by some called Higher Ethiopia, and by the Arabs Al Habaib, is bounded on the north by Nubia; on the east, by the Arabic gulf or Red Sea, and the kingdom of Adel; on the south, by the kingdoms of Ajan, Alaba, and Gingiro; and on the west, by the kingdom of Goram and part of Gingiro; and is divided into a great number of provinces. The principal river is the Nile, which has its source in this country; and the most considerable lake, that of Dambea, which discharges itself into the Nile, is about 700 miles in length, and 90 in breadth. The air is pretty temperate in the mountains, and therefore their towns and strong-holds are generally placed on them; but in the valleys it is hot and suffocating. The soil and face of the country is various. In some places there are nothing but rocks and profound caverns; in others, especially where there are rivers, the land is exceeding fruitful; and the banks of these streams are bordered with flowers of various kinds, many of which are unknown in Europe. The torrents in the rainy season wash a great deal of gold from the mountains. This season begins in May, when the sun is vertical, or directly over their heads; and ends in September. To these torrents is attributed the overflowing of the Nile, the cause of which so much puzzled the ancients. It was commonly attributed to the melting of the snow upon the hills in these parts: but experience has since undeceived the world; for there is no snow, even on the highest hills in this country.—The country produces a great variety of animals, both tame and wild, such as lions, tigers, rhinoceroses, leopards, elephants, monkeys, flags, deer, horses, camels, dromedaries, goats, cows, sheep; likewise ostriches, with a vast variety of other birds. In the rivers are crocodiles and the hippopotamus. Travellers mention also a peculiar kind of bees, small, black, and without a sting, which hive in the earth, and make honey and wax that are extremely white. The country is greatly infested with locusts, which devour every thing that is green wherever they come.—Besides the large towns, there are a great number of villages, which in some places are so thick sown, that they look like one continued town: the houses are very mean, being but one story high; and built of straw, earth, and lime. In most of the towns the houses are separated by hedges, which are always green, and mixed with flowers and fruit-trees at a certain distance from each other, which affords an agreeable prospect.—The government is monarchical. The sovereign has the title of Negus, and is an absolute prince. When he is in camp, the tents are so regularly disposed as to have the appearance of a city; and there is a captain over every division, to prevent disorders and to execute justice.—The Abyssines in general are of an olive complection, tall, graceful, and well featured. Those who are neither mechanics or tradesmen (which few of them are), nor tillers of the ground, are inured to bear arms, which are a head-piece, a buckler, a coat of mail, bows and arrows, darts, pikes capped with iron at both ends, a fling, and a sword: they have very few fire-arms, and those were introduced by the Portuguese. The habit of persons of quality is a filken vest, or fine cotton, with a kind of scarf. The citizens have the same habit, only coarser. The common people have nothing but a pair of cotton drawers, and a scarf which covers the rest of their body. The women are of a healthy constitution, active, and moderately handsome, having neither flat noses nor thick lips like the negroes; and nature is so friendly, that they stand in little need of midwives, which is indeed the case of most countries in the torrid zone. They appear in public as in Europe, without being forbid the conversation of the men as among the Mahometans. Princesses of the royal blood are not permitted to marry foreigners; and when they take the air, they go in great state, with 400 or 500 women attendants. Their language is the Ethiopic, which bears a great affinity with the Arabic; but particular provinces have a different dialect. As to their religion, see the next article.

Manufactures are almost wholly wanting in this country; and the few trades which they have amongst them are always conveyed from the father to the children. They seem indeed by their churches, and other ruined places, to have had a knowledge of architecture. But the workmen were sent for from other countries, and were forced to do all themselves; so that when these fabrics were reared, especially the imperial palace built by Peter Pais, a Portuguese architect, the people flocked from all parts of Ethiopia to view it, and admired it as a new wonder of the world.—Gold, silver, copper, and iron, are the principal ores with which their mines abound in this extensive part of Africa; but not above one third part is made use of by way of merchandise, or converted into money; of which they have little or no use in Abyssinia. They cut their gold indeed into small pieces for the pay of their troops, and for expenses of the court, which is but a modern custom among them; the king's gold, before the end of the 17th century, being laid up in his treasury in ingots, with intent to be never carried out, nor ever used in anything but vessels and trinkets for the service of the palace. In the lieu of small money, they make use of rock-salt as white as snow and as hard as stone. This is taken out of the mountain of Lafta, and put into the king's warehouses; where it is reduced into tablets of a foot long, and three inches broad, ten of which are worth about a French crown. When they are circulated in trade, they are reduced into still smaller pieces, as occasion requires. This salt is also applied to the same purpose as common sea-salt. With this mineral salt they purchase pepper, spices, and silk stuffs, which are brought to them by the Indians, in their ports in the Red Sea. Cardamoms, ginger, aloes, myrrh, cassis, civet, ebony-wood, ivory, wax, honey, cotton and linens of various sorts and colours, are merchandizes which may be had from Abyssinia; to which may be added sugar, hemp, flax, and excellent wines, if these people had the art of preparing them. It is affirmed there are in this country the finest emeralds that are anywhere to be found; and, though they are found but in one place, they are there in great quantities, and some so large and so perfect as to be of almost inefficiable value. The greatest part of the merchandizes above mentioned, are more for foreign than in- Abyssinia, land trade. Their domestic commerce consists chiefly in salt, honey, buck-wheat, grey pease, citrons, oranges, lemons, and other provisions, with fruits and herbage necessary for the support of life. Those places that the Abyssinian merchants frequent the most, who dare venture to carry their commodities by sea themselves, are Arabia Felix, and the Indies, particularly Goa, Cambay, Bengal, and Sumatra. With regard to their ports on the Red Sea, to which foreign merchants commonly resort, the most considerable are those of Mette, Azum, Zajalla, Maga, Dazo, Patea, and Brava. The trade of the Abyssinians by land is inconsiderable. There are, however, bands of them who arrive yearly at Egypt, particularly at Cairo, laden with gold dust, which they bring to barter for the merchandizes of that country, or of Europe, for which they have occasion. These caravans, if we may be allowed thus to call a body of 40 or 50 poor wretches who unite together for their mutual assistance in their journey, are commonly three or four months on their route, traversing forests and mountains almost impassable, in order to exchange their gold for necessaries for their families, and return immediately with the greatest part of the merchandize on their backs. Frequently the Jews or Egyptians give them large credit; which may seem surprising, as they are beyond recourse if they should fail of payment. But experience has shewn, that they have never abused the confidence reposed in them; and even in the event of death, their fellow-travellers take care of the effects of the deceased for the benefit of their families, but in the first place for the discharge of those debts contracted at Cairo.

It remains only to be observed, that one of the principal branches of trade of the Abyssinians is that of slaves; who are greatly esteemed in the Indies and Arabia for the best, and most faithful, of all that the other kingdoms of Africa furnish. The Indian and Arabian merchants frequently substitute them as their factors; and, on account of their good services and integrity, not only often give them their liberty, but liberally reward them.