The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-18 00:00:00

THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDI7 lON .

Mr. H. B. Lynch, in a letter to a contemporary,
says :—I beg leave to send you a route across the
country from Suakin to Berber, which will show
the nature of the country and climate, about 200 ,
miles north of the proposed line of operation of the
Abyssinian Expedition, and probably dispel some
of the gloom with which it is regarded.
We, a party of four Europeans, crossed it in 1833,
after shipwreck in the Red Sea, and, with the ex-
ception of our arms, depended entirely on the re-
sources of the country. The distance from the Red
Sea to the Nile we found nearly 260 miles, about
west by south, and found neither difficulty nor
danger on the road.
I cannot think the difficulty of the roads west of
Massowah (about 200 miles to the south) will be
found so great as your correspondents suppose, and
generally in the East such difficulties disappear as
you approach them.
When at Berber we felt much inclined to go
further south towards Abyssinia, and the inquiries
made led us to believe there would have been no
difficulty in doing so had time allowed us to prolong
our journey ; and you may, I think, take it for
granted that, with this line open into Abyssinia, the
Indian authorities would not have chosen a path
anything like that which the imaginations of your
correspondents have drawn from Massowah to
Abyssinia :
Route from the Port of Suakin, on the Red Sea, to
Berber, on the Nile.—By Lieutenant (now
Captain) Lynch, C.B.
1833, Dec. 12.—Crossed the harbour from the
island, on which the town of Suakin is built, to Keaf.
A few huts on the main land. Heavy rain and cold
weather. Slept for the night at the Turkish guard-
house.

13th, 8 a.m.—Mounted our camels and went over
plains, W.S.W., 13 miles to foot of hills. Slept in
desert. Night cold.
14th.--Went through and over low rough bills,
W.S.W., 10 miles ; thence over Jibbool Ghuble,
about W.S.W., 12 Road winding, ascending
about 1,200 to 1,500 ft. A few trees scattered about
the mountain.

15th.—W.S.W. Ten miles through low hills of
dark, reddish stone and over small plains to well ;
thence 20 miles S.W. by W. over small stony plains.

letth.—S.W. Ten miles over large plains, aria
through higher hills. Halted at a few huts belong-
ing to some Bedouins, where we procured and killed
a bullock.

17th.—W.S. Through high hills into Wady
Hameed, stony and barren. Alount lloroor to the
northward ; thence W. by S. 13 miles over plains.
Passed some Jowaree cultivation, and a few Be-
douins.

18th.—WiS. Six miles intoWady llareb. Halted
at some Arab huts, and Jowaree cultivation. Men
dark complexion, woolly hair, with little beard and
no moustache. Then W. by S. 16 miles to Beer-
Sheddee (well).
over low, hilly, stony ground.
19th.—Road lay
W. by N. 25 miles to a plain. Met a few Arabs
to-day.
20th.—Road over sandy plain. Mountain of
Moosmar to the southward, with low dark hills to
the northward. Direction of road W. by N. 12
miles, and IV. by N. N. 16 miles. Country getting
more level.
21st.—W.S.IV. 16 miles over plain and through
low hills. Thence over plains W. by N. to bushes.
Country level, barren, and stony.
22d.—Through bushes on plains four miles W.
by N. to Beerool Bak (well) ; water good ; filled our
water skins, and went over a sand hill on to a large
plain. W. by N. 21 miles. Jebbo)l Shacrib to
the north, rising like an island out of the plain on
the horizon.
233.—Over plains 32 miles west. Met a few
Bedouins.
21th.—West, over plains to the town of Berber,
on the Nile, 8 miles.
Note.—There is no cleaned road or beaten path,
but the soil is generally firm and fit for the passage
of horses and camels. In the hills the path is
sometimes steep and winding, but could be ren-
dered passable for light field artillery. Water in-
different, and found in wells at intervals of one or
two days' journey along the line of route.

IREL AND.

Dunux, Sept. 17.

The great question of reform which is now agita-
ting the Irish mind is the substantial one of butter.
A meeting of the Cork Farmers' Club was held on
Saturday to consider the report of a committee who
had conferred with the butter merchants on the
subject. While admitting the existence of abuses
the committee attribute to other causes the falling
off in the London markets. They state that, so far
from the demand for Irish butter having decreased
in the English markets, the returns of the Cork
market show that it had largely increased, but the
exports which were formerly consignel to agents in
London are now sent direct to the provinces. Hence
the London agents regard Irish butter with disfa-
vour, because they no longer make a commission
upon it, while, on the other hand, the foreign but-
ter, not having the quality branded on it and the
quotations known, as the Irish has, they arc able to
make Ss. or 10s. per cwt. more than by selling Irish
butter of the same quality. They say that the in-
ferior quality of one-half the butter which comes to
the Cork market is owing to the fact that many
farmers have not suitable con houses or dairies, and,
as they have no leases or right to compensation for
outlay, they cannot be expected to build such
houses. The committee therefore recommend that
the attention of lauded proprietors be called to the
matter. They condemn the practices of soaking
firkins, oversalting and overholding, suggest that
the size of the firkins should 1. e diminished, and
two sets introduced, one to contain not more than
701 b. and the other 351 b., smooth inside and neatly
finished, and that frauds should be severely pun-
ished. In the course of the discussion on the re-
port it was stated that the Macroom Farmers'
Club recommended that uniform casks of 561 b.
and 281 b. be substituted for other large ones
now in use, and that all butter branded
in the Cork market and not sold within a month
be re-inspected. Mr. Maguire, M.P., has ob-
served that the complaints were such as could be
rectified by the farmer. To illustrate the magni-
ttide of the trade, he mentioned that one merchant