THE 



ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA. 



A 



ABYSSINIA, an empire in eastern Africa, in- 

 cluding the kingdoms of Tigre, Amhara, and Shoa, 

 with (rojam, Lasta. the Galla and Kaffa countries, 

 and other outlying dependencies. The Emperor, 

 who bears the 'title of Xegus Negusti ("king of 

 kings"), is Menelek II, who subdued his rivals in 

 ISN'.I after tin.' death of Johannes II. having been 

 d with arms by the Italians, with whom he 

 made a treaty on May 2 of that year, which was 

 confirmed in October by a convention concluded by 

 his plenipotentiary in Italy. By virtue of this 

 treaty the Italian Government declared a protecto- 

 rate over the whole empire, and the British and 

 German governments subsequently recognized the 

 claim, whereas Menelek asserted that the treaty was 

 one of mutual protection between independent sov- 

 ereigns. The line of demarcation between the Ital- 

 ian and the British spheres as fixed by the agree- 

 ments of ls!)l and 1894 runs up the .Juba river to 6 

 of north latitude, follows that parallel to 35" of 

 t-ast longitude, and thence runs north to the Blue 

 Nile. The territory thus conceded to Italy em- 

 braees all Abyssinia and adjacent parts of Somali- 

 land and the Soudan 648.000 square miles. 



The territories under the dominion of the Negus 

 have an area of 244,000 square miles and a popula- 

 lation of 7.51)0.000. The inhabitants are of Coptic, 

 Jewish, Arabian, and negro extraction. They prac- 

 tice a degenerate form of Christianity derived from 

 the ancient Alexandrian Church, and on this a< - 

 count the Russian Government lias manifested a 

 sentimental and political interest in the independ- 

 ence of the Abyssinian or Ethiopian Empire, which 

 is one of the oldest of existing governments of feudal 

 type, similar to the European systems of the Middle 

 Ages. The ruling class are the Ethiopians, who are 

 of Arabian decent. Formerly the Jewish people, 

 called Falashas. were predominant, and they are 

 still numerous. Besides Christians there are many 

 Mohammedans in the country. The abuna, or head 

 of the Ethiopian Church, is a Copt, appointed by 

 the Patriarch of Alexandria. Many ancient Jewish 

 forms and practices are a part of the religious ob- 

 servances. There are numerous monasteries, and 

 there are no teachers except the, monks and the 

 secular clergy, who instruct a limited number of 

 children in grammar, poetry, choral singing, and 

 the recitation of passages "from the Bible. The 

 Abyssinians have been well schooled in warfare by 

 their constant intestine conflicts and wars with 

 Egyptians and other invaders, latterly the der- 

 vishes. When the British force of Sir Robert Napier 

 marched through the country in 1867 and 1868 and 

 stormed Magdala, King Theodore was only a nomi- 

 nal sovereign, disposing of 10,000 troops, while the 

 warriors of Tigre and Lasta and Menelek s army of 

 VOL. xxxvi. 1 A 



50,000 Shoans remained neutral. The Abyssinians 

 gave proof of their fighting qualities in their former 

 battles with the Egyptians. In the last Egyptian 

 war. King Johannes captured 30 Krupp guns and 

 18,000 Remington rifles, and after King Menelek 

 made his treaty with Italy he imported many con- 

 signments of arms through Massowah. Even since 

 that port was closed to him he has been able to 

 obtain additional supplies of European arms and 

 munitions through the French port of Obok. 



Far from being a savage, undisciplined host, the 

 hardy mountaineers who compose the Abyssinian 

 army have long been used to modern weapons of 

 precision and in possession of artillery, which they 

 are able to handle with some skill, while their 

 cavalry lias always been remarkably efficient and 

 .-wit't in inanu'uvring. ('apt. Cecchi estimated in 

 1895 that King Menelek could put 145,000 effective 

 troops in the field. His forces are organized on 

 a strict feudal system. He communicates his call 

 to arms to his head vassals, each of whom transmits 

 it to his ras, or generals of division, who in turn 

 communicate it to the smaller territorial chiefs. 

 The entire male population responds to the call. 

 In the field the forces subsist off the country, 

 whether the land of friends or of foes. The wants 

 of these soldiers are very few. and they require only 

 a quarter of the ordinary rations of Europeans. 

 On the march the advanced guard keeps about two 

 days in advance of the main body, in order to pre- 

 pare the cam]) and provide for subsistence. The 

 main force marches in two divisions, forming the 

 right and the left wings, each composed of regular 

 infantry, armed with breechloaders, and cavalry 

 marching behind in columns. The march is en- 

 livened by the music of a trumpet and drum corps 

 and a chorus and by the performances of acrobats 

 and jugglers. Mountaineers armed with native 

 spears and long knives form the rear guard, while 

 the slaves of the country go along in their escort, 

 carrying the supplies and camp equipments. On 

 the march and in action the formations of the 

 Abyssinian are as regular and compact as those of 

 European troops. Europeans who have accompa- 

 nied them on the march have seen a camp of 40,000 

 broken and the entire body got in motion without 

 the least disorder in less 'than six hours. As re- 

 gards tactics, the Abyssinians are skillful in taking 

 advantage of natural surroundings and always en- 

 deavor to crush the enemy by numerical superi- 

 ority and by an energetic onslaught. In the open 

 field they at once come to close quarters, with the 

 object of ending the campaign with a single blow. 



The territory occupied by the Italians and organ- 

 ized as the colony of Eritrea lies on the northern 

 border of Tigre, the northernmost of the Abyssin- 



