AFRICA. 



various vicissitudes, and what seems, if this ac- 

 count be not over-colored, to have been ex- 

 tremely hard fighting, the redoubt on the insur- 

 gents' left wing, after being taken and retaken 

 five times, remained in the hands of the Abys- 

 sinians. But reinforcements reached G6bazye, 

 the chief of the Tigr6ans ; his right wing had 

 not been engaged, while almost the whole of 

 Theodore's troops had fought and suffered 

 grievously. Changing front to the rear, with 

 his right for his pivot, G6bazye presented a 

 new line of battle, at right angles with his first 

 position. It was seven in the evening, and the 

 battle had begun at six in the morning. Theo- 

 dore refrained from a fresh attack, remaining 

 master of part of the battle-field, and of three 

 pieces of artillery of English manufacture. lie 

 had the redoubt razed, the wounded removed, 

 and that same night occupied Axoum, lately 

 the headquarters and depot of the insurgents, 

 who thus found themselves cut off from Masso- 

 wah and from the most populous and warlike 

 provinces that supported them. On the other 

 hand, Theodore's position was by no means 

 good; -his rear was harassed by disaffected 

 populations, and he had only a flank connection 

 with his base of operations. His losses were 

 23,000 dead and 18,000 wounded, according to 

 M. de Bisson's correspondent, who adds that 

 they were due chiefly to musketry fire. " Among 

 the Tigr6an dead," he continues, " we recog- 

 nized Egyptians and some English faces, espe- 

 cially in the fort. No doubt officers of that 

 nation directed all the evolutions of the battle. 

 One may guess it from the skilful defensive- 

 offensive of the enemy." The accuracy of this 

 account was doubted by the missionary Flad, but 

 Dr. Beke, in a letter to the London " Times," 

 expressed his belief that the account had a solid 

 foundation of truth. 



AFRICA. The most important event in the 

 history of this division ofHhe world during tho 

 past year is the great change in the Govern- 

 ment of Egypt. The viceroy, more successful 

 than his predecessors, obtained from the Sul- 

 tan a change in the order of succession for his 

 own line, to the exclusion of collateral branches 

 of the family of Mehemet Ali. This first step, 

 by which Egypt separates from the Mohamme- 

 dan law, and conforms to the habits of Christian 

 monarchies, was followed by the introduction 

 of a constitutional form of government, the first 

 Parliament, elected by universal suffrage, being 

 opened in November. "With regard to the Suez 

 Canal, a convention was concluded between 

 the Egyptian Government and the Suez Canal 

 Company, which put an end to the difficulties 

 that at one time seriously threatened to inter- 

 fere with the progress of the work. (See EGYPT.) 



The Emperor Theodore, of Abyssinia, con- 

 tinued the war for the aggrandizement of his 

 empire, which he hopes will gradually be en- 

 ,arged by the conquest of all the Mohammedan 

 countries. An account of a great battle, said 

 to have been fought on the 30th of July, be- 

 tween Theodore, at the lead of 95,000 men, 



and a still larger army of insurgents of Tigrl 

 and Shoa, two of the powerful and most civilized 

 provinces of that country, rested on the doubt- 

 ful authority of a French Count Bisson, who 

 signs himself " Founder of the French Colony 

 of Abyssinia." The English prisoners, accord- 

 ing to dates up to November, I860, still re- 

 mained in captivity. '(/^ABYSSINIA.) 



Madagascar concluded a treaty with Great 

 Britain, the ratifications of which were ex- 

 changed on July 6, 1866. The treaty declares 

 that British subjects in the dominions of her 

 majesty the Queen of Madagascar shall be al- 

 lowed freely to exercise and teach the Chris- 

 tian religion, and to erect and maintain suitable 

 places of worship. Such places of worship, 

 with their lands and appurtenances, shall, how- 

 ever, be recognized as the property of the 

 Queen of Madagascar, who shall permit them 

 to be applied forever to the special purpos.es for 

 which they shall have been built. They shall, 

 in the profession, exercise, and teaching of their 

 religion, receive the protection of the queen 

 and her officers, and shall riot be prosecuted or 

 interfered with. The Queen of Madagascar, 

 from her friendship for her Britannic majesty, 

 promises to grant full religious liberty to all her 

 subjects, and not to persecute of molest any 

 subjects or natives of Madagascar on account of 

 their embracing or exercising the Christian 

 religion. But should any of her subjects, pro- 

 fessing Christianity, be found guilty of any 

 criminal offence, the action of the law of the 

 land shall not be interfered with. The Queen 

 of Madagascar engages that British subjects 

 shall, as far as lies in her power, equally with 

 her own subjects, enjoy within her dominions 

 full and complete protection and security for 

 themselves and for any property which they 

 may acquire in future, or which they may 

 have acquired before the date of the present 

 treaty. British subjects may freely engage in 

 their service, in any capacity whatever, any 

 native of Madagascar, not a slave or a soldier, 

 who may be free from any previous engage- 

 ment. The Queen of Madagascar engages to 

 abolish trial by the ordeal of poison. If there 

 should be a war between Great Britain and 

 Madagascar, any prisoners who may be taken 

 by either party shall be kindly treated, and 

 shall be set free, either by exchange during 

 the war, or without exchange when peace is 

 made ; and such prisoners shall not on any 

 account be made slaves or put to death. The 

 treaty is signed by Thomas Conolly Pakenham, 

 Esq., British consul in Madagascar, duly au- 

 thorized to that effect on the part of the 

 British Government, and by Rainimaharavo, 

 Sixteenth Honor, Chief Secretary of State; 

 Andriantsitohaina, Sixteenth Honor ; Ravaha- 

 tra, Chief Judge ; and Rafaralahibemalo, Head 

 of the Civilians, duly authorized to that effect 

 on the part of the Queen of Madagascar. The 

 Christian missionaries in Madagascar report a 

 rapid and steady progress of Christianity and 

 civilization. 



