3 TRANSACTIONS OF THE BOMBAY GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. ART. I. GLEANINGS AS TO THE PRESENT STATE Read before the Society, January 19th 1865. ABYSSINIA at present has considerable interest attached to it, chiefly from the fact of H. B. Majesty's Consul, several European gentlemen and Missionaries, and also two ladies, being held in imprisonment by Theodorus, the King of that country; and the Dalhousie, under my command, having recently conveyed a mission to Massowa, the principal export town of Abyssinia, and having been detained there for some months, I have had opportunities to ascertain a few facts regarding the present condition of the country, which at the suggestion of our worthy Secretary, I have committed to paper, in the hope that they may prove not altogether uninteresting to the Society. The journey to Ailaat was made, partly for the alleviation of rheumatism, which had been caused by the insalubrious climate of Massowa, and partly for shooting, which will account for my not having provided myself with the necessary instruments for determining the topographical and physical features of the country. The country of Abyssinia may be briefly described as consisting of a low country, bordering on the Red Sea, and gradually ascending to a height of about 1,000 feet from the level of the sea, at about forty miles inland; where the mountains abruptly rise to a height of six to nearly ten thousand feet, and at their summit is the plateau, intersected by ravines of from two to four thousand feet deep, thus causing, as it were, a series of plateau, which consist of most excellent land, more or less cultivated for the growth of cereals, of which the principal are jowaree, barley, and maize; from the former, the bread commonly used is prepared; the method of preparation is very simple and expeditious. The seed having been crushed between a couple of rough stones, is mixed with water, roughly kneaded into dough; the nearest stone is thrown into the fire, heated, and extracted again; the dough is made to cover the stone; the fire is removed; the dough is placed in the embers, baked, and removed in five minutes; it is then opened, the stone permitted to fall out, and the result is what the natives call "teff;" just at the present, however, the grain throughout Abyssinia is considered very high in price: and, indeed, a famine threatened, owing to flights of locusts in the spring having destroyed nearly the whole vegetation: and another active cause may probably be the complete state of anarchy in which the whole country is plunged, and the unwillingness of the peasantry to cultivate their land; knowing as they do that if successful in their harvest, it would simply bring more tyranny upon them. The present King, Theodorus, has won the throne by repeated conquests, having been originally of inferior position. He was formerly employed by the mother of Ras Ally, as tax-collector in a small and remote province, and it would seem that at her death the idea of conquering the (at that time) three kingdoms of Abyssinia, and reducing the whole under his sole rule, first took possession of him; from that time to the present, his victories have been so marvellous, and his rule so despotic, that the soldiery (it is said) really believe him to be invincible, and fight with the most reckless bravery under his command. The troops are never paid, and when at last they become so clamorous for money that there can be no more delay, or when a party of troops meet with the particular approbation of the King, it is his custom to place a certain number of houses in the capital (Gondar), or else a small province at their disposal, for their spoliation. Gondar being a very ancient city, it is rumoured, and generally supposed by the inhabitants, that jewels and money of great value are hid and buried in the houses, and when once given over to the troops, they are ransacked to their foundations, and the site thoroughly dug up. If the King |