Oldalképek
PDF
ePub
[merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

nia.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

British missionary societies,― men, women, [tion from the Government on the subject." and children, have been for three years the Why, then, do you come to me now? captives of Theodore, Emperor of Abyssi- request permission to return to Massowah." "What for?" "Because I have been ordered Her Majesty's Representative and several of these captives have further been subjected to the greatest indignities, and even to cruel torture, and they have long remained in prison, chained hand and foot, herded together with the lowest criminals; whilst to add to the difficulties and disgrace of all parties concerned, Mr. Rassam, the Envoy sent by the Government of this country with a letter signed by Her Majesty's own hand, with a view to effect the liberation of the unfortunate persons who have so long lingered in captivity, has himself been thrown into prison, together with the members of his suite."

by the Government to go there." "So," exclaimed the exasperated monarch, "your Queen can give you orders to go and visit my enemies the Turks, and then to return to Massowah; but she cannot send a civil answer to my letter to her.

You shall not leave me till that an

swer comes.'

[ocr errors]

one.

Still Captain Cameron was not arrested. So far the quarrel was a very narrow The Goveruments of France and England had not treated the Emperor of Abyssinia with sufficient respect, and the latter had retaliated on their representatives. Religion and the zeal of proselytism was to Such is the case, and the purpose of Dr. complicate the affair, and render an issue Beke is "to give a narrative of the events doubtful, perhaps impossible. There were that have led to the present deplorable at that time three missionary establishstate of affairs, the treatment to which our ments in Abyssinia; a German mission from unfortunate countrymen have been subject- Basle, a Protestant mission from this country, ed, and what has been done to procure their and a French Propagandist mission." The liberation." Nominally we have a second Christianity of Abyssinia is no doubt of a edition; but the first is represented by a very degraded kind; but it argues well for mere pamphlet, and the volume before us, the toleration of Theodore that he is reportthough it retains traces of its original formed to have said "I have nothing to do in the style of composition, has swelled into with preaching the Gospel; but if you can a respectable octavo. We must say at be of any use to me, I shall be very glad once it is very dull reading. Dr. Beke that you shall stay." It is not every finds fault with everybody, and most likely sovereign who allows foreigners to propahe is right. The Emperor Napoleon was gate whatever ideas they please within his wrong for not answering Theodore's letter dominions. Mr. Layard stated in Parlia in his own name. The French Consul, M. ment, and, however careless he may have Lejean, was wrong in demanding his congé been sometimes about his facts, we see no of the Emperor too suddenly. He appears reason to doubt his veracity here, that all to have been the first European official who these establishments were intensely jealous was thrown into prison. This event took of each other. Meanwhile, an answer to place in March, 1863, in this wise. "The one of Theodore's letters signed by M. Emperor, not being in a very placid Droubyn de Lhuys arrived. Theodore was humour, refused to receive his guest; and so delighted that he summoned all the the latter, with equal pertinacity, insisted Europeans in his dominions to hear it pubon having an audience. This exasperated licly read, on the 20th September. But it the monarch, and poor Lejean was put in did not satisfy him, and M. Lejean was, chains, and for four-and-twenty hours had fortunately for him, ordered out of Aby ssito meditate on this novel mode of enforcing nia forthwith. Still the quarrel was little court etiquette." He was soon liberated, more than diplomatic. But, on October 15th, but Theodore had found out his power. In Mr. Stern, the English missionary came to July of the same year Captain Cameron pay his respects to the Emperor. His admet the Emperor face to face." Now dress was badly interpreted, and the interTheodore had written to the Queen of Eng-preters were beaten so severely as to die land as well as to Napoleon. The latter the same night. Mr. Stern, alarmed at the answered by his minister; but the minister scene, bit his thumb. This action, we know the former sent no answer at all. We well, was, in times past, considered a sign cannot be very much surprised at the fol- that deadly revenge was intended. It is lowing conversation :— still considered so in Abyssinia; and poor Mr. Stern suffered nearly as much as his servants. Mutual forgiveness would, however, soon have been exchanged, had it not been for M. Bardel, whose secret instructions were

