s an extensive country on the eastern coast of Africa, lying between 8° and 16° N. Lat. and 34° and 43° E. Long., bounded on the north-west by Nubia, on the north-east by the Red Sea, on the south by the country of the Gallas, and on the west by countries almost unknown in the interior of Africa. Its extent is estimated at about 245,000 geographical square miles, and its population at from four to five millions.

Abyssinia is pre-eminently an alpine country. It rises from the low arid district on the borders of the Red Sea, in lofty ranges of mountains, with extensive and elevated table-lands, intersected by numerous valleys. Its mountains assume wild and fantastic forms, with sides frequently abrupt and precipitous, and are only accessible by very difficult passes. The summits of the more lofty are frequently, if not always, covered with snow, a statement not admitted by Bruce, but asserted by both Pearce and Salt, the former of whom was overtaken by a snow-storm on the Samen Mountains in the middle of October; the latter saw snow there from a distance on the 8th of May; and the more recent traveller, Dr. Rippell, found newly-fallen snow on the same mountains in the month of July. The Samen range of mountains are the highest in Abyssinia, and together with the Lamalmon and Lasta mountains, form a long but not continuous chain running north-east and south-west. Several of these mountains, as the Amba-Hai and the Beyeda, are upwards of 12,000 feet high, while the Abba Yaret and the Buahat rise to a height of almost 15,000 feet. Lying between the Samen mountains and the Red Sea, and almost parallel to the coast, is the Taranta range, which attains a height of upwards of 7000 feet. The table-lands or plateaux have been classified by that celebrated geographer Ritter, into three distinct groups or terraces, rising one above another from the borders of the Red Sea. The first of these is the plain of Baharneqash, lying to the west of the Taranta mountains, and extending to the river Mareb. On a higher elevation, lying between the rivers Mareb and Tacazze, is the Tigre plateau. The third or Amhara plateau is separated from the preceding by the Samen mountain, and has a mean elevation of 9000 feet. From this the country descends to unknown regions on the west.

Of the rivers of Abyssinia the most important are the Atai, called also the Bab-el-Arres, or Blue River, and the Tacazze. The former, which is the eastern branch of the Nile, and was considered by Bruce to be the main stream of that river, rises from two mountains near Gezeh, in Lat. 10° 29', Long. 36° 15' E. longitude, at an elevation of about 10,000 feet above the level of the sea. It flows far north to the lake of Dembea, through which it has a perceptible current, and then takes a long semicircular sweep round the province of Gojam, and afterwards flows northward till about the 15th degree of north latitude, when it unites with the Bab-el-Ahri, or White River, which is now considered to be the true Nile. The Tacazze or Athura, rises in the mountains of Lasta, and after draining those of Samen and Tigre, at length falls into the Nile in north latitude 17° 40'. The Hawash rises in the south of Abyssinia, about latitude 9° 30' N., and longitude 33° E., and flowing in a north-easterly direction towards the Red Sea, is lost in Lake Abbekad, in latitude 11° 30' N., longitude 41° 40' E. The Mareb rises in the mountains of Taranta, and, flowing nearly parallel to the Tacazze, is afterwards lost in the sand; but Bruce says that in the rainy season it reaches that river. Besides these, there are numerous smaller rivers which rise in the mountains and are lost in the sandy plains below, or fall into larger rivers or lakes. The principal lake of Abyssinia is the Dembea or Tram in the country of Amhara. It is about 60 miles long, and 40 broad, is fed by numerous rivulets, and abounds in small islands. Lake Ashangoe is in the country of Tigre, and about 30 miles long by 15 broad. In the south of Abyssinia, near the Bay of Tajura, in the gulf of Bab-el-Mandeb, is the remarkable lake of Assal. This lake, which has only recently become known to travellers, is of an elliptical form, and about seven miles long. It is half filled with water of the deepest carmine blue, and half with a solid sheet of glittering snow-white salt, and is no less than 570 feet below the level of the neighbouring gulf.

Abyssinia, from its more or less elevated situation, presents almost every variety of climate, from the burning heat of a tropical sun on the coast, to severe cold on the summits of its snow-crowned mountains. On the table-lands one breathes a pure mountain air, while in the valleys the heat is almost suffocating.

