James Bruce (1730-1794) as a confident young man, painted by Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (1708-1787). The African Adventure - A History of Africa's Explorers by Timothy Severin, page 109. James Bruce was a Scottish traveller and travel writer. Born in Stirlingshire, Bruce grew to be a huge man, both in height and weight. Educated at Harrow School, north of London, he then studied Law at the University of Edinburgh. He travelled in Europe and was then appointed Consul in Algiers (1762). He then travelled to Ethiopia, where he discovered the source of the Blue Nile (1770). He published his Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile in the years 1768-73, in five octavo volumes, but was assailed by other travellers as being unworthy of credence. It is generally allowed that he had shown great daring, perseverance, and zeal in his explorations, and that he made a real addition to the geographical knowledge of his day. He lived in Kinnaird on his return from Africa and is buried in Larbert old churchyard.