430 OF THE PHYSICAL 



It appears that Fatagar, Efat, Shoa, then Damot, 

 (which at that period extended to the south of the 

 river Abi,) were successively taken possession of, a 

 succession of conquests which prove that the course 

 of the Hawash, was the principal natural direction 

 this people took in their wanderings. 



In Shoa and Efat they appear to have been early 

 civilized. One of the most characteristic traits of the 

 Galla people is, the facility with which they appear to 

 adopt the religious creeds of their neighbours ; and 

 the adjoining kingdom of Amhara, the central 

 stronghold of the Christian religion, afforded 

 numerous opportunities of conversion, and perhaps 

 other favourable circumstances then existed of 

 which we are now ignorant; but the result has 

 been a closer amalgamation of the Gallas with the 

 Amhara people in Shoa than, I believe, any other 

 country of Abyssinia presents. Whilst, therefore, 

 an exceedingly corrupt dialect of the Amharic 

 language is there spoken, the dark colour of their 

 skin attests their close consanguinity with the Galla 

 invaders, coming from the low hot country immedi- 

 ately at the foot of the Abyssinian scarp in this 

 situation. 



The Galla, physically speaking, are a fine race 

 of men, tall, muscular, and well formed. In the 

 colour of their skin they vary considerably, as may 

 be supposed, from the differences of situation and 

 of neighbourhood in which they have located 

 themselves. The Edjow Gallas, to the north of 

 Angotcha, are, I understand, of a lighter colour 



