THE 



ANNUAL CYCLOPAEDIA 



ABYSSINIA, an empire in eastern Africa, era- 

 bracing the kingdoms of Tigre, Amhara, and Shoa, 

 with Gojam, Lasta, the Galla and Kaffa countries, 

 and other dependencies. The Emperor, bearing 

 the title Negus Negusti (King of Kings), is Me- 

 nelek II, who, after the death of Johannes II. in 

 1889, overcame the rival claimants with the aid of 

 weapons furnished by the Italians, with whom he 

 made a treaty on May 2 of that year, which was 

 confirmed in the following October in a convention 

 concluded by his plenipotentiary in Italy. The 

 Italian Government proclaimed a protectorate over 

 the whole Ethiopian or Abyssinian Empire by vir- 

 tue of this treaty, although Menelek protested that 

 the Amharic text recorded simply a treaty of alli- 

 ance and mutual protection between independent 

 sovereigns. The governments of Germany and 

 Great Britain recognized the protectorate and con- 

 ceded an Italian sphere of influence, embracing all 

 of Abyssinia and adjacent parts of Somaliland and 

 the Soudan, a total area of 648,000 square miles. 

 The line of demarcation separating the British and 

 Italian spheres, as fixed in the agreements of 1891 

 and 1894, follows the Juba river up to 6 of north 

 latitude, and then that parallel westward to 35 of 

 east longitude, whence it runs northward to the 

 Blue Nile. In consequence of the defeat at Adua 

 on March 1, 1896, Italy renounced the protectorate 

 over Abyssinia and evacuated the Kingdom of Tigre 

 which had been occupied in 1895. In the treaty 

 of peace finally concluded at Adis Abeba on Oct. 26, 

 1896, Abyssinia was recognized as an independent 

 power and the rivers Mareb, Belesa, and Muna were 

 declared the southernmost boundaries of the Italian 

 possessions. 



The area of Abyssinia, with Gallaland, is about 

 150,000 square miles and the population 3,500,000. 

 In Somaliland the Negus claims the whole interior 

 back of the coast strip of 180 miles reserved to Italy 

 by the treaty of Adis Abeba as far south as the 

 border of British East Africa, comprising an area 

 of 100,000 square miles. 



The Abyssinians are a mixed race, in which Arab, 

 Jewish, and negro types are grafted on the original 

 north African or Berber stock. They have been 

 Christians since the fourth century, belonging to 

 the Alexandrian Church. Their religious rites in- 

 clude many Jewish ceremonies. The abuna, or 

 ecclesiastic chief, is a Copt appointed by the Alex- 

 andrian patriarch. The monks and priests are the 

 only instructors, teaching a part of the children 

 grammar and poetry, religious chants and Bible 

 texts. The system of government is feudal. The 

 chief industry is raising cattle, sheep, and goats. 

 Cotton, coffee, dates, and grapes grow wild, and 

 there are extensive forests of valuable timber. Bar- 

 VOL. xxxvni. 1 A 



ley, dhurra, wheat, and sugar cane are cultivated, 

 but agriculture is not much practiced. Besides 

 hides and skins the chief exports are wax, coffee, 

 and civet, also gold and ivory, on both of which the 

 Negus receives a large royalty. The imports are 

 cotton goods of American, British, and Indian 

 manufacture, Turkey red, and French cutlery and 

 glass. The 'Maria Theresa dollar, which has been 

 struck in Austria for the Abyssinian trade since the 

 last century, is being supplanted by a coin bearing 

 the image of Menelek, having the same nominal 

 value, though containing a fifth less silver. 



Count Nicholas Leontieff, who went to Abyssinia 

 in 1893 on a Russian political mission, veiled as a 

 scientific expedition, and afterward obtained a 

 cession of an immense tract of country, called the 

 Equatorial Province, lying southwest of the Em- 

 peror Menelek's dominions and extending within 

 two degrees of the equator, organized with Prince 

 Henri d'Orleans a chartered company for the pur- 

 pose of organizing the government of this coun- 

 try in the name of the Emperor of Ethiopia. 

 The territory embraces a great part of the Italian 

 sphere, a great part of the sphere claimed by the 

 British East African protectorate, and the banks of 

 the upper Nile in the Anglo-Egyptian sphere. 

 Large quantities of arms were imported into 

 Abyssinia by the French and Russians, whose infl- 

 uence was so powerful at Menelek's court that the 

 British Government, on the eve of the expedition 

 for the reconques;: of the Egyptian Soudan, sent 

 James Rennell Rodd as a special envoy to prevent a 

 possible alliance between the Abyssinians and the 

 dervishes. The treaty concluded by him with 

 Menelek, at Adis Abeba, on May 14, 1897, provided 

 for the freedom of the subjects of both countries to 

 come and go and engage in commerce, while for- 

 bidding armed bands to cross the frontier without 

 authorization. The caravan route between Zeyla 

 and Harrar, by way of Gildessa, was declared free 

 to the commerce of both nations. Material destined 

 for the service of the Ethiopian state was permitted 

 to be imported through Zeyla free of duty, and 

 arms and ammunition for the Emperor's army to 

 have free transit, subject to the conditions of the 

 Brussels act of 1890. Menelek engaged himself to 

 do all in his power to prevent the passage through 

 his dominions of munitions of war for the Mahdists, 

 whom he declared to be the enemies of his empire. 

 The boundary between Abyssinia and British So- 

 maliland was settled by Rennell Rodd with Ras 

 Makonen at Harrar. Starting from the seashore 

 opposite the wells of Hadou, if follows the caravan 

 road by Abbassouen to Mount Samadou, passes 

 through the summits of Saw and Egu to Moga 

 Medir, thence to Eylinta Kaddo and Arran Arrhe 



