The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-05-29

that that province holds, so TO speak, the
gate of the capital. The language of the
province of Tigre also differs from that of
Amhara, as in the former the Gheez and in
the latter the Amharic dialect is spoken.
Between the two provinces there have been
almost constant wars.
The province of Shoa is almost separated
from that of Amhara by the Wollo Gallas, a
Mahomedan tribe Shoa has been for a
long time virtually independent and has
been governed by a hereditary line
of princes, to one of whom the Indian gov
eminent sent special embassy under Maj.
Harris, in 1871.
RELIGION AND CHARACTER OF THE ABYs-
sINIANs.
The greater part of the inhabitants of
Abyssinia are Christians of the Coptic sect
they hold many of the tenets of the Roman
Catholic faith, such as priestly dissolution,
tasts worship OF saints, conventualism, &c.
They also follow many Mahomedan practi-
ces, such as circumcision, ceremonial I'M
cleanliness abstaining from meat prohibited
by the law of Moses &C., and in their laws
and customs Jewish institutions are often
traceable. Many of their names betray also
a Jewish, or at all events Biblical, origin,
such as Zebra Tabor Mount Tabor| Zebra
Libanos (Mount Lebanon), Antiokia, &c.
Their Christianity has degenerated into
little more than form, and they are desert
bed as priestridden and superstitious to the
last degree. The head of the church is a
Bishop or "Abuna,n who is consecrated by
the Patriarch of Alexandria, and by whom
the emperors of Abyssinia are crowned
Much weight is attached to this ceremony,
as may be gathered from the fact that the
Ras of Tigre in 1910 thought it worth
while to go to great expense to send mis-
sion to Alexandria to have an Abuna ap-
pointed, in the hopes that he would conse-
crate an Emperor who would be puppet
in his hands, and give him the supreme
command. The present Abuna is out of
favor with Theodorus for the alleged cause
that he impaired to the missionaries his
doubts of the authenticity of the descent Of
Theodores mother from the Queen of She
ba. That the authority, however, ofthe
Abuna is still recognized seems probable
from the fact that it is stated in recent
letter from the captives that if the rebel
Gobazye were to take Magdala and get
himself crowned by the Abuna he would
be recognized as Emperor by the Abyssin-
ians.
OF the religious character of the people
Mr.. Dufton says :-"Christian liberty is
entirely unknown, as the people are bound
down to unmeaning forms and ceremonies
and the observance of fasts which extend
over two-thirds of the year. Their calendar
is crammed full of saints, and the days of
the year by no means suffice for them all, so
that they must have morning celebrations
and evening celebrations. One cannot
wonder at this when their latitudinarism
leads them to commemorate Balaam and
his ass, Pontius PLATE and his wife and
such like doubtful saints. In addition to
the heroes of the Bible and Apocryphal
books they have many local saints who
have at various times astonished Abyssin-
ia by their miracles and prodigies. Apart
from such traditional eXcrescences, the Abys-
ianians are orthodox in their belief, the grand
truths of our religion being received alike
by them as by us but, being void of that
charity which edifieth, their knowledge
has only tended to puff them up, and the
intolerance with which they look upon
their Mahomedan and Jewish neigh
bors is even greater than that of those peo-
pie themselves towards Christians. What
renders their pride the more offensive is
that the Mahomedans and Jews are in eve
ry way their superiors, possessing, with
an equal amount of intelligence, far greater
mechanical genius and superior habits of
industry. All the manufacturers of cotton
cloth are Moslems all the builders and an
tisans are Jews But pride is not their on
ly fault ; they are deceitful, lying, insin-
cere their breasts are seldom stirred by
generosity towards Others or in gratitude
for benefits received, and, added to all, they
are inhospitable."
DR.. Gobat, the present Bishop of jerusa-
lem, describes them as very immoral and
licentious, priest ridden and bigoted, but
hospitable to travellers and with no cruelty
in their dipositions.
The religion of the Abyssinians tends to
increase their isolation from the Mahome-
dan tribes who occupy the low lands by
which Abyssinia is surrounded-the Sho-
hos on the north, and the Base and Hamran
Arabs on the west, the Danakils Tantals,
Asubo Gallas and Wollo Calais on the east
and south.
CURRENCY OF ABYssINIA.
The only European coin that is current
in Abyssinia is the Maria Theresa dollar of
A. D., 1889, and it is necessary that it
should have certain distinctive marks
viz, diadem of pearls pearl brooch on
the shoulder and the mint mark S. +. DR..
Beke says that, even if the dollar is of the
correct kind, should these marks not be
perfectly distinct he has known the natives
to refuse it. Its value is about 4s. 3D.
This dollar is no longer in circulation in
Austria, but is still coined at the govern
ment mint for expectation to the Levant,
Seq
For smaller monetary transactions the
circulating medium consists of blocks of
salt eight inches long by one and half
inches in breadth. These are called in
Shoa, according to Dr. Beke amoles, and
in Tchelga, to the west Of Gondar, accord
ing to Mr.. Dufton, tsho. Their value is
given by the former as two and half
pence, and by the latter as from two pence
to three pence it varies probably accord
ing to the distance from the source of sup
ply.
These blocks of salt are obtained from a
great salt plain situated between Amphil-
la bay and Atebidera, which is thus quaint
ly described by Don Alonzo Mendez, Pa
triarch of Abyssinia, who traversed it in
1926 1.-THE boundary between the king
doms of Duncall and Tygre is plain four
days journey in length and one in BREADTH
which they call the country of salt, for
there is found all that they use in Ethiopia
ipctno5 of t,,opav hpipor briclyc a1,,,oat