Few countries are more richly endowed by nature than Abyssinia. Its fertility is so great as in some places to produce three crops annually; vegetation gradually increases as it rises from the sandy coast. On the table-lands are found extensive pastures, and cedar forests crown the tops of many of its mountains. Among its fruit trees are numbered the date, orange, lemon, pomegranate, and banana. Coffee grows wild on the western mountains, and on its western declivities the cotton plant is found in great abundance. On the table-lands are extensive maize fields, and there, as well as in other parts of the country, the sugar-cane and vine are cultivated. On the higher grounds, wheat and barley are raised in large quantities, and the low grounds are chiefly covered with tef, Poa abyssinica, with grains not larger than the head of a pin, of which is made the bread in general use throughout the country. The low grounds produce also a kind of corn called tokassa, a species of Eleocharis, of which a black bread is made, which constitutes the food of the lowest classes. Durra, or Hordeum Sorghum, in Abyssinian, Marchella, is common. In some provinces Schossi, Zen Mais, has been introduced; and the natives cultivate other esculent vegetables as Schimbera, Circe arietinum; Misani, lentils; Atar, vetches; Bagela, lupines; Nach, oriental sesame; Tolea, a species of linseed; Schaburata, a small onion; Gusmal, a species of cabbage. Myrrh, sesam, and various kinds of costly medicinal plants, are very plentiful.

Most of the domestic animals of Europe are found here. The horses are strong and active, and the oxen very numerous—a remarkable species of which, the Galla ox, has horns sometimes four feet long. Goats and sheep are very plentiful, but the latter are small, and have black wool. Of the animals of prey, the most numerous is the striped hyena, which is very fierce and untameable, and, protected by superstition, roam unchecked in immense numbers over the country, entering the towns and even the houses of the inhabitants. The elephant and rhinoceros are numerous in the low grounds. The Abyssinian rhinoceros has two horns; its skin, which has no folds, is used for shields; as well as for lining drinking-vessels, being regarded as an antidote to poison. Crocodiles and hippopotami are plentiful in the rivers; lions, panthers, and the common and black varieties of leopards, are seen occasionally, and buffaloes frequently. Besides these, there are found several species of monkeys; the common, the caracal, and the booted lynx; the wild cat, a small species of wolf, the Barbary jackal, common fox, fennec, ibex, weasel, rat, mouse, marmot, barberry and palm squirrel, jerboa, hare, Syrian hyrax, wild boar, camelopard, zebra, quagga, camel, and antelopes of the species oryx, oryx, leucotis, cachere, grimmia, and dorcas. The number of birds in this country is immense. Great numbers of eagles, vultures, hawks, and other birds of prey are met with, and partridges, snipe, pigeons, and swallows, are very plentiful. Among the birds of Abyssinia are the barbatus and pteropterus species of vulture, the occipital eagle, several species of falcons, the polioptilas, caille, and fringillidae species of shrikes, Ptilostomus Terpsitis, or Tercatus parrallactus, Coracias Bengalensis, or Bengal roller, Bucos Saltii or Salt's buco, Oriolus monacha, Cuculus Scopolii, Picus Albinus, Alcedo Albinus or chelicti, Morops erythropthalmus, and porphyra or porphyra, Corvus Turcicus, Tachyphonus erythrocephalus, Sphenix passemendus, Colius striatus, and Scopulans, Leucos bennettii, Emberiza cephalus, Fringilla Serrula, and Bengalensis, Muscicapa paradisiaca and malata, Alauda dorotheae, Struthio camelus or ostrich, Curruca Europaea, Columba Guineae, or Guinea pigeon, Columba Albinus, Numida mitrata, Tringa Scopulans, and Ardeola Pomellieriana, or rather Eratinus Pomellieriana, and the Phoenicurus murinus, capensis, and the various species of the Turdus. Serpents of different species are not uncommon, among which of the venomous sort are Naja Haie, Viperus Acelous, V. Echis, and probably V. Cerastes. Among its insects the most numerous and useful is the bee; for honey everywhere constitutes an important part of the food of the inhabitants, and several of the provinces pay a large proportion of their tribute in this article. Of an opposite class is the locust, the ravages of which here, as in the other parts of Northern Africa, are terrible.

