Show abyssinian ABYSS INIAS EMPIRE ENDED DEATH MA MAKES THE COUNTRY ITALIAN story of european encroachments Encroach ments and how italy got her hold Mas Masso wali and battles cs the death of 0 Menel Itlen elek elc king of 0 shall practically marks the end of 0 the empire of 0 abyssinia that ancient realm will henceforth be merely an italian colony I 1 menelek was not really emperor or negus lie ile was wag never formally crowned n m 5 such and there has been no such sovereign since the negus john ijohn mho tt lio died a few years aeo but he was practically the sovereign eign of 0 the 1 whole s hole of abyssinia italy regarded him a as such in fact act it 1 not in form and now that he Is dead the she h has promptly begun 0 operations pe rations for taking posses possession bion of 0 the whole umpire empire in this enterprise she has the cordial appi approval oval of england who Is anxious I 1 1 for her only friend among the european powers to take up all the unoccupied land on tho the red sea and to control all the region that lies between egypt and british east africa th the r empire ot of abyssinia which henc henceforth edorth on maps ot of africa may properly prop cily eily be colored with italian giren has an all area of about square quare miles or about the same as tile that t of 0 great britain and ireland it consists con lata of 0 a high plateau averaging feet above the sea practically surrounded by the low lying provinces ot of the soudan boudan tho the port of 0 Mas together with the narrow strip ot of flat desert land which cuts olt off from the sea and through which much of 0 its trade must necessarily pass lies has long lone been a bone of contention between tile the and their mahometano Maho neighbors especially since tile the former are christians their or archbishop being ordained by the coptic patriarch lit in alexandria I 1 das Maa the only place for many miles lound worthy of the name of a town Is built on a coral island in ill the day bay oc at arkiko it originally belonged bc longed to turkey and was annexed to egypt in 1866 part of f annesley bay being annexed hie elie fai following year it was occupied by the italians with the consent of england in insa ll it Is about 1000 yards in length and in breadth closely adjoining it Is another 19 island land of about the same dimensions but of more irregular outline called baill d caulle to which it Is joined by a stone causeway another causeway about t two w 0 thirds of a mile tn in length construe con constructed te d by litun zinger pasha during his governorship connects in turn with tile the mainland north of tile the two islands a couple of peninsulas project almost parallel with ono another from the const coast the southernmost of these Is called gheral and the space between it and the island ot of Mas forms the port it Is on oil sherar that at the outset the government stores etc required by the italian troops were landed at piers and wharves constructed for this object and here bore too are the arsenal storehouses magazine magai lne coal depot and commissariat together with a fort tor for their protection the northernmost eno at peninsula takes the name of 0 abdel kader from the tomb ot of a worthy orthy vi so BO called erected upon it and contains the naval arsenal and the railway tei minus A capital pier has been completed here for tile the transshipment of stores or merchandise and a fort hoa has also been reared at the shoreward end of the peninsula AND THE contains little beyond the native huts a few houses mainly of european construction built since the acau occupation pation a tort fort covering the causeway leadin leading g to tile the mainland the military prison the officers oni cers club and tho the governors governor residence this la Is a fairly imposing looking structure built anler the egyptian regime with a two sto ried had arcade running round it without and a lofty domed root roof tho the town ot of Mas Is massed as it were at the end of 0 tho the island of tile the same name it Is most wretchedly hullt built and li regularly laid out there are arc not more than a dozen en buildings with nith the slightest architectural pretensions the remainder leinann being mere stone boxes put together in tho the cst st fashion sometimes without mohtar tar mixed up with mith these aro are numerous huts formed of sticks planted upright jn in the ground and covered rush mats As these mats are never removed the plan plait boing boine simply to clap on an extra one from time to time as all needed the dirt and velmin they help to generate are appalling the solitary bazar Is a winding gully ovll evil smelling to t the lie ast degree and lined with ditty little holes living dying duty tie as shops the other aro ar from eight feet to ten tell reet feet wide though there Is an irregular iru reg U for 0 pen open space in fit the th center of 0 tile alio town known since the italian occupation as an the garibaldi and our surrounded rounded by a couple of cafes tile the same number of liquor shops a co codias conis nIAs ts a butchers and a few general r tores stores A couple of small mosques with fill dumny mi minareta minarets mina on an irregular range of buildings limed as the custom houge the