CONSUL SKINNER'S MISSION TO ABYSSINIA 



ROBERT P. SKINNER, U. S. 

 consul-general at Marseilles, 

 who was sent on a special mis- 

 sion to Abyssinia, in November of last 

 year, to negotiate a trade treaty with 

 King Menelik and to gather information 

 respecting the commercial resources of 

 that country, has made a brief report 

 of his mission to the Department of 

 State. As a result of Mr Skinner's 

 efforts a treaty has been negotiated with 

 the Emperor's government which, if 

 ratified by the Senate, will secure to the 

 United States for all time the privileges 

 of the most favored nation in Ethiopia, 

 and at the same time guarantee to our 

 citizens and to our merchandise im- 

 munity from discrimination in rates 

 upon all public roads and lines of com- 

 munication. The following paragraphs 

 are extracted from Mr Skinner's report : 

 Acting on behalf of the Agricultural 

 Department, I have secured a collection 

 of the seeds of the more important crops 

 peculiar to Ethiopia, a number of which 

 may be found valuable in the exploita- 

 tion of the uncultivated western lands of 

 the United States. A collection of wild 

 coffee seeds for experimental purposes 

 could not be obtained during my visit, 

 but have been ordered and will be ulti- 

 mately forwarded. Such a collection 

 could only be found in Kaffa, a remote 

 province of the country, access to which 

 involves a long and expensive journey. 

 The experts of the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment have a theory that the degenera- 

 tion of the modern plantations is due to 

 the fact that coffee culture has been 

 based upon seed originally imported 

 from Arabia, and that by getting back 

 to the wild coffee plant, the habitat of 

 which is the province of Kaffa, a new 

 variety may be created, the value of 

 which will be incalculable. My en- 

 deavor to obtain a pair of large zebias 

 for cross-breeding purposes was also in 

 vain. These animals are exceedinarlv 



rare and difficult to capture alive. I 

 have left instructions, however, in re- 

 gard to this matter, and trust to be able 

 to supply two of these animals sometime 

 in the future. 



The journey from Djibouti to Dire- 

 Douah was made over the barely com- 

 pleted railroad, a distance of 186 miles. 

 At this point camels were procured for 

 the baggage and supplies, and mules 

 for mounts. Our party of thirty suc- 

 ceeded in departing from Dire-Douah 

 on November 28 for the capital, where 

 we arrived December 18, camping about 

 three miles from the Emperor's palace. 

 Our arrival was the signal for prompt 

 calls from M. L,eon Chefneux, counselor 

 of state, and one of the two foreign ad- 

 visers of the Emperor, M. Alfred Ilg 

 being then absent in Europe. Two 

 hours later, accompanied by M. Chef- 

 neux, the mission set out for the ade- 

 rach, or seat of government, accompa- 

 nied by an Ethiopian escort of 3,000 

 men under the command of a distin- 

 guished general. 



Although our reception at Harrar 

 had not been devoid of military pomp, 

 we were all astonished and our appre- 

 ciation of the picturesque gratified by 

 this first glimpse of Ethiopian troops 

 upon a ceremonial occasion. Arrayed 

 in gorgeous silks and satins, with lion 

 and leopard skin mantles, gold and 

 silver plated bucklers, carrying lances 

 from which floated the national colors, 

 mounted upon spirited horses, they gal- 

 loped into formation, the very order of 

 which was an apparent disorder, shift- 

 ing like a kaleidoscope and constituting 

 a scene as indescribable as it was mem- 

 orable. A band of shawm-players her- 

 alded our coming with weird music 

 which has not changed since the fall of 

 Jericho. 



At the palace, or guebi, our escort 

 fell back, and the mission, always ac- 

 companied by the marines and blue 



