BOOKS.

MANSFIELD PAREYNS'S LIFE IN ABYSSINIA.* ALTHOUGH Mr. Parkyns resided for three years in Abyssinia, travelling during his sojourn over parts of the country hitherto but little known, his book is less to be valued for its information about the country, its people, and its history, than as a picture of savage or half-civilized man and his capacities. The greater part of his papers have been lost, so that he is in a measure driven to write from memory, which is not the best mode of imparting specific information; neither are we certain that the author's genius is adapted to convey with precision scientific or histo- rical facts, or to draw from them sound conclusions. His mind is discursive, so that he continually wanders from his theme : he is a vigorous commentator and spirited raconteur, but his manner is better adapted for telling an adventure, or may be a "story," than for the closeness and gravity of history, or exposi- tions of customs and institutions. Nine years' wanderings among different Oriental peoples, not remarkable for sophisticated man- ners or rigid morals, have given to Mr. Parkyns unsophisticated ideas. He is by nature inclined to the jocose perhaps a little given to persiflage; while from a long habit of allowing nature no more than nature craves, he has fallen into the way of unduly depreciating civilization.

The mental qualities of Mr. Parkyns, conjoined to an able body, are, however, the very things for a traveller; and a capital traveller he is. Heat, cold, hunger, thirst, exposure, hardship, wounds, are nothing to him ; and as for pain, or disease, save from the malaria of vallies, they are unknown to those who live in the air and upon little more than the air. It is, indeed, in the picture of what a man can go without and enjoy hinaself,—of how much abstinence, exercise, air, and habit, harden the constitution and deaden the nervous system atul sensibilities, that one feature of the book con- sists. Mr. Parkyns seems to admit that every European cannot undergo the training requisite to produce the "noble savage"; and if he could, it may be questioned whether the mode of life con- tributes to longevity. This is the way of taking rest on a jour- ney during the wet season in a thinly-inhabited district.

"After continuing our new road for a few miles, we entered a dense forest of IniMOSSS, which shaded us throughout the remainder of the day ; at night we camped near the brook Minminai. At this season of the year the whole country is well moistened by the rains, and the low plains, such as the ma- ssage we were crossing, are deep in mud ; which is highly disagreeable to a barefooted pedestrian, the moisture softening the skin and making it more penetrable by thorns. The reader will say that this fact might have been left to his imagination, as being self-evident, but will perhaps ask, 'How did you manage to sleep on the sloppy bosom of a bog, such as this must have been ' This was quite simple. Excepting on the occasion when, tempted by the sand of the Waive, we got hydropathic treatment gratis, we every night made ourselves mattresses of pieces of wood, large stones, &c., which we collected and laid together till of sufficient height to keep us well out of the mud and wet. A tanned hide spread upon this formed our bed, and when it came on to rain, our covering also. Now this may appear an uncomfortable sort of couch; and indeed it is not altogether luxurious until you are used to it. It requires a little knack, and some turning round and round like a dog, to adapt the risings and hollows of your body to those of your bed. A man would not sleep well if he rested his hip-bone on the apex of a conical pebble; but with patience, a little management, and a bard day's work, a good night's rest is not a difficult thing to obtain under any circumstances. I trust I shall not be deemed effeminate if I suggest, that a few green boughs, if such can be obtained reasonably dry and tolerably free from thorns, may with advantage be added as substitute for a feather-bed. In this journey, however, we seldom obtained such luxuries. My dog, Maychal Boggo,' did not like rain ; so when a heavy shower fell during the night (my readers must remember that Tropical rains are by no means like Scotch mist) he would come to me' and, without any ceremony or whining, make a determined attempt to work himself under my covering. Maychal, though a good ;Ind faithful beast, was rather large for a bedfellow, being as big as a Newfoundland, and withal his hair was of that longish, thick, coarse description, which is peculiar to some of the mastiff breeds, and which, espe- cially when well wetted, is considerably odoriferous. A day's tramp through the mud did not generally make him cleaner, nor was he able to be very choice in his diet."

