304 FRAGMENTS Now his knowledge of futurity had spread abroad with demonstrations of amazement ; the echpse happened precisely at the time he had predicted, which established his fame as an (alem mmaleTn) a man wiser than the wise.

During the latter part of his residence in West Barbary, a report prevailed that Bonaparte was preparing an immense army to invade and subjugate the country. Ali Bey was not only suspected to be his secret agent, but some persons were even ridiculous enough to declare that he was Bonaparte himself in disguise ; and accordingly he was denominated Parte, for they would not add Bona, as that word signifies good, in the lingua franca of Barbary, and Bonaparte, they said was not good, but a devil incarnate ; so they called him Parte. Last year I met in London the Moor who had purchased Ali Bey's slave, and he told me that his son by the beforementioned wife lives at Fas ; that he is a very amiable and intelligent youth, about fifteen or sixteen years of age ; and that he is very poor, and would have starved, but for the charity and protection of the highly respected fakeer of the city of Fas, Muley Dris, under whose roof he resides, and is indebted to him for protection and patronage. This man would be an acquisition to the African Association, and means might be adopted to engage him in their service to explore Sudan.