22 EXTRAORDINARY POLICY ON 



much at variance with the conditions and stipula- 

 tions I was given to understand were contained 

 in the commercial treaty. I could not help 

 remarking this, and Mr. Scott then candidly 

 admitted the King did not know the character or 

 purport of the paper he had signed ; and had only 

 been made aware of the new responsibilities he 

 had incurred, by a sharply worded expostulatory 

 letter, written by Mr. Krapf, in accordance to 

 the dictation of Captain Harris, on an occasion 

 subsequently to the signing of the treaty, when 

 despatches and letters coming up from the coast 

 were intercepted and detained for some time by 

 the orders of the King. Singularly enough, this 

 information was corroborated by Ohmed Medina, who 

 told me that my letter from Dinnomalee had not 

 been carried to Captain Harris, but to the King, 

 who wanted to find out whether the English were 

 his friends or not, and was trying my disposition 

 and that of the Commander (Captain Harris) by 

 this harsh treatment of me ; a kind of experiment, 

 in fact, to see what would be borne by us, and how 

 far he had limited his authority by attaching his 

 signature to the treaty. Any idea of granting 

 public benefit, at the expense of his prerogative was 

 never entertained for a moment, the intentions of 

 the King being limited to shewing personal favour 

 alone, which he is ever ready to concede even now 

 to English travellers, much as he complains of the 

 conduct of the Mission in Shoa as regards their 



