a race of black Pagans, in the neighbourhood of Sennaar, of whom we know nothing but what we have learned from Mr Bruce. That celebrated traveller passed a day or two among them, in his way from Abyssinia; and he tells us, that they are all soldiers of the Mek or king of Sennaar, cantoned in villages, which to the distance of four or five miles surround the capital. They are not the aborigines of that part of Africa; but "are either purchased or taken by force from Fazuolo, and the provinces to the south upon the mountains Dyre and Tegla." Though the slaves of a cruel and treacherous master, Mr Bruce represents them as a gentle, honest, and hospitable people; and he says expressly, that on a journey he had seldom passed a more comfortable night, than one in which he took refuge from a storm in a village of those Nuba. He had a good supper, and a clean neat hut to sleep in, while some of the Nuba watched for him all night, and took care of his beasts and his baggage. "Having settlements and provisions given them by the government of Sennaar, as also arms put into their hands, they never will to desert, but live a very domestic and sober life, and are a much gentler sort of negro than their masters." (See Sennaar). Though the established religion of Sennaar is that of Mahomet, the Nuba government has never attempted to convert the Nuba. On the contrary, a certain number of Pagan priests is maintained for them in every village, who have soldiers in pay to assist them in the affairs of their religion. This is a very singular instance of toleration among Mahometans, and what we should little have expected from such barbarous and fanquinary wretches as those who have the supreme power in Sennaar, had not our observing traveller informed us, that these men themselves know almost nothing of the religion which they profess, and are in their hearts rather Pagans than Mahometans.

The idolatry of the Nuba is described as a mixture of Sabiism and flatue worship: but what is very uncommon, their worship is chiefly paid to the moon, while they pay no attention to the sun either rising or setting, advancing to the meridian or receding from it. It is an old observation, that the worship of every people is tinctured by their natural dispositions; and this is verified in the Nuba. "That their worship is performed with pleasure and satisfaction, is obvious (says our author) every night that the moon shines. Coming out from the darkness of their huts, they lay a few words upon seeing her brightness, and testify great joy, by motions of their feet and hands, at the first appearance of the new moon." This is just what we should have expected from their gentleness and hospitality. They worship likewise a tree and a stone; but our author could never discover what tree or stone; only he learned that neither of them exists in Sennaar, but in the country where the Nuba are born. Such of them as are natives of the villages where he saw them, become, like their masters, nominal Mahometans.—The rest practise the idolatrous worship of their ancestors, and are much under the influence of their priests, from fear rather than from affection. They are immoderately fond of swine's flesh, and maintain great herds of small hogs, marked with black and white spots. Few of the Nuba advance higher than to be soldiers and officers in their own corps; and the Mek maintains about 12,000 of them near Sennaar to keep the Arabs in subjection. In a climate so violent as that which they inhabit, there is very little need of fuel; and it is happy for them that such is the case, for in the whole country there is not a single tree, or turf, or any thing resembling it. They do not, however, "eat their meat raw like the Abyssinians; but with the stalks of the dora or millet, and the dung of camels, they make ovens under ground, in which they roast their hogs whole, in a very cleanly manner, keeping their skins on till they are perfectly baked. They have neither flint nor steel with which to light their fire at first; but do it in a manner still more expeditions, by means of two sticks, brought, we are led to think, from Sennaar, and there picked out of the river when flooded. They make a small hole in one of these sticks, and point the other: then laying the former in a horizontal position, they apply the point of the latter to the hole; and, turning the perpendicular stick between their hands, as we do a chocolate mill, both sticks take fire and flame in a moment; so perfectly dry and prepared to take fire is every thing there on the surface of the earth."