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CHAPTER X.
Some account of the ancient history of Abyssinia; its Inhabitants descended from aboriginal Tribes of Ethiopians—their Conversion to Christianity—Conquest of Yemen by the Emperor Ameda—List of the Sovereigns who have reigned in Abyssinia—Attempts of the Portuguese to introduce the Roman Catholic religion—their failure—Notice of the different travellers who have visited the country—Its present state—Concluding Remarks—Departure from Mocha—Storm in the neighbourhood of Socotra—Arrival at Bombay—Departure thence, and return to England.
HAVING already given an account of the events that occurred during my stay in Abyssinia, which I have considered worthy of notice, I shall now proceed to lay before the reader a short abstract of the history of the country, some general remarks respecting its present condition, and a few miscellaneous observations which may tend to elucidate its geography. I shall not enter, at any great length, into the history of Abyssinia; but shall content myself with giving (as far as I have thought necessary) a list of the reigning sovereigns, which I have had an opportunity of correcting from the best authorities in the country; and shall endeavour, in a cursory way, to point out merely such particular events, mentioned in the native annals, as are confirmed by the writings of contemporary authors of other nations, and which, from receiving their concurrent testimony, may be considered as established historical facts. To wade further into the obscure materials of these chronicles would be trespassing on the patience of my reader, more especially after what has already been attempted by Mr. Bruce; who, though he has not published a very correct abstract of Abyssinian annals, has, in the modern part at least, brought together a highly ingenious compilation, written so characteristically, as to afford a very fair general idea of their history.[1]
I still retain the opinion I have given in my former observations on this subject,[2] that the Abyssinians or
