The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-26 00:00:00

EGYPT AND ABISSINIA.

The following intelligence, from a correspondent
of the Pall-Mall Gazette at Alexandria, dated the
12th inst., may serve to throw some light on the
movements of the Egyptian troops on the coast of
Abyssinia :

" I have lately obtained several items of infor-
mation from a native Abyssinian which go to con-
firm the supicions I expressed of Ismail Pacha's
intrigues with Tussoo-Gobazie; but I must first
correct a mistake into which I was led in a former
communication which appeared in the Pall-
Mall Gazette of the sth u't. It was not Yahula
G,ita in person who ` was at the Musafir
Khaneh at Cairo, and who .has ben p::ssing back-
wards and forwards bAwem Abyssinia an 1 Egypt,
but a trusty friend of his, named Mikhail. The
story of Yahula Geita is this —he was governor, on
the part pf Theo l ire, of Arm tchuho, a district, as I
understood, between Gondar and Walkait, and un-
able to resist Theodore alone. Tusso G )bazie
leagued with him, and both turned t 3 the Egyptians
to save then; from Theodore. A year ago Yahula
Geita had the misfortune to fall into the hands of
Theodore, who at first pardoned him, but after-
wards charging him with maintaining intelligence
with Tusso Gobazie, put him in chains. Mikhail still
Passes as Yahula Geita's servant. He left Cairo on
the 2d inst. for Massowah. He was there last Dec.,
and it was on his return to Massowah in January
that he learned the news of his master's clpture.
He stated that this was the cause of his long stay at
Massowah, and that he only cam 9 here again, on
the strength of former visits, to obtain the favour
of the Viceroy, which is not very likely, any more
than that his Highness would place him in the
Musafir Khaneh unless he had some special claim
on the Viceroy's hospitality. I observed to my in-
formant
that the suggestion did not account for
Jasfar Pasha's solicitude for Yahula Geita's ser-
vant, and his bringing him on with him to Sua-
kin, and sending him thence by steamer to Suez.
Is not Mikhail,' I said, come from Tussoo Goba-
zie, with whom the Vieeroy.ls said to be friendly'?"
To which the answer was, As you seem to know it,
what is the use of telling you?' My present inform-
ant corrected me when I said, Tussoo Gobazie,' and
pronounced the word Tirsoo,' which name, he said,
was given to this Gobazie from bis having promi-
nent teeth—from Tirs, a tooth (Arabic, dhirs ?).
Before Mikhail left on the 2d another Abyssinian ar-
rived at the Murafir Khaneh. He is called the
Feta Awrari (prefect) Garrad for several years
past, and was, up to his departure from his post, the
Wakel, or personal agent, of Theodore with Hailo,
the governor of Hamasein. What lam told about
him is, that Theodore lately directed him to pro-
cure money from Hailo, and to come with it to
Debra Tabor, but that Garrad, doubting Theo-
dore's intentions towards him, thought it
better to escape ; and having just sent his
family to the thermal springs at Ailat on the plea
of his wife's ill hea Ith, in another fortnight set off
with followers to bring them back, joined them,
and proceeded to Massowah. The English at Zulla
wanted to get hold of Garrad, but Hassan Bey, the
Governor of Dilassowah, claimed hi m as his guest,
and sent him on to Cairo on his way to Jerusalem !
I am not yet apprised of his having left the Musafir
Khaneh. It is probable that our people saw him
at Massowah or Zulla, as he came on to Suez in one
of the Azizieh boats under charter to as.

