138 THEODORE II. AND THE 



— persons, too, deeply versed in all the laws of optics — who affirm that the whole 

 thing 38 a mere freak of nature, to which no importance whatever should be 

 attached. ... I am happy to add that Signor Marabotti, with whom, from 

 his official position, the prosecution of these inquiries rests, has evidently brought 

 to his task a spirit worthy, in all respects, of a countryman of Galileo. The 

 photographs, with ail the accompanying and illustrative details, have been trans- 

 mitted not only to the Medical College of Florence, but also to the medical 

 colleges of Naples and Milan ; and, by the authority of the Prefect of Florence, 

 Count Cantelli, a series of photographic experiments will be instituted on the 

 eyes of the patients in the hospital immediately after their decease." 



THEODOEE II. AND THE NEW EMPIRE OP ABYSSINIA. 



{Translated from the Revue des deux Mondes, Nov., 1864.^ 



IV. 

 (Continued from page 7Q.) 

 The favour enjoyed by these two Englishmen, doubtless appeared 

 to Mr. Gobat, the Swiss missionary who became later. Bishop of Jeru- 

 salem, an excellent opportunity for resuming his designs on Abyssinia. 

 A kind of seminary had been founded at Basle under his patronage, in 

 an old monastery, called Saint Crischona. There were prepared for 

 foreign missions, and principally for those of Africa, young Swiss 

 and Swabian mechanics, who received a very short theological educa- 

 tion. The principle of St. Crischona and of Protestant missions in 

 general, may be summed up in the following : the best way to give a 

 barbarous people a high idea of European Christianity is, first of all, 

 to make it appreciate the benefits of our civilization, by making it a 

 partaker of them. Hence, they commence, not with preachers, but 

 with trade-instructors. The principle is in itself a good and practical 

 one, but its application at St. Crischona was defective. As a rule, the 

 world measures the zeal of all kinds of apostles by the sacrifices which 

 they make for their faith, and mistrusts those who gain money while 

 occupied with the souls of their fellows. The authorities of St. Cris- 

 chona had decided that twelve stations, each of which was to bear the 

 name of an apostle, should form a chain on the road from Jerusalem 

 to Gondar. The plan of this via sacra was very fine, but expensive,, 

 and almost impracticable. Eleven stations out of the twelve were 

 Mahommedan territory ; and whoever has seen the East knows the 

 impossibility of making a single real conversion in Mahommedan 



