Her Majesty has intrusted these articles to Captain Charles Duncan Cameron, whom she has appointed her Consul in Abyssinia, as the successor of the late Mr. Plowden, and who has lately taken his departure for his post, and I take this opportunity of introducing him to your Highness, and of requesting your protection and favour in his behalf. He is well acquainted with all that concerns the interests of both countries, and will, I am confident, do all in his power to make himself acceptable to your Highness and to promote your welfare.

I thank your Highness for the letter which you addressed to me, informing me of the steps which you had taken to punish the men who murdered Mr. Plowden and Mr. Bell; and with my best wishes for your uninterrupted health and happiness, I recommend you to the protection of the Almighty.

(L.S.) The large signet.

Your faithful friend,

RUSSELL.

No. 4.-Consul Cameron to Earl Russell.-(Rec. February 12, 1863.)
MY LORD,
Godjam, Abyssinia, October 31, 1862.

I HAVE the honour to report that King Theodore having sent for me at the close of the rainy season, I joined him at his camp here on the 7th instant.

I was received with a salute of 12 guns, and 6,000 cavalry, infantry, and matchlock men were marched out to escort me to camp.

My reception, as regards this point, was the best His Majesty has yet accorded to an Envoy.

On my arrival I was conducted to the King, who awaited me in a large apartment, entirely covered and carpeted with silk.

He received me in a reclining posture, with a double-barrelled gun and two loaded pistols by his side. His Ministers and Generals stood round in their robes of State. I was allowed to be seated.

After a few compliments, mead and broiled meat were brought in, and the interview became public. It lasted many hours, during which His Majesty gave me a detailed account of his last campaign against Negusi. This he did with much apparent modesty. He dwelt with graphic clearness on the death-scene of his late Grand Chamberlain, the Englishman Bell, in which our countryman singled out the Chief Garratt, to whom Mr. Plowden owed his death, and killed him on the battle-field, while the King similarly dispatched the same rebel's brother.

Both the slain were His Majesty's cousins.

He spoke of his further revenge for Mr. Plowden's death when

he executed 1,500 of Garratt's followers on the same day. He did this, he said, to win the friendship of Her Majesty.

He afterwards broke out into invectives against the Turks, said they were encroaching on him on every side, spoke of the 7 flags, as he expressed it, that they had planted on the sea-coast, and dwelt much upon alleged advances from the Egyptian quarter.

He announced his intention of fighting with them, and sending Ambassadors to the European nations to justify his conduct.

Two days after this interview I received a message from His Majesty directing me to put down my business with him on paper.

I wrote immediately, stating that I was deputed to present him with certain gifts, and a letter of introduction; also to discuss with him regarding the future. That when Mr. Plowden was killed there were two points under discussion, viz., 1st, a Treaty; 2nd, the sending an Embassy to England. I offered to take these up where Mr. Plowden had left them.

I was sent for next day to deliver my presents and your Lordship's letter.

Both gave much pleasure, especially the inscription on the gun, to the effect that it was given by Her Majesty in return for the King's kindness to Mr. Plowden.

The King spoke much this day of his goodwill towards England, and the great things he expected from her friendship; and said that he was anxious to purchase fire-arms and ammunition there.

He renewed his invectives against the Turks, and talked of what he could do if assured of our support on the coast.

My replies were as general as possible, as the room was crowded with courtiers, before whom I was unwilling to deal quite plainly with His Majesty.

His Majesty on this occasion presented me with a buckler, two lances, a war saddle, armlet, horse and mule, which I accepted in the name of the Queen, presenting on my own account a barrelorgan, some powder, and three double-barrelled horse pistols, the latter being preferred by His Majesty to revolvers.

On the following Sunday I was again sent for, and to a public interview.

The tone of the King had become bolder regarding Turkey. He spoke of the poverty of his country, saying, that by invading Egypt he would be greatly enriched, and vaunted more boastfully than before of the achievements he would perform if England would prevent any interference by France on the sea-coast, and keep off a Turkish fleet.

Feeling convinced that, however strong may be the wish of England to befriend Abyssinia, this was not the temper I was sent to encourage, I waited till an opportunity should occur of correct

ing His Majesty with regard to what I felt to be the sentiments of my Government.

This soon offered, by His Majesty's asking me whether England would not force his Ambassadors through Massowah and Egypt, the question being prompted by his late doubtful treatment of the Egyptian Envoy, Abderachman Bey, which he had endeavoured previously to explain.

I replied that if there was war England could not take his Ambassadors through Egypt without the consent of that Government. If there was peace, that I could see no obstacle.

He repeated the question in another form, wishing that I should leave him an opening for skirmishes on the frontier as apart from actual war.

I gave the same reply. His Majesty then said that his Empire and religion were in danger of being crushed, and that he would fight to the death in their defence; but he made this important addition, that he would not make or bring on war until he had made an appeal to all Christendom.

I told him I was glad to hear this, and that I would write it to my Government.

After this I waited several days in the expectation of a private audience. My food became scant and bad, and I detected a disposition among the spies who had been attached to me, according to the custom of the country, under pretence of rendering me service, to turn matters in such a way that at last I should solicit the King to leave.

