The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-30 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1866.

It would seem as if we were never to hear of the
Abyssinian captives, and if one day the intelligence
concerning them seems to be of a hopeful kind, on
the next it is certain to be contradicted, or at any
rate modified in its nature. Thus we learn from a
telegram received by the Foreign-office from her
MAJESTY'S agent and Consul-General in Egypt that
Dr. BEKE, on the 12th of February, writing from
Massowah, states that Mr. ItAssAm had joined the
EMPEROR, and had been well received by him. In
replying to his demand, the EMPEROR had said
that Captain CAMERON should be released, and that
he might have gone long ago, only he would not
leave without the others. It was intended to .dis-
cuss the matter at Debra Tabor. So far this seems
satisfactory, but we learn that this good news is not
correct, as a communication from Mr. REUTER
states that the telegram just referred to bears a
date antecedent to that of the letter published last
Monday, which was Written by the same gentleman,
one being February 12th, and the other the 17th.
In the course of the second letter just received Dr.
BEKE had referred to a previous communication,
which, however, had not then been received, but in
which we now find that Dr. BEKE had stated that
Mr. RASSAM met the Emperor, and had been
very well received. This statement Dr. BEKE
here declares to be untrue, because, he says,
he was deceived by Mr. RASSAM'S messenger. He
writes as follows:—" I have been grossly deceived by
Mr. RASSAM'S messenger, whose report of that gen-
tleman, having met the Emperor THEODORE, and
been well received by him, is as untrue as the tele-
gram announcing Consul CAMERON'S return sent by
Mr. RASSAM from Suez in September last. Accord-
ing to the last news, then, we learn that Mr. RAS-
SAM was to await in Debra Tabor or Xorata the
EMPEROR'S return from his campaign in Gadjar.
As for the missionary's letter, Mr. REUTER supposes
it to have come into the hands of the English Con-
sul in Egypt, who accordingly furnished its con-
tents by telegram in ignorance of the later letter.
Till,
Very disappointing, for we are very much
in the sata,
position that we were before, and must
have recoirti,,, to hope, after all, instead of resting
upon information of a
satisfactory kind. The more
we consider the ati*
thegrtw bamore must we arrive at
the conclusion that
ismanagement has cha-
racterised the matter frora
outset, the
and that our
Government has been greatly
blue for their
supineness and inaction. It is all
very fine for the
Ministers to persist in stating to both Houses of
Parliament that nothing can be done, and that it is
quite idle for any one to talk of going to
toto war
about
the affair, because it would be quite
• tion
carry on hostilities in that direc • The real point
at issue is how far we are justified in sending out
Consuls at all to places where it seems the
power of England cannot protect them, and
insult and
• s
they must run the chance of in,
imprisonment. It is evident that this very
unfortunate Consul CAMERON has to put up with
the dangers of his official position, but reaps no
advantages from it. Thus the EMPEROR wreaks
his vengeance on him, because he represents a
Government which slighted him, and did not reply
to his letter in due form and with becoming de-
while, on the other hand, nothing can
induce Earl RiagELL to think it an insult to the