carabineers carabi barracks and the military mill hospital aro are tile the chief public but buildings d Ms france wanted Massow nh badly and was wis on tile the point of helzing it when italy got in ahead of 0 her thi the european population ot of the place la Is laig e ly 0 greak r e ak the bulk of the wholesale le I 1 impost ampo i t tr graap m do and especially in goods designed tor for consumption by the lin eu kopcan colony is at plesent carried on by italians the greeks however not only keep most of tile the liquor shops and can canteens teem together with several large retail stores but with the bacians Ban ians lans ot at w thorn honi more anon allon have lave most of tile direct dealing dea linaH q with the natives in t their heir hands the advent of the italians indeed they reita held an important position A number of 0 them bliem traded in person into abyssinia and the soudan and had even formed a settlement as tap far inland as am keron keren where here they hod had set tn work to grow tl bacco As aa soon as 03 they were established at tile italians set jut ut to secure for themselves the whole trade or at Abys phila and the soudan So the year the troops firmly established in a literally impregnable posit at Sali a alint in tile the eager country twenty miles inland from with which it Is directly ree ely connected by a line of railway and it a well made road here they con can two forts mounted with heavy guns buns and capable rapaula of sheltering IL i barge garrison these fortt ore are amply stored with provi alons munitions end water prom from two important trade routes mules diverge tile the southe runs rung to guma and through hinda and asmara into the heart of abyssinia the other route runs due wes went t to allet and thence in a northwesterly we p terly diorec direction I 1 ion to keren and kasala merely skirting the territory ot of the negus tt it wai to this latter rout that the italian authorities first turned their attention allet which Is about twelve miles arm pallall Sa Sal liall lall was occupied and fortified the rude camel track between those theme two spots plots haning been colv convened c tied by dint of 6 much hard labor into a capital road work was promptly begun on railroads to allt allet and also to keren keren kc Is an important commercial center surrounded by fertile ter 1 atory offering facilities tor for colonization tion already tested by the greeks from it a well known trade route runs direct to cassala Kas sala next to khartoum tho the largest town in the soudan once onca this opened under italian protection tile whole trade of kordoban Kor dotan dofan and san was expected to flow to in lieu of resuming Us ancient but obstructed ted track from cassala to sua etim FIRST ATTACH ohp first attack upon abyssinia by a european occurred in 1867 and was wa brought about by theodore Theono io the negus detaining captive and cruelly ill treating certain europeans sm ms others the english consul from rom mail llan captain cameron probably theodore suspected them ot of aldier his enc rilles the egyptians A mission was wars sent to procure their release bearing a letter from the queen of 0 england but the three members earn compon iles ing ine it mr rassam gressam ra Rr Essam lieutenant irl id deaux and dr Il larte were at also so elch and made prisoners this of 0 course au roe could not be tolerated yet the extreme responsibilities ot of a campaign in so mountainous and difficult a country and so tar far f from born england when no suez c canal a nal existed caused much has hesitation as to the course to be a adopted by the die british government blut at last in Ali august guat an expedition was derided on and in january 1868 sir robert napier landed at Annem Ann paley icy day bay about twenty miles south ot of I 1 stas ins with a force ot of men from india As IL a result of 0 this expedition the captives were released d magdar a was stormed and taken and the theodores dores hoad body found shot through the head by his own hand the expedition a at t once returned to tile the coast and am embarked in june 1868 leaving john prince of 0 tigre to succeed as negus the cost of tile the war approached the sum of in tile egyptian government took of the province of TO do gos which had on several occasions changed hands but had bad lately been considered neutral ground upon which the negus john appealed to england b but U t i without V practical result resul I 1 in the follow inar year rear he be formed IL a new province bordering on the sea about annes loy iry day bay but the egyptians attacked tho the garrison earr lson and drove them back to however in november the attacked attached tile the invaders in ili torce forced and totally annihilated them near gandet the egyptian government immediately dk dispatched patched an army under ratib pasha flasha but in march ISM 1876 this force was mas also defeated at gura and the boundaries of 0 abyssinia remained for some time undefined in order to arrange this matter G ordon gordon visited the country the fol following lowin ff year but was called away shortly afterward for darfur darfer in lie is returned 1 l gain to abyssinia and tried to negotiate with the king who however made some absurd