ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS. 183 



difficult to traverse. Hanfili, which is supposed to be the ancient port of Anti- 

 p hi/ il us, is useless except for working the saline lake Alalbed and the neighbouring 

 pearl fisheries. The little harbour of ^dd, some 120 miles from the Abyssinian 

 chain, is also surrounded, like Hawakil Bay, by volcanoes and rugged rocks which 

 render the country almost inaccessible. A trading company of Nantes had 

 acquired possession of this port, but, being unable to derive any advantage from 

 it, offered it to the French Government, which declined the costly present. The 

 company ultimately ceded all its rights to the Khedive. 



Administrative Divisions. 



The political and administrative divisions of Abyssinia undergo endless changes 

 according to the power of the vassals and the caprice of the sovereign. Certain 

 chiefs rule over several provinces and even possess the title of king, like the râs of 

 Gojam, who was crowned in 1881, whilst others are fain to rest satisfied with a 

 simple canton. In 1882 the largest fiefs numbered twenty-four, of which four were 

 governed by râs (chiefs) of the first rank, five by those of the second rank, and fifteen 

 administered by chiefs bearing the title of s/ium. But in spite of the political vicissi- 

 tudes, most of the Abyssinian districts have retained their names and their general 

 contours, as indicated by the A^ery relief and nature of the geological formations 

 themselves. Without including the vassal realm of Shoa, the tributary states 

 beyond the Abaï, the Galla districts and the northern territories recently annexed, 

 the Ayssinian empire at present comprises the four governments of Amhara, 

 Gojam, Lasta, and Tigré, which, with their several provinces, fluvial basins, and 

 chief towns, will be found tabulated in the Appendix. 



