ABYSSINIA. 



fan try, unil.-s, ami camels ; nn<l it will, I think, 

 chief tin til' mute, as leading at 

 (o a good portion on tin- highlands of 

 -inia in the dirci-timi wo have logo, and 

 -pot within easy reach. To-morro\v wo 

 up the lladihs to examine that, to go as 

 near as we can get to Tekmida, without actually 

 ng it, or compromiMiig t.lie inhabitants 

 by opet^g communications with thora. Sir R. 

 Napier's exeellont proclamation was sent out 

 on the Cith inM., and I hope for the best results 

 it. Directly the ruler of Tigrd, now 

 I'rinee Kussai, a rebel against Theodore, shows 

 he intends acting in a friendly manner towards 

 us, there will be no impropriety in visiting both 

 Tekonda and Senafe; but until he does, it 

 would not be just to the people of those places 

 to make them run the risk of encountering 

 his displeasure before we were in a position to 

 protect thora. I have been very vexed not to 

 lind a suitable plateau short of the Abyssinian 

 highlands, but I was misled by the richness of 

 the Agametta plateau, west of Massowah, and 

 have only now learned, what no one seemed to 

 have been able to tell me before, that as you go 

 south of the latitude of Massowah the lower 

 hills become more purely volcanic, indeed in 

 some places entirely, so that vegetation di- 

 minishes pari passu. The troops that have 

 landed are, I am happy to say, in excellent 

 health and spirits." In tfte mean while, the 

 landing pier at Zulla, three hundred and fifty 

 yards long, was finished, and a great portion of 

 the tramway had been laid down. Shortly after, 

 it was completed to the foot of the mountains. 

 Troops now arrived daily, and Annesley Bay 

 rapidly assumed as "busy an aspect as Bombay 

 harbor. A good road was made from the coast 

 to Koomaylee, eleven miles in length, and ad- 

 vaiieetl camps of observation and exploration 

 were established beyond that place. The tele- 

 graph department in Calcutta had been in- 

 structed to furnish the Abyssinian expedition 

 with materials for creating and working four 

 hundred and fifty miles of telegraph. 



The English Government had taken care to 

 render the expedition useful for the purposes of 

 science. From Bombay an eminent botanist 

 and other scientific men were to accompany 

 it; while from home the interests of geographi- 

 cal knowledge were to be represented by Mr. 

 Clements I*. Markham, of the India Office, and 

 senior secretary to the. Geographical Society; 

 those of archaeology and antiquarian research 

 by Mr. Dcutsch, of the British Museum ; zoo- 

 logy and other branches of scientific knowl- 

 edge would also be cared for. It was also 

 stated that two officers belonging to the staff 

 of the King of Italy and three officers of the 

 French -tati' would accompany the expedition. 

 Sir Stalford Northcote had invited Dr. Krapf, 

 formerly missionary in Abyssinia, to accom- 

 pany the expedition as interpreter. Dr. Krapf, 

 by letter, stated that he had accepted the offer 

 of Sir Stafford Northcote, and would join the 

 expedition at Massowah ; that for the last two 



years he had been engaged in Amharic stadtes, 



(specially in editin:r for the l!riti>h and Foreign 

 Hiltle Society an Amharic New Testament [ten 

 thousand copies], and various small tracts in 

 that language, as well as the four < 

 'I 'i JTO ; that ho had stipulated to have an assist- 

 ant who would act as Bible colporteur, and 

 that ho anticipated largo opportunities of 

 spreading Christian truth in connection with 

 the expedition. 



At the opening of the winter session of 

 the English Parliament, on November 19th, 

 which was called for the special purpose of 

 providing for the expenses of the Abys- 

 sinian expedition, the royal speech stated that 

 the King of Abyssinia's persistent disregard 

 of friendly representations left to the Eng- 

 lish Government no course open but that of 

 sending an expedition to that country, and 

 that the sole object of the measures which have 

 been taken was to secure the liberation of Mr. 

 Cameron and his fellow-captives. On Novem- 

 ber 26th the Chancellor of the Exchequer asked 

 for a vote of 2,000,000 toward meeting the 

 cost of the Abyssinian expedition. He ex- 

 plained the circumstances under which it had 

 been taken, and estimated the total expense at 

 3,800,000, supposing the troops were not able 

 to leave Abyssinia before, April next. Only 

 2,000,000 would, however, fall upon the Home 

 Government during the present financial year. 

 The request of the Government was granted 

 without any serious opposition. The House of 

 Lords also passed a resolution approving the 

 employment of force against King Theodore. 



Soon after the return from his reconnoitring 

 expedition, Colonel Merewether began his march 

 into the interior at the head of the advanced 

 brigade. On December 6th the brigade reached 

 Senafe and encamped. The natives were found 

 to be friendly in their behavior, and offered 

 supplies. "Water was abundant, and the climate 

 good, the variation of temperature ranging be- 

 tween a maximum of 73 degrees and a mini- 

 mum of 33 degrees, Accounts from the interior 

 stated that Theodore had destroyed Debra Ta- 

 bor, and was encamped in the neighborhood, 

 intending to march upon Magdala, but that the 

 insurgents would resist his march. 



At the latest accounts received in London, 

 on January 8th, the advance of the English 

 army was still encamped at Senafe. On Senafo 

 and the region around, a correspondent of the 

 London Times, from Senafe, gives the following 

 information : " The existence of such a pass 

 up into Abyssinia as the Koomaylee is certainly 

 a wonderful piece of luck for our force. There 

 is, I am told by professional men, no other 

 pass known in the world by which so great a 

 height is attained at so gradual an assent. 

 Senafe, at the summit of the pass, is as nearly 

 as possible 7,000 feet, and the ascent is, on an 

 average, about 1 in 41. The natural obstacles 

 are, moreover, very few and far between. 

 When Colonel Merewether and other members 

 of the reconnoitring force first explored the 



