ABYSSINIA. 



ian kingdoms, and extends for 670 miles along the 

 coast of the Red Sen. It has an area of 48,700 

 square miles, and in 1893 had a population of 191,- 

 127 natives and ;>,4'V3 Europeans. Tin- natives he- 

 long mostly to wandering tribes of Arab extraction 

 and customs. Of the 7,775 inhabitants of Masso- 

 wah, the seaport and seat of government, 600 were 

 Europeans and 480 were Hainan traders and other 

 Asiatics. The Italians first occupied Massowah in 

 1885, ostensibly to aid England in policing the 

 Egyptiaii Soudan, but really to acquire a sphere of 

 influence in Abyssinia and lay the foundations for 

 a colonial empire in Africa. Before then the Gov- 

 ernment had acquired from the iiubattino Naviga- 



ASMARA, ABYSSINIA. 



tion Company a strip of coast on the Bay of Assa.b, 

 and thus acquired the first foothold on the Red 

 Sea littoral, though the land was found unsuitable 

 for colonization. Massowah, the natural seaport of 

 Abyssinia, had been in dispute between the Khedive 

 of Egypt and the Negus Johannes, who had defeated 

 three Egyptian expeditions. The British Govern- 

 ment, in behalf of Egypt, acquiesced in the Italian 

 occupation of Massowah, and the Negus raised no 

 objections after being assured that no export duties 

 would be levied on Abyssinian traders. The Ital- 

 ians landed on Feb. 6, 1885, with 2,500 men, and at 

 once constructed land and sea defenses and estab- 

 lished fortified camps in the interior. This locality 

 is one of the hottest in the world, totally unfit for 

 the residence of Europeans. An Italian envoy went 

 to the Negus and to King Menelek of Shoa in 1886 

 to negotiate for the cession of the mountain district 

 of Keren, on the border of the Abyssinian plateau. 

 The Negus, offended because the Italian govern- 

 or recognised Menelek as an independent sover- 

 eign, and distrusting designs upon the integrity of 

 Abyssinia, refused to receive the mission. Kas 

 Alula, Governor of Tigre, then began a series of 

 attacks on the Italian out i <xN. and at Dogali de- 

 stroyed an Italian force of .",()() men. Re-enforce- 

 ments of 3,000 men were sent, and Gen. Saletta 

 superseded Gen. (Jenc. Dr. Raga/zi was sen; io 

 seek an alliance with Menelek, who was in rebellion 

 against, the Negus Johannes and already aspired to 

 the throne. While Johannes was occupied in sup- 

 pressing revolts of his vassals and protecting his 

 frontiers from the. invading Mahdisis. the Italians 

 took possession of Zulla, Adulis, and Dissc, and 

 subsequently of Keren. After Johannes was killed 

 by the Matidists, on March 10, isss. and .Menelek 

 was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia, at Adua, the 

 Italians, who had an army of 8,000 Europeans and 

 4.009 Bashi-bazouks, sent 6,000 foops into Tigre to 



assist Menelek in subjugating that province. The 

 new Negus recognized the right of the Italians 1o 

 the portion of the Abyssinian highlands already 

 occupied by them. This did not include the stroim 

 position of Asmara, which they seized in August, 

 1NSS, and rendered impregnable by modern fortifi- 

 cations. By the terms of the treaty of I'cciali and 

 the convention concluded in October, 188!). by th;>. 

 Negus Menelek's ambassador in Italy both govern- 

 ments promised to combine for mutual defense 

 against a common enemy, the Negus obtained the 

 right to import arms through Massowah to the ex- 

 clusion of his enemies, and Italy was to be repre- 

 sented at the capital of Abyssinia by a consul gen- 

 eral. In the Italian text was a pro- 

 vision for an Italian protectorate, 

 but this Menelek declared to be a 

 mistranslation of the original docu- 

 ment. Count Antonelli, the nego- 

 tiator of the treaty of Ucciali, went 

 lo Ankobar to insist on the accept- 

 ance of the Italian version, but he 

 failed in his mission, and it ended in 

 a diplomatic rupture between Mene- 

 lek and his former ally, the Russian 

 and the French governments sus- 

 taining him in the position that he 

 had taken. By the terms of a pro- 

 tocol between England, acting for 

 Egypt, and Italy, signed on April 

 15, 1891, the Italians obtained leave 

 to occupy Kassala, which had been 

 in the possession of the dervishes 

 since 1885, with the understanding 

 that it was to be restored to Egypt 

 whenever Egyptian rule should he- 

 re-established in the Soudan. After 

 a long campaign Gen. Baratieri cap- 

 tured Kassala in July, 1894. Since then the Italians 

 have not been threatened by the followers of the 

 Khalifa, whose power was already waning fast. In 

 1895 they began again to extend their conquests in 

 Tigre, whose ruler, Ras Mangascia, had assumed an 

 attitude of hostility, apparently without the support 

 of the Negus Menelek, though that monarch had 

 never ceased to object to the occupation of Asmara, 

 from which point, the Italian occupation was pushed 

 farther southward upon the Abyssinian plateau to 

 Godofelassi, which was likewise fortified and con- 

 nected with Massowah by telegraph. Adigrat was 

 occupied on March 25, 1895, and made the head- 

 quarters of an army of invasion. Ras Mangascia 

 and his Tigrins fell back before the invaders, who 

 occupied one post after another, aiming to annex 

 the whole of Tigre and Amhara. Gen. Baratieri 

 justified his advance in the beginning on the ground 

 that he must have more strategic posts to protect 

 Italian territory from the raids of the Abyssinians. 

 The Italians met with little opposition when they 

 advanced southward from Asmara and Godofelassi, 

 for the force t hat Kas Mangascia was able to muster 

 in haste was small. lie was twice overtaken and 

 defeated by the flying column of the Italians as he 

 lied through Tigre and Amhara. into Shoa. The 

 Italians pushed clear across Tigre and entered the 

 province of Amhara. The ambition for conquest 

 grew when they found the resistance so slight. 

 Late in 1895. when Major Toselli's command was 

 surrounded and cut to pieces by a large army of 

 Abyssinians at, Amhaalagi, the dream of an easy 

 conquest of Abyssinia vanished. \Vlien .Menelek's 

 legions began to pour into the country the Italians 

 retired to the strong places, which were too scat- 

 tered for easy communications. 



The Ilnliiin Defeat. When he found himself 

 confronted wit h an army of over 100.(H)() men under 

 Kas Micael, Ras Mangascia. and Ras Makonen, Gen. 



