The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-06-06

sp0ndent, puDllsned yesterday from the 'Oamp
on Talsnta," taken after the usual dishes
of our home news of these dull ''piping
times of peace, are like the strawberries and
cream and the cup Of coffee and eau-de-vie at
the end of a pleasant dinner. In the thanks
giving and farewell to Msgdala, in the last
council of King Theodorus, in the visit to the
chamber of horrors, the palaces, the harems
and treasure houses of the dead King; in the
royal funeral, the destruction of the fortress,
the ''sea Of fire" (from the burning Of three
thousand houses); in the visit to Napier Of the
two rival Queens, with their congratulations at
the death of the ''Great Negus;" in the account
of the new dynasty and an African Cesar in
the entertainment given to the royal widow OF
Theodorus; in the homeward march Of the
British army and in the complimentary general
order of Sir Robert to his soldiers, which has
the ring of the bulletins of the Great Napoleon,
we have the rich materials of this most inte-
resting letter
or the two rival Queens (Walkait and Muste-
good that she is charming woman, and was
clad in the regal magnihcence Of sovereign;
that Walkait, in fit Of jealousy, retired to her
own country, surrounded by hundreds of her
best soldiers, while Mustebat, all smiles and
genuine triumph, was most royalty entertained
by the victorious English General; that it was
a silk tent of the fallen King wherein
the Queen and her young son were
lodged; that by dint of great persua-
sion she complied with the request that she
and her son would sit for their portraits that
a good photograph was taken of each (the
camera in AbyssiniaL that her son is a bright,
intelligent boy of ten, of the color of Span
lard, and that this young Theodorus will be
sent to England to be educated at the expense
of the British government, attended by a
retinue of his fathers courtiers. The same
honors over two hundred years ago were ex
tended to the Princess Pocahontas, daughter of
old King Powhatan, of Virginia. proceeding
which signifed the absorption Of his kingdom
in the sovereignty Of England. So in holding
young TheodOrus she retains the sovereignty
over Abyssinia. In this view the small detach-
ment Of troops left by Napier at ZoOlla will be
sufficient for present purposes. 1t will serve
as warning to the various fighting local chiefs
and factions and also to the Viceroy of Egypt
that England is still within striking distance
and that Abyssynia has become her rightful
possession. The beginning of her occupation
of India was ''small detachment"
Sir Robert Napier's congratulatory order to
his soldiers embraces some remarkable facts.
He says--''YOu have traversed, often under
topical sun or amid storms of rain and sleet,
four hundred miles Of mountainous and difficult
country that ''you have crossed many steep
and precipitous ranges of mountains more than
ten thousand feet In altitude, where your sup
plies could not keep pace with you" This
march is truly great feat when it is consid-
cred that in addition to the difficulties named
the carriers Of the expedition included Indian
elephants and camels along those dizzy noun
tain shelves where the slip of a foot would be
sure destruction. No point of the Alps where
they were crossed by Hannibal and Napoleon is,
we believe, over eight thousand feet above the
sea; and if Napier had the advantage of tropi-
cal latitude. which lifts the snow line several
thousand feet above that of St. Bernard, he
had still those storms of rain and sleet
which, among the more numerous precipitous
cliffs Of Abyssinia, made his enterprise of four
hundred miles in those mountains, at times ten
thousand feet above the sea, a far more serious
undertaking than that of the few days required
by Napoleon for the short passage of the Alps.
In brief, in the discipline Of his army, in his
sagacious calculations, his skilful appoint
ments and equipments for this difficult under
taking. and in its complete success, with the
loss Of only some three or four hundred IN en-
out of five thousand six hundred, Napier has
proved himself truly great soldier.
Among the results of the expedition he says
"a host Of many thousands have laid down
their arms at your feet;' ''you have captured
and destroyed upward of thirty pieces of artil-
lery, many Of great weight and efficiency"
''you have stormed the almost inaccessible
Fortress Of Magdala, defended by Theodorus :"
''you have released not only the British cap
tives, but those of other friendly nations :"
''you have unloosed the chains of more than
ninety Of the principal chiefs of Abyssinia,"
and ''Magdala, on which so many victims have
been slaughtered, has been committed to the
flames and remains only a scorched rock" But
greater results than these have been obtained
In the knowledge given to the world through
this expedition Of Abyssinia, its people. its
geographical wonders and its resources look
ing to trade. The ultimate result will doubt
less be the formal occupation, settlement and
development of the country as British colony.
According to Sir Edward Baker large fea
Of the northern section, from which the annual
fertilizing deposits Of Egypt are drawn, is
admirably adapted to the cotton culture and
abounds 10 ivory and precious minerals.
Our correspondent attending this expedition,