The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-08 00:00:00

kindly to the unfortunate man. Orders had been
sent that he should be fettered hand and foot ; but
his ankles were too much inflamed to be ironed
without great agony, and so the royal order was
transgressed. His left hand was tied to his right foot,
and in that state he and his servant were marched
to Gondar. There his baggage was searched by
Mr. Flad, M. Bardel, one Samuel (a very doubtful
convert), and some officers of the royal household.
Mr. Stern warned M. Bardel that there were some
papers and diaries which might compromised him
(Mr. Stern). " Dont be afraid," said the French-
man, " if anything is found, I'll say they are the
journals of —," a gentleman then in England.
Meanwhile—

" The anticipated arrival of favourable letters from
the British Government, as well as the energetic
efforts of the Metropolitan and other friends, dis-
pelled every doubt of my speedy release. Capt. Cam-
eron, H.B.M. consul, also kindly offered to exert
himself on my behalf, but I disclaimed all assis-
tance that was not strictly of a conciliatory and
friendly character. About the beginning of Novem-
ber the King wrote to his European workmen at
Gaffat that he had tortured me long enough, and
that, if they approved of it, they should come to
Gondar and reconcile us. My prospects now looked
bright and hopeful, when unexpectedly his Majesty
was informed that Ihad papers unfavourable to him.
This was exactly four weeks after my beating and
incarceration. Not dreaming of anything inauspi-
cious, and animated by the sweet hope of liberty, I
passed the greater part of the day in conversation
with my guards, when, unexpectedly, Samuel and a
party of soldiers came rushing into my prison, seized
every article in it, and carried them off to the King.
My Egyptian servant, Joseph, who had been my
fellow prisoner, though not in chains, was re-
quested to follow. Two hours of torturing suspense
had elapsed, when bags, boxes, &c., were again
brought back, minus every paper and book.
They had been handed to M. Bardel, who acted as
examiner, and now and then the King said Cocab
(my name) is a belhademga (clever man) ; then again
a toungonlenya (a cunning rascal). The glowing
prospects of freedom and restoration to the bosom
of my family from that hour sank before my mind's
vision. In the evening I was given in charge of
severer guards, and tied hands and feet. Twenty-
five soldiers and five chiefs were now appointed as
my regular guard. No stranger was allowed to ap-
proach my tent. A servant of the chief jailer now
and then baked me a few flat cakes, and brought me
a leather bottle of water. Some of the guards, in
whose good graces I bad wormed myself informed
me that I had an enemy at Gondar, and snapping
their fingers (a sign that all is over), ejaculated We
are all dust and must die."

After several days of suspense and suffering came
a gleam of hope. Mr. Stern was now told that--
"The longed-for letter from the British Govern-
ment would arrive in two days, and that on Friday
I was to be liberated. Seconds yielded to minutes,
minutes to hour, and at last came Friday. I had
already lost trust in messages, but early on that
morning, to my agreeable surprise and gratitude, the
feet chains were opened. Less guarded than usually,
I sat in my tented prison, and prayerfully ruminated
on my future destiny. About mid-day my fierce
chief gaily marched into the tent, and commanded
that I should accompany him to his Majesty. I im-
mediately obeyed the summons, but instead of a pri-
vate interview with the monarch, I found the whole
army drawn up in a square, the utmost line which
was occupied by a kind of throne on which sat the
King, shaded by gigantic silken umbrellas. On
the left side of his Majesty, I noticed Messrs.
Bardel and Zander, and on the right a host of
priests and scribes, whilst in the interior of
the square, squatted on carpets, were ranged
in opposite lines the King's European workmen,
11.8. M. Consul, and the missionaries. Scarcely one
of the Europeans ventured to gaze at me, whilst
myriads of black glittering eyes vainly tried to
pierce my inmost soul. On looking round I saw
Rosenthal in chains, standing about a hundred
steps from me."
They were to be judged according to a code
which pronounces the penalty of death on all who
by speech or writing offend the King.

