ABYSSINIA. This African country is an elevated table-land, lying between 8° 30' and 15° 40' N. lat. and between 35° and 42° E. long. The north-eastern edge of the table land is directed towards the Red Sea, and is from 30 to 60 miles from its shores ; the other or inland edges slope away to a lower level on every side ; so that if the surrounding part of Africa were covered with water to the depth of a fefr hundred feet, the whole of Abyssinia would form an island. Though Abyssinia is situated between the tropics, its productions rather resemble those of the tem perate than of the torrid zone. Few of the grains of India are found here. The other grains are wheat, barley, oats, Indian corn, durrha, and tokussa. There are some small plantations of coffee ; and cotton is grown in the lower parts of the country. Excellent grapes grow at the foot of the rocky masses to the east of Lake Zane,. The domestic ani mals consist of horses, cattle, sheep, goats, mules and asses. There is also the black sheep, which seems to be peculiar to this region ; the wool is of a black colour, and about eigh teen inches in length. The people take great care of these animals, lest they should get too fat, for then the wool falls off ; they are placed on frames, cleaned every day with water, and fed with roasted barley and other food. A skin of good quality is sold for a dollar and upwards, which is a very large sum in that country. These skins are worn by the warri ors. Wild animals are very numerous.
Gold has occasionally been found in Abys sinia. The mountains of Lasta are rich in iron-ore, which is worked, and appears to be of good quality. The great salt-plain which lies between the Red Sea and the tableland of Tigre belongs partly to the sovereign of Tigre, and immense quantities of rock-salt are annually taken from it and imported to all parts of the country, as it is not only used for culinary purposes, but also as currency. Large quantities of salt, taken from the salt lake Assn', are annually imported into Shoa, as salt is not found on the table land. Sul phur is found at several places.
The Abyssinians have made tolerable pro gress in manufactures. The best article is tanned skins, which are used for bedding or for tents : an important article, on account of the numerous caravans which traverse the country. Shields made of the hides of ele
phants or rhinoceroses are also good. Axes and ploughshares, as well as spear heads, are made at several places ; but knives, sword-, blades, scissors, and razors, are only made at Gondar and at Kiratza. At Gondar guns are made, but only by some Greeks, not by the natives. Large quantities of coarse cotton cloth are made in several parts of the coun try by women, and a finer kind, with a red or blue border, for the more wealthy classes society. The silk manufactures are limited to some embroidery, made by Mohammedans and worn by their women, and to blue strings, which are worn on the neck by all Christians, as a mark of distinction from Mohammedans or heathens. A coarse stuff is made from the wool and hair of the black sheep and goats, which is also employed in making a kind of counterpanes. Coarse black pottery is made in every part of the country. Printing has not yet been introduced into Abyssinia : so that the copying of manuscripts forms a distinct branch of industry.
Abyssinia has no immediate intercourse with seafaring nations, but its products are carried either to MassOwa on the Red Sea, or to Tajurrah on the gulf of Aden. MassOwa is the harbour of Tigre and Amhkra ; and Taj urrah the harbour of Shoa. Nearly all the articles imported into Masslova go to Abyssinia. They comprise raw cotton, pepper, blue and red cotton-cloth, the threads of which are un ravelled and woven into the borders of the cloths of native manufacture, raw silk dyed blue, white cambrics, a small quantity of glazed silks, and some common velvet, glass pearls, linen shirts, common red-cloth, some articles of glass, common razors, sword-blades, Spica celtica, small parcels of red or green morocco leather, zinc, common Turkish car pets, bottles of a peculiar shape, of which large numbers are used in Abyssinia, and a large quantity of Persian tobacco. The bulk of the goods imported into Abyssinia is pro bably consumed there, but some of them find their way into the interior of Africa to sup ply other countries. They are exchanged for the produce of these countries at Baso, where a market is held weekly during the sea son, which lasts about eight months in the year. The merchants bring from the southern countries slaves, ivory, coffee, civet, gold, cloth, iron, and cattle.