The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-20
SAVANNAH. GA. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 20. $685.


the first Western European to have set
foot on Abyssinian soil. Unfortunately.
his records have been lost and il is to
Rev, DR.. Alvarez who followed nearly
fifty years later Q5s0). that we are indebt-
ed for the earliest authentic Information
about Abyssniaa and its traditions The
information he brought back with him
is of unsurpassed interest That part of
his published records which dealc with
the subject of this article had best be
given in his own words:
We stayed IN Aquaxumo probably Az
um) for eight months This town was the
city, chamber and abode of the Queen Sa-
ba (Sheba is designated as a province in
old Ethiopian maps), who took the camels
laden with gold 10 So.omon when he was
building the temple of Jerusalem There
Is in this town a very noble church. in
which We found a very great chronicle
written in the language of the country and
II stated in its commencement how IL had
been written first in Hebrew and after
ward put into Greek, and from Greek into
Chaidee, and from Chaldee into the Abys-
sinian tongue. in which ii now IS, and il
begins thus; How the Queen Saba hear
ing related the great and rich works which
Solomon had begun in Jerusalem. she de-
termined TO so and see them, and she load
ed certain camels with gold TO give for
these works, and on arriving near the
city, and being about 10 cross a lake which
they passed by some bridge she dismount-
ed and worshipped the beams, aud said
(mark the alleged prophecy uttered 9Sf b.
CO: Please COD my feet shah not touch
the timber, on which the Saviour of the
world has 20 hangTs and She made a cir
cult of the lake, and went TO See Solomon,
and induced him to withdraw those beams
from there; and She came 10 the works
and offered her gift. and said:
These works are not such as they told
ma in rfg.l
beauty and richness have no equal, so
that they are greater than what was re-
lated to me; so much so that the, tongues
of men can not tell their nobility and
richness, and muchI grieve for the small
gift l brought. 1 win repair to my coun-
try and lordships, and l win send what
ever abounds, for the works, of gold and
blackwood TO inlay.p
The misunderstanding to Alvarez
goes on to assert that King Solomon was
smitten with the beauty of his fair Visi-
tor. She resided some time in Jerusalem,
and bore Solomon a son, called varioGsly
MeTimelek Ludolf, Menilek Ola Chatre),
etc. The young man was brought up in
the Jewish court, where he remained until
he was seventeen, when3 having rendered
himself obnoxious TO the people-''he out
ragged the people of Israel and all Judea"
"a deputation waited upon Solomon and
begged the king TO Fsend him back to his
mother, for we are not able to maintain
him" iN
Solomon. the chronicle tell us sent him
very honorably, giving him the officers
that are usual in kings household, and
he made the journey to the country OF his
mother, where he was a very great ruler"
He ruled" says the chronicle, from sea
to sea, and had sixty ships in the Indian
sea-" The discoveries of Alvarez were
widely reproduced in Europe where they
must have created considerably sensation.