The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-24
The Abyssinian Expedition.

Late letters from the English Abyssinian
army give some particulars of interest.
The shore of the Red Sea at the point
where the army landed is low, covered
with sand as fine as -four, with a stunted,
struggling growth of bushes. The water
near the shore is gradually shoaling, sothat
even ships boats cannot come within two
hundred yards of dry land. An immense
wharf had to be constructed to land stores
and animals, extending outwards into the
water for q distance of three hundred
yards, on which is railway which conveys
freights to the camp.
Every drop of water consumed by men
and animals has to be condensed by steam
apparatus. All that is daily used by 10000
men and 1900 animals is extracted from
the sea by the condensers. Much is made
on steamers whose machinery is at work
day and night, while there are condensing
engines on shore. The water condensed
by these means is conveyed in troughs to
tanks, where it is cotton for use by the
men and drank by animals, for whom
tanks are especially arranged. Every
pound of grass or corn or food for ami
mails and men had to be brought either
from England or Bombay.
A range of mountains running the whole
length of the sea through Abyssinia stands
twelve miles behind the shore camp. 1t
is difficult to cross this range, and the army
has great obstacle in it. The first adj
vance was to Senate, whittier the baggage
animals have been busily engaged in carry
ing the stores for the army. The advance,
now at Senate, consists of three regiments
one English and two native-and some
sappers and miners. When three months
provisions are conveyed to Senate, the
main body of the army will move forward
to that point, and the advance will move
forty miles further inland to Atteghrat.
How far that is from Magdala does not ap-
pear; but we suppose it cannot be far.
On the 23d of December THEODORE was
within three days ordinary march of that
place but with his "gigantic toys which
he calls cannon" says writer, he would
not be able to reach that place for month
Sufficiently early, however, to be ahead Of
the British army. At Magdala the English
prisoners were confined, and as there is a
fort of some strength at that point it is
supposed THEoDoRE will there fight or give
up the prisoners. Some fear that in the
fsrocious phrenzy which sometimes pos
sesses him he may put the captives to
death. He is given to amusement of that
sort. Formerly he burnt people up in
their own houses, but now he prefers to
fasten them to the ground by driving an
iron pin through them into the earth, and
SO. leaving them; or by tieing them in the
track of his trains and MASKING them with
the passing wheels!
The army uses for transportation ele-
plants, camels, oxen, and mules. They
carry their own food as well as their loads
to Senate each trip. There hay begins to
appear. A plenty of water is obtained
every twelve miles. A destructive disease
carries off the horses with wonderful ra-
pidity. They appear to have sharp cold,
and die in few hours. One regiment Of
cavalry lost 100 horses out of $50.
The natives seen on the coast are de-
scribed as black, with woolly heads, but
as differing widely from the natives Of Gen.
trail Africa in features Of face as well
as figure. Their lips are thin, noses well
formed, foreheads high-some of their
faces are almost classical. In stature they
arc upright as darts, and their limbs per-
fectly straight. But then they are so thin
as to be almost shadowless, and their legs
are mere pipe.stems! The women, like
the men, are delicate of form and feature,
and show no resemblance to the negro, such
as We have considered the negro to be. Both