Abyssinia, according to MM. Galliner and Perret, ought to be ranked among the most complex and remarkable countries in a geological point of view. The formations range from the first to the last degree of the geological scale. They found the primary and transition formations in the country of the Choise in Tigre; secondary formations at the extremity of Tigre; tertiary and modern formations on the shores of the Red Sea, &c.; besides a great variety of sedimentary rocks, rocks of plutonic and volcanic origin; and besides those commonly named metamorphic rocks, a number of Of the mineral wealth of Abyssinia little is known. Granite, slate, and gneiss form a great part of its mountains; antimony and iron ore, with small quantities of gold and silver, are mentioned among its productions. South-east of Tigre, and about 50 miles from Amphiha bay, is an extensive plain of salt, which to the depth of two feet is perfectly pure, and so hard as to require to be cut with hatchets; at a greater depth it is much coarser and softer, till purified and hardened by exposure to the air. The savage tribes in the vicinity, ever on the watch for plunder, render the digging and carrying off the salt very dangerous to those engaged in these operations, who are therefore obliged to associate in numerous and well-armed bands. This salt is used by the Abyssinians, not only to season and preserve food, but also as a medium of exchange, increasing in value the farther it is carried into the country.

The ancients included Abyssinia under the general name of Ethiopia, and the people under that of Ethiopians, from a word in the Greek language signifying of a dark colour; and the Abyssinians of the present day call themselves Itiopian, and their country Itiopia. Abyssinia, or more correctly Habessina, is a corruption of Habesch, a name given to the country by the Arabs, and signifying a mixed people.

The ancient history of Abyssinia is very imperfectly known. The story of the Abyssinians, that their country is the Sheba mentioned in Scripture whose queen visited Solomon, is unworthy of credit; equally so is the assertion that Solomon had a son by that queen, named Menilek, from whom sprang the Abyssinian kings. The kingdom of the Auxumite flourished in Abyssinia, in the first or second century of our era. Its chief town was Auxume, whose site is now occupied by the modern Axum in Tigre, where many vestiges of its greatness are to be found. It appears that at this time the arts of the Greeks and Egyptians had penetrated into the country; and we find the Greek language used in their monumental inscriptions, as in the famous monument at Axum, executed before the introduction of Christianity, in which the king calls himself "son of the invincible Mars." In the year 522, the Abyssins, under the command of their king Elesbaan, the most powerful, and the only conquering prince that occupied the throne, attacked and destroyed the kingdom of the Homerites, on the opposite coast of the Red Sea. Elesbaan afterwards resigned the government, and ended his life in a monastery. About 60 years later, the Abyssins were expelled from Arabia, and from this time till about the year 960 we have very little information respecting them that can be depended on. About the latter period, Queen Judith, a Jewish princess, of more than manly courage and ruthless ambition, conceived the bloody design of murdering all the members of the royal family, and establishing herself in their stead. During the execution of the project the infant king was carried off by some faithful adherents, and conveyed to Shoa, where his authority was acknowledged; while Judith reigned for 40 years over the rest of the kingdom, and transmitted the crown to her posterity. In 1268, however, the kingdom was restored to the royal house, in the person of Icon Amilae. On the accession of this prince the royal residence was removed from Axum to Shoa, and the Amharic became the language of the court. About the close of the 15th century, the Portuguese missions into Abyssinia commenced, and were continued from time to time, till Mendez, by his arrogance and cruelty, brought about their expulsion. This Portuguese Jesuit had so ingratiated himself with the Emperor Lusneius, as to be intrusted with the management of the religious affairs of the country. The emperor himself swore obedience to the Roman Pontiff, and commanded his people to embrace the Roman Catholic religion. But the people had not suffered papal tyranny sufficiently long to submit tamely to the inquisitorial punishments that Mendez administered to the recusants. Civil commotions and insurrections were the consequence, till at length, in 1631, the emperor freed the people from the tyranny of Mendez, by granting them liberty to exercise the religion they preferred; and Basildes, who succeeded his father in 1632, drove Mendez and the whole Jesuitical persecutors out of the country. Abyssinia then became the seat of anarchy and confusion, occasioned by the encroachments of the Gallas from without, and the contests between the governors of the different provinces in the interior. Might everywhere triumphed over right; cities and villages were burned down, and the inhabitants driven out and sold for slaves. In these circumstances, the king, who lived in Gondar, with only a small retinue of servants, received but little respect or obedience from the governors of the different provinces, each of whom was anxious to obtain that title for himself, and was only prevented by the jealousy of the others. The result of these contests has been that Abyssinia, as a kingdom, has ceased to exist. It is now divided into numerous independent kingdoms or provinces, governed either by Galla princes, or by the successors of former governors, who had raised themselves to independence. These petty kings are constantly at war with each other, and the most deadly animosities exist between them.

