ible to reach a city called Tombut or Tombuctoo?" They said,
that "they knew nothing of the city I mentioned, having never been
farther west than Kordofan and Darfour."

This was all I could learn: but I am disposed to believe, that the main
stream of the Bahar el Abiud cannot have its source in the same latitude
with that of the Adit, because it commenced its rise, at least, this
year, about twenty days sooner than did the Adit, and the different
color of its waters proves that it flows through a tract differing in
quality of soil from that through which passes the Adit. The interesting
question, "whether the Niger communicates with the Bahar el Abiud?"
will, however, very probably be determined before the close of another
year, as the Pasha will probably send an expedition up that river.

Secondly, I am further disposed to believe that the main stream of the
Adit, or Nile of Bruce, does not take its rise in Abyssinia, but in the
mountains assigned as the place of its origin by the people of Sennaar.
For on viewing the mass of water that runs by Sennaar even now, when
the river has not attained two-thirds of the usual magnitude it acquires
during the rainy season, I can by no means believe that the main source
of such a river is only about three hundred miles distant from Sennaar.

The tract of country included between the Adit and the Bahar el Abiud is
called El Gezira, i.e. the island: because, in the season of the rains,
many rivers running from the mountains in the south into the Bahar el
Abiud and the Adit, occasion this tract to be included by rivers.

I am disposed to believe, that the representations made of the climate
of this country are much exaggerated; as, except during the rainy
season, and immediately after it, the country is a high and dry plain,[61]
by no means excessively hot, because the level of the countries on the
Nile being constantly ascending from Egypt, occasions Sennaar to be
many hundred feet higher than the level of Egypt, which is proved by the
rapid descent of the waters of the Nile toward the latter country. The
east and south winds also are, in Sennaar, cool breezes; because they
come either from the mountains of Abyssinia, or the huge and high ranges
which compose the Gibel el Gumara. I was in Sennaar at Midsummer, and
at no time found the heat very uncomfortable, provided I was in the open
air, and under a shade. In the cottages and houses, indeed, on account
of their want of ventil