" Ten articles, I believe, were brought forward
against me, and the most formidable of these were
the assertion that a war between the King and a
foreign Power would remove intolerance and in-
troduce religious liberty ; that since the death of
Mr. Bell the King had no good counsellor ; that
various provinces, and also Genda, had been plun-
dered ; and, lastly, that in passing a place where
lay bleaching in the rays of the sun 700 or .800
skulls, I had stated in my diary that they had been
murdered in cold blood. The only offensive state-
ment in my book, of which I had unfortunately
one copy, was the pedigree of his Majesty, and the
last heavy crime consisted in my having added a
few harmless and complimentary notes from the
Metropolitan. Rosenthal's sins (which were laid
upon me, though I knew not a word of what he
had written till that very moment) consisted in
some remarks about the King's private life in a
letter to a relative in London. Even Mrs. Flad was
arraigned before this Imperial Court, and that, for-
sooth, because she wrote to me a year before, in a
note which I carelessly threw among other papers,
that the Abyssinian lion had degenerated into a
tiger. She was immediately pardoned on account
of her husband, who was so good a friend to the
King—but myself and Rosenthal, notwithstanding
all I urged against the malice and obvious perver-
sions in the translations, were unanimously declared
guilty. Knowing full well, from sad experience,
what the verdict implied, I appealed to Samuel,
and entreated him to solicit the royal pardon,
in our behalf. Ile at first did not deign to give a
reply ; but, on reiterating the request, he angrilyre-
torted, ' To-morrow, to-morrow.' The King now
waved his hand, and both• Mr. Rosenthal and my-
self were led off to one common tented prison. The
same evening, Jaquebby, our fiendish jailer, tumbled
half drunk into our tent, and, after eyeing me
awhile like a basilisk, he exclaimed, 'lf I had a
sword I would cut off that dog's head,' and then,
making again a pause, he jumped un, dragged me
along the ground by the chain, and, amidst a shower
of the vilest epithets, began to hammer tight my
fetters."

By-and-by there came fresh rumours that the
"impatiently expected letter from the British Go-
vernment had arrived," and this gave the prisoners
fresh hope. But on the 4th of December they saw
reason to banish hope.
" About noon that day our fetters on the feet
were removed, and, escorted by a detachment of
soldiers, we were conducted before the King. His
Majesty was at our arrival engaged in administering
justice, and for two hours we had to stand close to
criminals who were undergoing tile dreadful punish-
ment of the giraffe'—whipping with buffalo-hide
thong. On being summoned nearer, his Majesty
ironically said, in reference to an expression which
had inadvertently dropped from my lips, ' Are you
now afraid ?' We gave no reply, but quietly re-
signed ourselves to Him who is a help to His ser-
vants in every time of need. His Majesty then
peremptorily inquired why we had insulted him.
Fearlessly, though respectfully, I returned, ' Our
object has not been to insult your Majesty, nor have
we written a single word in the language of this
country ; but if we have done wrong we humbly
crave your royal pardon.' Samuel, who acted as
interpreter, had not yet quite translated the above
sentence, when the King commanded to take away
our shamas and shirts. Miserable, wretched,
with a mere rag around the waist, we were con-
ducted back to our prison. Our guards
now consulted among themselves whether they should
leave us in the open air orpermit us to occupy again
the tent. The fear of our escape induced them to
consign us again to our old place, where on the bare
ground we spent a never-to-be-forgotten 12 hours.
Cold and chilly with the night, gloomy and sad ap-
peared the dawn of day. Our chief jailer who had
gone to the King, came back in about two hours,
but instead of leading us to execution, as we had
every reason to believe, he brought to each a tattered
rag, and also ordered us to have some bread and
water. Respite, and not release, did not lighten our
to t e
burden or mitigate our mental and physical suffer-
ings. A young native lad in the service of Mr. Flad,
accompanieddoor of
fy a
our friendly,tent saonldd i ebry,
signs occasionallygav e 11. c
to e

understand that we were ere long to be liberated.
Our guards also put a stop to their petty tyrannies,
and some became even civil and communicative. We
now heard from all sides that our lives had been in
imminent peril—nay, we were assurred that on the
day the King had us stript, the knives to cut off our
hands and feet were actually lying close to the spot
where we stood, and that the fell deed was only pre-
vented by the energetic remonstrances and inter-
cessions of the head of the monks. Fifteen days
more in trouble and exhausting anxiety rolled away.
I do not recollect the date, but it was on a rainy
and dull morning, that our tent door was lifted up,
and to our surprise as well as joy there entered Flad,
Samuel, several of the Bishop's and King's people.
My body being almost bent double by the chains,
Flad softly requested me not to rise, as is cus-
tomary at the receipt of a royal message, but
simply told me that his Majesty wished me to
give him the exact price of certain silks which
had been presented to him by the Metro-
politan. The Bishop presented to the King on
his own account articles of considerable value, as he
hoped thereby to gain his favour and promote my
restoration to freedom.

