ABYSSINIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1935, Page 9

ABYSSINIA

EXPEDITION OF 1867—68. Of all the “little wars” of the last cenutry probably none has so completely passed out of public recollection as the Abyssinian Expedition. Yet none was more successful, (writes C.G.M., in the “Sydney Morning Herald”). It was well conceived and excellently organised. It proceeded according to plan and time with the greatest exactness. It was devoid of untoward incident, which possibly made its passing out of the public mind all the quicker. For a rankling disaster often retains a strong grip on the memory, especially if it can be used as a party cry against a Government held in any way responsible. Of the country up to the beginning of last century, little was known beyond it being the traditional Land of Sheba and the country of Prester John. The first authentic account was that of that indefatigable traveller James Bruce, who brought a life of thrilling adventure to a prosaic close by tumbling downstairs in his country house in Scotland. His bulky fivetome narrative (1790) was received with general incredulity. Dr. Johnson, who met him, considered him a man of mean capacity and that the truth was not in him. Yet in the earlier years of last century successive explorers testified that Bruce’s observations were throughout truthful and accurate. After the middle of last century attention was directed to the country by the emergence of a remarkable personality—Kassa, otherwise the Emperor Theodore. Kassa was the son of a petty chief of the Amhara province, whose ruler he succeeded in deposing and whose authority he usurped. He was a man of boundless ambition, untiring energy and very considerable talent. Not content with his primary success, his further ambition was to subjugate the neighbouring rulers one by one and seize supreme power. Having mainly, if not completely, achieved his object, under the name of Theodore he proclaimed himself “Negus Negus,” the amplification of which “short title” is stated to be “King of King?, offspring of the tribe of Judah, son of David, son of Solomon, son of the Pillar of Zion, son of the Hand of Mary and Emperor of Upper Ethiopia.’’

NON-INTERFERENCE. The policy of the British Government of the day was one of absolute non-interference with internal affairs in Abyssinia, and the duties of the ( British representative were restricted purely to “the protection of British trade in Abyssinia and’ adjoining countries.” His official residence was not even in Abyssinia, but in an island off the coast, Massowah by name, which belonged to Turkey. As his predecessor had identified himself with Theodore’s cause and been killed in one of his affrays, the above restrictions were specifically emphasised on the appointment in 1862 of Captain Cameron. Theodore had written' to Queen Victoria asking for a British alliance with him against Turkey. On her Ministers’ advice, the letter, which for some reason was not made public, remained unanswered. Cameron had just returned from an official visit to Egypt —Theodore’s enemy—and was paying a visit to the Emperor. On learning he had no message for him, Theodore exclaimed: “Your Queen can give you orders to visit my enemies and then return to Massowah, but she cannot return a civil answer to my letter. You shall not return till that answer comes.” That was in 1863. Cameron did not return till 1868. As time went on without bringing the expected answer to' his letter on the proposed alliance, Theodore s resentment grew in its intensity. Cameron was thrown into prison and chained, and the same fate was meted out to every European Theodore could lay hands upon. A popular rumour at the time was that Theodore had strongly'held the opinion that, in addition to a political alliance, an alliance of a more personal nature would bo a mutual advantage. Theodore had also written, as one Emperor to another, to the Emperor Napoleon HL, requesting an alliance. The reply which came (not from the Emperor, but from Marshal MacMahon) was of such a nature that Theodore in a violent rage tore it to pieces and sent its bearers away in ignominy. The Imperial correspondence seemed fated not to follow the ordered lines laid down in “The Polite Letter Writer.”

