a Moorish kingdom in the interior part of Africa, the capital of which is situated in N. Lat. 15. c. W. Long. 60. 50. which Mr Park considers as little superior to a desert. The Moors of Ludamar subsist chiefly on the flesh of their cattle.

The barrenness of the country is such, that it furnishes few materials for manufacture: but the inhabitants contrive to weave a strong cloth, with which their tents are covered; the thread is spun by the women from goats hair, and with the hides of their cattle they furnish saddles, bridles, pouches, and other articles of leather. They can also convert the native iron procured from the negroes into spears, knives, and pots for boiling their food; but they purchase their fire-arms and other weapons of a similar nature from the Europeans, in exchange for slaves.

Their ideas of female perfection are truly singular, since a woman, to have the smallest pretensions to beauty, must be one who requires a slave under each arm to support her as she walks; and a perfect beauty, according to Mr Park, is a load for a camel.

The wealth of the Moors chiefly consists in their numerous herds of cattle, yet the majority of the people spend their days in a state of idleness. The tent of the King is the common place of rendezvous for the indolent, where they appear to enjoy an unlimited liberty of speech; yet in the praise of their sovereign they are wholly unanimous, singing songs to his honour, which never fail to be filled with the grossest adulation. The king sometimes eats out of the same bason with the driver of his camels, and during the heat of the day reposes himself upon the same bed.

Cavalry constitute the chief military strength of Ludamar, which are well mounted, and are very expert in attacking by surprize. The horde of every soldier is furnished by himself, as also his military implements, consisting of a large sabre, a double-barrelled gun, a red leather bag for holding his balls, and a powderhorn flung over his shoulder. He has no pay, and his only compensation arises from plunder.

They have no intercourse with civilized nations, yet they boast an advantage over the negroes, as they possess, though in a very limited degree, the knowledge of letters. They are esteemed the vainest, proudest, and most bigoted, ferocious, and intolerant of all the nations of the earth, blending in their character the blind superstition of the negro with the savage cruelty and treachery of the Arab. It was with the utmost difficulty that Mr Park made his escape from this cruel and inhospitable people.