" Having finished the valuation, which I could
easily do, as most had been purchased by me in
England, Samuel ordered me to get up, and then in
a bland speech he informed me that it had been the
King's design to kill me, but that God had not per-
mitted it,. and that now I had the means of regain-
ing the royal favour if I supplied Mr. Flad, who was
going to Europe, with letters to procure machines
and one or two gunpowder makers. On the return
of Mr. Flad, his Majesty would also allow me to
leave Abyssinia, and that, too, overloaded with pre-
sents, and a name famous in Africa and Europe.
During the interval his Majesty would set me free
and afford me occupation in taking for him photo-
graphic sketches. I felt inclined to object to all
these proposals, but Flad, to whom the King himself
had shown the spot where he intended to kill me,
advised me to give an unqualified assent to every
demand, as otherwise it might go badly with myself,
and also Mr. Rosenthal. His Majesty sent the fol-
owing day to open our hand chains, but on Mr.
Flad's representation that my legs were in a bad
state, the order was reversed. Flad subsequently
said that the King wanted that the same fetters
should that very day be attached to the Consul and
Makerer (the Consul's servant), and that he had to
beg most earnestly to prevent the command from
being carried into effect."
Affairs now looked brighter. The prisoners were
allowed more liberty ; a servant was appointed to
wait on them ; and a message was sent to the Euro-
peans at Gaffat to come to Gondar " and reconcile
us." But now--

" Captain Cameron, uninformed of all this,
sent in a letter demanding leave to depart for his
post at Massowah, in compliance with orders from
the British Government. This once more proved
fatal to my own and Rosenthal's prospects ; and on
the 3d January, 1864, Captain Cameron, his Eu-
ropean servant, and all the missionaries, were put
in fetters, and we, together with them, confined in
one common prison within the royal enclosure."
Here Mr. Stern's letter ends—with the beginning
of his worst misfortunes, which we may have to
describe on a future occasion.

Launch of a Steam Yacht for the Viceroy
of Egypt.

