The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-31 00:00:00

sinieriritirth
Mr. Salt was in Abyssinia he made many inquiries about
this road through Ba e, which his friend Ras Walda
Sela-
sye assured him was the best approach from the cdast, it
being only four days' journey to Antalo, his capital, and
well supplied with both water and cattle."
A considerable amount of information concerning
the rulers and people of Abyssinia has been collected
by Colonel James. The government is feudal in cha-
racter, each chief ha;ing absalute command of his
own territory, subject to the condition that he makes
war with as large a force as he is able to muster.
According to Dr. Belie, the Emperor claims autho-
rity by virtue of his descent from King Solomon
and the Queen of Sheba. This pedigree may not
be strictly accurate, but it is known that the Abys-
sinians possessed a native copy of the Scriptures
as early as the fourth centry. For many
years past the Emperor has been invested with
merely nominal authority, the chiefs lording it over
him iu any manner they pleased. The empire is
divided into three principal provinces—Tigre, Am-
hara, and Shoa, and some minor ones, among them
being Lasta and Waag. The governors of all these
provinces have been in rebellion against the King,
and their feeling towards the new invaders of their
country has not yet been ascertained. Our letters,
however, recently informed us that the chief of
Tigre had professed himself friendly to the expedi-
tion. Tigre and Shoa have always been in a state
of quasi-independence.
The Abyssinians are principally Christians of the
Coptic sect. " They hold," we are told, " many of
the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith, such as
priestly absolution, fast, worship of saints, conven-
tualism," &c. Upon these observances they have
strangely grafted some Mahomedan rites, and the
trace of Jewish institutions is likewise perceptible.
They are very superstitious, the priests have
unchecked influence over them, and their
Christianity is, as may be'supposed from modern
accounts, a mere name. The Emperors are crowned
by the " Abuna," cr head of the Church, who is
consecrated by the Patriarch of Alexandria. But
the present Abuna once, in an evil moment, confided
to the missionaries his impression that Theodore's
mother was not really descended from the Queen of
Sheba, and this slur upon his family connexions so
wounded the sensitive Monarch that the Abuna has
ever since been out of favour. Nevertheless, it is said
that any man whom the Abuna chose to crown
would:be recognised .a.a.King lay the people. ,Aaulang,
the saints in the Abyssinian calendar, which is ex-
tremely extensive, are Balaam and his ass and
Pontius Pilate and his wife. They fast so often
that two-thirds of the year are assigned to absti-
nence. The Bishop of Jerusalem, Dr. Gobat, de-
scribes them as " very immoral and licentious,
priest-ridden and bigoted, but hospitable to tra-
vellers, and with no cruelty in their disposition."
The Shohoes, of whom late letters have frequently
spoken, hold the Mahomedan religion, in common
with many other tribes.
The number of men which a King of Abyssinia
could bring into the field against a foreign enemy
is very uncertain, on account of the divisions be-
tween the chieftains. Major Harris, in the year
1840, accompanied a military expedition which
started from Shoa, and observed that in advance of
the army were borne a copy of the Bible and the
ark of the Cathedral of St. Michael. Next came
the King, then the band, mounted on donkeys, and
after them the followers of every degree. There
was also, according to Major Harris, another curi-
ous feature in the procession :
" Forty dames and damsels professing the culinary art,
with,elabomtely crisped beehive wigs, greased faces, be-
daubed with ochre, and arched blue eyebrows, were
muffled in crimson-striped robes of cotton a demure
assemblage, rigorously guarded on all sides by austere
eunuchs, armed with long white wands. Beyond, far as
the eye could penetrate the canopy of dust which hung
over the horizon, every hill and valley swarms with
masses of equestrians and pedestrians, henchmen, and
camp followers, sumpter horses, asses, and mules, laden
with tents, horns of old mead, and bags of provisions.
Throngs of women carrying pitchers of beer and hydromel
at their backs, and lads with glittering sheaves of spears
upon their shoulders, leading gaily caparisoned war steeds
—all mixed and crowded together in the most picturesque
disorder and confusion."
Theodore once had 60,000 men around him as an
army, but now it is thought 5,000 would be an ex-
treme estimate. Considering that he sometimes
butchers them at the rate of 2,000 a week, this
great diminution in his army is not surprising, but
of course the chief falling off has been occasioned
by desertions. Mr. Duf ton asserts that in 1863
about 20.000 men carried percussion firearms, and
the remainder swords and spears. The irregular
army, some have thought, amounted to 100,000
men: Part of the following passage has been thus
far borne out by the news which we have published
from Abyssinia :
" Monsieur Legean considers that it is important that
no cause should be given to the population to believe
that the war is of a religious character. If Theodore
could excite this belief, he thinks that the whole country
ould join him. To a Christian army all Tigre would
be friendly, and the country people, if they once get con-
fidence, would be glad to furnish all sorts of supplies.
They have a character for honesty and for keeping
to agreements."
Theodore is now about 47 years old, his real name
being Kassa. He assumed the name of Theodorus
because of an old prophecy which sets forth
that an Emperor of that name would raise the
kingdom of Abyssinia to a pitch of glory never
before known. He has constantly been en-
gaged in warfare, and said to be " a man of great
talent, courage, and energy." His complexion is
dark, but his features are European. He drinks
much without being a drunkard. That he is a cruel
monster at heart is proved by numerous accounts,
especially by those received from time to time by
the captives. Sometimes his victims have been
carefully sown up in wax clothes " and burnt like
candles." Dr. Blanc wrote on the 18th of June,
1867 :
" In the history of the world there is no parallel case.
It is true tyrants and despots have wantonly spilt human
blood; great conquerors have overrun large tracts of
country : out of 3,000,000 inhabitants be has destroyed
more than a third by war, famine, and , murder. Nero,
Attila, Tamerlane, were lambs when compared to Theo-
dorus. No man was ever so false, so treachwous ;no man
held friendly or family ties so cheap. His own son, Ras
Meshisha, is in chains. Ras Tags, whom Irs left in charge
of his camp during his late expedition, was chained—a re-
ward for his fidelity on the return of his ungrateful master.
We are not, therefore, astonished when we daily hear of
fresh desertions."
Mr. Flad also stated, in a letter of the 2d of July
last, that within six weeks the King bad put to
death 4,000 persons.