The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-28 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

HIGHLANDS OF .ETHIOPIA. 3 Vols.
Longman, London, 1844.
Major Harris, the author of these volumes, antici-
pating probably—though he has certainly no occa-
sion to -be apprehensive—that occasional marks of
haste and slovenliness may be detected in them by
the microscopic eye of criticism, observes, by way of
apology, in his introduction, that they were written
in the heart of Abyssinia, amidst manifold interrup-
tions and disadvantages, adding that " their chief re-
commendation must besought in the fact of their em-
bodying a detail of efforts zealously directed, under
the auspices -of a liberal Government, towards the
establishment of a more intimate connexion with a
Christian people, who know even less of the world
than the world knows of them." In justice to the

gallant author, we must say that his volumes possess
many other recommendations in addition to that which
he has assigned to them. They give us minute and
graphic sketches of countries very little known ; are
exceedingly picturesque and vigorous in their deli-
neation of the manners and customs of the various
iEthiopian tribes; and are characterised by
all the bonhonzmie and cordial good-humour
of a British soldier .who makes light of difficulties,
and maintains his self-possession and serenity of
temper in the most trying crisis. Major Harris set
out from Bombay for Ankober, the capital of the
King of Shoa, in Southern Abyssinia, in the spring
of 1841, and, after a prosperous voyage, reached
Aden, situated near the Straits ofßab-el-mandeb,which
was once a port of great consequence, and regarded
as the Gibraltar of the East. Here he met with
several choice specimens of the Somauli tribe who, it
seems, are as expert knaves as even the Bedouins of
the desert. " A Somauli thief," he tells us, "is per-
haps the cunningest rogue in the universe. He has
been known to cut away a pile of tobacco so as to
leave to the merchant who reposed thereon nought
but the effigy of his own. figure ; and, after entering
through the roof of a house, he has taken his exit
through the door with chests of treasure, from the
top of which the sleeping proprietor has been first
hoisted with his bed, by a tackle lowered through
the aperture, and so left hanging till the
morning !" Exploits like these might put to
shame the best instructed conveyancer in the
metropolis; and even the " Artful Dodger," of whose
dexterity as a prig his venerable preceptor Fagin
was so deservedly proud, would cut but a sorry figure
by the side of a Somauli artist. From Men, our
author stretched acrosss the Arabian Gulf for the

town of Tajurra, which, together with the adjacent
district, is under the government of a monarch who
is styled the Sultan of the Sea-port. By this poten-
tate he was received with infinite respect ; but he
was a poor, miserable, cunning fellow, who possessed
scarcely any influence, and was far more ready to re-
ceive, than to give, presents—a peculiarity by no
means confined to African sovereigns. Quitting
Tajurra, Major Harris, with his party, set out for
the interior of Abyssinia; their journey was beset
with difficulty and danger, and when they reached
the sterile, parched neighbourhood of the Great Salt
Lake, their sufferings from excessive thirst became
perfectly intolerable. Here is an impressive descrip-
tion of a night spent among the burning sands
The horrors of that dismal night set the efforts of
description at defiance. An unlimited supply of water
in prospect, at the distance of only sixteen miles. had for
the brief moment buoyed up the drooping spirit which
tenanted each way-worn frame ; and when an ex-
hausted mule was unable to totter further, his rider
contrived manfully to breast the steep hill on foot. But
owing to the long fasting and privation endured by all,
the limbs of the weaker soon refused the task, and the
first two miles, they dropped fast in the rear. Fanned
by the fiery blast of the midnight sirocco, the cry for
water, uttered feebly and with difficulty, by numbers of
parched throats, now became incessant; and the supply
of that precious element brought for the whole party
falling short of one gallon and a half, it was not long to
be answered. A tiny sip of diluted vinegar for a mo-
ment assuaging the burning thirst which raged in the
vitals, and consumed some of the more downhearted,
again raised their drooping souls ; but its effects were
transient, and, after struggling a few steps, over-
whelmed, they sank again, with husky voice, declaring
their days to be numbered, and their resolution to rise
up no more. Dogs incontinently expired upon the
read ; horses and mules that once lay down, being un-
able from exhaustion to rally, were reluctantly aban-
doned to their fate ; whilst the lion-hearted soldier, who
had braved death at the cannon's mouth, subdued and
unmanned by thirst, finally abandoning his resolution,
lay gasping by the way-side, and, heedless of the ex-
hortation of his officers, hailed approaching dissolution
with delight, as bringing the termination of tortures
which were not to be endured.