be

[ocr errors]

of Eng

[ocr errors]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

ap

bare 1

"Have you brought me an answer from the Queen of England? "No." 66 Why not?" "Because I have not received any communica

to destroy the Protestant mission. Here A few days afterwards M. Bardel, who since was a fine chance for a Jesuit. He had been his return from his secret mission had been the envoy of Theodore to France, and did taken into high favour, and is understood to not share in the disgrace of M. Lejean. On have presumed too much on it, was brought to the tent in which the English prisoners rethe contrary, he was Theodore's chief coun-mained in chains, and added to their numbersellor. See how he served him :

his offence being, as was publicly stated by the head jailer, that he had misrepresented the Under the belief that the persons and property prisoners to the Emperor, and caused him to of Europeans were inviolable, Mr. Stern had chain them, that he had himself also spoken incautiously recorded, both in his manuscript ill of the Emperor, and that he had further, by notebook and in his printed work, of which he unfounded assertions, tried to prejudice him had taken a copy with him to Abyssinia, facts against the European workmen at Gaffat; and opinions more or less derogatory to the which last grievance the Emperor doubtless Emperor Theodore. During his illness he had took to heart far more than the others, on employed himself, as best he could, in erasing account of his great regard for them. from his journals and other papers the offensive passages. But, unfortunately, he had mentioned their existence to M. Bardel, and that individual made known the fact to the Emperor.

Torture and captivity were the lot of all till the 25th of February, 1866, when Mr. Rassam arived at the Emperor's camp, It is pleasant to think M. Bardel is him- and orders were given for their liberation. self a prisoner, and at one time shared the The captives were willing now to make any chains of Mr. Stern. Then, for the first sort of submission that might be required of time, the anger of Theodore was really ex- them. The Emperor was in the humour cited, and all the Europeans, the English to be gracious. But Mr. Rassam did not Consul not excepted, were imprisoned. But even now all might shortly have been

well. The artisan missionaries and the

quite understand the potentate he had to deal with. He attempted to smuggle the captives off, and had no desire to remain a hostage himself. Theodore saw through the design, and the result was that Mr. Rassam himself was added to the number of

Scotch were released, and on the 20th November a High Court was held to try Stern, Rosenthal, and Mrs. Flad. Their own countrymen wisely admitted their guilt. the prisoners. There he remains along They had but to confess, and be pardoned. with them at present. Dr. Beke, with his By that fatality, which seems to have at-wife, was once on his way to assist, and is tended every step of this business, they ready to go out again; but the position of tried to justify their conduct. It is strange Theodore has altered in the meantime, and that men who make the Bible their study the future is more nncertain than ever. Dr. should so utterly ignore the many worldly Beke thinks we are drifting into a war with precepts which it contains. Solomon, who ought to have known something about it, Abyssinia, and in that case his personal tells the uninitiated how to deal with prin- ful. But Theodore is so capricious-espeknowledge of the country may be very useces, and that the very bird in the air will convey whatever is said against them. They he may behave like the Chinese, drive his that perhaps one day cially after dinner were condemned (privately) to death; "the knives to cut off their hands and feet prisoners away as fast as he can, and be actually lying close to the spot where they glad to get rid of them. The situation is Again they stood a chance; France has managed so much better than very unpleasant. But we do not see that ourselves. There is nothing for it but to wait till the spring for further news, and to

had stood."

but they lost it, and on "January 4th, 1864, Captain Cameron, his European attendants, and all the missionaries, were put in fetters, and, together with Stern and Rosenthal, confined in one commmon prison within the royal enclosure." And now they had to welcome their betrayer, M. Bardel:

recommend Dr. Beke's book to those Mem

bers of Parliament who want to make out a case against the Foreign Office.

E

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

No. 1182. Fourth Series, No. 43. 26 January, 1867.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

BOOKS PUBLISHED AT THIS OFFICE SENT FREE OF POSTAGE.

MADONNA MARY, by MRS OLIPHANT. 50 cents.

SIR BROOK FOSSBROOKE, by Charles Lever. 50 cents.

tha!

