The wind which succeeded this calm was not a strong, but it was a favourable one. It did not change for fifty days; and we then happily arrived in the harbour of a large, commercial, well-built, and populous city. Here we cast anchor. This city was of still more considerable importance, as it was the capital of a powerful kingdom. Our vessel was immediately surrounded with a multitude of small boats, filled with those who came either to congratulate their friends on their arrival, or to enquire of whom and what they had seen in the country they had come from; or simply from mere curiosity to see a ship which had arrived from a distance. Among the rest some officers came on board, who desired, in the name of the sultan, to speak to the merchants that were with us. “The sultan, our sovereign,” said one of them to the merchants, who immediately appeared, “has charged us to express to you how much pleasure your arrival gives him, and entreats each of you to take the trouble of writing upon this roll of paper a few lines. In order to make you understand his motive for this, I must inform you, that he had a first vizier, who, besides his great abilities in the management of affairs, wrote in the greatest perfection. This minister died a few days since. The sultan is very much afflicted at it, and as he values perfection in writing beyond every thing, he has taken a solemn oath to appoint any person to the same situation, who shall write as well. Many have presented specimens of their abilities, but he has not yet found any one throughout the empire whom he has thought worthy to occupy the vizier’s place. Each of those merchants who thought they could write well enough to aspire to this high dignity, wrote whatever they thought proper. When they had done, I advanced and took the paper from the hands of him who held it. Every body, and particularly the merchants who had written, thinking that I meant either to destroy it or throw it into the water, instantly called out; but they were soon satisfied, when they saw me hold the paper very properly, and make a sign, that I also wished to write in my turn. Their fears were now changed to astonishment. Yet as they had never seen an ape that could write, and as they could not believe I was more skilful than others, they wished to take the roll from my hands; but the captain still continued to take my part. “Suffer him to try,” he said, “let him write; if he only blots the paper, I promise you I will instantly punish him: but if, on the contrary, he writes well, as I hope he will, for I have never seen any ape more clever and ingenious, nor one who seemed so well to understand every thing, I declare that I will acknowledge him as my son. I once had one, who did not possess half so much ability as he does.”