Yesterday the paddle-wheel steam yacht Mahrouuse,
which has been built by the Messrs. Samuda Brothers. for
his Imperial Highness the Viceroy of Egypt, was launched
from the building-yard of that firm, Millwall, Poplar, in
the presence of a large number of ladies and gentlemen
who had been invited to witness the spectacle, and of a vast
concourse of other persons who thronged the yard and
adjacent premises.
The vessel committed to the waters under these auspi-
cious circumstances promises to mark a new and important
era in the constantly progressive history of steam naviga-
tion. She is the largest of her class ever built, measuring
400 feet over all, with 42 feet beam, 29 feet depth, and
3,200 tons burden. Great as aro these dimensions, the
order for the Mahrousse was given by the Viceroy
personally to Mr. Sammie, on his visit to Egypt in
October last, and her first plate was laid only on the
13th of January last. As regards her form, and all de-
tails affecting her sea-going qualities, the Messrs. Samuda
were left entirely free, it being the object of the Vice-
roy to have the most perfect vessel that modern art
could produce. If an opinion can be hazarded as to her
furture performances from her figure and buoyancy and
the great space which has been reserved for her engines,
stores, and miscellaneous accommodation, it might be
assumed that the desire of the Viceroy will be fully realised.
Messrs. Samuda express their confident expectation that the
Mahrousse will be able to make 18/ knots or 22 statute miles
per hour, and 16/ knots on her ordinary sea voyage. Should
this belief be sustained by the performance, the Viceroy will
be enabled to make the journey from Alexandria to Mar-
seilles in about three days, or little more than half the time
at present occupied in the conveyance of the India mail over
the same portion of its route. The high reputation of tho
firm of Samuda Brothers justifies the expectation that this
economy of time will be obtained, and in that event it will
immediately become the duty of the Governments of Great
Britain and France to make provision for the corresponding
acceleration of the mail, an object of the highest importance
to this country in particular.
The internal arrangements of the vessel are on the most
ample scale, and include, under a full poop, a suite of mag-
nificent state-rooms nine feet high, the largest saloon being
60 feet by 38. Below the deck the entire range of cabins
is nearly equally lofty, and the whole length of the vessel
aft of tho engines is appropriated to state apartments for the
Viceroy and his special attendants, while an entire deck
below the main cabins is devoted to the use of his suite and
high officers of State.
The ceremony of christening the vessel was performed by
Mrs. Charles Oppenheim. The hour appointed for the
launch was 1.45, it being then high water, and the neces-
sary arrangements had been completed with so much punc-
tuality, that within a minute or two of that time steps were
taken for releasing the cradle in which-the vessel was
supported on the ways. the bottle being broken
against her graceful bows, and the small cord cut
which held the " monkey-weights" suspended the fall of
the latter removed the " dog-shores," and the ponderous
mass immediately commenced its descent along the incline
plane, and presently afterwards entered the water amid
the hearty cheers of the assembled spectators. After being
brought to, the Mahrousse was towed down the river to
the Victoria Docks, under the largo lifting sheers of which
she will receive her engines, which have been constructed
for her by the eminent firm of James Penn and Sons, of
Greenwich. They aro a pair of condensing engines of
800-horse power nominal, but capable of doing at least
seven times the amount of work so represented. Every
recognised improvement has been applied in their construc-
tion ; and having regard to the circumstances under which
the vessel was to be turned out of hand, we may reason-
ably suppose that they will be worthy specimens of the
perfection of machine-making in England. The Mahrousse
is to be got ready for sea with all possible despatch, and
every exertion will be made to complete her within two
months from the present time, when her trial trip will be
looked forward to with considerable interest.

Shortly after the launch the event was celebrated by an.
elegant dejeuner, supplied by Mr. Roberts of the Artichoke
Tavern, Blackwall, in his most approved style. The chair
was taken by Mr. Samuda, M.P. for Tavistock, and about
80 ladies and gentlemen were present. The toasts included
" Success to the Mahrousse," with which Mr. Samuda
coupled the name of Captain Fedrigo Bey, who appeared in
the Turkish naval uniform, and holds the Viceroy's com-
mission for the Mahrousso. The toast was cordially drunk,
and Capt. Fedrigo Boy appropriately acknowledged it.

The beautiful steam-tender of Messm.Penn and Co. con-
voyed a large number of the party hick to London.
This morning an iron-clad frigate, to be called the Inde-
pendencia, which has been built by tho same firm for the
Peruvian Government, will be launched from the adjoining
slips in the same yard.

WITHOUT THE MAILS.--The Clarksville (Texas)
Standard has the following :—" The mails being
discontinued, we aro under the necessity of getting our
news from report. From several sources we learn that
President Johnson was killed on the 6th July at Washing-
ton by Gon. Grant in a personal altercation arising from
Johnson's unwillingness to maintain in good faith the terms
of the convention entered into by Grant with Lee, and by
Sherman with Johnston. The report was at first scarcely
listened to, but it has been corroborated by several persons
who have passed through town within the week ; and one
of our informants who has just arrived from Dardanelle,
Arkansas, saw the account in the newspapers of three dif-
ferent localities, and mentions that all the papers were in
mourning. .He also heard the occurrence discussed by
Federal officers at Dardanelle. The killing occurred in a
private room at the State Department, and without wit-
nesses; and all we hear is that Gen. Grant said he was
compelled.to kill him. As President Johnson's habits aro
known to have been very irregular, and he was a man of
strong will and denunciatory mode of expression, those may
have brought on a physical contest., and in a measure com-
pelled the result. The President of the Senate will bo his
successor till the 4th of March. This is Mr. Collamer, of
Vermont, a man of more than average mind- -far above the
grade of Andrew Johnson's ; and, though an opponent to
slavery, a fair and just-minded opponent, and we shall have
hopes of liberal treatment of the South."

