribes of the Danakil profess to be Mahomedans, but know, it seems, little more of the religion than the name, and have neither priests nor mosques

*The most general and comprehensive denomination of the people near this border of the Red Sea is Danákil, or Dancali, divided into the Dumhoeta, the Adaiel, the Taieméla, the Hadarem, and a number of other sections, each having its own chief, or set of chiefs.