may be an alleviation to your sorrow and grief, when you hear of the death of your friends and relations: so that we have now to acquaint you that your brother Tair (Tyrwhit) ended his life, and his days and hours terminated by his death, on Monday, the dnd of Saffar, 1240, while we were absent in a war with our enemies. After his death and interment, the elders and priests of our metropolis entered his house, to ascertain and note down the effects he left, in order, and from fear that, in the course of time, there might be no suspicion of distrust thrown upon the trustees. They found the property he left was not considerable : they made a list of it, which herewith, you will receive, and left the whole in the hands of his trustees, Eben Saada of Tripoli, and the Hadje Aly El-ma-yel, who were his servants. But God knows whether this was the whole of his property, or whether some of it might have been fraudulently concealed by those who were in the house at his death. “ The war in which we were engaged was with Aly Yamanook, who first declared hostilities against us. We went out to him through the Kanoom road on the last day of Moharram 1240, and arrived near the islands in which he was intrenched on Thursday the 19th of the month of the sacred birth of our Prophet*. “ He entered the islands, and left between him and us seven streams; two of which could not be crossed but in boats, two were as deep as to cover a man to the neck, and the other three had their water as high as the navel only, or perhaps lower. “ We besieged him till he was in great distress, suffered much-famine, and most of his animals perished; and when we had collected canoes for the landing of our troops on the islands, he submitted, and begged forgiveness. We at first refused; but when he repeated his applications and solicitations, we consented, binding him by many severe and heavy conditions, which he accepted, and restored to us, according to our demands, all that he had taken from our people. He then came out of the islands, humble like a camel led by his driver, and submissive like a tender twig to the hand that roots it out. * From this it seems, that the journey was made in forty-nine days, viz. the last day of Moharram, which is the first month of the year, the twenty-nine days o f the following month Saffar, and nineteen days of the month in which Mohammed was born, which is the third in the year. Being unacquainted with the distance and the spot, I cannot, of course, pretend to give any farther illustration. A. S. “ Thus we withdrew our army, after a siege of three months and ten days, and after having likewise subdued all the disobedient and disorderly Arabs, and returned to our home on Sunday the middle of Rajab *. “ Nothing new has happened since you left us, but every good and happiness, and the increase of tranquillity and cheapness. We, however, have lost our illustrious and noble friend Hassan Et-Teflati, who died in this town ; as likewise Mohammed Ben Dehman of Katacoom, and Yakoob El-Owjal of An- karno, to whom may God show mercy and forgiveness. “ The news from the interior is, that the ruler of Wa-da-i made an expedition against the eastern part of the country towards Tamak ; but that he was repulsed and returned routed. The truth of this, however, we could not ascertain, because it came from indirect channels. “ The ruler of Foor, also, sent an army against the Turks t , who are in Kordafal or Kordofal ; and it is reported that they had a battle at a place called Kajah, which ended with the defeat of the army of Foor, and the death of three of their grandees, besides what fell of the troops ; but that the said chieftain is gathering a larger army, and means to send it against them. God only, however, knows what will be the result. “ The ruler of Bakermy, who last year fled to the land of the Pagans, has not returned ; and a brother of his from Wa-da-i has collected what troops he could, and proceeded against him. But God knows what will happen between them. “ Give our salutation to your sister, and all your family and friends ; and peace be with you.” Dated and sealed as the foregoing, viz. Letter No. I. * The middle of Rajab is the 164th or 165th day from his first departure ; and according to this, it appears that the sheikh, on returning home, made the journey in fifteen or sixteen days oiily ; whereas, on going, it took him forty-nine days. This difference may perhaps be accounted for, on account of the incumbrances and slow movement of the army. A. S. f The Sheikh says “ he went” through the Kanoom (or Kanem) road, which is by the north side o f the lake ; and the difference o f time occupied in the journey put and home may therefore be easily accounted for, by supposing him to have returned across the Shary by the southern end of the lake, this road being much the shortest, as will appear on referring to the map. Indeed, I see no other way of accounting for the difference. D. D.
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