The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 22, 1865.

ventions of science to the purposes of war, ttre questions
which urgently demand the attention of Parliament."
There is no appearance of a contest in this divi-
sion. Mr. Liddell, the Conservative, and Mr. W.
B. Beaumont, the Liberal member, will be re-
elected, in all probability, unopposed.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE (NORTH).

There is every probability that the Northern Di-
vision of Nottinghamshire will not be contested.
The Righ Hon. J. Evelyn Denison, the Speaker,
who is very popular here, will again be brought for-
ward, and to supply the vacancy occasioned by the
retirement of Lord R. P. Clinton from ill-health, it
has been determined to bring forward Lord Edward
Clinton, his nephew, and brother of the Duke of
Newcastle. Lord Edward is a Liberal in politics.
The popularity of the Speaker and the influence of
the Newcastle family will, it is expected, prevent
any contest. Lord E. Clinton is now on his way
from Canada, where he has been on duty with his
regiment ; and it is understood that, if the electors
desire it, his lordship will resign his commission in
order to devote himself to Parliamentary duties.

Imprisonment of British Subjects in
Abyssinia•

-s-

Yesterday the papers on this subject presented to
the House of Lords, in pursuance of their address,
were issued as a parliamentary paper. The first
document, dated Feb. 2, 1861, consists of the in-
structions to Captain Cameron, British consul at
Massowah, upon his proceeding to his consulate,
and a list of the presents which he was ordered to
deliver to the King of Abyssinia. These instruc-
tions were very general. Captain Cameron was to
make Massowah his headquarters, inform himself
of the political state of affairs in Abyssinia, with
which her Majesty's Government were imperfectly
acquainted ; and ordered, if he found the civil war
still going on, not to become the partizan of either
side, but to promote amicable arrangements be-
tween the rival candidates for power. He was to
keep her Majesty's Government at home fully in-
formed of all matters of interest, and, in addition
to concerns of a political or commercial nature, to
pay particuler attention to any traffic in slaves
which might be carried on within his district. The
second paper is a short letter to Consul Cameron,
dated November 13, in which Earl Russell states
that the Queen having heard that the King of
Abyssinia paid a ransom for the late Mr. Consul
Plowden, and being desirous of making some ac-
knowledgment for the act of kindness, had directed
that a suitable present should be sent to the King.
A rifle and a pair of revolver pistols accompanied
this message, and Consul Cameron was to deliver
them to the King as soon as possible after his
arrival in Abyssinia. The next letter is of singular
composition ; it is a copy of an autograph letter of
the King of Abyssinia to her Majesty the Queen,
and it is as follows :

THE HMG OF ABYSSINIA TO THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND.
(Received February 12, 1863.)

In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, one God in Trinity, chosen by God, King of Rings,
Theodoros of Ethiopia to her Majesty Victoria, Queen of
England. I hope your Majesty is in good health. By the
power of God lam well. My fathers the Emperors having
forgotten our Creator, he handed over their kingdom to the
Gallas and Turks. But God created me, lifted me out of the
dust, and restored this empire to my rule, He endowed me
with power, and enabled me to stand in the place of my
fathers. By His power I drove away the Gallas. But for
the Turks, I have told them to leave the laid of my ances-
tors. They refuse. lam now going to wrestle with them.
Mr. Plowden, and my late Grand Chamberlain, the English-
man Bell, used to tell me that there was a great Christian
Queen, who loves all Christians. When they said to me
this—" We are able to make you known to her, and to
establish friendship between you," then in those times I
was very glad. I gave them my love, thinking that I had
found your Majesty's goodwill. All men are subject to
death, and my enemies, thinking to injure me, killed these
my friends. But by the power of God I have exterminated
those enemies, not leaving one alive, though they were of
my own family, that I may get, by the power of God, your
friendship. I was prevented by the Turks occupying the sea
coast from sending you an embassy when I was in difficulty.
Consul Cameron arrived with a letter, and presents of friend-
ship. By the power of God I was very glad hearing of your
welfare and being assured of your amity. I have received
your presents, and thank you much. I fear that if I send
ambassadors with presents of amity by Consul Cameron
they may be arrested by the Turks. And now I wish that
you may arrange for the safe passage of my ambassadors
everywhere on the road. I wish to have answer to this
letter by Consul Cameron, and that he may conduct my
embassy to England. See how the Islam oppress the
Christian.

The 4th, sth, and 6th letters were dated respec-
tively April 22, August 13, and September 8, 1863,
and express Earl Russell's disapprobation of
Consul Cameron's conduct in intermeddling in the
Affairs of Abyssinia, and directing him to return
to his post. The remaining papers consist chiefly
of copies of letters sent to the Foreign-office, con-
taining offers of assistance to obtain the liberation
of the British subjects imprisoned in Abyssinia.
On the 28th April, 1864, Dr. Charles Beke wrote
to Earl Russell, stating that a messenger from
Massowah, with letters from Europe, had fallen
into the hands of the King, who had the letters
translated to him. Dr. Beke was of opinion that
the effect upon the King of the letter from the
Foreign-office, directing Consul Cameron to leave
the court and return to Massowah, would be most
unfortunate, and expressed doubts whether the con-
sul would be permitted to take his departure. On
the 18th May in the same year Dr. Beke wrote to

the Foreign- office, renewing the offer of his services,

observing that he had resided three years in Abys-
sinia, visiting its remotest provinces, and was fami-
liar with its language and intimately acquainted with
its political, religious, commercial, and social affairs.

