NEW EMPIRE OF ABYSSINIA. 155 



prised and unprepared for resistance. Thus he invaded about the end of July 

 the province of Aganmida, where he surr3unded some thousands who had 

 deserted from his army and had fled to the people of Tedla-Gualu. He had no 

 mercy, put them all to the s<Pord, beat one of the best generals of the enemy who 

 had left his service for that of the rebels, and published everywhere an official 

 bulletin which raised the number of men killed in this engagement to 15,000. 



I am convinced that he at least quadrupled the number since, on his entry into 

 Agaumider, he had only 4-00 men, to which he added on his route some faithful 

 contingents. After having ravaged this province and Alaza he returned to Genda; 

 where he rejoined the English Consul, Mr. Cameron, on his return to Abyssinia 

 after four months absence. The religious disturber of Konara, the veggade Kassa 

 had taken refuge, on the approach of the Negus, in the Kolla or low grounds of the 

 province. The country, terrified by the devastation of the neighbouring districts, 

 was little disposed to assist him, and when Theodore ordered the inhabitants of 

 Konar to destroy the rebel under pain of being treated like those of Alaza, the 

 Kuaranya rushed to arms, defeated Kassa with ease, took him prisoner, and carried 

 him to Djenda (August 19th.) The Negus had been greatly irritated by this re- 

 volt in the bosom of the only province in which he placed any confidence. "You 

 have pretended that my reign is over," said he to Kassa, " but if such were the 

 case have I not a son to succeed me, and by what means has he forfeited his 

 claim ?" It waa evident to any one acquainted with the Negus that he would be 

 implacable towards the audacious person who had doubted the stability of his 

 dynasty. Kassa was summarily condemned and tied to a tree. Theedore sat 

 coolly opposite him, had his gun given to him, took aim, and pronouncing the 

 words of the sacrament : " In the name of the very Holy Trinity !" he sent two 

 balls into his breast. The soldiers who were present pierced the corpse with 

 their lances, and reduced it to a sad and formless mass. An event, which had 

 been foreseen, happily gave a diversion to these bloody scenes. The ambassador 

 of the Negus to Paris returned to Gondar in the beginning of September, bearing 

 an answer from the French Government to the letter of Theodore 11. He, promd 

 of this diplomatic success, convoked at Gondar all the Europeans settled in Abys- 

 sinia to assist in the reading of the imperial message ; but he previously opened 

 the letter to deliver it to the interpreters, so that ita contents were quickly known, 

 and I was permitted, in advance, to act in concert with my British colleague, and 

 the most influential members of tho little colony, with a view to a common action 

 upon the mind of the Negus in the sens® of the instructions, which I had received. 

 The offiaial letter demanded, in courteous but firm terms, religious toleration for 

 the Roman Catholic missions, protected by Franco. I should render this justice 

 to the missionaries of Basle in saying that they, direeted by the English consul, 

 and by M. Martin Flad, their principal leader, showed a great desire to offer me 

 their assistance in this religious question with a view to toleration, conformable, 

 as they justly said, to the spirit of enlightened Protestantism. 



All this diplomacy was exerted in vain. The Emperor had been much irritated 

 by the reception of the letter relating to the Roman missions. " I know," he had 

 said the mode of European governmentu when they wish to seize a country in the 

 East. At first missionaries are sent, then consuls to support missionaries, then 



