Having rested ourselves during a few days, we determined to set out towards the principal city of the empire.  The singularity of our appearance was spoken of all over the country as a phenomenon.  The multitude looked upon Sphinx, the bulls, the crickets, the balloons, and the whole company, as something more than terrestrial, but especially the thunder of our fire-arms, which struck horror and amazement into the whole nation.

We at length arrived at the metropolis, situated on the banks of a noble river, and the emperor, attended by all his court, came out in grand procession to meet us.  The emperor appeared mounted on a dromedary, royally caparisoned, with all his attendants on foot through respect for his Majesty.  He was rather above the middle stature of that country, four feet three inches in height, with a countenance, like all his countrymen, as white as snow!  He was preceded by a band of most exquisite music, according to the fashion of the country, and his whole retinue halted within about fifty paces of our troop.  We returned the salute by a discharge of musketry, and a flourish of our trumpets and martial music.  I commanded our caravan to halt, and dismounting, advanced uncovered, with only two attendants, towards his Majesty.  The emperor was equally polite, and descending from his dromedary, advanced to meet me.  “I am happy,” said he, “to have the honour to receive so illustrious a traveller, and assure you that everything in my empire shall be at your disposal.”

I thanked his Majesty for his politeness, and expressed how happy I was to meet so polished and refined a people in the centre of Africa, and that I hoped to show myself and company grateful for his esteem, by introducing the arts and sciences of Europe among the people.

I immediately perceived the true descent of this people, which does not appear of terrestrial origin, but descended from some of the inhabitants of the moon, because the principal language spoken there, and in the centre of Africa, is very nearly the same.  Their alphabet and method of writing are pretty much the same, and show the extreme antiquity of this people, and their exalted origin.  I here give you a specimen of their writing [Vide Otrckocsus de Orig.  Hung. p. 46]:—­Stregnah, dna skoohtop.

These characters I have submitted to the inspection of a celebrated antiquarian, and it will be proved to the satisfaction of every one, in his next volume, what an immediate intercourse there must have been between the inhabitants of the moon and the ancient Scythians, which Scythians did not by any means inhabit a part of Russia, but the central part of Africa, as I can abundantly prove to my very learned and laborious friend.  The above words, written in our characters, are Sregnah dna skoohtop; that is, The Scythians are of heavenly origin.  The word Sregnah, which signifies Scythians, is compounded of sreg or sre, whence our present English