Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-05-07
the knee. Impoverished in spirit and

even an Abyssinian doctor to extract the
ball from his leg, and without money the
leech refused to work. In this extremity
of suffering he besought his wife to send
him cow, by the gift of which he hoped
to stimulate the physicians withheld
milk of human kindness. The COW
never came, but there did come plenty
of taunts, and notice of final abandon
ment from Mrs. Lii Kassa, then so-called.
Stung to the energy of revenge by this
treatment, the chief determined to have
it out with his wife, her ministerial faith
er, and the whole regal concern. Par
TALLY recruiting both his health and his
forces, he began an indiscriminate career
of pillage upon the /" Paternal Govern
ment." He was formally impeached by
the Abyssinian Rump and summoned for
trial. He went, but it was to the wager
of battle. The respective chiefs sent out
against him were defeated, and at Amba
completely vanquished Ras Ali himself,
the Premier of the kingdom, and the
father of his wife, by whom he was loved
neither too wisely nor too well.
As result of this, he was crowned
Emperor, under the name of. Theodorus,
at Aaum, by the Bishop of Sararna. For
a while he was quiet, but smarting un-
der remembrance, he again invaded the
territory of the Egyptian, Seudan,
after Intellectually having solicited
the governments of France and
England to join in his crusade, which
comprised in design the re-establishment
of the ancient Ethiopian empire. The
expedition was successful as against the
Seudan. But the army which by num-
bers had conquered was practically
starved out by the Fabian policy of his
antagonist, and desertions by the whole
sale left Theodorus barren victory and
the hardship of force not larger than
5000 men and the control of few futile
fortresses. The foreign entanglements
which have eventuated in the present
war and the supremacy of British rule
in Abyssinia began prior to Theo-
dorus' accension to the the throne, as
far back as 1s4s. A Mr.. Plowden,
British consulate at Massowan. had con.
cluded treaty favorable to the
residence and business of foreigners in
the empire. Theodorus set this wise
concession of Ras Ali, his enemy and
father-in-law, quietly aside, and played
the plunderer and freebooter with Euro
peans in general and Britishers in partic-
ular. Mr.. Plowden himself was soon
afterwards killed by predatory band
in the interior. 70 keep up friendly
appearance, Theodorus slaughtered 1,5OO
of his subjects as reprisal. Mr.. Plowden
was succeeded by Captain Cameron.
He was received with outward kindness,
but every official obstacle was thrown in
his way, and he himself was captured by
Tigre chief. Released after delay,
however, he bore an autograph letter
from Theodorus to Victoria, soliciting
English aid to realize his old dream of
restoring the Ethiopian empire. To
this proposition Earl Russell returned
a refusal. Captain Cameron was NAL
treated, and all the English mis-
sionaries in the country were imprison-
ed. The successive diplomatic attempts
to negotiate these gentlemen out of con-
fnenIent to-tl.e r..Alia- -I1hay
failed, and last year General Robert
Napier set out with an expeditionary
force of Britons and Sepoy allies, com
prising in all an estimate of 10000
men. The steps taken, slowly but sure
ly, by this force, the tardy willingness
with which the constituents of the home
government acquiesced in the extra
imposition of taxes necessary to
the expenses of the campaign, all
the incidents preliminary to the one de-
cisive battle have become familiar to our
readers. That the campaign is virtual
ly ended in one battle, dissipates many
of the apochryphal stories concerning
the resources, if not the bravery of the
Abyssinian forces; and the discovery,
alive and well, of the English prisoners
who have been the graUansen of the dis
pute, will send satisfaction as generally
through all Christendom as it will par
ticularly, through the British Empire.
The dead Theodorus was forty-seven
years old, was of average stature, i'm
posing presence, and of an irregular, but
not unimpressive physiognomy. His
habits were those of an astute dema-
gogue. At court he revelled in luxury
and show. In the field, he affected sim
plicity as well of dress as of diet. He
has been credited with being at first
chivalrous and frank. His varied for
tunes changed him to duplicity and cru
city. To get power he was temperate,
brave, austere. In power he proved vim
dictive and savage, though not devoid
of the polite arts which conserved the
responsibilities he had gained by usur-
patton. After the rupture of his alliance
with the daughter of Ras Ali, he became
very much married.
He seems to have taken no means to
name his successor. It is probable that
British occupation will effect, and has
long been intended as the precursor of
enduring British rule. The Spectator,
months ago, gave out that England
would hold what Napier would win
The kingdom of Abyssinia is probably
as dead as Theodorus, and the land will
then become, as India, dependent of
the country whose drum-beats are heard
around the world,
THAD. STEVENS stated one fact in the
Rump, not long since. He said the con-
dition of affairs in the South was "worse
than during the rebellion" Persons who
have travelled extensively over the
Southern States, during the past few
months, declare that the Rump policy
has prostrated every industrial interest
brought thousands of both whites and
blacks to the verge of starvation, and
created the most widespread alarm
among the defenceless whites, who have
been given over as victims to the rapa-
cious, brutal, and tyrannical blacks
Thousands of white men are sacrificing
their land and other property, and with
their families, are hurrying to the North
and West, for fear of the blacks. who in
every State are armed drilled and
leagued for insurrection and the massa.