





, (wamn, UM cauie are wwen w. the 

 ar UM banks of the rivers ore extensive 

 ued. The bed. of tht 



.. 



treat Lake Zana, ha. a TCIT broken surface, being traversed 

 rocky hilU which detach themselve. from Mount 



. 



lath* AWL Tsa ridje. * covered with Bn forest tree., and a. the 

 Junrt-m are xteniTe and well w.U-red. nn.l have a fertile soil, 

 tBhJTMlnii U carried on to a great extent A in approaching the 

 -.-V. of UM AUi the omntry become, more broken and rugged, and 

 run 1-i.fc-r the Tillage of Ucmbaat, though only 5 miles from the 

 liwr, M at iowt lOOOfeet above it* level t the bridge which is here 

 thrown otw UM Abai. The hill* which kirt the bank* of the river 

 v* aompondof Tolomnio rooks, and how great fertility in the vigorous 

 growth of UM tree. and busho. with which they are covered, r ruin 

 UM flnz of UM Abai from Lake Zana to the vicinity of the cataract 

 of A1U, UM rirer run. through a wide bottom, which is covered with 



IftM ftiktwl tfn*A. 



a. Th* llain uf MiiSoha Uapart of the /"mi'iauMi/^^i.i. This 

 p^t-.u form* a part of Amhara ; but a. it U naturally laparaUd 

 fr^n ^ other divuiiiu. of the country, and constitutes by itaulf a 

 wWI-daftMdmtam.it ought to bo noticed separately. The river Alidi 

 OK! '.-''- 7 -* wiiTuund it on the N., K., and & ; and iU western 

 Haft. *P*y be tolerably well defined by a line drawn from the bank. 

 at UM Abii, where it U joined by the Jamma, to the village of Din- 

 felber, on UM shore. of Lake Zana. Tim* limited, the peninnula 

 ^^.U iii length froi .'.'.N.\V. ISu miles, with an average 



wi.lth of about 100 mile. ; to that it coven an area of 15,000 square 

 mile*, or mora than half of Ireland. 



The Abai, ai thu great branch of the Nile i uniformly colled by the 

 iakabiUnU uf Abywnia, riM. near 11 N. lat and 87 K. long, at the 

 feat of Mount Oieah, in a iwampy tract The source of the river is 

 700 fot above UM .eft-level, and the .ummit of Mount Giesh about 

 TOO feel After running northward for about 60 miles in a straight 

 lint tb Abai dcMend. from 8700 feet to the level of Lake Zona (6111 

 feet), or about 8600 feet, or more than 43 feet a milo : the current is 

 of coune extremely .wift, and form, a kind of continuous rapid, inter- 

 rupted by aum* cataract*. One of these was visited by Bruce, who 

 found iu perpendicular height 1C feet, and he heard of another. The 

 AUu eaten Lake Zana, or Dembta, on the S.W. side, and leave, it on 

 UM &K. side. According to Bruce, this lake U 35 miles brood in the 

 widest part, from E. to W. ; but it decrease. in width toward, the 

 silmiiille.. where it U aometime. not above 1 miles wide. IU greatest 

 Mkjth, according to UM same authority, U 49 miles. Bruce and Hiippel, 

 UM two travellers who have had an opportunity of examining this 

 Uk, bv fives it quite a different shape on their maps. That on the 

 map of Ku|>p*l i* much more regular. The number of rivers which 

 UM lake noeivw from all side. u very great ; those which join it from 

 MM N. and W. an dry during a great port of the year, but most of 

 Uxr which (all into it from the E. and S. contain water all the year 

 round, The i~ supply of water which the lake receives during 

 UM rain*. HUM it Urel sufficiently to lay under water the low country 

 on M bank. to UM dMtano* of 2 miles. There are many islands in 

 thfc.sk*; Bonnel ba laid down 18 in his map. The greater numlnr 

 f UMB at* inhabit*!. The largert. called Deck, U low, but of con- 

 *UmtibML To UM east of it U the iilond of Doka, which is elevated, 

 in a cone. Fiah is abundant, and of various kinds ; 



Met of UMBI are of UM family of the Cypriuidic. The hippopotamus 

 - 1 to UM lake, bat the crocodile is nut found there. The Abdi 

 Lake Zana north of iu south-eastern 1 after 



nejafu RE. for abort 15 miUw, it forms the cataract of Alat*, or Tin 

 KM*, wbrr* UM nv.r ileoend about 100 feet perpendicularly. ; 

 UM eatanct it ran. with great violence through a deep nature in the 

 iwk, whioh at one place i. hardly more than two yards wide. We 

 av fccm a notion of UM rapidity of this part of the Abai, from 

 UM bet U*t at UM Broken Bridge, which U about 40 miles from 

 UM Tun at UM river. iU level is not more than S852 feet abo 

 am la Mnu.M.UMnfora.UM river has fallen 2259 feet, or above 56 

 fHtnersMM. VMnUM Broken Bridge UM current abates. N..Hh..f 

 UM MMte I'-rV. wnioh i. north of UM place where tlie Abai in 

 by UM itima i. after a coume of about 100 miles, iU level Until; 

 ftMtabr^UMM. UUw apace, therefore, the Abai has fallen n.. 

 nw UM fast Mr uuW At UM MictU Ford the river begins to 

 lam w*etwar4. and b U*PMS to the north of west A 

 Uki. r Fra of Kuki, W nuU. lowtt down, the elevation of the Abii 

 above- Us* w)eTl i. 28la ft In CO milo, therefore, it has fallen 

 111 feet, "v not quite S feet per mile. Where the Abai leave* 

 JttWstM. H i* jutMJ by UM rirar hurra. 