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TlMES.—Twenty-four hours are left us to specu-
late on the fate of the Atlantic Cable. To-morrow
it is expected that the Great Eastern will be once
more at Valentia, with her account of the disaster.
That account may or may not be absolutely con-
clusive as to the cause of the failure. It is re-
markable that precisely as wars appear to be neces-
sary to teach us geography, so we are all learning
more about electricity and magnetism by the sue-
eessive failures of this grand project. Few of our
readers can pretend to have known much about
magnetic storms breaking out suddenly and simul-
taneously over a large portion of the globe, or earth
currents, or magnetic deflection so strong as to
overpower for many hours the arranged signals of
the wire. We are learning every day, and, for our
part, we are ready to hail any accession to science
even in an inconvenient form. We did suppose, in
our ignorance, that the copper wire, once completely
insulated in gutta percha, would be proof against
all magnetic influences, except those which the
operators chose to give it at the two extremities,
and, unless it be a very stormy passage of the earth
current from one extremity to the other, we cannot
see what is to interfere with the regular passage of
signals. But if this be so, and if every wire, how-
ever insulated, is liable to be flooded, so to speak,
with earth currents and disabled for human pur-
poses, here is a fresh source of error and perplexity
we had not reckoned upon. For example, on this
supposition it is possible that the present disaster
may have been as follows :—The supposed earth
current having thrown the cable quite out of order,
the operators on board the Great Eastern may
have perceived that disorder, but may yet have been
quite at a loss how to account for it. The elec-
tricians and the whole scientific world of England
have nothing to do but to make the best conjectures
they can on the reported facts ; but the small staff
on board the Great Eastern, working under great
difficulties, have not only to make conjectures,
but also to act. Becoming conscious of a failure
in the Cable, we doubt very much whether they
would ascribe it to earth currents and proceed
with their work, hoping that all would be right
in a few hours. They would take a safer course.
They would immediately begin to draw in the cable
to discovei the fault, if discoverable; but anyhow
to heaye the cable on board. We are now told that
if the sea were heavy, as it is assumed for certain
reasons to have been just before the mishap, the
cable would be likely to break under this process.
It is, then, possible that the cable has perished from
no fault of its own, but merely because a " magnetic
storm" has laid it under suspicion, and the attempt
to investigate the suspected fault has proved too
much for the strength of the cable. After
the numerous and solid successes of submarine
telegraphy, and after the fact of this cable being
successfully laid-for two-thirds of its length, we can-
not entertain a doubt of its final success. Nay, more,
we believe that every experiment will leave on record
its well-defined lesson, and each renewal of the de-
sign will be more likely to succeed, and to prove a
lasting success, than the last. Hitherto the failures
have been clearly traced to purely mechanical causes,
and we do not expect to hear to-morrow that either
a whale, or a shark, or an iceberg, or any other
agent beyond human control or prevision has done
this mischief. The bottom of the Atlantic is the
most lifeless and most unchangeable place in this
terraqueous globe ; and the only foe we have to
dread there is the sharp upturned edge of a rock,
rising high from the surrounding level, and thereby
pressed into the substance of the cable. Such a
rock might occur on a particular route, but not oc-
cur half a mile on either side of it. On the calcu-
lation of chances, we might safely reckon on its
non-occurrence the next time. On the whole, then,
we must conclude success to be within the reach of
art, and attainable with due care. But there comes
the difficulty. A very elaborate fabric is to be ren-
dered proof against an incessant, insinuating, and
instantly fatal antagonist for the immense length of
2,300 miles. Who ever knew a house slated without
a few faulty slates? Who ever knew a carpet taken
up and relaid without a " tack " or a pebble being
left under it? The greatest human vigilance will
nod. The fault discovered in this cable on the first
day was owing to a bit of wire left in the tank, and
no doubt dropped ip the operation of piecing. Such
an operation ought not to have been performed in the
tank. The Most careful workman leaves vestiges
behind him. But the vigilance necessary to secure
the success of this cable must continue from the first
moment of the manufacture to the last of the paying
out. The last is done by night and by day, pos-
sibly in a storm, with all the powers of mind and
body exhausted. Many people are incapable of
self-control, and unable even to know what they are
saying, after a single day of great and protracted
fatigue. What must be the case of all concerned in
paying out the Atlantic cable, of ter a whole week