" Whilst many of the escort and followers were thus
unavoidably left stretched with open mouths along the
r?ad, in a state of utter insensibility, and apparently
yielding up the ghost, others, pressing on to arrive at
water, became bewildered in the intricate mazes of the
wide wilderness, and recovered it with the utmost diffi-
culty. As another day dawned, and the round red sun
again rose in wrath over the Lake of Salt, towards the
hateful shores of which the tortuous path was fast end-
ing, the courage of all who had hitherto borne up
against fatigue and anxiety began to flag. A dimness
came before the drowsy eyes, giddiness seized the brain,
and the prospect ever held out by the guides, of quench-
ing thirst immediately in advance, seeming like the tan-
talising delusions of a dream, had well nigh lost its ma-
gical effect ; when, as the spirits of the most sanguine
fainted within them, a wild Bedouin was perceived, like
a delivering angel from above, hurrying forward with a
large skin filled with muddy water. This most well-
timed supply, obtained from Mohammad Ali from the
small pool at Hanlefanta, of which, with the promised
guard of his own tribe, by whom he had been met, he
had taken forcible possession in defiance of the impotent
threats of the ruthless red man,' was sent to the rear.
It admitted of a sufficient quantity being poured over
the face and down the parched throat, to revive every
prostrate and perishing sufferer ; and, at a late hour,
ghastly, haggard, and exhausted, like men who had es-
caped from the jaws of death, the whole hadcontrived to
straggle into camp, which, but for the foresight and firm •
ness of the son of Ali Abi, few individuals indeed of the
whole party would have reached alive."
Arrived at Ankober, the capital of the kingdom of
Shoa, Major Harris experienced a kindly reception
from the Monarch, chiefly in consequence of the
various presents he brought him ; and, on one occa-
sion, was an eye-witness of that very scene which
Bruce described with such minuteness in his tra-
vels, and for which he was generally derided as a
romancer. The scene in question was a bull-feast
which took place in the royal meadows, and which
our author thus depicts :—" Crowds swarmed round
each sturdy animal, and impetuously rushing in,
seized horns and legs and tail. A violent struggle to
escape followed the assault, but the stronger still re-
tained their grasp of the victim, and finally prevailed.
With a long groan the bull was thrown kicking to the
earth. Twenty crooked knives flashed at once from the
scabbard, and the hungry butchers remained seated on
the quivering carcase until the last bubbling jet had
welled from the widely severed throat. Rapidly from
that moment advanced the work of demolition. The hide
was opened in fifty places, and collop after collop of
warm flesh and muscle, sliced and scooped from the
bone, was borne off in triumph. Groupes of fasting
savages might now be seen in different directions,
greedily munching and bolting the raw repast, and
pounds were with all held of light account. Entrails
and offal did not escape." We close our brief and
hurried notices of these volumes by observing that
they abound in incidents and descriptions of the most
exciting character ; and that the chapter entitled
" Unexplored Countries to the South," wherein the
author speaks of the Dakos, " a pigmy and perfectly
wild race, not exceeded four feet in height," is a more
curious one than is to be found in any modern vo-
lume of travels.

THE ARTIZAN.
Simphin and Marshall. London, 1844.
In this goodly quarto we have the first volume of
a monthly journal of the operative arts, which, it
seems, is brought out under the immediate super-
intendence of the Artizan Club. The articles, as
might be guessed from the title of the work, are
mostly of a practical character, and, so far as we are
able to form a judgment on a cursory inspection of
them, appear to be written with ability. The ex-
planatory embellishments are numerous, and tolerably
well executed.

MONSTER MISERY OF IRELAND.
Bentley. London, 1844.
As the work of a practical man, who has had thirty
years experience of his subject, in his capacity of
English agent to estates in the south as well as in the
north of Ireland, this volume is well worth an atten-
tive and thoughtful perusal. It is penned in a calm,
moderate spirit, and contains a treatise on the relation
of landlord and tenant, together with suggestions for
legislative measures, and the management of landed
property.

HISTORY OF CHINA. Part XIII.
Dean, London, 1844.

This Part contains a clever account of some of the
earlier provinces of the Mogul Empire, together with
two illustrations, the best of which is the last effort
of Tippoo Saib at the memorable 'siege of Seringapa-
tam. The authoress of this skilful history is Miss
Julia Corner, who has arranged her facts through-
out with judgment.

The ',half-yearly meeting of the Proprietors of the
General Steam Navigation Company was held yesterday, at
the office of that corporation, 69, Lombard-street. It was
numerously attended. The chair was taken by John Wilkin,
Esq. (in the absence, from illness, of Wolverley Attwood,
Esq., the Chairman of the company), at two o'clock pre-
cisely, when the Report of the Directors, and the accounts of
the year, were read. From these it appeared that, notwith-
standing the continued depression in trade, the Company's
operations for the past year had been attended with success,
and that the general condition of the Company's affairs was
highly satisfactory. The customary dividend and bonus were
declared; after which the cordial thanks of the Proprietors
were voted to the Chairman and Directors for their continued
exertions in the promotion of the Company's interests.
Both Houses of Parliament stand adjourned till to-
morrow.