On the 4th of June, 1864, Major Plowden, first
cousin of the late consul, made a similar offer of his
services. On the 4th June Mr. Henry Dufton, of
Leeds, wrote to the Foreign-office, stating that his
son, who had spent four months at the Abyssinian
court, and had good opportunities of judging of
King Theodore's character, was ready to be the
bearer of a despatch from our Government to his
Abyssinian Majesty. An extract is also given
from the Leeds Intelligencer, in which Mr. Dufton
offers his views of the cause of the King's strange
conduct. A memorandum by Brigadier-General
W. M. Coghlan on the Abyssinian difficulty and
how to get out of it, dated February 8, 1865, gives
the opinion of that officer substantially as follows.
King Theodore is a parvenu, a powerful despot of
high aspirations and strong will, but he is not a
savage. The chief cause of his altered demeanour
towards Captain Cameron is the long delay in reply-
ing to the letter which he addressed to her Majesty
in January, 1863. It is understood that his dignity
is grievously wounded by this silence, which he
accepts as an affront, and a sense of this injury,
coupled with other circumstances, has led to the
deplorable state of affairs now existing at Gondar.
There is reason to believe that the King refuses the
mission of Mr. Rassam, the assistant resident at
Aden, as not being of sufficient dignity, regarding
Mr. Rassam as a mere messenger and not an envoy.
General Coghlan therefore recommends a military
embassy, headed by an officer of rank, and including
some members of a scientific corps, as Theodore is
known to attach great importance to military rank
and to scientific men. The embassy should carry a
Queen's letter indited in Oriental phraseology, highly
emblazoned and sealed, and containing compliments

and excuses, but no mention of the captives, whose
case is to be supposed to have become known to the
envoy on his way out. At Cairo the envoy should
endeavour to secure the services of two Abyssinian
monks, who, if not procurable there, might be got
from Jerusalem, who should be treated with liberal
consideration, impressed with the dignity of their
mission, and induced to interest themselves in its
ultimate object. One of them should be despatched
from the coast of Gondar, carrying a letter from the
envoy announcing his arrival bearing a letter from
the Queen. Arrived at Gondar, the envoy might,
as own his own responsibility, address the King on
the subject of the captives, expressing the hope that
they had done nothing to incur his displeasure, and
requesting that in any case they should be released,
in order that the proposed interview might proceed
on the most friendly footing. Supposing the British
mission to be well received, and the captives to be
released, there would then arise the more difficult
task of obtaining from the King some apology as a
reparation for the wrong committed on her Ma-
jesty's subjects. This would perhaps be the severest
trial of the diplomatic skill of the British embassy.
There is, however, no reason to despair of success;
on the contrary, it may be hoped that a mission
dignified in its constitution, liberal in outlay, mode-
rate in demands, and circumspect in conduct, will
so gratify the pride of the King that he will make
no difficulty in the matter of tendering such apology
as may be acceptable to her Majesty's Government.
General Coghlan believes that there is no alterna -
tive process open by which this object can be ob-
tained ; he doubts the value of any warlike aid to
be obtained from Egypt, if even it could be obtained
at all ; and observes that Theodore is alleged to have
sworn to put all his prisoners to death on any foreign
invasion of his country to effect their release. In
April last Major H. A. Leveson offered his
services to negotiate the release of Captain
Cameron. On the 19th of May Dr. Beke ad-
dressed a long communication to Earl Russell.
In his opinion it would not be consistent with the
dignity of the British nation to replace Mr. Ras-
sam's mission by one on a larger and more magnifi-
cent scale. He considers that it is well established
that King Theodore's ill-treatment of her Majesty's

consul had been mainly caused by the altereql policy
of the British Government with respect to the rela-
tions between Egypt and Abyssinia, and that the
King hopes to induce her Majesty's Government to
retrace their steps, and .continue to afford him ma-
terial aid against his enemies as was virtually done
when Mr. Consul Plowden was alive, that officer
having been an active partizan of the King, and
having lost his life while bearing arms in his cause.
This hope cannot be fulfilled, but Dr. Beke believes
that it would not be difficult to make the Abyssinian
monarch understand that by the policy now pro-
posed to be pursued towards him by the British
Government, and recommended for his adoption, he
might eventually obtain the object he has so much
at heart, inasmuch as by the cultivation of the arts
of peace he would so aggrandise himself as to be able
to cope effectually with his powerful neighbour. Dr.
Beke enlarged upon this subject, and dwells upon
the advantages which could be pointed out to King
Theodore in the capabilities of his country in cotton
growing, and its resources in coal and iron. He is
of opinion also that the telegraphic communication
between England and India should be effected by
continuing the Egyptian line from Khartum across
Abyssinia to the sea coast. Dr. Beke would support
his arguments by presenting to the King specimens
of articles of British manufacture capable of being
made from the cotton of Abyssinia, and specimens
of the infinite variety of articles that might be manu-
factured from the fine iron which the King's terri-
tories contain in such abundance.