The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-08 00:00:00

The British Captives in Abyssinia.

The interest which would, in ordinary circum-
stances, have been excited by the publication of
additional papers relating to the Abyssinian affair,
which have been printed in return to the address of
the House of Commons on the subject, will be vastly
increased by the tidings just received of the escape
of the prisoners out of the hands of the Emperor

'heodorus. The correspondence now added to the
already voluminous documents before the public
extends to the number of 160 letters, besides en-
closures; and the dates range from November 9,
1865, to July 27 in this year. The more recent of
the communications are those addressed to Lord
Stanley by persons of enterprise, having a know-
ledge of the country in which the missionaries are
or were held captive, together with his lordship's
replies. The suggestions and offers of personal
service made by Captain INT. Parker Snow are the
most striking points of these later documents. Cap-
tain Snow relies in a great degree on his power of
disguising himself, and proposes to enter Abyssinia
from the east as an Arab. Adverting to his many
extraordinary dealings with " the most savage races
of mankind," hesays "It may appear absurd to relate
how--sometimes as an acrobat, then a medicine man,
next a grave ruler of the stars, or a laughing
merry- andrew, but always kind and gentle as
well as firm—l have got on. Playing with the chil-
dren, admiring the women (no matter how ugly),
and humouring the men (who are often but big
babies), I have passed scatheless through wild people
who, before and afterwards (most remarkably in
two cases, Australia and Tierra del Fuego), mur-
dered the white men visiting them. A bold, fierce
dash, with no shadow of timidity, is, however, ne-
cessary, and they respect it."
It is impossible to give, within the space allowed
by the other requirements of a newspaper, an ab-
stract that shall convey any thorough and vivididea
of the strange story involved in these letters. The
Emperor Theodorus contributes some of the most
wonderful epistles ever printed to this varied and
interesting mass. They are written in the Amharic,
and of course translated into English ; and they in-
variably begin with a mixture of religion and courtly
compliment, in this fashion : " In the name of the
Father, of the Sou, and of the Holy Ghost, one God,
amen. From the servant of our Lord and His
created Being, the son of David, the son of Solomon,
the King of Kings (of Ethiopia), Theodorus, to her
whom God has exalted above all sovereigns and
glorified above all princes and peoples, and made
the defender of the Christian faith, and the succour

of the poor and oppressed, 'Victoria, Queen of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland."
On the 29th of January, 186 G, the Emperor thus
delivers himself :
" Had the illustrious Hormuzd Rassam, whom
your Majesty has mentioned to us in your letter,
not been sent to us about the matter of Cameron

and others, but the lowest of your servants, he
would have been received graciously by us. We
now send, with Hormuzd Rassam, Cameron and

all the other Europeans about whom your Majesty
has written. Your Majesty can learn from those
who fear the Lord the ill-treatment and abuse which
we have received at the hands of the above-men-
tioned Europeans and the Copt who called himself
Metropolitan, the Aboona Salama. In my humble
position I am not worthy to address your Majesty,
but illustrious princes and the deep ocean can bear
everything. I, being an ignorant Ethiopian, hope
that your Majesty will overlook my shortcomings
and pardon my faults. The people whom we have
imprisoned for their reviling and defaming us did
so because the Gallas had proved victorious over the
Royal children of Israel and had humbled them ;
but God has empowered me, the son of one of the
humble women of Israel, to regain that which bad
been lost by my forefathers. Doubtless your Ma-
jesty has learnt how ignorant and blind the peOple
of Ethiopia arc ; wherefore I beg of your Majesty
not to take amiss the mistakes I may make in my
correspondence with you. Counsel me, but do not
blame me, 0
Queen, whose majesty God has glori-
fied, and to whom He has given abundance of
wisdom."
The promise so submissively made in the forego-
ing letter was immediately afterwards broken, with
an additional flagrant violation of faith, Mr. Ras-
Sam himself—" the illustrious Ilormuzd Rassam,"
as he is called by the Emperor Theodorus—being,
together with his companions, made fellow-prisoners
with Mr. Cameron and the rest.
Mr. Flad, the German missionary, writing to the
Earl of Clarendon, points to certain evidence that
the Emperor had formed an intention of keeping
Mr. Rassam as well as the others in order to get a
" kassa," or ransom, from the Queen of England.
It was his wish to have skilled artisans sent out to
him, "to open his eyes," as he repeatedly said. In
a letter to one of his officers, Detaty Tadla, com-
manding the detention of the Europeans, his Ma-
jesty says :—" By the power of God, I, the King
of Kings, Thordorus, am well. We have been angry
with our friends and with those Europeans who say
we go to our country, and we are not yet recon-
ciled. Until we consult what we are going to do
take hold of them, but do not make them uncom-
fortable or afraid, and do not hurt them." After-
wards they had an interview, thus narrated by Mr.
Flad :—" As soon as we had approached near his
Majesty and received his salutation, we fell dow
to the ground, asking his Majesty to forgive and to
pardon us. We were ordered to get up, and to
come nearer. We bad the honour to take a
seat on a carpet. The King brought forth
the petition of the relations of the English
prisoners, which had been sent from Massowah by
Dr. Beko. Captain Cameron was asked to read it.
After that the King said, It is the devil who made
me angry with you, and who tempted me to de-
stroy the friendly feelings existing since the late
Mr. Plowden, between myself and England. From
my childhood I like the Europeans, especially the
English ; and God knows that, from morning till
evening, I had no other desire than to get in alli-
ance with the English nation. It is true that, by
the power of God, I will fight the Turks ; but there
never arose a thought in my mind to fight with the
English. What I wish is, that they shall love me
and be my friends. Mr. Stern,' said ho, you are
quite innocent; it is not you who abused me, it is
that Copt, who calls himself a monk and a bishop.
He made me angry with you, and he abused me.
And Mr. Flad, God knows I never had any bad
feelings against him. lie never committed any-
thing which could make me angry with him, And