An enquiry into M. Antoine d'Abbadie's journey to Kaffa, in the years 1843 and 1844, to discover the source of the Nile / [Charles T. Beke].

  • Charles Tilstone Beke
Date:
1850
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An enquiry into M. Antoine d'Abbadie's journey to Kaffa, in the years 1843 and 1844, to discover the source of the Nile / [Charles T. Beke]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    tions to Northern Abessinia; and why, previously to the com¬ mencement of the year 1843, he should have passed a great part of his time in going backwards and forwards between Massowa on the coast of the Red Sea and Gondar; while his brother, on the other hand, proceeded without loss of time into Godjam, and there entered the service of Dedjach Goshu, the ruler of that province and now the Ras or Vizir of the Empire, a personage whom he was in the habit of styling his prince and master,” and by whom, as it is stated, he has been raised to the exalted dignity of Grand Marechal !!”^ But, after all, what is the occurrence for which M. d’Abbadie takes to himself so much credit? In the exploration of un¬ known countries, unquestionably, every mile that a traveller succeeds in penetrating further than those who have preceded him may legitimately be regarded as a victory gained by him, though it may be no defeat to them. On the other hand, should an explorer undertake a journey which falls short of one previously accomplished by another traveller,— and, a fortiori, should he not reach the point which he himself had previously attained,—such a result can only be looked on in the light of a failure. What real merit then can M. d’Abbadie claim for having, in January, 1846, visited and even planted the flag of his ^‘chosen country^ at the source of the Gibbe, in the^Torest of Babia on the southern frontier of Enhrea,”^—a spot on which, in the year 1843, his eye had rested during several months, and by which and far beyond which, he had already passed on his journey into Kafla?^ Independently of this, Kafla is a country in which no European ever pret^ded to have set foot before M. d’Abbadie himself; and the title of its discoverer and first explorer is one which surely ought to have been sufficient to gratify the ambition of the most adventurous traveller. Enarea, on the contrary, was visited more than two centuries ago by an intelligent European, Father Antonio Fernandez, who has given us an account, though brief, of his journey to that country and even beyond it so that a subsequent journey thither by another traveller can only be looked on as a ^Reconnaissance,” not as a discovery. Considering these things, the desire manifestly evinced by * See Bulletin, vol. vii. p. 274. ^ M. Antoine d’ALhadie, or Mr. “Anthony Thomson D’Ahhadie’’ as he called himself and signed his name when in England in 1839, has lately made the following declara¬ tion ;—My brother Arnauld and myself were born in Dublin—we left Ireland under eight years of age— and we are Frenchmen by education, fortune, and choice.”—Athen. No. 1109, p. 93. ^ ComytesBendus,vol.xxix.p. 657. See j)age 15, ante, ® See D’Almeyda, llistoria de Ethiopia a Alta, p. 314, et seq.
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