officials, barely carrying with me my money, ammunition, some clothes, and writing materials.

I am now lodged at Axum, whose church enjoys privileges of sanctuary, similar to those of medieval Europe My person is, therefore, safe; my property left behind is, I trust, equally so, being deposited in the church at Adona.

This movement has no political significance. The rebel in question, whose name is Sidj Cassa, is a mere robber. His father, Atto Goldja, was also a noted brigand, though of influential family. He was slain before Adona two years since, with two of his sons, while preparing an attack on the town, and his remains were contumeliously burned-a great insult in this country. The object of the surviving son is revenge and plunder. One of the causes which have laid this province open to so daring a defiance of authority, is King Theodore's having lately sent for the grandees of Tigré to pay him homage, who have drained the country of their military followers.

This result will, I hope, have one good effect, in showing His Majesty that he has much to do before he can meditate any but defensive foreign wars. I have, &c. Earl Russell.

C. DUNCAN CAMERON.

SIR,

No. 6.-Earl Russell to Consul Cameron.

Foreign Office, April 22, 1863. WITH reference to your despatch of the 31st of October last, I have to state to you that it is not desirable for Her Majesty's Agents to meddle in the affairs of Abyssinia, and you would have done better had you returned to your post at Massowah when the King told you to do so. This it will be right that you should do at once, and you will remain at Massowah until further orders. You will of course keep Her Majesty's Government fully and accurately informed of French proceedings in Abyssinia.

C. D. Cameron, Esq.

I am, &c.

RUSSELL.

No. 7.-Consul Cameron to Earl Russell.-(Received July 5.) (Extract.) Bogos, Abyssinia, March 31, 1863. WITH reference to my despatch of the 1st of January, I have the honour to state that King Theodore having sent one of his Generals to Tigró to break up the force of the brigand Cassa, the latter has been stripped of everything, and has taken refuge in the Turkish territory.

The road being thus once more rendered safe, as I had received

a very doubtful reply from the Pasha of Cassala to my despatch pointing out to him the necessity of restraining the predatory incursions of the frontier Arabs on Abyssinia, I considered it my duty to proceed to Bogos, which, as well as the neighbouring country, has long been under our protection.

This was the more necessary as a number of the cattle of which the natives had been stripped in Mr. Plowden's time, and only a portion of which had been returned on his application to the Egyptian Government, still remained to be handed over, and the inhabitants looked to me to see the work of my predecessor brought to a close.

As the fate of Cassa had not then been quite ascertained, and the recent disturbance in Tigré had raised many robber bands, who availed themselves of the confusion to plunder on their own account, I applied to the authorities, who furnished me with an escort of 5,000 men across the River Mareb.

The strength of the escort was regulated by their own fears, as the King had previously written to say that if anything happened to me he would reduce Tigré to a desert; and he would have kept his word.

After a stay of some days at Hamazeyn, where I had the satisfaction of settling a local feud which threatened to throw the whole Province into confusion, I proceeded to Bogos, where I found matters much in the state I had anticipated in the conclusion of my despatch of the 31st October.

The Shangallas under Egyptian rule had come down and swept away 300 head of cattle from there, and the Roman Catholic missionary Stella, who resides at Kerew, had gone to the Shangalla country to effect, if possible, their return. The remaining inhabitants had driven their flocks and herds into the mountains.

Within the last week the Shangallas have again been down, plundered 12 villages of their cattle, and killed 9 of the inhabitants, leaving 3 more wounded.

A complaint has been made to me by a Chief of Barka that his brother, an undoubted Abyssinian subject, and a favourite of King Theodore's, has been carried away, and is now in prison at Cassala

This on the Cassala side. On that of Massowah, the Naib of Arkeeko has given shelter to the brigand Cassa, and has been collecting tribute in every direction, while 7 of the principal inhabitants of the Halhal have been tried by his Wakil, and sent to the Habab. The country is in such confusion in consequence that a messenger whom I sent to the Wakil, begging him to be careful of not levying tribute on Abyssinian subjects, has been obliged to

return.

A statement of these facts is being carried to King Theodore by [1862-63. LIII.] F

his Representative here, who persists, with his master, in viewing the Turkish claim to the Bogos, Halhal, and Habab as illusory.

Whatever the claim in question may be worth, it only asserts a right to levy tribute, and makes no pretence either to furnish protection to the inhabitants, ameliorate their condition, or keep them in restraint.

I have written to King Theodore twice since my last despatches to the Foreign Office, once telling him that I had forwarded a letter to the Pasha of Cassala to insure tranquillity on his side, and that it was now a point of honour with His Majesty to do the same by his own Governors, and a second time from here to-day, putting the best colour I can on facts which it is impossible for me to ignore, recommending him to establish a regular Government of some kind here, which can be easily kept in check by my locum tenens for Massowah, and telling him that I will go to Cassala myself, in order to settle everything there as far as possible.

My letters from Cassala assure me that I will have no difficulty in doing so, which I have also told the King, in order to prevent his making any hostile movement.

What effect the news from here may have on a character at once so passionate and politic, it is impossible for me to say. He may either allow his grievances to accumulate, in order to lay them before Europe hereafter, or at once take violent measures to compel the Turks to a certain amount of decency in their transactions on his frontier. He will, however, do nothing without seeing his way.

