The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-16 00:00:00

A VISIT. TO KING THEODORE.

The Standard publishes the travels of a visitor to
King Theodore, of whom he gives an account,
which, though differing materially from that fur-
nished to the Foreign Office in 1855 by Consul
Plowden, has yet many points of similarity. The
King is of course older, and he appears to have
given way to debauchery. The writer speaks of
hiS. high intellectual forehead, of the strong deter-
mination which marks some of his features, and of
his wild savage eye, which shows him capable of
giving way to passion and committing atrocities.
He reached Gondar by way of the Nile, and was
not therefore able to sketch the country which
must be traversed by the British force in its in-
vasion. Although the correspondence in the Times
has been shown to be wrong in taking it for
granted that there was 300 miles of jungle between
Massowah and the capital very extensive forests
cover portions of the route traversed by the writer.
The road between the Red Sea and Theodore's
capital is arid, broken by most irregular surface,
without water, and with a climate not only the
hottest in the world, but suffocating in its oppres-
siveness. The following is the writer's description
of Gondar, and of his introduction to Theodore :
" Gondar is a town cf some 4,000 or 5,000 souls,
and is built in a straggling manner along the
sloping ridge and sides of a hill, surmounted by
the gimp, or castle, to which I was at once led.
It was a large irregular building, of massive, well-
hewn masonry, the walls of immense thickness,
and some parts of it evidently of great antiquity.
An excellent view was obtained from this eminence
over the surrounding country, the broken character
of the land, intersected by hills and deep ravines
coming out in fine relief. I had not much time,
however, to admire the scenery, for a number of
soldiers, in rather an Adamite state of dress, rushed
out upon us, and demanded who and what 1 was.
Ras Yakoob having informed them that I was an
Englishman and a doctor, they asked whether I had
brought any presents to the King. On answering
in the negative, and adding bes ana' (only
myself), they shook their heads in a rather ominJus
fashion, and led me through the massive portal into
the Court-yard, where I was taken to a spacious
chamber, in which Ras Yakoob bade me wait,
leaving half-a-dozen men to guard me until he
returned. He soon made his reappearance in com-
pany with a person whom I recognised by his
habiliments to be a priest, though I might have
looked in vain at his bloated sensual features for
any external evidence of internal fitness for his post,
or for any Christian duties whatever. This gen-
tleman in black was the Abuna Salama in propria
persona, and had evidently come to gloat over the
heretic Frank, who would doubtless soon share the
fate of the other prisoners, or else to satisfy himself
as to the probability of extorting something of
value, presents or money, from me before his Im-
perial Master should forestall him.
Siete ancora uno di questi maladetti eretici, gli
ncmici della nostra Santa religiose ?' (Are you
another of these accursed heretics. the enemies of
our holy religion, which were brought to us by the
holy saints, Frumentius and Aldelins themselves ?)
Non 6 cosi, Santo padre' (not so, holy father),
I said. 'I have nothing whatever in common with
the missionaries ; my business as doctor is only for
the benefit of the body, not for the soul ! '
After some minutes' further conversation, con-
ducted in the same style, the Abuna bade me follow
him, and therewith led me to the apartments of the
King, which were situated in a distant part of the
building. We had to pass through a number of
intricate passages, all built of solid masonry, which,
however much out of repair, still bear ample evi-
dence of the great strength the place must formerly
have possessed. At last we arrived at the sanctum
sanctorunz, where his Abyssinian Majesty was to be
seen in all his glory. The room was small, but
crowded with articles of luxury, silks and damasks,
gold and silver brocades, either used as carpets or
laid on the divan. Surrounded by his guard stood
the man, stern-named the Abyssinian Wild Beast,
but whose appearance at the time -by no means
struck me as unfavourable. There was a dignity and
grace about his movements which may truly be
termed Royal, and a calmness which, with his deter-
mined cast of countenance and projecting under jaw,
could by no means be mistaken for want of will. In
fact,he is obstinate in the highest degree, and the pierc-
ing glance of his eye indicative of wild, irresistible
passion. He is rather above the middle height,
well and strongly built, a frame capable of great
endurance, with a high forehead, denoting no mean
intellectual capabilities ; but it was easy to observe
what ravages a continual indulgence of his love of
intoxicating liquors has already caused in his con-
stitution, and the mild look with which he surveyed
me only too plainly showed that even then he was
under the influence of some recent orgie.
"After staring at me in an uncomfortable fashion
some little time, he asked what business I had to
enter his dominions without his previous permis-
sion ; what my object would be in coming to Abys-
sinia, and whether I was connected with the British
Government ? Thereupon I informed him that I
was merely a traveller, who wished to become
acquainted with the ancient empire of Ethiopia,
which had been so wonderfully restored to its
former glory by his great energy and strength of
will. However, his Imperial Majesty was evidently
proof against flattery, in fact, seemed rather dis-
gusted with it, and very peremptorily informed me
that I was to consider myself a prisoner, therewith
giving orders to conduct me from his august pre-
sence. On the whole I was not dissatisfied with
the reception I had received, for knowing the pen-
chant the Nevis had for trenching heads, arras, and