Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/67

 ABYSSINIA 47 tile chief, in reality hated him, and henceforth he became morose, bloodthirsty, and tyrannical. Capt. Cameron, Plowden's successor in the con- sulate, arrived at Massowa in 1862 with pres- ents from the queen for Theodore, which he de- livered in October of that year. Theodore re- sponded in a letter to the queen, proposing to send an embassy to England, which he trans- mitted through Capt. Cameron. To this the foreign office paid no attention, and the arrival of a messenger from England in 1864, with de- spatches for the consul but no answer to his letter, greatly incensed the king, who was al- ready indignant at the refusal of the French government to recognize one M. Bardel, whom he had sent to Paris with a similar message to the emperor. In November, 1863, the Ger- man Scripture readers residing near the court and the missionaries in Dembea were thrown into prison, heavily ironed; and on Jan. 4, 1864, Capt. Cameron and his suite were seized and placed in close confinement at Gondar, whence, after having been subjected to brutal tortures, all the captives were removed to Magdala. News of their imprisonment reached England in the spring, and a communication in response to his letter was at once despatched to Theodore in charge of Mr. Hormuzd Ras- sam, a Mesopotamian holding the office of as- sistant to the British political resident at Aden. He landed at Massowa on July 23, 1864, but owing to various obstacles did not succeed in de- livering the letter to the king till Jan. 25, 1866. It induced Theodore to set the prisoners at liberty and to promise that they should meet Mr. Rassam near the N. W. extremity of Lake Tzana and travel with him to the coast. He was anxious, however, that Mr. Rassam should The Burning of Magdala daring the Attack by the British. write to England for workmen and await their arrival in Abyssinia ; and this desire not being acceded to, he remanded the captives to pris- on, accompanied by Mr. Rassam and his com- rades, who were violently taken into custody at an audience held in the king's tent just prior to their intended departure. Theodore then dictat- ed a letter to Lord Clarendon asking for military stores, workmen, and an instructor in artillery, and sent it to London by Mr. Flad, who reached that city on July 10, 1866. The other Euro- peans remained captives in Abyssinia. As a communication from the queen, forwarded by Mr. Flad, and demanding the release of the prisoners, met with no response, the British government determined to attempt their rescue by force. A military expedition was organized at Bombay, under the command of Sir Robert Napier, consisting of 4,000 British and 8,000 sepoy troops. Annesley bay having been cho- sen as a landing place, the army was debarked there, and in January, 1868, commenced the march to the interior through the Senafe pass, and proceeded southward toward Magdala, about 400 m. from the coast, whither Theo- dore had retreated, and where the European prisoners were confined. On April 9 the English force arrived in front of the fortress, and on the following day were attacked by the Abyssinians, whom they repulsed with a loss of 700 killed and 1,200 wounded, hav- ing themselves but 20 wounded. This en- gagement is known as the action at Arogi, and its result so discouraged the king that he immediately released all the captives. Mag- dala was stormed on April 13, and captured with a loss of 15 British wounded. As soon as the outer gate fell, Theodore, determined