 The interior of UM penmuls of UM Abii U traversed by a moun- 



tain-range who general direction is from W.X.W. U> K.S.E. H may 

 be called the Talba Waha mountains, though that name is properly 



only to the mart elevated portion of it, which extends between 

 87 20' and 37* 50' K. long. This range begins on the western border 

 of Abyssinia with Mount Eohitl, and runs eastward to Mount 

 Mount Atzab, and Mount" Giesh, where the sources of the Abdi are. 

 Mount (Jioxh, a* already observed, risen to 9700 feot above the sea, and 

 a lower ridge connect* it with Mount Liclicnin, which U still higher. 

 ''. - I. heati '!i' ' ft-di OK -, p In thi ' D| 10! . . n- 

 i'l.-nii'l- 'M'-Mt. but then the range attains iu groatert elevation, as 

 it is supposed, for the elevation of no part has been ascertain- ! by- 

 actual measurement, or in any other way. Thin portion U call 

 Talba Waha. Where it begins to decrease in elevation east of 37 50' 

 it is crossed by the groat commercial road leadii iln-m 



Abyssinia to Oojam. The summit of the mountain-pass tl. 

 which the road runs U at least 11,000 f. , :.!.>,. tin- - 

 Mount Oodba, which is near and on the northern side of the n> 

 8721 feet high. East of the mountain-pass just mentioned the range 

 subsides, and has only a moderate elevation above the gem-r.il '. 

 the country ; at the same time it changes iU direction, and ; 

 the north-east As it approaches the banks of the Abdi it rues again 

 to a considerable elevation in the mountain-mass of Mount Yi'lcandach. 

 This mountain may be considered as the termination of the Talba 

 Waha mountains. It does not appear that any summit of this range 

 is always covered with snow, but the higher portion is cold from No- 

 vember to March. This range is iu general covers 1 with foresUof 

 large trees, but there are many tnicts under cultivation wliic-li produce 



.11 the grains that ore cultivated in Europe. The higher 

 is dotted with heaths and ferns,- and the most - 

 level, producing stunted grass, intcrspened with numerou ; 

 plant- i iilum montanum). At the base of the Talba Walia 



mountains lie the plains of Miecha and (ioj.im. The t 

 northward from their base to the shore* of Lake Zana, and the Hain 



.in from their southern fi.ttthc banks of the AK.ii. Thf dr- 

 sccnt towards the lake terminates at 6111 feet above the sea l.\ , 1, Imt. 

 that towards the Abai at -S15 feet, this being the elev.ition 

 river at Melka Knki. 



The country which extends from the northern l>ase of the TnlUi 

 Waha mountains to the Lake Zana is colled the I'lim 

 (Moisha, Matcha) from a province of that] name, but tli 

 perly applies only to the low country which extcmls from the Pass of 

 bingelber along the south-western shore of the lake to iU most south- 

 eastern corner. Between the south-eastern comer of the lake anil the 

 Abai, after ita efflux from the lake, there in a hilly tract < 

 rocks partially overgrown with stunted bushes. The low plain 

 the shores of tlie lake, which is narrow near the Pass of Din: 

 widens as it proceeds southward, and where it reaches tli 

 it is 20 miles wide, extending from the hike to the conflur mv ..f the 

 Abdi and the Kelti. A line drawn IV 'Inge of 



Karingna, on the river of that name, and tlienc. t . ;i,.- Ti.s Eset cata- 

 ract, would separate the low plain of Mi.Vha from the hilly tr. 

 lies south of it and extends to the )>ane of the Talba \Vaha raujje. 

 Thin plain is very fruitful, the soil being an alluvium composed of the 

 detritus brought by tlie rivers from tlie higher country, but 

 entirely flat, it is not well drained; the current* "f t 

 stagnant at the close of the dry seas": 

 February, and many pools are left by tl. ins. Thin i 



the country unhealthy; as however the soil is v<-ry fertile, a large 

 portion uf the country is well cultivated, an I ] 



v kind of groin. A narrow tract near the lake i too i-u 

 for cultivation, and is partly used as pasture-ground, bu 

 portion of it is overgrown with uu,iuitic : 

 of rushes, which for want of wood are u.- 



amall booU by which the hike U navii ;eee or 



bushes on tlie plain, except near the base of 1 tract 



south of it, v. f ocaoias. The hilly tract o< 



JO mile, in width along the bonks of the Abdi to it 

 with the river Jamma, Its surface is diversified wi< : ,. ami 



:dies, liclwteii which are small plains. The courses' 

 which are rulh< r rapiil, lhnv -. 



, rs the coiuitT-y }-. 



The sail chiefly consist* of decomposed volcanic matter, and is fertile. 

 Those tracts which are not cultivated are genetally covered with 

 wood, of acacias, which attain a < ni/e; and those tracts 



which are destitute of trees and bushes ore overgrown with wild oats 

 and wild lupines. This tract contains abundance of water, and i 

 healthy. Between it and the moantainmge lies a mountain > 

 Several summits, as Mount Lijambera and Amidamit, ripe to a great 



n, but betwre.ii these and ..tlier ridges are many tracts ot 

 levul ground which arc partly cultivate . Miiding the L 



uta which intersect them and ink deep below tlie 

 general level of the country. The lower ports of the mo 



: with hrrbage and acacias, ami higher up are forcsta of dif- 

 ferent kinds of trees. The pastures on these mountain* arc excellent 

 Even in the vicinity of the sources of the A 1.., larp' ipian: 

 ley ore raised. Along the eastern bank of the Abdi in a mar.-by plain, 



;th and bounded by high h, 

 a* pasture-ground. The eastern part of the Plain of lliccha, or that 





