The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-30
THE BRITISH AND KBYssIEIA.

Napier's brilliant triumph over King Theodo-
rus, of Abyssinia, is very natural But
whether the exploit is only equaled, as Mr..
Disraeh asserts, by that of Cortez in Mexico,
history, perhaps, will prove more competent
judge than the prime minister under whose
policy the expedition which accomplished the
former was organized. There are, neverthe-
less, some strong points of similarity between
the invasion of Abyssinia by Napier, and the
results of it thus far, and the invasion of
Mexico, and the capture of its capital and of
its king, by Cortez In each case, the inva-
der struck at once, and struck fatally, at the
heart of the enemy's power. In each case a
native army, in largely superior numbers,
and obedient to a despotic monarch, was
found no match for handful of disciplined
soldiers, skillfully led, and welding supe-
rior enginery of war. In each case, the spoils
of the victor comprised splendid yet substan-
tial tokens of barbaric wealth and luxury.
The motives of the two expeditions, however,
were different stensibly at least. The war
upon Montezuma was wholly unprovoked and
unjustifable, ifjudged by no other principles
than those of the law of nations. 1t pre-
tended to have no object besides plumber,
conquest, and the propagation of Christianity
among pagans. The Abyssinian expedition,
on the contrary, had for its assigned purpose
simply the rescue of few prisoners, subjects
of Great Britain. These prisoners were held
as hostages by the King of Abyssinia, pending
a diplomatic dispute between the two coun-
tries a barbaric method of diplomacy strictly
analogous to the practice which Mr.. Banks
proposes to introduce into this country by his
bill for the protection of American citizens.
But is there no reserved and Interior design
underlying this limited view of the matter
No student of English history, and especially
of that part of it which relates to English
dealings with the opulent and feeble princes
of Indian Asia, can fail to suspect the exist
ence of such a design. We are much further,
in these days, from the follies and the virtues
of Don Quixote, than people were in the days
of Cortez; and the English are much further
from such follies and virtues than the
Spaniards are now, or ever were. Yet what
else could be this Abyssinian expedition, at an
expense of twenty millions of dollars, and
solely for the release of several British sub
jects under a harmless duress, than costly
piece of Quixotism? In this light, certainly,
the true Englishman, above all men, would
be prone to regard it. British craftsmanship
is not unmindful of national honor and the
rights of British subjects, to be sure but it
always takes care that the cost of indicating
these shall be repaid with enormous interest
wherever circumstances admit of such repay
ment In this case a wide field is laid open
for the play of this Characteristic policy. The
victory of Napier subjects Abyssinia to the
power of the British government, as fully as
the victory of Cortez subjected Mexico to the
power of the Spanish government. And when
the relations of the Abyssinian territory to
the British Indian domains, and to English
commercial prospects and schemes, are con-
sidered, it is scarcely possible to doubt that
Abyssinia will henceforth, in effect, if not in
form, be an acquisition of the British empire.
Its position commands the strait of Bah ell
Mandeb, and the possession of it would give
| Great Britain the key on the south to the
Red sea and the Suez route From that point
also the British could flank and overawe
Egypt through whose territory the Suez ship
canal is to run. 1t would, moreover, afford a
strong base from which to push British do
minion over desirable regions discovered by
Spoke and Grant about the sources of the
Nile; and even across Ethiopia to the Niger,
near the mouth of which Great Britain
already has a possession. These operations
would make that empire master of all that
part of Africa south of a line connecting the
mouth of the Red sea and the mouth of the
Niger. There is nothing fantastic in con-
templating the possibility of such consum-
nation. In political and commercial geogra-
ply British craftsmanship is unequaled II
its achievements in this way authorized Mr..
Disraeh to say, a few years ago, that the British
empire was more Asiatic than European, why
may not its subsequent achievements in the
same way authorize him or some other minis
ter to qualify this saying by the addition Of
| African to Asiatic