that she heard the sound of the pibroch of the Highland regiments, and that the British were on the march to deliver them.

The troops under Sir Colin Campbell must have been miles distant at that time; but, if the story be true, the prophecy was correct, for the army of relief came in almost without stopping, and the Highland regiments swept down on the cowardly foe with irresistible force whenever they were ordered to the charge, their bagpipes sounding the notes of war, and the men answering with wild cheers.

By a running fight which lasted two hours, the British troops gained the position at Dilkhoosa and Martinière, the former, which means "Heart's delight," being a palace of brick, the latter a school, both strong positions near the canal, and on the road to the very heart of the Residency. So important were these points, that at three o'clock in the afternoon the enemy attempted to dislodge the British forces, but, after a severe struggle, were repulsed heavily; and on the 16th, the Commander-in-Chief advanced straight across the canal, and after a fierce fight, in which the rebels suffered enormous loss, Sekandubagh was occupied, and then a post still nearer to the Residency, consisting of an extensive brick structure already under fire from the Residency itself, and so exposed to a double attack, was taken after a fearful struggle, during which the place was bombarded by our artillery. Early on the 17th a communication was opened to the Residency on the west, a vigorous cannonade was kept up on the next house, and by the afternoon that also was taken by storm, the troops pushing on to secure the Motee Mahal, the largest of the palaces then in the hands of the enemy. This, too, was taken before dark; and then on the blood-stained and hardly won field, Sir James Outram, Sir Henry Havelock (who had received a title for his distinguished services), and Sir Colin Campbell met to congratulate each other, Sir Colin being slightly, but not at all dangerously, wounded. On the 20th the garrison which had so long held the Residency was removed, the women and wounded were taken to the rear to be safely escorted to Cawnpore. Thus the relief of Lucknow was effected. The triumph was saddened by the death of Sir Henry Havelock, who, already worn out by the tremendous exertion he had undergone, had also been suffering from

dysentery, which at last became incurable. He was removed to Dilkoosah, in the hope that a change to a more salubrious climate might mitigate the disease; but he died in a few days, and left to Sir Colin Campbell, and the Generals who acted under his orders, finally to stamp out the remains of a mutiny which was the occasion of some of the most courageous deeds that have ever been recorded in the annals of war.

THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION.

October 4th, 1867, to April 17th, 1868.

FOR many years few people had heard much about Abyssinia, except by reading the travels of some of the later adventurers into the Eastern interior of Africa.

We knew that this almost entirely unexplored country, bounded on the N.E. by the Red Sea, and by Nubia and Senaar on the N.W., spread out on the S. and the S.W. into unknown tracts inhabited, where they were inhabited at all, by the Gallas, the Shoans, the Wanikas, and other wild and almost savage tribes. We had learned from enterprising missionaries and others who had penetrated the arid plains and dense woods of that vast territory, that the whole country formed a great irregular table-land projecting from the high regions S. of the line into the comparatively level tracts, bounding the basin of the Nile, and forming a succession of undulating plains of various altitudes deeply cut into by numerous narrow valleys and water-channels, which often descend 3,000 or 4,000 feet clear down below the level of plains that reach the great height of 8,000 or 9,000 feet.

The population consists of three races: one of them like the Bedouin Arabs, another resembling the Ethiopians, and a third comprising the tribes of the South and South-west quite distinct from both, as all are distinct from the negroes, who are held there as slaves brought from the countries of the South and West. The majority of the Abyssinians profess Christianity in a strangely corrupted form, partaking of a mixture of ceremonies, some derived from the Jewish ritual, and others from that of the Romish Church, so that they have hosts of saints and objects of veneration, observe fasts and other ceremonies, keep both Saturday and Sunday as Sabbaths, and have sacred places and pilgrimages. On the

whole they are a debased and immoral people, and though at one time the country was under a powerful Emperor, it has now been divided into various tribes under chieftains who are mutually jealous and distrustful. The two principal tribes are the Shoans and the people of Tigré, both of whom are hardy and warlike.

In 1850, the few missionaries and other Europeans who were engaged in visiting Abyssinia reported that a great movement was taking place there by means of the conquests made over the other tribes by Theodorus, or Kasai, a chieftain who claimed to be a direct descendant of King Solomon, and while professing the Christian faith, refused to identify himself with Romish priests, to whom his Abuna, or bishop, had a great objection. A succession of victories over the Gallas tribes, the Shoans, and the men of Tigré, so raised the ambition of this half-savage ruler, who was a fierce, passionate, but at the same time brave, able, and ambitious man, that he called himself King of the Kings of Ethiopia, and at last Emperor of Abyssinia, his expectation being that he could claim or demand an alliance with England and France on equal terms. The arrogance and personal vanity of Theodore reached the pitch of insanity; and among the acknowledgments of his dignity for which he was most impatient, was that of a letter from Queen Victoria and the establishment of some kind of amicable treaty between himself and this country-a treaty the execution of which he endeavoured at length to urge upon the few Europeans who were in his territory, not only with persuasions but with alarming threats.

It was in 1855 that this man, whose name was Dejajmatch Kasai, assumed the style and title of Theodorus, King of Ethiopia, there having been an ancient prophecy that a king of that name would reform Abyssinia, restore the Christian faith, and become master of the world. He had a new seal engraved with the motto, "King of Kings," and his capital at Magdala, on a steep and lofty height, was so strongly fortified as to be deemed almost impregnable. He seems to have had a great desire to obtain Englishmen about him, and had already appointed Mr. Bell, an Englishman, to be his grand-chamberlain. In 1860, Mr. Plowden, who had been British Consul in Abyssinia since 1848, went on a journey to Massowah, and

while on his way was attacked near Gondar by a band of rebels, and received a wound of which he afterwards died.

King Theodore, who seems to have had a great regard for him, sincerely lamented his death, and took signal vengeance on his murderers.

In 1861 Captain Cameron was appointed Consul, and at once proceeded to Abyssinia. At the end of October in that year, Theodore addressed a letter to the Queen, declaring what he professed to be his mission, that is to say, the overthrow both of the Gallas and the Turks, and the restoration of his country, with himself as Emperor; he asked for the friendship of the Queen, acknowledged the arrival of Consul Cameron with letters and presents; and requested that the Queen would arrange for the safe passage of his ambassadors everywhere on the road, that they might not be molested by the Turks, whom he declared to be his enemies. It will be seen how contradictory was such a request, amounting in fact to a crafty endeavour to secure a material alliance with England against the Islams. He asked for a reply to the letter, which was forwarded by Mr. Cameron, who immediately afterwards went into the frontier province of Bogos, where, as the Christian inhabitants were under the protection of the British Consul, he believed he had a right to go. This step, at least, was very injudicious, and was rebuked by our Government, which expressly desired to avoid even the appearance of interfering in the disputes of Native tribes residing on the frontier of Egypt and Abyssinia. Consul Cameron was not, however, without excuse, for he had been commissioned by the Foreign Office to report on the suitability of Sonakin and Massowah as a consulate station, and also on the trade of the latter place.

However, his visit seems to have aroused the jealous suspicion of Theodore, who had already been suffering from wounded vanity on account of no notice having been taken of his letter to the Queen, which, by some remarkable oversight, had been left unnoticed at the Foreign Office. Earl Russell (then Minister of Foreign affairs) wrote to Consul Cameron, but made no mention of the "Emperor's" communication; and this, together with the journey of the Consul, who, he said, "went to the Turks who do not love me," so incensed the half-savage conqueror, that he determined to take revenge