claims and after many delays sent gordon off air only to be ar bested and brought back and finally released without settling on any definite result in 1881 in consequence ot of the troublesome interference of egyptians italy formally annexed abash ahsam bay this place having been already under italian protection since THE ITALIANS TAKE when the evacuation of oc soudan ty tor egypt was determined upon masso wall wah had bad to be given up tip the italians landed on february 5 a force of 0 troops at Mas an and d planted ill the italian nag flag alongside the turkish but before the year was out this dual control became unsatisfactory and the Ita italians being resolute solute le tile the egyptian took themselves off leaving the italian hag flag hying flying alone not only at Mas but also over some neighboring villages this gave arrange to negus john who n now 0 w claimed Massol Mas vall as his and a appeared p to expect england to sup support port him his troops under ras raa abuls having during this time fought a successful battle against osman digma although without gaining any result so BO far as relieving the beleaguer ed garil sons wont went the italians thus left in possession sent envoys to the negus who them favorably sumei bu but shortly after their departure as assumed a hob tille attitude and in january 1887 ras lias alula attacked with will a laige force an italian detachment of men at degall near Mas end and nearly annihilated them they were surrounded by two large concentric circles of abys sin sinland lans numbering some men while a body of about SOO horsemen were nt at hand to pursue the furi fugitives tives four hundred find otty italians were killed and most of tho the remainder wounded this reverse at once led the italians to determine on oil a regular war wilh the in order to show them that their new neighbors were not to be attacked with impunity in the hope however of preventing a needless war the english endeavored to intercede and a mission was sent to tile begum while tile the italians awaited tile the result on arriving at asmara the headquarters of ras ran alula the envoys were made prisoners they were detained for many days davs and at last sent in search of the negus whose exact loc location was nas unknown however they came up with him and presented their letter from the queen they were well received although tho th result of the mission was a failure so far as peace negotiations were concerned and the mission returned without undergoing 0 ing further adventures bearing letters in answer to the queen the italians then pressed the campaign and have been generally general ly successful on th the death of jolin john king menelek 0 of g to a became the chief leader of the abys aby a antans ile he concluded a theaty with italy practically accepting that power as his suzerain it Is not likely however that the italian scheme will bo be fulfilled without with out opposition while the are ot of an undoubtedly treacherous nature they ure lire lit at the same time bravo brave and warlike they ate aie well able to hotel holl thir th ir rocky country against ni albat any ordinary toe foe the they Y have long sought to mcquire acquire possession of tile the seacoast i indich Is of supreme value to them in their isolated position and they mill undoubtedly provo prove a formidable enemy to deal with A WELL ARMED D NATION moreover tile hie of 0 today are comparatively well armed some allono remington toil rifles having fallen into their hands after their victories over the egyptians a well as numbers of others chieh they have bought exact statistics concerning the abyssinian ssi nitin army cannot well be obtained since the army Is based on no regular organization but as aa in most savage countries every adult man Is more or less it a soldier and bound to follo follow w his chief in war time however major riano piano who comma commanded n d ed th the a it italian a ila n mission to king john lit in 1886 had good tunny of gathering gath erlna much alu ale inform information aaion conc concerning eining it ale gene gone gonegal ial als or ins who are got governors or oc provinces duling peace time each command the men 0 of t ill 0 ir own district and these districts tary ary considerably sider ably in size there are several other grades of 0 officers which how ever can scarcely be compared to any ranks ranka in tile tho 1 european ur armies thy they are by wearing ft a silk shirt tho the ordinary troops hoving no particular particular uniform the chiefs also possess the luxury of a tent tile tho other soldiers taking shelter its bee beat t t they hey can call A good proportion of 0 if tho t troops r a 0 or arc ar armed in e d with bre breech a C ll ioa loading d I 1 n aa rif linvs dipill the remainder idna tema imler inder with muzzle and awards many carrying hide shields the chiefs mostly JoV revolvers vol volara vers tins tile whole mt kimary iary force ot of all astarita probably numbers more than men about one thirl third of them armed with rifles this will lie be able however to offer little serious resistance to the italians so BO that the conquest of 0 the whole country may be looked upon na as sure to occur in tho the near future new york tribune |