of it, not to speak of much previous anxiety and
hard work? It would be strange if, after all, the
laud should beat the sea ; and the Russians and
Americans should have completed the telegraphic
wire from London to New York, via Siberia and
Behring's Straits, before the success of the cable.
There can be no question as to the possibility of the
land line ; but England naturally inclines to the
Atlantic route. Both are only a question of time
and money. In the too probable event of the Great
Eastern returning with a tale of disaster we ought
immediately to set about improving our cable. It
appears to be admitted that it is capable of improve-
ment. The roughness of its exterior, consisting of
tarred hemp, is alleged as a reason why it could only
be drawn in from a great depth very slowly indeed.
It is said, too, that in the event of a sudden strain
by a lurch of the ship, a rope incapable of passing
quickly through the water would certainly break.
One other suggestion we beg to make. It may,
perhaps, have been anticipated by the great depths
at which submarine cables have already been laid.
If it has not, then we ask whether the Atlantic cable
has been tried under the pressure of an Atlantic
depth, produced by artificial means. A depth of
2,000 fathoms is equal to 360 atmospheres, and may
possibly have effects on the cable not exactly and
fully foreseen. The accounts always assume that
the cable is improved by the pressure, and works
better the lower it is laid. It is yet possible, how-
ever, that the pressure may aggravate any accidental
defeat. The destruction of the first cable was a
work of time ; though a fracture has been suggested,
nothing was ever proved. A few hours, however,
will add so much to the facts of the present failure
that we hope, even if this cable be lost, we shall find
ourselves to-morrow one step eicarer to final and
complete success.
POST. —The announcement that President
Johnson had issued an order for the liberation on
parole of the Confederate generals and other mili-
tary officers who have for upwards of three months
been confined in Fort Warren and other prisons in
the United States will be received with satisfaction.
The suggestion, at first gravely advanced by the
organs of public opinion in the North, and to all
appearances endorsed by the Government, that
every one who had taken a conspicuously active
part in the rebellion, whether in the civil or the
mi-
litary service of the Confederacy, should be selected
for punishment has at length been abandoned. The
President has found that it is virtually impossible to
carry out in all their strictness the provisions of his
celebrated amnesty proclamation, and sees himself
compelled by the force of circumstances, if not by
feelings of humanity, to introduce such modifica-
tions as may have the effect of rendering it more
conformable to the spirit of the age in which we
live. Although, however, the amnesty is now to be
extended to the great mass of the military officers
. in the Confederate army, however high their rank,
it will be noticed with regret that the best and
• greatest of them all has not yet been restored to
liberty. Robert Lee is still a prisoner, and there are
to be found those who declare that he should only
leave his gaol to mount a scaffold. The accidental
circumstance of having been unsuccessful is all that
has deprived Lee of a position scarcely second to
that of George Washington ; but even although
obliged, when overpowered by numbers, to lay
down his sword, the Confederate generalissimo will
always hold one of the proudest places in American
history. So far as we are in a position to judge, it
would seem that the American Government, with all
the desire to mete out the most severe punishment
to the bulk of those whose gallantry and courage
so long kept them at arm's length, are unable to
discover a means of gratifying their vengeance.
It would be a little too absurd to put a large
number of generals, brigadiers, lieutenant-
colonels, and other field officers on their trial for
treason because they had served the Confederate
Government, and accordingly Mr. Johnson's ad-
visers have been compelled to counsel their dis-
charge. It is, however, a matter for observation
that those provisions in the proclamation which
pressed heaviest on civilians, and which can with-
out trouble be enforced, remain unrepealed. The
leading citizens of Richmond in vain besought Mr.
Johnson to withdraw that proviso from the procla-
mation which excluded from its operations all per-
sons possessed of a few thousand dollars. The Pre-
sident, however, remained inexorable. He evidently
deems it expedient to retain in its position a screw
which can be tightened at pleasure. There appears
to be a growing impression that the American
Government are preparing the public on both sides
of the Atlantic for the execution of Mr. Davis. This
may or may not be without foundation, but it is
impossible to deny that several of the American
journals have been for some time past apparently
" leading" to such a consummation. A communi-
cation which appeared a few days since in the
columns of a contemporary, and which by its tone
and substance unmistakably pointed to such a re-
sult, and almost went the length of justifying it,