joicings were made on account of the accession of the new sovereign. At my request Captain Weatherhead fired a royal salute from the Marian, which was returned by an equal number of guns from one of the forts in the town, and during this day and the three following, there was a continual firing of cannon and musquetry, with other tokens of festivity. The inhabitants were all dressed out in their holiday clothes, and a gaiety spread itself through the town that strongly confirms the remark made by Niebuhr, "que les Arabes d'Yemen sont plus vifs que ceux d'Hedjas et infiniment plus que les Turcs;"[1] which indeed in its full extent is perfectly true.
A short time after this the Dola made his peace at court, and gradually dismissed his Abada troops, and thus with the loss I believe, of only one life, a rebellious commotion was terminated; that without much mutual forbearance, must have occasioned a most serious catastrophe.
The conduct of the young Imaum on his father's death was very conciliating to his subjects. A great portion of the taxes were in different provinces remitted for the ensuing year, all past offences forgiven, and liberal largesses distributed among his adherents, which served to give a very favourable impression both of his talents and his disposition, His whole behaviour indeed, throughout the arduous struggle in which he had been engaged, evidently evinced a superior degree of sagacity, and more judgment than might have been expected from the education which he had received; as Arabs of high rank, however important may be the situations they are destined to fill, are generally taught to place little reliance on their own abilities, and to trust too exclusively, perhaps, to the aid of providence for their support.
During our stay at Mocha I employed myself occasionally in gaining information respecting the countries of Efat and Hurrur, situated to the south-eastward of that portion of Abyssinia to which I was about to proceed, and the result of my enquiries proved even more interesting than I had reason to expect. Among the
- ↑ The Arabs of Yemen are more lively than those of Hedjas, and infinitely more so than the Turks.