CONCILIATION. Conciliatory methods were tried to secure the release of the prisoners. A British official was sent from Aden t Massowah to arrange terms. Theodore played with him for months, and even made a oretence of releasing the prisoners. The end of the negotiations was that the negotiator and his staff joined the other prisoners in their chains. Meantime, there had been a change of Government in Great Britain, lhe Russell Government, which had had to deal with the early phases of the dispute, was replaced by that of Lord Derby. , .. That was was the only alternative was agreed on by both parties in lailianient and there was a like unanimity in the country. News had come to hand of the miserable condition of the prisoners, and it was telt that their continued detention was intolerable. An expeditionary force was arranged for, to be in the very capable hands of General Sir Robert Napier, the Commander-in-Chief of Bombay. The force was partly European and partly Indian. The former comprised artillery sappers, and miners, a detachment of Dragoon Guards, and four battalions of infantry. With the Indian troops was included a detachment of the Scinde Horse, a famous cavalry regiment, under lhe command of Colonel Merewether, a member of a lamilv well known in New South Wales. '

The lighting personnel amounted to 12.000 men. but. in view of the very large transport train (which included lit elephants), the total of those employed amounted to 30,000. The arlangcments for sea transport were in the hands of Captain Tryon, afterwards commander-in-chief on the Aus!;alian station, and later the tragic <’ei:tr.'!l lienre of the Victorian disaster.

THE EXPEDITION. Tic < vpriiitionarv f<-r, , i. f> Bombav n : I b'ci-ir I'm?. lor Hie landinc ybo'e .n /oola. a ini l Icy Hay. op tie v t h <”ja I of tile Jb-d S- s and the e'»mn:.-iud‘’r-’n-chief :;:’t\'" l rm Januaiy 2. Having i;r. t asc- Harm’d that Thr-cdoie v. as making- for the fortress rod, of Magdala iu Hie south. Napier

made a satisfactory arrangement with the principal ruled whose territory the expedition had to traverse on its 400-mile march, that though no support would be given to the ruler in his disputes with his rivals; yet on the other hand, no support would be given to the Jattcr. Napier made it quite clear that his mission had only one object—to bring Theodore to book arid to free his European prisoners. The arrangement worked well. There was no molestation, and little difficulty in obtaining food from the natives. Where the country was sufficiently open, the progress was uneventful, the Scinde Horse having the duty of going ahead and arranging camping places and for supplies. But a great part of the route was through the typical mountainous country, and that was a different proposition. The route was now through a tableland of an average of 7000 ft altitude, intersected with gorges sometimes 4000 ft deep, and the pioneering bodies had to find the most accessible tracks and have them made, as far as possible, practicable for guns and transport. Frequently the guns had to be dismounted and man-handled by ropes to get. them past difficult points. It was here thajt the greatest hardships and privations occurred, especially to the advance bodies, who necessarily had to travel light without ordinary cariip comforts, and exposed to extreme heat by day and extreme cold by night. The terrain traversed could not be more trenchantly described than in the forcible language of the English Tommy: “They call this ’ere a tableland, and day in and day out we spends our blanky time a-climbing up and a-climbing down the blanky legs o£ the blanky tables.’*

But Magdala came in sight at last, and early in April Sir Robert was in front of it. A sortie of 3000 was decisively repulsed, with great loss to the enemy. The British casualties were none killed, 19 wounded. Theodore asked for terms, and was told that if he would submit personally and release the honourable treatment would be granted him. He released the prisoners, but refused to submit. Sir Robert made a final earnest appeal and implored him to submit, but in vain. Reluctantly, the. order was given to take the position by storm. When entrance was gained, the body of Theodore was founds killed bj- his own hand. There was no more lighting. Theodore's followers for days had been falling like water trom him, and groups had been daily surrendering at the British camp. While the assault was taking place at one side of the fortress, on the other a constant stream of deserters was hurrying to escape. Those that remained and all the non-combatants were treated with the utmost consideration.

.Magdala as a fortress was destroyed, and this was done solely for the benefit of the Abyssinians themselves. Sir Robert had strong reason to believe that, otherwise, as soon as his back was turned, the fortress would at once be seized by a fierce Mohammedan tribe, deadly enemies of the Abyssinians, and used to Abyssinian detriment.

No time was lost in the expedition returning to the coast, bringing with them the rescued prisoners. Those hound for England arrived in .lune, 'lhe thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted to the army and its commander, and Sir Robert was raised to the peerage with the title of Baton Napier of Magdiila.