_Origin of Characters or Letters--Ethiopic the first Language--How and why the Hebrew Letter was formed_, 411 CHAP. IV. _Some Account of the Trade-Winds and Monsoons--Application of this to the Voyage to Ophir and Tarshish_, 427 CHAP. V. _Fluctuating State of the India Trade--Hurt by military Expeditions of the Persians--Revives under the Ptolemies--Falls to Decay under the Romans_, 447 CHAP. VI. _Queen of Saba visits Jerusalem--Abyssinian Tradition concerning Her--Supposed Founder of that Monarchy--Abyssinia embraces the Jewish Religion--Jewish Hierarchy still retained by the Fatasha--Some Conjectures concerning their Copy of the Old Testament_, 471 CHAP. VII. _Books in use in Abyssinia--Enoch--Abyssinia not converted by the Apostles--Conversion from Judaism to Christianity by Frumentius_, 493 CHAP. VIII. _War of the Elephant--First Appearance of the Small-Pox--Jews persecute the Christians in Arabia--Defeated by the Abyssinians--Mahomet pretends a Divine Mission--Opinion concerning the Koran--Revolution under Judith--Restoration of the Line of Solomon from Shoa_, 510 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. BOOK I. THE AUTHOR’S TRAVELS IN EGYPT--VOYAGE IN THE RED SEA, TILL HIS ARRIVAL AT MASUAH. CHAP. I. _The Author sails from Sidon--Touches at Cyprus--Arrives at Alexandria--Sets out for Rosetto--Embarks on the Nile--and arrives at Cairo._ It was on Saturday the 15th of June, 1768, I sailed in a French vessel from Sidon, once the richest and most powerful city in the world, though now there is not remaining a shadow of its ancient grandeur. We were bound for the island of Cyprus; the weather clear and exceedingly hot, the wind favourable. This island is not in our course for Alexandria, but lies to the northward of it; nor had I, for my own part, any curiosity to see it. My mind was intent upon more uncommon, more distant, and more painful voyages. But the master of the vessel had business of his own which led him thither; with this I the more readily complied, as we had not yet got certain advice that the plague had ceased in Egypt, and it still wanted some days to the Festival of St John, which is supposed to put a period to that cruel distemper[49].