Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 1, A-AME

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A B Y
Abyflinia. and indeed, excepting them and the late accounts by
» ' 1 1 Mr Bruce, we have no other fource of information con¬
cerning it. Louis XIV. of France appointed fix Je-
fuits to this miffion, and furnilhed them with fuitable
prefents for the emperor and the principal nobility.
The admifiion of thefe miflionaries was facilitated by
a dangerous fcorbutic diforder, which had attacked Ya-
fous and his fon, and for which they wiflied to have the
advice of an European phyfician. Maillet, the French
conful at Cairo, wifhing the Jefuits to have the honour
of the miffion, difappointed the views of Friars Pafchal
and Anthony, two Francifcans, who were firft thought
of, and recommended Charles Poncet, a Frenchman,
who had been bred a chemift and apothecary, and Fa¬
ther Brevedent as his fervant, to Hagi Ali, a Maho¬
metan fadlor at Cairo, for the defired purpofe. 1 he
Francifcans attempted the deftruftion of Poncet and
his attendants ; but Poncet arrived fafe at Gondar on
the 2ift of July, 1699, and having perfeaiy cured
his royal patient, fet out oh the 2d of May, fyoo, on
his return for Europe, and arrived in fafety at Mafuah.
Brevedent died at Gondar foon after their arrival. An
embaffy on the part of the Abyffinian monarch was de¬
feated by the interference of Maillet; but the Jefuits
concerted another miffion from France, and the perfon
appointed as ambaffador w7as M. de Roule, vice-conful
at Damietta. This miffion was very improperly con¬
ducted j the merchants at Cairo oppofed it 5 the Fran¬
cifcans obftruCted it, and it terminated in the murder
of the ambaffador in the province of Sennaar.
The miffionaries confirm what is faid by the ancients,
that Abyffinia is a very mountainous country. The
provinces of Begemder, Gojam, V7aleka, Shoa, &c.
according to them, are only one continued chain of
mountains. Many of them were faid to be of fuch
enormous height, that the Alps and Pyrenees are but
mole-hills in comparifon of them. Thofe called Aorm
were faid to be of this kind ; but Mr Bruce informs us,
that thefe accounts are greatly exaggerated. Amongft
thofe mountains, and even frequently in the plains,
there are many fteep and craggy rocks to be met with
of various and whimfical fhapes } feme of them fo fmoothj
that men and oxen are raifed to the top by means of
engines. The tops of thefe rocks are covered with
woods and meadows, full of fprings and ftreams of wa¬
ter ; of which Mr Bruce has given us an account in
his defcription of Lamalmon. The moft remarkable of
thefe, according to the authors we are now fpeaking of,
is that called Amba Gejhen, mentioned in the courfe of
this article as one of the mountains ufed for a prifon to
the princes of the blood. Its top is defcribed as only
half a league in breadth, though it is faid that it would
require near half a day to go round it.
Mr Bruce’s Modern Ethiopia, or Aby flinia, as it is now called,
account of is divided, according to Mr Bruce, into two parts,
' named Tigre and Arnhara ; though this rather denotes
a difference in the language than the territory of the
people. The molt eafterly province properly fo called
is Mafuah. It is of confiderable length, but no great
breadth •, running parallel to the Indian ocean and Red
lea, in a zone of about 40 miles broad, as far as the
illand Masuah. The territories of the Raharnagalh
include this province as well as the diftridffs of Azab
and Habab. In the former are mines of foffil fait,
which fubftance in Abyffinia paffes current inftead of
it? divi-
iions.
money. For this purpofe the mineral is cut into fquare Abyffinia.
folid pieces about a foot in length. Here alfo is a kind v—-v—
of mint from which great profits are derived. The Ha¬
bab is likewHe called the land of the Agaaxi or Shep¬
herds •, who fpeak the language called Gee*, and have
had the ufe of letters from the moft early ages. This
province was formerly taken by the Turks, when the
rebellious Raharnagaffi Ifaac called them to his affift-
ance againft the emperor Menas. From that time the
office fell into difrepute, and the Baharnagaffi at prefent
has much lefs power than formerly. The province of
Mafuah is now governed by a Mahometan prince or
officer called a naybe.
Tigre is bounded on the eaft by the territories of
the Baharnagaffi, of which the river Mareb is the boun¬
dary on the eaft, and the Tacazze on the weft. It is
about 200 miles long from north to fouth, and 120
broad from weft to eaft. All the merchandife fent
acrofs the Red fea to Abyffinia, or from Abyffinia
acrofs the Red fea, muft pafs through this province,
fo that the governor has his choice of it as it goes
along. Thus the province itfelf is very wealthy *, and
as the Abyffinian fire-arms are brought from Arabia,
the governors of Tigre, by purchafing quantities of
them, may eafily render themfelves very powerful. No
arms of this kind can be fent to any perfon without his
permiffion ; nor can any one buy till the governor has
firft had an offer.
Sire was fome time ago united to Tigrfe, on account
of the mifconduft of its governor } but was disjoined
from it at the time Mr Bruce was in Abyffinia, with
the confent of Ras Michael, who beftowed the govern¬
ment of it upon his fon. It is about 25 miles long,
and as much in breadth. Its weftern boundary is the
Tacazze.
Samen is a very mountainous province lying to the
weftward of the river Tacazze, about 80 miles long,
and in fome places 30 broad, though in moft it is much
narrower. It is moftly inhabited by Jews.
Begemder lies to the north-eaft of Tigre. It is
about 180 miles long and 60 broad; bounded by the
river. Nile on the weft. It comprehends the moun¬
tainous country of Lafta ; and there are now feveral
fmall governments difmembered from it. I he inhabi¬
tants are fierce and barbarous, but reckoned the beft
foldiers in Abyffinia; and it is faid that this province
with Lafta can furnilh 45,000 horfemen. It abounds
with iron mines, which in Abyffinia would be very va¬
luable if properly managed. It is alfo well ftored with
beautiful cattle. Near the fouth end it is cut into vaft
gullies, feemingly by floods, of which we have no ac¬
count. This province is reckoned the great barrier
againft the incurfions of the Galla ; and though they
have often endeavoured to make a fettlement in it, they
have never yet found it practicable. Several of their
tribes have been cut off in the attempt.
Next to Begemder is the province of Amhara, in
length about 120 miles, and fomewhat more than 40
in breadth. It is very mountainous; and the men are
reckoned the handfomeft in all Abyffinia. In this pro¬
vince is the mountain or rock Gefhen, formerly the re~
fidence of the royal family. This province is parallel
to Begemder on the fouth ; being feparated from it by
the river Baffiilo. On the weft it is bounded by the
Nile. The river Geffien is another boundary.
Walaka