Besides the use of the cold bath, employed in the manner I have before related, and which may be of considerable benefit in some diseases, I have no notes upon any other medical treatment employed by the Shoans, excepting that from which I derived considerable benefit in my intermittent; the vapour bath, prepared by putting several species of odoriferous herbs, such as wormwood, rue, bergamot, and some others in boiling water, and then placing the vessel beneath a large tobe, I was wrapt up in, and which was securely fastened around my neck and in front, to prevent the escape of the vapour of the medicated decoction. This kind of bath was always followed by profuse perspiration, and assisted materially to relieve the violence of reaction in the hot stage, by accelerating that relaxation of the pores of skins which marks the return of something like comfort to the suffering patient. _August 8th._--Felt a great deal better after the cupping, and even proposed, as the Negoos was now at his palace at Michael wans, about six miles distant from Aliu Amba, that either on the morrow or the next day after, I should take the gunpowder which we had begun very early this morning to manufacture. Tinta sent me a good pair of English scales, several wooden mortars, and two handmills, with a party of labourers, consisting of eighteen or twenty men and boys. One request he made was, that as he desired to learn how to make gunpowder, I would not, therefore, commence weighing and mixing the ingredients till he could come to me. My garden now exhibited a lively scene, several men standing around huge mortars two feet and a half high, made out of the round trunks of trees, and pounding the charcoal, or else the saltpetre into fine powder. The pestles consisted of heavy pieces of wood three feet long, which were generally kept going up and down by two men standing opposite each other, and who were relieved three or four times in the course of an hour. Several others were on their knees upon the ground, leaning over coarse flat stones, grinding the sulphur beneath another heavy one they moved about with the hands. Some hours were employed in this occupation, for it was long before the several materials were reduced to a sufficiently fine powder to commence mixing them together. It was too much to expect such another fortunate accident, by which the supply of charcoal had been obtained, and as I knew quite as little of the manufacture of gunpowder, I was very much afraid I should fail in this attempt also; I determined, however, it should not be for want of pounding, and to encourage the men, sent Wallata Gabriel with an ahmulah to purchase some ale.