The New York herald., 1868-04-29

tains OF Its prolific overflow? II has been the g0ou
fortune of Sir Samuel Baker to have put this ques
ton also to rest, and thus to have completely un
folded one OF the most remarkable secrets OF geo.
se made tour with fady Baker through NaSa and
Egyptian Abyssna, IN order to ascertain the CHAR
acter Of the afluents Of the Nile in those countries;
nd the general result OF his discoveries Is that,
while the Victoria and Albert Nyanzas are the
parent reservoirs Of the Nile, It's inundatons, with
Abyssinian ' % tributaries. The volume before us j.
record OF this interesting ana important journey anu
it has satisfied that Sir Samuel Baker Is correct In
his views on this subject.
General Description Of the Country Of Abys.
sinia and Of the Different Routes Leading
into 1t.
Abyssinia Is often represented on maps as bounded
on the east by the Red Sea. This, however, Is an
error. Abyssnia proper consists OF high noun
famous table land, the eastern boundary of which
may be considered roughly as following the fortieth
degree OF east longitude Between this mountainous
region and the sea there is tract Of arid Low lying,
waterless country, inhabited by the savage Danakil
tribes; this region at Massowah is only few miles
broad but 1t widens out to 200 or 800 miles at Taur
rah. In climate inhabitants, soil cultivation, &C.,
these two regions are totally opposite, the highlands
and traversed by paths in every direction while the
low country is arid, wateress, with few exceptions
trackless and uncultvated
This inhOspitabe region efIectually cuts on the
highlands from all communication with the sea eX-
cept at three points, Massowah ana its neighborhood
on the north, Amphilla Bay, about 100 miles to the
southeast, and Tajurrah on the south From these
three points the roads into tine interior Of very
different character for ut Massowah they very soon
climb the eastern boundary Of the highlands and
continue along the elevated land, whilst from Tajur-
rah they have TO traverse 200 or 300 miles, and from
Amphiila Bay from SO to loo miles OF tile low lying
country before they reach the highlands.
The western and southern boundaries Of Abyssinia
are very undefined but they may be taken roughly
as cOntermnOus with the edge OF the highlands and
having the White and Blue Nile the west and the
Red Sea rather south by east.
ROADS FROM MASsOwAH.
After traversing thirty or forty miles Of hot, low
lying desert country the main road from Massowah
to Gondar ascends the mountains by the Taranta
pass This pass Is described by all travellers as one
Of great difficulty up which in some places loaded
animals can with difficulty make their way 1t can
are al least two paths, one OF which was followed by
Ferret and Galner on their return to MassOwah, In
1872 and the other by Mansfield Parkyns, on his way
to AdOwa in 1S4a Neither Of these travellers described
the same difficulties on reaching the highland by
those routes experienced In the Taranta pass.
two paths by which the table land can be reached in
the direction OF kaya Khor OF this line Dr. Beke,
wTns ns % d 4 sersSS Sra tsng ss
and easy road well watered, and occupying
is SO much superior to the steep way up the aranta
that 1t Is now generally chosen by the Europeans"
the h pass my sc Ss ny
traversed by Krapf who states that is easy one
and that II might be made available for camels.
From Annesley Bay rohonda and Senate may also
be reached.
When the highland Is reached the country for the
whole distance to Gondar and Magdala appears to
present alterations Of fertile land rocky, barren
tracts, mountain passes and delles. The table land
appears to be from 5000 to 1000 feet above the
and Is 900 feet the whole country being broken and
tossed about in remarkable degree. With the ex-
cepOn OF the first so or 90 miles after leaving Mas
sowrh there seems to be generally no want OF water.
There are numerous paths between the villages but
none that deserve the name Of roads.
Besides the main road from MassOwah to Condar
by AdOwa there Is also, according to DR.. Beke, q
second great caravan road from north to south OF
Abyssinia, from Massowah, through Antalo and
SocOta. AntalO about latitude 1874 degrees, longi-
tude 29G degrees) may be reached either through
Addigraht by the route followed by Ruppell and Fer
ret and Galner, or through Ad0wa, as travelled by
Beke, or by an intermediate route followed by Salt.
Magdala according to Dr. Beke and DR.. Blanc, can
be more easily reached from the direction Of Socota
than that of Debra-Tab0r.
There are numerous streams and rivers and high
mountain passes TO be traverscd on these highlands
THEIR WATER SYSTEM
is peculiar. The water shed runs very near their
eastern edge, rom which 1t results that all the
great rivers have their rise near the eastern side
Of the table land and then take westerly course.
The principal of these are the March, Takazze At
bara and Abai or Blue Nile. The Takazze crosses the
the principal caravan road from Massowah TO Con-
iar and is formidable obstacle. 10 is described
by Parkyns, who crossed II In the rainy season,
nearly equal In volume to the Thames at Greenwich,
but resembling In rabdty the Rhonc when 1t leaves
Lake Geneva. In the dry season u Is forable Bruce
describes IL as flowing In "prodigious vaey.- Fer
ret and Gancr say:-'lhe ravne In which 1t runs
Is one OF the steepest possible At Tchel atcheken-
the river IL about sixty feet. and its depth In March
not more than three or four feet it iS then fordabe
almost every where. ~ me rainy season overlows
teen feet" Parkyns SAYS that mountains almost I'M
pregpable by nature are common in this country.
MOUNTAINS.
one important feature of Abyssna is the existence
o. ranges OF snOw-topped mountains In the pro-
Hnces Of samen and tasta, which stretch al right
uD O aa Ia n ~ fn,yor Ia
Gondar and Magiala and the passes through which
are described as OF the most formidable character
Lainelnion and Seki. or the FIRST Ferret and Call.
nier say:-"We found ourselves In the Tamelmon
whose summit 5000 feet above the sea, sinks into
gulf opened under our feet. We got or our mules
and, leading them by the bridle descended the
mountains by preclpitous path blocked with frag.
ments OF rock. when threatened at every step 70
precipitate us into the abyss on our left"
Be says so Of tine sme were NOW
road or rather path, for It Scarcely was two
feet wide anywhere. IL was spiral, winding
Of q prreclpce Torrents OF water, which Ia winter
sn nS Hvd sser sGs Of as
opened TO us view OF that dreadful abyss below
which few heads can bear to look upon. We wore
here obliged to unload our baggage, and by slow de-
grees crawl up the hill carrying them little by little
upon our shoulders round those chasms where the
road was intersected.m
Comics and Ta,nisier thus speak Of the selki
TO mount Ivy an Internal path. AT length
we arrived ~ the top of The prodgious mass. on
every side sti more colossal mountains raised their
heads 'between which was the path which we had
to follow. After marching two hours we
passed the gate called Sancaber, closing the finest
and perhaps the only road In Abysslnia carried along
the side of high mountain Inaccessible from the
top to the bottoin.- 81
CLIMATE.
Thea highlands are very healthy. They are stated
by Parkyns to "enjoy probably as salubrious ell
mate as any country on the face Of the globe. The
beat y by no means oppressive aQQe light air coun.
tcfacting tho power OF the sun, Az certain Sessions
OF the year the low valleys OF the March ana lac
caxy, especially the former, are much to be feared
nom the malaria which prevails and which brings
on, In persons exposed TO Its influence most terrible
nammatory feyers, Of which four cases out Of ave
are fatal" Harris thus speaks OF the highlands OF
shoa:-"As II by the touch Of the magican,s wand,
the scene now passes In an Instant nom pafched and
arid waste to the green and lovely highlands
OF A5yssina, ps presehtins one sheet 81 rich