The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-06-04

The Abyssinisn Expeditisn and Its RosuIts-
Tho Herald Correspondence.
The letters which we published yesterday
from our special correspondent, dated at the
Fortress of Aagdala, the last refuge Of King
Theodorus, April IA and Is, give q graphic
description Of the storming and capture of that
remarkable stronghold and the incidents and
discoveries attending it. The details present
us the strangest military conflict and tableaux
Of modern times, and in country which is the
strongest by nature for defensive operations of
any ON the face Of the globe. In these Abys-
sinian belligerents we see the intermingling
Of Europeans, Asiatics and Africans. horses,
camels and elephants, the civilization Of the
nineteenth century and the African barbarism
of three thousand years ago. We have nothing
in the records Of modern military adventures
to compare with this romantic African expedi-
ton. It takes us back beyond the Dark Ages,
to Hannibal crossing the Alps, to the cam
paigns of the ancient Romans among the bar
barous nations by which they were surrounded
yea, to the retreat Of Xenophon and his famous
Ten Thousand and the savage tribes through
which they passed. It reminds us of Disraeli's
Wonderful Tale of Alroy," of Pizarro and
Cortez; it lifts up the veil and brings broadly
into view country and people as much
mystery to the outside world heretofore as the
annual overflow and sources of the Nile.
England, constantly sending abroad her
pioneers of trade, occupation and COLOMBIA
ton, has settled, through those famous ex-
plorers, Spoke and Grant and Baker, the
problem of the Nile sources and the problem
of the annual overflow of Egypt. The main
stream of the sacred river of the Egyptians
comes from q system of broad and beautiful
lakes supplied by the lofty mountain system
and heavy rains of the equator. The annual
overflow of the lower river comes from the
bountiful clouds drifted from the Indian Ocean
and condensed upon the lofty tablelands and
loftier mountain system of Abyssnia. That
strange country of lofty tablelands, cut up
into numberless sections by deep basaltic
chasms and ravines, is now, we learn,
under it's annual deluging rainfall, and that
every ravine is impossible by a surging tor
rent, and that in due time the combined vol
ume OF all these torrents will pass mostly
down the Blue Nile into the main river and
overflow the waiting fields OF Egypt. Sir
Robert Napier has doubtless adapted his Abys-
sinian campaign, and especially his departure
with his army, to the necessities suggested by
this rainy season. His time at Magdala was
SO nearly up that che delay perhaps of a fort
night would have detained him for several
months and starved his army, by being abso-
lutely cut off by those swelling mountain tor
rents from every source Of supplies Here
we have the great secret Of Abyssinia' 8 exemp-
ton from foreign invasions in all ages, and the
secret too, of the slow advances of that people,
naturally of great capabilities, from theirprimi-
tive usages, arts and customs. The causes
which have cut off the foreign invader have cut
off those advances in civilization which are
drawn from the integcommunication of nations
and peoples.
The civilization of Europe was drawn from
Asia, and to some extent even from her
crusades.. In her turn Europe has been and
il difIusiug her civilization, even in her mill
tary adventures, East and West. In this pro-
pagandism England and her overlapping daugh-
tiers of the United States of America lead the
way. OF this Abyssinian expedition the re-
lease of certain prisoners held by King Theo-
sOrus was the avowed object, and, that object
being fully attained, Sir Robert Napier, it may
he said. has fulfilled his mission. We believe,
however, that England had another and greater
object i'm this enterprise. Spoke, Grant and
Baker had shown that there is vast fertile
country around the sources Of the Nile. Dr.
Livingstone had shown that there is a still
more extensive and fertile region below the
equator, adapted to cotton, sugar. coffee and
all the products Of the tropics. The occupa-
ton of these countries and the development
of their resources in the way Of trade were the
grand objects involved in Napiers expedition.
He has. perhaps, discovered that Abyssinla
is not worth holding-that the lofty altitude OF
the country makes its productions worthless
for commerce. But this does not settle the
question in regard TO the other African regions
we have indicated Nor does il settle the
Abyssiuian question.
The removal Of the terrible King Theodorus
Ia man Of another race and higher type than
the genuine African ncgro) las. with the de-
parture of Napier, turned loose against each
other dozen fighting Abyssinian chiefs. u
is feared, too, that the Viceroy of Egypt. under
| French influence, may avail himself of the op-
portunity, after the annual overflow OF the Nile,
to seize upon Abyssinia. regardless of the ruler
named by Napier and of the rights of the he'll
of King rbeodorus, brought away to be edu-
Gated in England. What then? New compli-
cations involving France. Egypt, the Sne7
canal and railway, and, finally, the whole East
ern question. may grow from the seeds PLANTED
by this Abyssinian adventure. England ha'
| NADIA a nnint In that country which she cannO