Deserts. portions .of diftindt appellations, as ..the travellers happen to meet with
iflands, faline pools, or other circumftances.
- In the fouthern parts of Africa, towards the European fettlements,
there are alio defer.t-s of great extent; but it feems probable that the
central ridges of mountains, already indicated,. preferve vegetation inhere
they extend; and it is underftood that the.Portuguefe have, be^pj-prer
vented from paffing from Congo to Zanguebar by ranges of mountains
full of thè moft,ferocious animals, and impeded by that thick thorny underwood
which is peculiar to African forefts. Yet there is probably, as
in Afia, a wide defert table-land between the E. and W. ranges, ;p§®|js,d,ed
by the Giagas or Jagas, who feem to be the Tatafs-cof fouthern, Africa 3
and who are faid fometimes to have roamed from Moizambic to thpi vicinity
of the Cape of Good Hope.
Arrange- In arranging the following; brief deferipAnhbl'Afrn^ay the ikfcv account
fhall be that of Abyffinia, .the chief natlvë~poWèr",ifo;far <a&.h'ifther>-
to difcovcred. Thepce by Egypt, in a'geo^raphieal progreflior^ sthe
ibute {hall embrace the Mahometan States in fhe^nOtth, the Weftern
Coaft, and the Cape of Good Hope. Thé p¥Ögrèfs fhklhthen berhan-
tinued along the Eaftern Shores: hof muft the hoMe Tfiand .öfcMada-
gafcar be forgotten. The Smaller Iflands which* muft be arranged Wfdi
Africa aïë, Bourbon, Mauritius, &c.’; nor can Sergirfléri’s LancPb&ipro-
perly allotted to any other divifion of thfe>iJgfSb^*t;-Tlles'r‘geographickl
voyage then bends to the 'Ni W; Gel enaVSltó^ Iflah®
Verd, the Canaries, and Madeira. The whole dèlcrfptron fhall be^fcfed
■ yrifh a fu.mmary- of the difcovëriek, and* èohjëÊtürésf höhéëftiih^tle
' central parts of this great continent.
A B Y S S I N I A .
Extent.— Original fgpQqtioif^Prop'0've Qeog{ap^yA—Rèltgiln.—Government.
Population.—Army.—Rjivmues.—MannersaiulCufpmp—Language.^Gities.—
Manufactures 'and Comme^ceK— Climate and Seafons,-—Rivers.—Lakes.—Èdaun~'
tain's.— Rotany.—Zoology.—Mineralogy.—Natural Curiojities.
HPHIS kingdom, which exceeds in antiquity and,{lability any of the
African ftates, extends about^elpven degrees,in'lefi^th“ from nbrfli
tg Tquth, that is, ab^ 6to;_geographic pr mile& The*^ne,dial
breadth is about eight degrees of longitude, in lat. to0*, b£ c'la^.Jbifes*
about 550 Britilh. ” On the eaff the chief boundary is the Red:Sea: and
itj:s divided from the kingdom of 4det-by an ideal line? odfthelouth,
mountains and deferts feem to part itffdm Gin^iro and‘AlM>a, while oh
th,eVeft and horth,“tnountains andforefts ^hfliWe*the^ba‘iile:rsf.t6war(fi
Kdffiofan and Sennaar, It 'is‘:dividdd\ifltof provin|el®’o¥v^Frich^rigfi
is remarkable for 'the tranfit of‘Cotainferce 'to' the, AraBian'gulf j'Gojaiil
For "the fources of the Aftapus or fabled Nileofythe Aby ffiniafis‘ f and
Dembea for a noted lake, and Gondar the capital of the monarchy. *
It feems fufficiently eftabliffied, that Abyffinia was peopled, at \ very,
early period, by a .colony from the oppofite ffiores. of Arabia ; and the
people ftill retain Arabian features, though their, complexions be darker
than • thofe of their progenitors-; but they have neither the Angular
WËÈm .
Population.
' conftrudion of the negro fkull, nor other peculiarities; of that
vol. mm ' 4 z * fy y im ■