The most important of the kingdoms of Abyssinia are those of Tigre, Amhara, Gondar, Shoa, and Angot. Tigre is situate in the north-eastern part of Abyssinia, separated from Amhara by the river Tacazze, and comprehends the provinces of, 1. Tigre proper, with Adowa the chief town, and Axum the ancient capital of Abyssinia; 2. Agame; 3. Enderta; 4. the Lasta country, consisting of rude and almost inaccessible mountains; 5. Lamen; 6. Baharnegash; 7. Woyjeat; 8. Wofla; besides these are the districts of Temben, Shire, Walduhha, &c.

Amhara consists of the large province of Amhara, lying along the Dembea lake, and several of the neighbouring districts; and is governed by a Galla prince.

Gondar is in the possession of a Mahomedan Galla prince and contains, 1. The province of Dembea, named after the lake in its vicinity, with the city of Gondar, which was formerly the chief town of Abyssinia. 2. The province of Bejendem. 3. The province of Maidsha, besides the districts of Godsham, Damot, &c.

Shoa is situate in the south of Abyssinia, and at present seems to be the most powerful and flourishing kingdom in that country. It is inhabited chiefly by Gallas, and is governed by a Galla prince, who resides at Ankobar; the population is estimated at one and a-half million. Angot also in the south of Abyssinia, is inhabited by Gallas and governed by a Galla prince. Its capital is Agof.

The aborigines, who are the most numerous people of Abyssinia, belong to the Caucasian race, and are of a dark olive colour, approaching to black, and generally handsome, with long hair and lively eyes. They are divided into tribes, as the Tigreans, Amharans, Agows, &c. Other races have, at various times, established themselves in the country. A Jewish race inhabit the district of Lamen, and are known by the name of Talashas. They affirm that their forefathers came into the country as early as the days of Rehoboam; but it seems more probable that they had come about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. From the tenth century they enjoyed their own constitutional rights, and were subject to their own kings, who, they pretend, were descended from king David, until the year 1800, when the royal race became extinct, and since then they have been subject to Tigre. The Gallas are a wild and savage race from the south, who have overrun the greater part of Abyssinia, so that at present there are few chiefs who have not an intermixture of Galla blood. They are mostly idolaters, but many have Abyssinia adopted the Mahommedan faith, and not a few the Christianity of the Abyssinians. Their young men are denied certain privileges, and are despised by their seniors, and even by the women, till they have given proof of their manhood by killing an enemy.

The principal languages of Abyssinia belong to the Ethiopic class, and are divided into several branches. The Geez, which is the language of Tigre, and of which the modern Tigre is a dialect, is that of the religion and literature of the country; and while Tigre was dominant, it was that of the court. From its affinity to the Arabic, it may reasonably be supposed to have been introduced by conquerors or settlers from the opposite shores of the Red Sea. The Amharic, which is the language of the present dominant race, is that used by the court and merchants, and that which travellers who penetrate beyond Tigre generally have occasion to use. Though this language has many words in common with the Geez, yet whether it be a dialect of that or an ancient African language, is a question which has not been settled. The Agow in its various dialects is the language of the people generally; in some provinces it is used almost exclusively, and in others where it has been superseded by the language of the dominant race, it still exists among the lowest classes. The Gallas have introduced their own language into various parts of the country; but in many cases they have adopted the language of the people whose place they have usurped.

The religion of the Abyssinians is a very degraded form of Christianity. It was introduced as early as the beginning of the fourth century by Frumentius, who was consecrated first Bishop of Abyssinia by St Athanasius of Alexandria. Since that time, it has been so corrupted by errors of various kinds, as to have now become little more than a dead formality mixed up with superstition and Judaism. Their children are circumcised, and the Mosaic commandments with respect to food and purification are observed. Fasts and feast-days are very frequent; baptism and the Lord's Supper are dispensed after the manner of the Greek church. Their worship consists merely in reading passages of Scripture, and dispensing the Lord's Supper without any preaching or singing. Of the more ignorant of the clergy, the greater part are married; and even among the monks, marriage is not rare, though contrary to the rules of their order; and indeed, some of them even live in polygamy, which among the Abyssinians is not uncommon. Their primate or chief bishop, whom they call Abuna (i.e., our father) is nominated by the Patriarch of Cairo, whom they acknowledge as their spiritual father. The ecclesiastical body is very numerous, consisting of priests of various kinds, with monks and nuns, and is looked upon with great awe and reverence. They have innumerable saints, but above all is the Virgin, whom they consider as queen of heaven and earth, and the great intercessor for the sins of mankind. Their churches are rude edifices, chiefly of a circular form, with thatched roofs, and surrounded by pillars of cedar. Like the Greek church, they have no images of any kind in their places of worship, but paintings are very common; and on entering, every one must leave his shoes at the door. Legends of saints, and works of religious controversy, form almost their entire literature.

