BRUCE

From Agepedia

BRUCE, James, a celebrated modern traveller, was born at Kinnairdhouse, in Scotland, in 1730. He received his early education at Harrow, whence he was removed to the university of Edinburgh, where he studied with a view to pursue the profession of the law. His object, however, changing, he entered into partnership with a winemerchant, whose daughter he married ; but, upon his wife's death within a year, he made a tour abroad, during which absence he succeeded, by the death of his father, to the estate of Kinnaird. On his return to England, he sought public employment, and at length was indebted to lord Halifax for the appointment of consul at Algiers. He repaired to his post in 1763, and employed himself there for a year in the study of the Oriental languages. He commenced travelling by visits to Tunis Tripoli, Rhodes, Cyprus, Syria, and several parts of Asia Minor, where, accompanied by an able Italian draughtsman, (of whose labors he is now known to have assumed the merit,} he made drawings of the ruins of Palmyra, Baalbec, and other remains of antiquity. These were deposited in the king's library at Kew, and, in the language of boast and hyperbole, which formed the great weakness of this able and adventurous character, constituted "the most magnificent present in that line ever made by a subject to his sovereign." Of his first travels he never published an account. In June, 1768, he set out on his famous journey to discover the source of the Nile. Proceeding first to Cairo, he navigated the Nile to Syene, thence crossed the desert to Che Red sea, and, arriving at Jidda, passed some months in Arabia Felix, and, after various detentions, reached Gondar, the capital of Abyssinia, in February, 1770. In that country, he ingratiated himself with the sovereign, and other influential persons, of both sexes, in the several capacities of physician, courtier and soldier. On November 14, 1770, he obtained the great object of his wishesa sight of the sources of the Nile. Claiming to be the first European who had accomplished this interesting discovery, his exultation was proportionate, and he records it with singular strength of expression. The right of the fountains which he visited to the title of the principal sources of the Nile is rationally controverted; but, whether they be so or not, they had been previously visited by the missionary Jesuits of Portugal, a fact of which he could scarcely have been ignorant. On his return to . Gondar, he found the country engaged in a civil war, and was detained two years before he could obtain permission to leave the country. Thirteen months more were occupied in. travelling back to Cairo, in which journey he endured excessive privations. He returned to his native country in 1773, and retired to his paternal seat. He married again, and maintained the character of an elegant and hospitable host, and an amiable man in private life, but capricious in his friendships, and haughty and arrogant to strangers. His longexpected Travels did not appear until 1796, in four lai'ge quarto volumes, decorated with plates. These volumes are replete with curious information concerning a part of the world but little known to Europeans, and contain much interesting persona] adventure, and fine description. It is to be lamented that the authority of the work, in regard to facts of natural history and human manners, is not altogether satisfactory ; and, the pride of the author not allowing him to remove objections, it is, perhaps, entitled to more credit than it has received. Whatever its portion of accuracy and merit, the nature of its reception may serve to guard all future travellers against the indulgence of too much egotism and personal vanity in their narrations ; for, with little direct evidence against either his facts or his veracity, those faults have greatly obscured the fame of B., who, after escaping the most momentous danger in a long peregrination through barbarous countries, lost his life in consequence of an accidental fall down stairs, as he was attending the devoid II. 25 parture of some guests whom he had been entertaining. His death took place in April, 1794.