536 
come a convert to the Christian 
faith, not only withthe view of 
benefitting the poor boy, but also 
from being desirous, by this last 
act, of making an impression on 
the minds of the Abyssinians fa- 
vourable to the British character. 
I had previously, by the distribu- 
tion of a few presents, gained the 
sanction of his friends; and the 
boy himself was delighted with 
the change, owing to the incon- 
veniences to which he had been 
subjected from being a Mussel- 
maun. This ceremony tookplace 
on the 5th, at day-break ; an early 
hour being considered as requisite 
on account of the subsequent ce- 
lebration of the sacrament of the 
communion, which can only be 
administered fasting. 
On reaching the church, we 
found the head priest, Abou Barea 
with about twenty priests of an 
inferior order, waiting in a small 
area about thirty yards from the 
spot, some of whom were engaged 
in chanting psalms, while the 
rest were busy in preparing the 
water and making other necessary 
arrangements for the occasion, 
At sun-rise, every thing being 
ready, an attendant was sent 
round from the high priest, to 
point out to each person concern- 
ed the part which he was to take 
in the ceremony. The officiating 
priest was habited in white flow- 
ing robes, with a tiara, or silver- 
mounted cap on his head, and he 
carried a censer with burning in- 
cense in his right hand; a second 
of equal rank was dressed in simi- 
Jar robes, supporting a large 
golden cross, while a third held 
in his hand a small phial contain- 
ing a quantity of Meiron, or con- 
secrated oil, which is furnished 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815, 
to the church of Abyssinia by the 
patriarch of Alexandria, The at- 
tendant priests stood round in the 
form of a semicircle, the boy be- 
ing placed in the centre, and our 
party ranged in front. After a 
few minutes interval, employed 
in singing psalms, some of the 
priests took the boy and washed 
him all over very carefully ina 
large bason of water.. While this 
was passing a smaller font called 
me-te-mak (which is always kept 
on the outside. of the churches, 
owing to an unbaptized. person 
not being permitted to enter the 
church) was placed in the middle 
of the area filled with water, 
which the priest consecrated by 
prayer, waving the incense re- 
peatedly over it, and dropping in- 
to it a portion of the meiron in 
the shape of a cross. The boy 
was then brought. back, dripping 
from head to foot, and again 
placed naked and upright in the 
centre; and was required to re- 
nounce ‘the devil and all his 
works,” which was performed, 
by his repeating a given formula 
four separate times, turning each 
time towards a different point of 
the compass. The godfather. was 
then demanded, and on my being 
presented, I named the child 
George, in honour of his present 
Majesty, when I was requested 
to say the Belief and the Lord’s 
Prayer, and to make much the 
same promises as those required 
by our own church, The head 
priest afterwards laid hold of the 
boy, dipping his own hand into 
the water, and crossed him over 
the forehead, pronouncing at the 
same moment, “ George, I bap-~ 
tise thee, in the name of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” 
