The chief mineral products of Abyssinia are iron, sulphur, coal and salt, but they are as yet undeveloped. Coal beds extend along the whole of the eastern frontier of but as a combustible coal is scarcely known in the country. Salt is obtained in various places, especially from a plain on the southeastern border of Tigre. Gold is obtained from alluvial deposits, but not in great quan tity. In some parts of the country iron is abundant and is manufactured into implements. A few hot mineral springs are known and used.
The climate of Abyssinia is as various as its surface. In the valleys it is delightful, but on the mountains often cold. The light rains commence in April or May, the heavy rains in June and continue till September (over a considerable portion of the country at least), during which period they are often so violent as to put a stop to agricultural labor.
The foreign trade is chiefly carried on through Jibuti in French Somaliland and other non-Abyssinian ports on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and through Gambela and western Abyssinia to the Sudan; but the exter nal traffic has never been of great importance, as the nature of the country is adverse to an extensive trade, and there are relatively few commodities suited for export; moreover, till recently the natives dared not trust their treas ures out of their secret hoards, and the royal court was the chief buyer. Menelek's firm administration, however, with its better security for life and property, extended Abyssinian trade considerably, the United States and Great Britain being the chief beneficiaries, France, India, Italy and Germany ranking next. In 1913 the value of exports and imports through Jibuti was about $3,684,240, through Gambela and West Abyssinia $638,235 and through Somaliland $308,500. The chief ex ports were hides and skins, coffee, wool, ivory and rhinoceros horns, honey, wax, civet; the chief imports, cotton goods, in which American fabrics take the lead, firearms, ammunition, pro visions, liquors, railway material, sugar and petroleum. Trade is greatly hampered by the primitive methods of communication, which is carried on by mules and pack-horses; the dis tance traversed being not above six to eight miles a day at best. In 1902 a railway 187 miles long, constructed by French capital, was opened between Jibuti and Dire Dawa, 25 miles from Harar; in 1909 a new company was formed to extend the line to Addis Abeba. In 1912 it reached the Hawash River, and was expected to be about 30 miles from Addis Abeba in 1915. There are 1,056 miles of telegraph lines. The bank of Abyssinia, chartered in 1905 with a capital of $2,500,000, mainly provided by the National Bank of Egypt, the governor of which is its president, has its headquarters at Addis Abeba. The current coin of Abyssinia is the Maria Theresa dollar, but in recent years an effort had been made to introduce a new cur rency with the Menelek dollar (worth about 50 cents) as the standard. Saltbars and cartridges
are also accepted as currency.
The native population consists of Semitic Abyssinians, Gallas and Somalis, negroes (in southwest) and Falashas (of Jew ish religion). The non-natives are Indians, Arabs, Greeks, Armenians, and a few Euro peans. Up to 1907 education was solely in the hands of the clergy. In October of that year compulsory education was decreed for boys over 12, but the edict remained a dead letter. One Abyssinian school with about 100 pupils exists in Addis Abeba. Justice is administered by the provincial governors and petty chiefs with right of appeal to the Emperor. The legal system is supposed to be based on the Justinian Code.
The government of Abys sinia is feudal in character. Each of the nine provinces has its governor, supposedly under the authority of the Emperor or Negus, and having their retainers, or professional warriors. There is a vague state council composed of the most important rases, or chiefs, and a ministerial council constituted by Emperor Menelek in 190& The regular army numbers about 250,000 men, mostly cavalry, and is sup plemented by irregulars and territorial troops in time of war.
Northern Abyssinia corresponds to ancient Ethiopia (see ETHIOPIA), which is still the official name of the country, Abyssinia being a Portuguese form of the Abrabian Habesch, signifying °mixture.° Christianity was introduced in the 4th century. In the 6th century the Abyssinians conquered the rich province of Yemen in Arabia and were in con stant communication with the outside world for over 50 years. The Mohammedan conquest of Egypt in the 7th century completely isolated them however, and for centuries afterward the kingdom continued in a distracted state, now torn by internal commotions, and now invaded by external enemies (Mohammedans and Gal las). To protect himself from the former the Emperor of Abyssinia, about the end of the 16th century, applied for assistance to the King of Portugal. The solicited aid was sent, and the empire saved. The Jesuit priests, having now ingratiated themselves with the Emperor and his family, endeavored to induce them to renounce the tenets and rites of the Coptic Church and adopt those of Rome. This attempt, however, was resisted by the ecclesiastics and the peo ple, and finally ended, after a long struggle, in the expulsion of the Roman Catholic priests in 1633. The kingdom gradually fell into a state of anarchy, which about the middle of the 18th century was complete. The Negus received no obedience from the provincial governors, who besides were at feud with one another and severally assumed the royal title.