I was hourly asked when I was going, which I settled one morning by replying to the usual question, to one who I knew would carry it to the King, that I might stay 6 months if my business was not finished.

An hour after I received a peremptory message from His Majesty to leave for the sea at once, and send him an answer whether my Government would receive his Embassy or not.

I considered, on the other hand, that as I had been sent to His Majesty at a considerable expense, and on a mission of pure courtesy, it was his duty, at least, to give me some reply to the question of a Treaty, which had been so long pending, including the other important point as to his admitting a Representative of Great Britain to reside in his country, if such were our wish.

I thought, too, that, unless I had clear details with regard to his projected Embassy, much embarrassment might ensue to us hereafter, while at the same time I wished to know Ilis Majesty's intentions regarding the Slave Trade, and to elicit information from him regarding an intercourse with his new Kingdom of Shoa, and bis hold on the tribes to the side of Zeyla.

I therefore wrote His Majesty a letter, copy of which is herewith inclosed.

Fortunately, just as it was finished, I got a batch of letters from Massowah. One was a letter from Mr. Colquhoun, telling me that he had received my despatch to your Lordship, stating my fears that Turkey intended to encroach on Abyssinia from her new settlements on the coast; to which he replied that the Porte would be warned to do nothing which could give umbrage to King Theodore. He added that I ought to inform His Majesty that his best mode of obtaining the sympathies of England was by putting down the Slave Trade in his dominions.

There was a further passage regarding Mr. Sheffer's mission to Tadjurah, which was corroborated by an extract from the "Home and Overland Mail," forwarded from Aden, stating what the mission had done, and that the new settlement was merely intended for a base of operations against Abyssinia.

All this, together with the old Treaty made with Ras Ali, was carefully read through to His Majesty by two interpreters, well conversant with English.

I also forwarded His Majesty a letter, in Arabic, from Jerusalem, detailing the part our Consul has taken in some outrage against the Abyssinian community there.

The King, at the same time, got information that Russia had 40,000 men within 4 days of Constantinople; that Sayid Pasha had gone to France; and that the Sultan was in Egypt.

This various intelligence seems to have pressed heavily on His Majesty. He sent me a message thanking me, entreating me to observe the peril in which he was from two powerful enemies, and begging me to act sincerely by him.

On the following morning I sent a note to His Majesty, telling him that, if he wished, I would return by Matemma, where he told me the Turks had been taking tribute unjustly, and gathering troops, and do what I could there to keep them back, or, at least, collect facts which might tell against them hereafter. Matemma is, just now, a hot-bed of fever.

I reassured him about his Embassy; and wishing to mention something more about his statement regarding not provoking attack, which, as your Lordship will perceive, I had written to him to say that I would report, I sent him a letter which I have expedited to our Consul at Khartoum, asking the latter to do his utmost to preserve peace, but, above all, to report military movements or aggression on Abyssinia to Alexandria.

I told His Majesty that I did this for his sake; he must also now keep his own Governors in restraint.

The answer of His Majesty was kind in the extreme.

He deprecated my going to Matemma on his account, lest, as he expressed it, I should die in his country like Mr. Plowden, and he should again be left without a resource in his present difficulties, but bade me act as I thought fitting; said that, though he was ready to fight, peace was best, and asked me again to do what I could for him by writing.

I answered simply that my life, health, and services were always at the disposal of His Majesty.

On the following morning he sent me a silken embroidered robe, similar to that worn by his chief men, with 1,000 dollars towards paying my expenses to Massowah, and a message to come to him.

My first business was to tell him that I had plenty of money waiting for me at Gondar; that I would write to my Government of his kind consideration; but that if I accepted money from him I might be dismissed from my service.

It was with great difficulty that I could get my interpreters to translate this, as, in Abyssinia, a refusal of such a nature, especially to a King, has in it something of the nature of an insult.

His Majesty made no reply for half an hour. He then said that all he wanted was friendship.

This gave me an opportunity of repeating expressions of goodwill on the part of my Government, and of assuring him of my own high appreciation of his character and devotion to his cause; on which he said voluntarily that he had well considered the subject of a Treaty, about which there would be no difficulty, but that at present his mind was full of other things; also, that if matters went well, he would gladly receive a Consul. He likewise spoke about putting down the Slave Trade, on which I purposely questioned him.

After this I presented His Royal Highness the Duke of SaxeCoburg's decoration, which was exceedingly well received.

He then wrote the letter to Her Majesty, which I herewith have the honour to forward.

The translation was written by his own interpreters.

He intended also to have written a letter to Mr. Colquhoun about the Slave Trade, and a letter of appeal to the King of Holland, similar to those he had already dictated, but it was too late.

This morning I was told to leave for Massowah.

I sent a memorandum to His Majesty, reminding him of the letter for Mr. Colquhoun, and stated the advantage he would derive from it.

He replied that he would write afterwards, but assured me that he would stop the Slave Trade effectually, not as a concession to us, but because he hated it himself.

He repeated his expressions of entire confidence in me, and