In this informative volume, first published in 1833, the author brings together a wealth of fascinating detail on every aspect of life as it them was Nubia (now part of Sudan) and Abyssinia (Ethiopia). His information is drawn from the accounts of well-known explorers, such as James Bruce, who discovered the source of the Blue Nile, as well as previously unpublished material from travellers know personally to the author.
Geographical and historical surveys are given of this area which extends from the Nile in the west to the Red Sea in the east. The reader is taken on perilous journeys over cataracts of the Nile and into remote regions to discover temples long buried under desert sand. The customs of the inhabitants are described through the experience of an Englishman who lived for some years in the region. As a clergyman, the author discusses in some detail the history of Christianity in Abyssinia through the medium of his own religious views. The volume is rounded off by accounts of the architecture, zoology and botany of this fascinating region.