The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-31
Valuable Manuscripts.

One good result of the war in Abyssinia is
revealed in a lelter from an officer of the
British Museum. When the British troops
occupied Magdala they found about one thou
sand manuscript volumes, which King Theo-
dOre had gradually brought together in order
to form library for the church which he in
tended to build dedicated to the Saviour of
the world, Madhan6 Alan. From this mass
OF manuscripts, Mr.. Munzinger British Consul
at Massowah, an accomplished lnguist, and
Mr.. Holmes, of the British Museum, archa-
ologist to the expedition, selected three hun
dred and sixty OF the finest. The remainder
were given to the priests of the church of Che
icot, from whom some of them appear to have
been purchased and taken to England by both
officers and soldiers. The Indian Government,
in liberal compliance with the recommends
tion OF Lord Napier, has presented this eutre
collection to the trustees of the British Mu.
scum, with the exception of a few OF the hand
soonest volumes, which are destined for the
royal library at Windsor.
Mr.. w. Wright, of the British Museum,
who gives this interesting information, de-
scribes the collection as tollows;-
SIN point of age these manuscripts may
perhaps disappOint the expectations of some
scholars; for, with few exceptions the greater
number belong to the seventeenth and eigh-
teenth centuries, and some were transcribed
during the reign OF theodore himself. A
considerable number especially OF the litur-
gical class, contain pictures in the different
styles of Abyssinian art.
"As regards it's contents, the collection
fairly represents every branch of the Ethiopic
literature, which is, like the Syriac, almost
exclusively ecclesiastical, and consists, in
great part, Of translations from the Greek,
Arabic, and COptic. We have here hume
rous Biblical manuscripts, comprising besides
the ordinary canonioal and apocryphal books,
the Book of Enoch, the K6falo Uiber Jubi-
laorum, or Parva Genesis), the Ascension OF
Isaiah, the ParalipOmena of Baruch, and the
Apocalypse of Ezra. The liturgical section
contains manuscripts of the Psalter the
Deggwa and Me'rat or anthems and hymns
for various occasions, with musical notation;
Missals and various other Office books and
by mn books. To this class also belong the
Niagara Mary am, or dscourses for the festivals
Of the Virgin Mary; the Zebra Hemamat or
services for Passion Week; the Dersanat, or
homilies for the festivals of the archangels
Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, etc.
SIN the department of theology we find such
books as KGrl6s that's, Cyril, comprising Cyril's
'Prosphoneticus ad lmperatorem Theodosium,'
the dialogue 'quod unns sit Christus,' and a
collection of homilies by various Fathers; the
'Ancoratus,' and other works Of Epiphanius;
! Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews;
the homilies of Severus of Eshm1nian; the
works of Mar Isaac of Nineveh; the treatises
ascribed TO Kalament0s, or Clement; the 'Sln6-
dos, or Councils of the Church. and the 'Di-
dascalia ApOstolorum.' Besides these, there
are copies of the 'Haiman6ta Abau, or Faith of
the Fathers;' Philoxenus of Mabdg on the
Monastic Life; the Gannata Manak6sat, or
Paradisus Monachorum;' the 'Hawi,' a huge
compilation, apparently known by the name
of Talmid,' drawn up by George, the disciple
of Anthony the Syrian; the Aragawi Man
fasawi,' Faus Manfasawi,' and others. Here,
too, may be mentioned the famous 'Fetha
| Nagast,' cede Of civil and conon law.