The Abyssinians are very rude and barbarous. Engaged as they are in continual wars, and accustomed to bloodshed, human life is not respected among them. Murders and executions are frequent, and at Gondar Bruce seldom went out without seeing dead bodies in the streets, left to be devoured by the dogs and hyenas. When one commits murder, he must make satisfaction to the relatives of the deceased, who may either put him to death or accept of a ransom. When the murdered person has no relatives, the priests take upon themselves the office of avengers. Raw flesh is with them a favourite article of food. At their brinds, or raw flesh feasts, the cattle are brought to the door and slaughtered; and the Abyssinian flesh, while yet warm and quivering, is brought in to the guests, and devoured by them with great gusto. Marriage is a very slight connection, dissolvable at any time by either party. The engagement is concluded between the lover and the bride's parents, her consent not being considered at all necessary to the agreement. The lover then carries off the bride on his shoulders, and the ceremony concludes with a bridal feast. Their principal liquor is mead; but the common drink of the lower classes is bouza, a species of sour beer, made from the fermentation of their bread, principally of that left at their feasts. Their dress consists of a large folding mantle and close drawers; their houses are very rude, of a conical form, and covered with thatch.

The inhabitants of Abyssinia are chiefly engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. Their industrial productions are insignificant, consisting chiefly in preparations of leather, parchment, cotton cloths, and tapestry fabricated from wool and goats' hair, and in manufactures of iron and brass.

Abyssinia is equally unimportant in a commercial point of view. It only possesses a single harbour; and there is no road or navigable river to facilitate intercourse with the interior of the country. In addition to these obstacles, merchants, when travelling, are exposed to the attacks of wild marauding hordes, and subjected to high taxes and duties, which annually amount to a considerable sum. Massaua, its principal, or rather only seaport town, is the chief place for foreign traffic. Caravans bring here the merchandise of this and some of the western countries, and carry away European and Indian goods. Its principal imports are lead, tin, copper, silk, gunpowder, glass, Indian goods, Persian carpets, French cloths, coloured skins from Egypt; the exports are ivory, gold, slaves, cattle, cotton cloth, mules, honey.

The steam navigation of the Red Sea has given an increased degree of importance to Abyssinia in the eyes of several of the European powers. The British, since they got possession of Aden, have been very anxious to establish commercial intercourse with this country; while the French have been no less desirous to attain the same object. The latter have despatched several embassies for the purpose of ascertaining the mercantile capabilities of the country, and have also, in order to effect a union between that country and the See of Rome, established a Catholic mission at Adowa. The English, in the beginning of 1841, sent a political mission to Shoas, with the view to a commercial union with that kingdom. Major Harris, who commanded the expedition, afterwards published an account of his travels there, in three volumes. In 1829, the Church Missionary Society sent Messrs Gobat and Kugler as missionaries to Abyssinia. Mr Kugler died shortly after his arrival, but his place was supplied by Isenberg, who was followed by Messrs Blumhardt and Krapf. Mr Gobat returned to Europe in 1833, and next year published a journal of his residence in Abyssinia. On account of the opposition of the native priests, the missionaries were, in 1838, compelled to leave the country; and after several fruitless attempts to re-establish themselves, the mission was abandoned in 1843. Dr Edward Rüppell, a German naturalist, arrived at Massaua in 1831, and remained in the country nearly two years. His researches have thrown much light on the nature and productions of the country. He brought to Europe a large collection of animals, including many new species, which he deposited in the museum of his native city, Frankfort on the Maine; and in 1838 he published an account of his travels, in two volumes, entitled Reise in Abyssinien. But of all the travellers to this country, perhaps none have done more to extend our knowledge of it than Dr Beke. He reached several places which had never before been visited by Europeans, collected vocabularies of no fewer than thirteen of its languages and dialects, and is the first traveller Abyssinian who has described the sources of Abai since the days of Bruce, whose statements he confirms. He arrived at Tujura in November 1840, and travelling through Shoa, Gojam, Lasta, and Tigre, arrived at Massauah in May 1843. From time to time he communicated an account of his travels to the Royal Geographical Society, which is published in their journal.