Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/660

 6j2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

loft, or thought I had gone home to the French merchants, and taken my bed there.

I WAS twice after this with Mahomet Bey, in which time I concluded the agreement in favour of the Englifh mer- chants. Inftead of ^4 per cent, and an enormous prefent, the Bey agreed for 8, and no prefent at all, and at his own expence fcnt the firman to Mocha, together with my letter, a copy of which, and inftrutStions given in India in confe- quence, I have here fubjoined.

Mr GREiG,.capt, Thornhill's lieutenant, whom I have mentioned as having feen at Jidda, was the lirft who came down the Gulf to Suez in the Minerva, and in the whole voyage, both by fea and after at Cairo, behaved in a manner that did honour to his country.

In the two fubfequent vifits which I paid to Mahomet Bey, i received the firman, and had a converfation before the Bey with the man that was to go exprefs to Mocha ; not that I thought my recommendation was of any confequence after his receiving orders from the Bey, but I knew very well, as dihgence was recommended to him, that it might be fecured by a fmall gratuity given unknown to the Bey. Two other fimilarprefents, of no great value, were /I ike wife given to the two fervants who had afllfled me in procu- ring the firman, the original of which I left with the Vene- tian conful. I thought it was unbecoming of me to ftarve a caufe that promifed to be both a private emolument and public benefit ; and, as i never expeded, fo I never received the fmalleil return or acknowledgement either public or

private.

It