" Now, it is singular that the Viceroy should all
of a sudden be seized with a desire to afford protec-
tian to Abyssinian refugees, and to facilitate the
pilgrimage of Abyssinian Christians to Jerusalem.
One cannot be sure, but I cannot help thinking that
Ismail Pasha is playing his cards for cutting into
the north provinces of Abyssinia the first day he
finds the road open. Observe, between Matamma
and Massowah the territory is under Tirsoo Gobasie;
then Hatnasein is just above Massowah, and a
good place to reside in; and the two guests lately
arrived at Cairo are intimately connected with
those districts, the one having relations with Go-
bazie, and the other with Hallo, with whom, as
is reported, he has been Theodore's agent for
several years. The Viceroy is said to be nervous
about our proceedings in Abyssinia, and will be
delighted to hear that Lord Stanley has empha-
tically announced that we shall not retain any por-
tion.of the country, or stay a moment longer than
is necessary to obtain a release of the prisoners.
Our presence there would prevent that of the Vice-
roy's troops, and put a stop for ever to slavery. A
very shrewd native here, who knows the Soudan
well, remarked to me that if the English remained
in Abyssinia the Pasha would be driven away by the
inhabitants. About a week ago the Viceroy wrote,
under his own seal, a very pressing letter to Theo-
dore, urging him to give up the prisoners, otherwise
he would have his country taken away from him
by the English, and as the English were a very
powerful nation, he (the Viceroy) might be com-
pelled to join them. The Coptic Patriarch has also
been ordered to write to Theodore, and the Arme-
nian Archbishop of Jerusalem—the prelate men-
tioned in the Blue Book—has likewise had to try
his hand. The former is stated to have represented
to Theodore the degradation to which the Abyssi-
nian Church would be subjected under the English
who would leave it no freer than the Coptic Church
is in Cairo. All this to try and get us out of the
way of his Highness, who dreads our presence near

the Soudan. The letters will be without effect.
There is no one Theodore distrusts more than the
Egyptian Viceroy."

COINAGE OF KINGS OF KENT.

That extraordinary repertory of old English
relics, the receding sea-beach of Cheshire, has lately
(so we are informed by the Atheneum) disclosed
two interesting, and we believe unpublished, coins
of the Saxon period, which a young collector, Mr.
J. R. Allen, of Liverpool, has the good for-
tune of securing. The earlier in point of date is a
sceatta, a variety of a well-known but puzzling
type, which has been referred by numismatists
to two early kings of Kent,—viz., Ethelbert
the First and Second, but without certainty,
inasmuch as no name appears upon it. A.
second, and also unpublished variety, occurred
here two years ago, but the present is a fine and
perfect example, weighing 17 grains. The presence
of these presumably Kentish coins at so distant
a locality is remarkable, as such have hitherto
been discovered only in the south-east of Eng-
land. The other piece proves to be a halfpenny
of Edward the Confessor, the place of mintage
being represented by s v, probably Southwark or
Southampton. So rare are the Saxon halfpennies
that, previously to the celebrated " Cuerlale
find," only two were known—those published in
Ruding's " Annals of the Coinage." It is a
noteworthy fact, that of the various coins found
here, and which represent every portion of the
national history, from the intercourse of our
ancestors with Carthage in pre-Roman times,
downward, the Saxon prove to be in by far the
finest condition ; and whilst elsewhere such occur
in hoards more or less large, here they re-appear
singly ; in point of fact, where lost by their former
owners, the admixture of arboreal matters in the
soil from whence they are washed fortunately pro-
tecting them from excessive oxidation. A more
specific description of the above-named pieces will
be given in Mr. Ecroyd Smith's annual report of
the archeological discoveries on the Cheshire shore,
supplied to the Historic Society of Lancashire and
Cheshire.

Sir W. Gordon Cumming, Bart., has entered
the army as ensign and lieutenant in the Scots Fusilier
Guards.

Mr. C. Sykes, M.P., has returned to Branting.
ham Thorpe, from staying with Sir John and Lady Gwen
doline Ramsden at Byrom, South Milford.

HER MAJESTY'S Theatre is to be immediately
rebuilt on a magnificent scale.
SOCIETY OF ENGINEERS.—The annual dinner of
this flourishing association, which has been devised for the
keeping together in a professional and social band the
younger members of the body of civil engineers, was held
on Friday evening last at the Bridge House Hotel, and
was fully attended.
The quotation of gold at Paris is about at par, and
the short exchange on London is 25f. 15c. per £1 sterling.
On o impariug these rates with the English Mint price t
Z. 3 rrs.loid. per ounce for standard gold, it appears that
gold Is about 1-:oth per cent. doarer in Paris than in Lon-
don.