THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION. (FROM THE CORRESPONDENT OF THE "FALL MALL GAZETTE.") Senafe, December 18.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3340, 31 March 1868, Page 4

THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION. (FROM THE CORRESPONDENT OF THE "FALL MALL GAZETTE.") Senafe, December 18.

It is, indeed, 'a charming change in. many ways from the borders of the sea to the high lauds here. The air is fresh and bracing after the close atmosphere below, where bodily energy and mental activity are apttobe depressed, except when a chance breezecomes from the water to restore circulation. Then,in exchange for the broad sand-s6wn and salt-sown plain, where in this season the whole vegetation consists of only a few stunted acacias, we hare here' very fine lofty trees of various kinds j many of the mimosa class, the juniper pine, the wild rose, the kolqual, some specimens of the &q tribe, magnificent sycamoref, and wild olires, whilst as we ascend from Rayray Guddy to Senafg the banks of the torrent are covered with splendid jungle. The days are as the late September or early October days of England, the sun having, however, more power. The nights are chilly enough to make a doable blanket, not only acceptable bat necessary' The stay at Senate is keenly enjoyed by those who have the good lnbk to be with the advance brigade. All day long from the early morn the ravines and hills are being searched by officers' and their men beating for game, of which there is great variety. There are sambur and other deer on the hill*, wild geese, duck, and the coolen of India (the crane of the ancients) ; then we find guinea fowl, jungle cook, magnificent bastard, partridge very similar to ours at home, and jolly big brown English hares, so different from the puny creatures of the plains. Every species of game has ere this taken profound alarm at our proceedings. At first the slaughter was as easily effected as was the fatal overthrow of, the "boobies" by Robinion Crusoe, but now one requires to exercise all the usual dodges to circumvent them. There are employmemta also as well as amusements. Two days ago there was a brigade parade, where the three arms were represented by the 10th Regiment Native Infantry, the 3rd Native Cavalry, and a battery of mountain guns. Among the spectators was a good sprinkling of the native population, who appeared to be very much impressed fay the music and manoeuvres of the troops. Sphere is much variety of opinion as to the amount of forage and grain we are likely ' to obtain when we advance some distance from Senate. Our reeonnfliisances have not hitherto been pushed far triough for us to acquire certainty in this matter, which is, indeed, all-important if we consider the vast additional work imposed if we have to carry stores of grainalons; with ns to great distances. In' that case the force which will be directly engaged m the effort to releaie the prisoners must be reduced to the narrow eat possible dimensions. Looking at the extreme poverty of r the country, the paucity df grain, the absence of cultivation to any extient and the lack ( of cultivators, the character of the, "tracks " which are ' the only highways of the country, and the total absence of even tolerable lateral oommunicatiohs along the line of march, I should say fihat the land cannot of itself support so large a force as has been got together. We shall hard to carry with as marly everything we need*

The hone-plague ii disappearing. The cavalry loss now only two or three animals per diem,. Whereat the rate had been for some time ten to fifteen. If the latter rat* of mortality hid continued the' 3rd. Native Cavalry would hare ceiled in another fortnight to be * mounted regiment. Ad it ii, they have about ,140 men without horses. Whenever cavalry arrive now at Zulla they must be hurried , away 'fo* the front with all convenient speed, before jthey have time to contract in ' the low lands the deadly complaint which in such ihort time carried |off so jnany. valuable chargers. Taking; into account (what, has been already achieved, a. great triumph jhas been gained over the prophets of evil who represented the surmounting of these pastes as impracticable. Already, you see, wo have a complete brigade established at Senate. It is true the brigade scrambled' up like monkeys, but there ib is; the essential position is occupied. If we have not wheeled artillery here, we hare, at any rate, moun-' tain, guns; the road for all its sixta-two mile's of 1 length is easily traversable by pack-laden' animals, and will very soon be practicable for ' wheeled carriage!, Continual reinforcements, as , they arrive' aje being pnshed up here. / We may consider there- 1 ' fore, that a secure lodgment has been made atthe vital point, the outlet to the long defile, where great preparations are making for the establishment of a comprehensive depdt. ! The petty native chiefs, ( under the guarantee' of ! their ganeral superior the Nub, have been bargained' I with to forward' stores of light description through {the pass, which' gives us many extra hands for other' iwork. The latest accounts from Zolla are reassuring. The transport train department, on which in this .country, our all depends, has now, in good wort-, iag order' as nearly as possible 2,800 mules, &W darnels, 400 bullocks, and 1)160 native ptck«bulHocks. There are also some 3,000 oamels ready at ; Aden for transport, and about 3,000 mules at Suez, not oounting what may be at Alexandria, Kurrabhee, and Bombay. The arrangements for the water ' supply at Zulla ought to Ita investigated. How was it, I should lite to knW, that when our animals Were dying bv, thirty a day for want of water at Zulla, and when even now there is by no means' a sufficiency for any beyond the present force here, we' did not purohase the Peninsular and Oriental condensers lying at Suez, and which can condense fiftyeight tons' per diem? These have not been iri'use ' by the Peninsular and Oriental Company since the completion of the.sweet-water canal. They would have been expensive to purchase, but they "were necessities. The 'Precursor' hulk was available to transport them to AnnesUy Bay, and might have been used for a coal hulk afterwards.