The Express.
London, England, 1867-07-06 00:00:00

LETTER FROM ONE OP THE ABYSSINIAN
PRISONERS.

The following is a letter from Dr. Blanc, one
of Mr. Ramam's companions in the unfortunate mission for
the release of Consul Cameron, to a friend who is an OriiCer
in one of the regiments now serving in India. The letter
(observes the Bombay Oazette, in which we End the dom.
ment) is very freely written to come from a prisoner, but
the allusions to the Emperor Theodore are very carefully
guarded. It will be observed that Dr. Blanc, expressing
no doubt the common wish of all the Emperor Theodore's
captives, is himself anxious that their sufferings should be
brought to an end, one way or the other, by the advance of
a British army into Abyssinia :

"_Magdala, March 31, 1867.

" My dear ---,—l promised you in my note sent from
here some 15 days ago, that I would on the hat occasion
give you a longer account of our unfortunate expedition ;
however, the very thought of it di gust" me. and if it was
sot for old friendship's sake, I would throw down the pea
in despair. We left hlassowah on the 15th of October,
1865, crossed the Soudan, not a very agreeable trip, the
hot sun and want of water making it a very trying journey
for Europeans. reached Metemma, the frontier town et
Abyssinia in that direction, on the 21st of November ; we
stayed at that place until the 27th of January, Pek3.
Metemma, as in geographical books it will he described
some day, in the capital of Galabat, a province inty
bited by Takruries, • race originally from Dufour,
who on their way to the coast, finding the country plea.
sant, became settlers. All I can say is that if these
net/rote found an earthly paradise in the unhealthy low.
land of Galaba', Darfour must be a wretched place. I
hope that you will never have any idea of exploring its
torrid zone. These Takruries are a very nob.), set, three
or four times a week they would bawl all night, singing I
believe they call it, and dance or rather jump to the mo-
notonous tone of a single note extracted for hours out
of a kind of kettledrum. Some Laving served amongst
the Egyptian troops returned to their adopted
land full of ideas of disciplined armies, and at last pre-
vailed on their countrymen to adopt drill as a weekly re.
creation. Some women would be seen on Fridays going
through a series of revolutions, amazing to behold ; a bad
representation of some great battle at Astley's can perhaps
give you • faint idea of the military genius of Sheik
Jainus, the reigning sovereign of Galabat. The drill
does not seem, however, to have raised the spirit of the
tribe, as they prefer paying tribute both to Egypt and
Abyssinia rather than fight with one of t' em.
" As I have already told you on the 27th Jaauary ere
started for the highland of Abyssinia, crossed the pa
vinces of Tschetga, Darbea, Tukaxiut, and finally after •
month's travelling, generally through an uncultivated
country amongst ruins of burnt villages, we reached the
Imperial Camp close on the confines of Gaffat. Our re-
caption was above our most sanguine expectation, we had
all the show and dazzle of Oriental courts usually brought
forward on similar occasions ; the Emperor was good
enough to receive her Majesty's letter, end la
order to show his friendship he ordered at once the
prisoners to be set free and 'cut to us. After spending
some eight days with the King, we started for Kourata, •
town on the western shore of the Tana sea, to await the
arrival of the liberated captives. On the 12th of March
they joined us, and having nothing more to do in the
county we were all anxious to leave. At last we olr
tinned the royal consent, end the 13th of April WWI fixed
upon as the day we would have the honour of bidding
good bye to the hospitable monarch, whilst the former
offender", whose sight would be painful to the good king,
after all he Mod suffered at their bonds, were allowed to
proceed I y &amber route, the whole party to rendezvoas
at a village at the north-east extremity of the lake.
" You know the rest ; how we were seized, stiipped, out
property searched, made prisoner', tried, and acquittal.
The other party shared the same fate, and were brought to
us in chains. We all remained at Zags for some six weals
Mr. Fled having been sent for presents and workmen. la
the meanwhile our imprisonment was light, we could 60
out riding under the protection of a guard of honour:
our kit was returned to us, when it was was found that
nothing suited, the money alone being kept lack, pre.
kthly by mistake. Cholera, typhus, and small-pox forced
his Majesty to leave the Lake Country for the Table-
land. We accompanied him, and arrived at Geist
on the 15th June. The rainy season was beginning,
accordingly, his Majesty gave us tome huts in the
neighbourhood of Gaffat, so that all the Europeans skald
spend the dull season in the enjoyment of ale another.*
company. Pleasant or not, after ten days his Majesty pas
a stop to our intercourse with the Europeans of Gaffat, by
shutting us up in a black tent all huddled together pitched
in his own enclosure. A few days later this was even toe
good ;on the 3rd July we were made to try the effects et
a dark room es a solace to the mind ; end lastly, on the
sth, we started with his Majesty, all guemeil, but no
one knew for certain, where, until the morning of the
9th when an escort came from his Majesty to Der
tents to convey us to the Royal Residency at
Magda'. On the 12th we arrived, on the Pith we were
chained, and though his Majesty has been kind enough to
send us his compliments on several 000asioes, with the ex-
ception of a few lean cows sent on great fair days, we have
been supposed by our kind friend to have lived on the pure
air and limpid water of the fairy mountain.
" My dear fellow, you have it all now cut end dry,since
eight and a half months we are in chains, on batl grub, and
with very ugly shadows in the future. My o ly wish is
that, before even this reaches you, the 1.1.1%e K ng's Own
will be on their way, for who could bet ter teach niggers the
practical lesson between humbug and teality *:"

The son and nephews of the Sultan were present
the evening before last at the performance of the Bide so
Bois, at the Porte St. Martin Theatre. The various fsh/
scenes appeared greatly to interest them.