Ras Michael was attached to him, but seldom gave him any thing. He resided partly at Koseam, and occasionally at a house near Kedua Raphael, given him by the Emperor, to which latter he seemed much attached, and he often visited the Abuna. No "shummut," or "district" was ever given him: though he was said to have frequently asked for the government of Ras el Feel; which was at one time held by Netcho, and subsequently by Ayto Confu. After Ras Michael's disgrace, Mr. Bruce returned home by way of Sennaar.
Dofter Esther likewise assured me, that Amha Yasous, Prince of Shoa, never visited Gondar during the period of Mr. Bruce's stay;[1] messengers sometimes were sent from Shoa and Efat, with presents of horses to the Emperor, in the same way as is now practised towards the Ras; but all further connexion had for a long time been broken off between these provinces and Gondar. The account of the Galla chief, Guanguol, he also said was strangely misrepresented: he recollected his visit to
- ↑ These observations of Dofter Esther are strongly confirmed by the fact, that no account of the visit of Amha Yasous is to be found in Mr. Bruce's original memoranda, (vide appendix, Vol. VII.) and the story of the book, said to have been received from Debra Libanos, by means of this prince, is very suspicious; as he is mentioned to have only arrived at Gondar early in February; and yet, by the 17th of the same month, a messenger is sent to and from Debra Libanos, who brings the book back with him, which making altogether a distance of nearly five hundred miles, seems to render the whole story incredible, especially as the priests were not likely to have sent the original; and to have had it copied in so short a time was impossible.
March, an observation is made, that "I got leave from the king to see this battle," which is supposed to be the second battle of Serbraxos, there being various mistakes in the whole of the dates from May, 1770, till December, 1771, in Mr. Bruce's work, (Vide Mr. Murray's observations, p. 75, Vol. VII.) who adds, "no cause can "be assigned for that confusion, except the extreme indolence with "which Mr. Bruce composed his work, about sixteen years after the events which are the subjects of it. It could answer no purpose of vanity or interest, to place the fall of Michael in May, rather than in March. But in the latter part of his days he seems to viewed the numerous adventures of his active life as in a dream, not in their natural state as to time and place, but under the pleasing and arbitrary change of memory melting into imagination."
