The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-06 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SI:N.

On the 29th of November you were so good
as to insert a letter which 1 have just received from
Suez, giving recent information respecting the un-
fortunate prisoners in Abyssinia.
I have Sill2C seen letters from Mr. Stern and Consu

Cameron to their families, and have been allowed to

make the following extracts from them,to which I am
sure you will not refuse to give that publicity which
your widely-circulating journal alone can afford.
Mr. Stern writes from Magdala, under date Aug.
25 last, as follows :

" The faint glimpse of hope which a few months
ago diffused a flickering glimmer over our future is
again eclipsed, and once more eight of us, inclusive
of Mr. Rassam, Dr. Blanc, and Lieut. Prideaux,
are in chains. . . . Our present more rigorous
captivity is to be attributed to an alleged report that
English, French, and Turkish troops were on their
way to invade Abyssinia. Mr. It. protested against
the veracity of this statement—nay, every one. of
us would have dis.n.edited the story even had it been
confined to a mere military expedition. On th e
same day that he charged the British Government
with duplicity, he also reproached me with the stale
offence of having traduced his character by throw-
ing doubts on his lineal descent from Solomon. I
tendered my wonted apology for this oft -repeated
crime, but his Majesty said lie would not pardon me
till I bad atoned for the sin by rendering him some
service. In the evening of the same day he made
fresh proffers of his friendship to Mr. Rassam, and
also told Mr. Rosenthal, and particularly myself,
that we should not indulge in unpleasant surmises,
as be had nothing against us ; and, like the rest of
our fellow-prisoners, we drank his health in good
araki, provided for that purpose from the Royal dis-
tillery."
On Sept. 15 Mr. Stern again writes :

" How long this captivity will yet last it is utterly
impossible to conjecture. Some think that before
long matters will come to a satisfactory solution ;
others, on the contrary, prognosticate a disastrous
termination."

Consul Cameron writes under the same date as
that of Mr. Stern's last letter, and quite in the same
tone :

"It is evident that there is a crisis approaching
on us all, and God alone knows whether I shall
escape with life. The King still writes friendly
letters to Mr. Rassam ; and, for the first time since
our being chained anew, sent a friendly message the
day before yesterday to Mr. Stern and myself. He
is expected here. Some say he will make friends
with the Metropolitan, who is still a prisoner here.
If things take the other turn we may all be involved
in the quarrel, and thv,t seriously."
The letters, from which the foregoing is extracted,
were forwarded from Aden by the Acting Political
Resident there, through her Majesty's Consul-Ge-
neral in Egypt.
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Later news has, however, been received direct
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rantee of the British Government, to enter the ser-
vice of the Emperor Theodore.

In the letter of my Suez correspondent it is said
that Mr. Rassam, Captain Cameron, and the rest,
were still in chains at Magdala. But I have been
informed on unquestionable authority that Messrs.
Rosenthal and M'Kelvie had been allowed to remain
at Gaffat ; that Messrs. Kerans and M'Kelvie had
offered their services to the Emperor, those of the
former having been rejected, but those of the latter
accepted; and that Messrs. Bardel, Makerer, Steiger,
Brandeis, Ellaler, and Schiller had also entered the
Emperor's service.
As these circumstances are not alluded to by either
Consul Cameron or Mr. Stern, they must have oc-
curred after the date of their letters of Sept. 15,
and it may be inferred that they are the result of
the Emperor's expected visit to Magdala, and of the
anticipated " crisis." The fate of the writers of
those letters, as also of Mr. Rassam and his party,
was not mentioned, so that there is something yet
to be learnt.

My correspondent, who evidently had not been
told all, says that the news brought by the Victoria
was of about six weeks' date from November 16,

which would be the the beginning of October, or a
fortnight later than the intelligence from Consul
Cameron and Mr. Stern given above.--I am, Sir,
your very obedient servant, CILARLES BEKE.
Civil Service Club, Dec. 5.