MISS MARJORIBANKS, by Mrs. Oliphant. 75 cents.
ZAIDEE, Mrs. Oliphant's best work. 75 cents.

[ocr errors]

KATE COVENTRY, an Autobiography. 38 cents.
WITCH HAMPTON HALL. 25 cents.

Wholesale dealers supplied on liberal terms.

[ocr errors]

etter

it b

Lose

Date

LITTELL

PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY BY

SON, & CO., BOSTON.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.

FOR EIGHT DOLLARS, remitted directly to the Publishers, the Living Age will be punctually forwarded for a year, free of postage. But we do not prepay postage on less than a year; nor where we have to pay commission for forwarding the money.

Price of the First Series, in Cloth, 36 volumes, 90 dollars.

Second
Third

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

The Complete work

20 ""

50

[merged small][ocr errors]

88

[ocr errors]

80 " 220

Any Volume Bound, 3 dollars; Unbound, 2 dollars. The sets, or volumes will be sent at the expense of the publishers.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]
[blocks in formation]

(1) The Total Eclipse of the Sun, July 18/h, 1860. By WARREN DE LA RUE, F.R.S. (Proceedings of the Roy. Soc., April, 1862)

(8.) Traité de l'Impression Photographique ans Sels d'Argent. Par ALPHONSE POI

TEVIN. 1862.

(9.) Traité Général de Photographie. Par D. V. MONKHOVEN. Cinquième Edition.

1865.

(10.) L'Art de la Photographie. Par Dis

DERI. 1862.

that it is the recognized, unerring recorder
of science, the auxiliary of the law, the will-
ing assistant of the painter and the sculptor,
for whom it does yeoman's service, the art
itself is without a history. The records of
its first days, although scarcely reaching
beyond the present generation, are meagre
and fragmentary. To the initial facts upon

which it is based we find occasional allu-
sions as early as the sixteenth century,
some of the alchemists regarding solar ac-
tion as one source of the transmutation of
metals, a conclusion doubtless derived from
their observation that chloride of silver,
known to them as luna cornua, was changed
in colour by the rays of the sun.
A cen-
tury later, in 1777, the illustrious chemist,
Scheele, records some interesting experi-
ments on the same properties in this salt;
but his discoveries remained dead facts,
the commencement of the present century
without application; and it was not until
that the possibility of drawing by sunlight
assumed a definite shape in men's minds.

In 1802, Thomas Wedgwood, the son of
the celebrated potter, published in the Jour-
nal of the Royal institution' An account of
Method of Copying Paintings upon Glass,
and of making Profiles by the Agency of
Light upon Nitrate of Silver;'Obs
tions.' by Sir Humphry Davy, who had as-
sisted in the experiments, accompanying the
paper. In the brief but interesting record
of their experiments, after learning that

rva

muriate of silver' was found to be more sensitive than nitrate of silver, that white leather when prepared was more sensitive than paper, and that although the images

of the camera obscura could not be secured

in any moderate time, yet those of the solar microscope could be copied on prepared (11.) Principles and Practice of Photog-paper without difficulty, we also learn raphy. By JABEZ HUGHES. Sixth Edition. 1865.

(12.) Photography: Its History, Position,
and Prospects. A Lecture. By the Hon.
J. WILLIAM STRUTT. 1865.
(13.) Researches on Solar Physics. By
WARREN DE LA RUE, Ph.D., F.R.S.;
BALFOUR STEWART, M.A., F.R.S.; and
BENJAMIN LOEWY. 1865.

[blocks in formation]

the fatal fact, that no attempts that have been made to prevent the uncoloured parts of the copy or profile from being acted upon by light have as yet been successful.' They had discovered but half the spell; the pictures could not be fixed. The agency they had invoked continued its work until the images first produced by its aid were de stroyed by its continued action, and a blackened sheet of paper was all that remained, Although these efforts were unsuccessful, and the idea seemed for some time abandoned, yet from this time we find the science of the sunbeam gaining increased attention, and the Transactions of the Royal Society and other learned bodies began to furnish trustworthy records of the researches into the chemical action of the solar rays, which initiated photography as a science,

« ElőzőTovább »