string of questions, beginning with "How do you do?" and ending with, "How does butter sell at Masuah, Dahalac, and Aréna ?” After these enquiries had been answered in form, the people again offered us their hands, and, turning about, led the way to their village.

A very neat hut was prepared for me; a kid was killed; a large quantity of fresh milk was brought in straw baskets; a new mat was spread upon my couch; and a piece of Arabian silk was laid by the Sheik, with his own hands, to serve me for a pillow.

At day-break the next morning I ascended the first ridge of hills which bounded the plain. The plain sloped gradually to the sea, and was spotted with acacia trees, under which hundreds of the finest milch goats were wandering with their kids. In the centre of the plain stood the village, consisting of about forty circular huts, neatly covered with mats. The appearance of plenty which met my eye is, however, of short duration; for soon after the rains have ceased, the ground becomes parched, and the supply of water exhausted. To the north of this view lay the Bay of Howakil.

Aréna lies in a recess at the bottom of the bay. On going ashore, I found a party of Somauli traders, who had established a small factory at this place for the purchase of slaves, horses, cattle, goats, and butter. The Somaulies have woolly hair, which they draw out in points in every direction; but their noses are not flat. They have fine limbs, a very dark skin, and beautifully white teeth; and the expression of their countenance is not unpleasing.

In Howakil Bay the thermometer was from 75 to '78°.

From Howakil I sailed to Amphila Bay, in latitude 14° 45′ north, and longitude 41° east. This bay extends sixteen miles along the coast, and contains thirteen islands, which are not inhabited, but are sometimes visited by the natives of the main land. In an excursion which I made on the island of Anto Sukkeer I saw a party composed of three men and two women, assembled round a fire, and eating-not broiled fowls and oyster sauce, but something not totally different-about a dozen half grown eagles, and two bushels of shell-fish; while the parent birds were hovering and screaming over the broiled bodies of their young ones, and the heads of their devourers.

At the bottom of the Bay of Amphila, on the main land, lie the two villages of Madir and Duroro. I visited the Chief of Madir, who came out to meet me, attended by about twenty men, dancing, and shaking their lances to do me honour. I was conducted to the largest of the huts of which 'this miserable village was composed. The Chief employed himself in sewing a garment, and at parting presented me with an ox. The supply of water in this neighbourhood is obtained from wells, and many of these are, in the dry season, so salt as to be unfit for use. A number of troughs made of clay, are placed near the wells, for watering the camels. The inhabitants are of the tribe of Dumhoeta.

The country around Amphila Bay is part of an extensive tract formerly called the kingdom of Dancali; the inhabitants of which are now di

vided into a number of petty tribes, each ruled by a separate chief. All the tribes speak the same language. They profess the religion of Mohamed, of which, however, they know little more than the name, having neither mosques nor priests in their country. They lead a wandering life, shifting their station as occasion requires, for pasture for their cattle. Though each tribe be perfectly independent, all are ready, at a short warning, to unite for the common cause; and, being daring, resolute, and active, they would be very formidable, were not their poverty so great that scarcely one in ten possesses any weapon of offence. Their united forces are said to amount to full 6,000 men.

The women of the coast have pleasing features; and whenever we entered their huts they offered us seats and water; which was, in general, all the huts afforded. The hair of the men was frizzed out, covered with grease, and powdered with brown dust; that of the women was plaited in small tresses, and their arms and legs were adorned with rings of ivory and silver. Both men and women were extravagantly fond of tobacco, which they chewed, smoked, and took as snuff.

The huts were each divided into two or three apartments, and were covered with mats made of the leaves of the doom palm. Their furniture consisted of a few couches, some culinary utensils, and a large jar to hold water. Bouza is not unknown to them. At a marriage it is supplied by the friends; and the foot of a kid is cut off, and hung up in the house of the chief, to mark the event. I accidentally discovered one of their burying-grounds in a secluded spot, between two

ce

hills. The tombs were in the form of pyramids, and were rudely constructed with stones Some of these piles were wholly covered with the cement, and the base of one of them was full ten feet square.

mented together.

The thermometer at Amphila Bay at noon, and in the shade, was generally from 77 to 79°.

From Duroro I made several excursions on a mule, and found the country an extensive plain, covered with brushwood, and bounded by a range of mountains at about fifteen miles distance from the coast. To the northward of these, in the same line, I saw the still loftier range, of which the well-remembered Taranta makes a part. I was again in the neighbourhood of Abyssinia. Was it practicable to enter that country from hence? and should I attempt it, if it were? The latter of these questions was instantly determined in the affirmative, and the former did not remain long undecided. I engaged a young Dumhoeta chieftain, called Ali Manda, to conduct me across the Salt-plain and over the range of mountains, into Tigre.

My conductor appeared, dressed in a garment of striped silk; and we set out from Madir. I had been told that he travelled like a dromedary, and not without reason; for he kept me constantly on the march during the two first days, for twelve hours each day. Our road lay nearly in a westerly direction, over barren and rugged hills, with occasionally a small village or encampment of the natives; who treated us with civility, and supplied us with provisions, out of respect to Ali Manda.

On the third day, in the afternoon, after having

travelled nearly fifty miles, we reached a station on the verge of an extensive-salt plain, where we rested under the shade of some acacias, and near some wells of fresh water. At this place we were furnished by the inhabitants with a kind of sandals, made of the leaves of a dwarf palm, which are invariably used by travellers in crossing the salt..

The plain is called Assa Durwa; it belongs to the province of Tigre; and Assa, in the language of Tigre, signifies salt. The plain is perfectly flat. It runs from north-east to south-west, and is said to be four days journey in length. The first half mile, in crossing it, was slippery and dangerous, from its not being firmly crusted; the feet sinking, at every step into the mud, as is usual in crossing a salt-marsh. After this, the surface was hard and crystallised, resembling a rough sheet of ice, which has been covered with snow, thawed, and frozen again. Branches of pure salt, like pieces of madrepore, occasionally rose above it; and two small insulated hills stood in the centre of the plain. We were five hours in crossing it.

Towards the further side of the plain we saw a number of Abyssinians cutting out the salt, which was done with a small adze, and the pieces, when cut, were in the form of the whetstones used by our mowers. The salt lies in horizontal strata; so that when the edges are cut, the piece separates from the mass beneath without difficulty. The salt immediately under the surface is white, hard, compact, and pure; as the workmen procce deeper, it becomes of a coarser quality and softer consistence, and requires to be hardened by being exposed to the air. In some places it continues