But for his having called away the principal nobles of Tigré, of which I before informed your Lordship, serious local hostilities would already have commenced, His Majesty having given orders to the Governor of Hamazeyn immediately to resent any aggression on the part of the Turks. I reported this in my despatch of the 22nd July last.

I have to-day written a letter to the Pasha of Massowah, in which, without entering on the vexed question as to what part of these provinces belongs to Abyssinia, what to Turkey, I have recommended him to keep a strict watch over his collectors of tribute, whose irregularities are great, and to set at liberty the Chiefs made prisoners by the Nayib's Wakil, unless he is quite sure that the Wakil was in the right, as all these matters may soon be laid before Europe, and it may tell mischievously for his country if he proved in the wrong.

I have alluded to the rebel Cassa's being in his district; but left it to himself to act as he thinks most wise.

I shall proceed to Cassala as soon as I receive answers to my despatches of the 31st October.

I would leave at once, but that the country on that side, too, is

unsettled, and the bearer of my next batch of letters might be killed

or captured.

Earl Russell.

SIR,

C. DUNCAN CAMERON.

No. 8.-Mr. Murray to Consul Cameron.

Foreign Office, August 13, 1863. I AM directed by Earl Russell to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 31st of March last, suggesting that you should be formally authorized to purchase what you may require, whenever possible, with the view of freeing yourself from the interference of the King of Abyssinia's officers.

In reply, I am to refer you to Lord Russell's despatch of the 22nd of April last, and to state to you that as you have been ordered to return to and remain at Massowah, your proposal need not be considered.

..

I am also to remind you with reference to the expressions “Envoy” and “Mission," which repeatedly occur in your despatch, that as Her Majesty's Consul at Massowah, you hold no representative character in Abyssinia.

C. D. Cameron, Esq.

I am, &c.

JAMES MURRAY.

No. 9.-Consul Cameron to Earl Russell.-(Received August 28.) MY LORD, Kadarif, May 20, 1863.

I HAVE the honour to inclose your Lordship copies of 4 despatches of mine to our Consul-General at Alexandria. As the public service may require that you should be acquainted with some portions of their contents as soon as possible, I shall do myself the honour of reporting to your Lordship hereafter. I have, &c. Earl Russell.

SIR,

C. DUNCAN CAMERON.

(Inclosure 1.)-Consul Cameron to Consul-General Colquhoun. Karadif, Soudan, May 20, 1863. I HAVE the honour to state that my late locum tenens, Mr. Walker, having left Massowah, I have requested a gentleman named Speedy to take his place.

His orders for the present are to communicate directly with Her Majesty's Consul at Jeddah, in any cases which may arise between himself and the Kaimakam of Massowah, and I would beg that if you approve of this arrangement you will, as soon as possible, inform Mr. Speedy of your approval. My experience has shown me that direct reference to Jeddah is the only way open of despatching the business of Massowah during my absence.

If you agree with me, he might be furnished with some docu:nent to the Turkish authorities which would give him an official standing in their eyes.

I have determined to return to Abyssinia by Matemma, in order to make myself acquainted with the state of affairs on that side of the Egyptian frontier. The confusion there seems as great as at Bogos, on the south-eastern side, whence I have just come. My object in coming to Soudan was to visit Cassala, whither the Roman Catholic priest Stella, who at present enjoys paramount influence at Bogos, had gone to reclaim certain cattle lately taken from the inhabitants of that country by the neighbouring tribes under Egypt; also to inquire what had been done in regard to the cattle and people swept away from thence by a former Pasha of Cassala, in 1854, and which on our representation to the Pashalic of Egypt that Government promised to restore. Finally, to do my utmost to prevent such irregular attacks for the future.

With regard to the first of these objects, you are aware that, during the late troubles in Abyssinia, Mr. Plowden assumed the protection of the tribes of Bogos and others in the neighbourhood: a step which, though I cannot refer to archives, I must suppose was known to, and not disapproved by, Her Majesty's Government.

I do not feel justified, without further instructions, in relinquishing an influence which has already done much to prevent the absorption of these friendless people into Isiam,-to avert from them those more than material evils that everywhere follow Mussulman predominance on this unhappy continent, and which may be of political importance to us hereafter.

Taking this view, and finding that Père Stella's application had been neglected by the Pasha of Soudan, who was then at Cassala, I have written the latter the inclosed letter, informing him that I still consider Bogos under British protection, and that if he cannot or will not return the cattle in question before the end of August, Mr. Speedy is directed to forward to you a detailed report on the subject, with a statement of the value of the property taken, when it will rest with others, according to the character of the report, to decide whether to press the matter or not.

I have taken this ground because I expect it will be alleged that there have been counter aggressions on the Abyssinian side, and that these must be settled before the claims of the Bogos people can be met. To which it may be replied, that whatever may have been done by others, the people of the protected provinces have never been accused of aggression. They are, in fact, too weak to protect themselves. There may be other excuses which Mr. Speedy's report will explain.

The fact is, the Egyptian Government is totally indifferent on the subject, and cares little if its frontier people plunder or are plundered, as long as they pay their tribute. The best way to rouse it to a sense of its responsibility would be to make a money claim on