ABYSSINIA. 



AnTcobar the capital of Shoa. 



Angolala. This is a place of considerable 

 size in Shoa. It is said to contain from three 

 thousand to four thousand inhabitants. 



Aliya Arriba. This is a large market town 

 in Shoa, and is said by D'H6ricourt to contain 

 from two thousand to three thousand inhabit- 

 ants. 



Political anarchy, which for centuries has 

 been the normal condition of Abyssinia, pre- 

 vailed throughout the country at the beginning 

 of the year 1868. The larger portion of the 

 country did not recognize the authority of The- 

 odore, and many of the chiefs were in a state 

 of war either against Theodore or against 

 each other. The following was reported in 

 January, 1868, to be the position of the more 

 prominent chiefs: 



Theodore, reported as holding only a small 

 portion of Begamider and the two Ambas of 

 Debra Tabor and Magdala ; the latter on the 

 border of the Wollo-Galla country. MenileTc, 

 King of Shoa. It was reported that a treaty 

 had been made between him and the Wagshum 

 Gobazie, on condition that, if they should over- 

 come Theodore, Magdala was to be made over 

 to Menilek. The latter addressed a letter, with 

 friendly overtures, to Queen Victoria, which 

 was forwarded to the Queen by Colonel Mere- 

 wether in July, 1866. Tirsoo Gobazie, at this 

 time exercised absolute sway over the prov- 

 inces of Wolkait and Samien, while several mi- 

 nor chiefs between Mantamma and Massowah 

 recognized his supremacy. Some time before 

 he had applied to the Egyptians for aid against 

 Theodore, and it was reported he still main- 

 tained friendly relations with the Viceroy. 

 Kassai or Kassa. This man was said to have 

 joined the Wagshum Gobazie in his first re- 

 bellion against Theodore, and subsequently to 

 have turned against Gobazie and set up to be a 

 king on his own account, wresting from his 

 former master the larger portion if not the 

 whole of Tigre" . His last feat was the sacking 

 of Adowa, the capital. The relations between 

 him and the Wagshum were any thing but 

 friendly, and his overtures to the English were 

 undoubtedly with a vie w to strengthen his posi- 

 tion against his formidable antagonist. Gebra 

 Mehdin or Gabra Mathan. He seems to be the 

 same individual who prevented Dr. Beke from 

 proceeding inland from Halai. At that time 

 he was governor on the part of the Wagshum 

 of the adjoining Akula-Kossay (or Okulekusai) 

 the district in which Halai is situated, and 

 he appeared to hold the same appointment 

 still ; but, as the tribes were determined to get 

 rid of him, he sought the intervention of the 

 British, who told him that, being in direct 

 communication with his master, they declined 

 having any thing to do with him. 



Wagshum Gobazie (the hereditary Shum or 

 Prince of Waag, a district of Lasta). This was 

 one of Theodore's most formidable antagonists, 

 and the most successful of the insurgent chiefs. 

 Until a short time before he appears to have 



exercised jurisdiction over the larger portion 

 of Tigre, and several chiefs in northern Abys- 

 sinia acknowledged his supremacy. For some 

 months past he had maintained a large army 

 near Magdala, and had frequently boasted that 

 he would attack the royal camp. Lieutenant 

 Prideaux, one of the captives, in a letter, dated 

 18th October, 1867, reported that the Wag- 

 shum had marched into the Wollo-Galla coun- 

 try against the Queen Waizero Masteeat. From 

 the letter of the London Times' 's correspondent, 

 writing from Senafe" on the 15th December, it 

 appeared that the British were in direct com- 

 munication with Gobazie. 



The difficulty between England and King 

 Theodore of Abyssinia, during the past three 

 years, directed the special attention of the civil- 

 ized world, and, in particular, the attention of 

 scholars, to the affairs of this country. The 

 origin of this difficulty has already been 

 briefly referred to in the ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA 

 for 1866. As, in the latter part of 1867, an 

 important war grew out of the diplomatic dis- 

 agreement, a fuller resume of the chief facts in 

 the progress of the difficulty will be found 

 both interesting and useful. We begin this 

 resume with the year 1848, when Lord Palmer- 

 ston appointed Mr. Walter Plowden consul 

 for Abyssinia, " for the protection of British 

 trade." Consul Plowden, November 2, 1859, 

 concluded a treaty of friendship and com- 

 merce with Ras Ali, King Theodore's prede- 

 cessor. In 1854, Eas Ali was defeated by 

 Kasai, who then got himself crowned under 

 the title of Theodorus, King of Kings, of 

 Ethiopia. On June 25, 1855, Consul Plow- 

 den wrote to Lord Clarendon, describing King 

 Theodore as a kind of warrior-saint, who had 

 risen to reform Abyssinia. The King, how- 

 ever, declined to permit the British consul to 

 reside in Abyssinia, on the ground that the 

 consular power interfered with his own. Mr. 

 Plowden stated to him that Massowah would 

 be given up to him if he permitted the con- 

 sulate to be established. Theodore proposed 

 to send an ambassador to Queen Victoria, and 

 wished to know whether he would be re- 

 ceived. The conduct of Mr. Plowden was ap- 

 proved, November 27, 1855, by Lord Claren- 

 don, who intimated the readiness of the Brit- 

 ish Government to receive an Abyssinian em- 

 bassy, on condition that the King renounced 

 all idea of conquest in Egypt, and at Masso- 

 wah. On February 2, 1861, Captain Came- 

 ron was appointed consul in room of Mr. Plow- 

 den, who had been killed about 1856, in Abys- 

 sinia, by a rebel chief. To revenge Plowden's 

 death, King Theodore killed the rebel chief 

 with his own hand in battle, and executed 

 1,500 of his followers. He did this, he said, 

 to win her Majesty's friendship. On February 

 20, 1862, Earl Russell wrote to King Theo- 

 dore, thanking him for his kindness to Mr. 

 Plowden, informing him of the appointment 

 of Captain Cameron, but saying nothing about 

 the reception of the ambassador. Consul 



