New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-18
RUSSIANS IN ABYSSlNlA.
A TREATY WHICH WILL MAKE
THE CAR PROTECTOR OF THE AFRl-
CAN REAIM

| IT would be difficult to imagine more lncoh-
| grnous proceeding than O union or an alliance Dc
| tween the land Of ice and the land OF the sun
Yet that is what is being effected at this very
time The latest and greotest enterprise OF kus-
sia ia In Africa It is thitherward that her sa'eh
men are looking for future conquests' FOR more
than a year past, indeed, the agents OF Vie NAa'
have been busy at work in the DARK Coh'i-
nent exploring and surveying. and making 'fea|
les and inrratiating themselves and the Ho'eih
ment they represent So far has their WORK pio
ceeded that an official report OF 1t is no" pun
lished and Russia openly assumes the a'.i.uoe
Of ally and protector OF the ancient Ch
kingdom Of Abyssina Lieutenant Mashkoli' the
loader of the Russian expedition to Africa mas
| returned 10 ST. Petersburg. crowned with sue
Gees He bears letters from the King and from
tbe Patriarch of the Abyssnan Church 10 the
Gar filled with words of friendship. lie bears
other communications, too, from many great dlg-
nitaries of Church and State, all declaring that
the time is ripe for Ahyssinia 10 be placed
under the protection Of Russia. During the WIN
fer he will return to AbyssiDia. bearing letters
and rich cifts from the Gar. and VIII 'heh' ~
is believed conclude a formal treaty
His report has aroused the utmost interest In
Russia in both political and ecclesiastical clrcics
NJ Pobcdonouen. particularly. IS outspoNen Ill
his advocacy Of immediate action ms ffoou-
rator Of the Holy Synod, the most powerful man
in Russia after the Car, would have RUSSIA AT
once formally proclaimed the protector of the
Abyssinian Christians many Of whom. 1t Is SAID
are being forced by Mahometans to abiure their
foitb. He has succeeded in winning the Gar
himself 10 that view and il is understood that the
matter is now receiving tho most serious attcn-
| tion Since in AbySsinin the State Church prac-
! tically controls the Government. 10 become pro
tector of the Church would also mean protector
of the State itself Such step would hc accom-
panied OF course by the acquisition OF coned-
cradle tract OF land on the African shore OF the
Red Sea And this latter is step that lntl-
mately concerns two or three other great Pow
crs All really desirable sites on the Red Sea are
already claimed b. England, Italy, France and
Germany. and there is no room for Russia unless
one of them can be persuaded to let the Car
in Only one of them is at ali likely to do 20 ::
and the probability that France will is now
being earnestly discussed in more than orc En-
ropean capital.
Seldom has important an undertaking as
this been entered upon so quietly. 1t was about
the middle of April. last year. that Lieutenant
Mashkofl and his five companions set out upon IT,
Their departure from ST. Petersburg not
secret But il was most unostentatious There
was no crowd at the station TO see them of ::
not even one newspaper reporter The little
party consisted Of Lieutenant Mashlof who hal
| a dashing military career under General komaroi
| in Central Asia his brother. n lad just ont OF
grammar school: rough MontcneGrin, named
| Zlatytschanin a Russian monk. who was formerly
an army surgeon; sacristan, who was also good
| soldier; and young man, named Nscvoloshskv.
son of the Governor Of TamhoG. who had chiefly
distinguished himself rs a sportsman Not one
| Go so
attainmento. Yet it was ostensiby an cypedi
ton for scientific research.
To Lieutenant Maslkor himself belongs the
credit Of conceiving tho scheme. II while
Russia and England were wrangling over tho
Afghan boundary. Lieutenant Masll:oG had been
amOnl the foremost Of the acrressors in the move
ment toward IIcrat. But when il became owl
dent that their ardor had received n positive check
he sought some other field on which TO expcnd
his militant energies So he wrote letter 10 tho
Minister of War suggesting an expedition ~ Abvs-
sinia His idea was 10 gain q foothold for Russia
there and thus be able TO give England some an
novancc in her Egyptian operations That the
Minister OF War shonld pay serious attention 20
such letter. written by ar unheard-of minor Of
fcer, was remarkable. RIt he did and hc
swcrcd it, He gave tho Lieutenant n leave Of alb
sence. and invited him to come to ST. Pertcsbufg
and talk the matter over. The result Of their
talking was that Mashkof and Ilstytschanin Set
out for Africa They carried plenty Of money.
| and, uckilv for them. each had n respondent
! Russian military Uniform. They reached Abys
sina, visited several Of tie chief towns, and had
an interview with King Ncnclek The last named
fact they owed to their uniforms For not long
before them General Atchinor The IIetman OF
the Fee Cossacks had visited Abvssinia and had
sought an interview with Menelek. The King de-
nlandcd his credentials; but he had none Then
! he inquired how the visitor was dressed. The
! ply was in plain clothes, rather the worse for
wear. Forthwith Mcnelck sent ont word that the
'nly interview he would grant would be one with
the court cxecutioner if the intruder did not get
ont of Abyssinia in hurry And Atchinor got
out. SO when Mashkof and Zlatytschanin ar
rived and asked audience. Mencicl wos suspi-
cious and wanted their credentials They had none
Then he asked how they dressed The an
swcr was, in raiment of dazzling splendor. That
| satisfied him. and he badc them come in. III,
| gave them a long and most cordial audience, in
| every respect satisfactory to the Russians. He
spoke with bitterness against the Italians,
| ing them, among other things of bnd faith spoke
| of the gratitude with which assistance from his
brother of Muscovy' would be receivcd; invited
them to return to his kingdom gave them a let
ter and verbal message for the Gar, and cx-
pressed his delight to find that they were az ortho-
| dov as the Aboona himself. Mashkof and his
| companion were studiously dcfercntisl to the
priests. and regularly attended service in the
churches, taking part in the prayers, observing
the ceremonies and generally making themselves
all things 10 all men.
On his return to Russia, Mashkoff had nu,ncr.
Gus interviews with several Of the Ministers
and one. OF an hour or more with the Gar him
self. 1t was unprecedented thing for an
obscure lieutenant to be closcted alone with His
| Majesty. But the Gar deeply interested in
| the matter, and the result Of the interview wac
| the sending of MashlSoff and his five companions
on O second expedition, from which they have
lust returned.
The Russians have composed their end in