About one half of the work consists of a description of the cus- toms, manners, laws, religion, superstitions, history, and national character of the Abyssinians. The best parts of this review might, however, be contained in the travels ; for they consist of illus- trative incidents and anecdotes, many of which fell under the au- thor's own observation. The journey begins at Cairo, and ends at Khartoum, situate at the junction of the Blue and White Nile. Mr. Parkyns was so accustomed to Eastern travel, that he made his voyage from Suez to Tedda in one of the native Arab vessels, where he had three weeks of it ; and this is not the least amusing narra- tive to the reader. After a month's delay at Sedda, he crossed to Massawa, one of the ports or outlets of Abyssinia. He next pro- ceeded to Adoua, the capital of the province or kingdom of Tigre ; where he resided for a long time, made excursions round it, and

• Life in Abyssinia': being Notes collected during Three Years' Residence and Travels in that Country. By Mansfield rarkyns. In two volumes. With Map and Illustrations. Published by Murray.

proceeded to Rohabita, a place on the Northern frontier of Abys- sinia; where he sojourned nine months. Here, too, he built some castles in the air ; taking " Rajah " Brooke for his architectural model, and contemplating a government of the Abyssinian district and a moral conquest, assisted perhaps by " material guarantees," of two black and barbarous peoples adjacent. Disappointment in remittances dissipated the dream, and Mr. Parkyns finally returned to the Egyptian dominions through the little-traversed provinces of Waldubba, Walkait, an uninhabited desert, and the lands of the Abou Sur and other wild tribes. In more general terms, he passed from the Red Sea through Abyssinia by a main route which runs considerably to the Northward of Gondar, till he reached the Blue Nile somewhat above Abou Kharras.

In addition to the subject of man's capacity for abstinence and en- durance, the great feature of the work is a picture of wholly savage or half-civilized man—if indeed the Abyssinians are not rather a deteriorated people—embodied in anecdotes, incidents, and stories. Weeded of discursions and discussions, it is a singular picture, and a rather pleasant sketch of a primitive simple race, who lead a free and easy life under an easy code of morals and opinions. There are, however, a few drawbacks. In addition to the regular taxation, something like the old English system of " benevolence " is practised, and soldiers are quartered upon the well-to-do village Hampden, till he draws his purse-strings. The laws of half-He- brew Abyssinia, though verging on the Levitical, are defined, which is something ; but who is to uphold them against power? Life, liberty, and property, though pretty safe as between equals in towns and thoroughly settled districts, are of small account on the borders. Here is an incident of travel in Mr. Parkyns kingdom that was to be.

• "Scarcely had we passed the brook of Mai-Chena when one of our men, a hunter, declared that he saw the slaves [a people so called.] Being at that time inexperienced in such matters, I could see nothing suspicious. He then pointed out to me a dead tree standing on an eminence at a distance of seve- ral hundred yards, and charred black by last year's fire. To explain this, I should remark that the rains cause to spring up a thick jungle of grass, canes, and bushes, which cover the whole surface of country, growing to a height of several feet. When this becomes dry it is set fire to, in some places by the farmers, as the readiest means of clearing the ground ; in others by hunters, to enable them to get at their game with greater facility; and often accidentally, by one of these latter dropping a lighted match. These conflagrations generally clear a mile or two, according to the position and quality of the ground; but occasionally, when the wind is fair and the land level and equally overgrown, they continue burning for several days, and sweep enormous tracts of country. However, all that I saw was a charred stump of a tree, and a few blackened logs or stones lying at its feet. The hunter declared that neither the tree nor the stones were there the last time he passed; and that they were simply naked Berea, who had placed themselves in that position to observe us, having no doubt seen us for some time, and prepared themselves. 1 could scarcely believe it possible that they should remain so motionless, and determined to explore a little : the rest of the party advised me to continue quietly in the road, as it was probable that, from our presenting a rather formidable appearance, we should pan unmolested ; but so confident was I of his mistake, that, telling the rest to go on slowly, as if nothing had been observed, I dropped into the long grass and stalked up towards them. A shot from my rifle, at a long distance, (I did not venture too close,) acted on the tree and stones as powerfully as the fiddle of Orpheus, but with the contrary effect; for the tree disappeared, and the stones and logs, instead of running after me, ran in the opposite di- rection. I never was more astonished in my life; for so complete was the deception, that even up to the time I fired I could have declared the objects before me were vegetable or mineral—anything, indeed, but animal. The fact was, that the cunning rascals who represented stones were lying, fiat, with their little round shields placed before them as screens. We made the best of our way, lest they should be but a small detachment from a larger body, and arrived in safety at Addaro."

Although property seems pretty well secure as between sub- jects, it is by no means safe from authority or the noble profes- sion of arms. Even the court-yard of our traveller at the capi- tal was assailed by the "King's grass-cutters" in open day to carry off his forage; but the Englishman stood up for his straw, and resisted. We quote a part of the row for the superstitious effect of a knock-down blow on a warrior.

"I kept guard and conversed with the three or four assailants of the outer wall in a most agreeable manner to both of us, till a sudden noise from the inner court caused us to leave the spot. I hastened across the court to my people, who were fighting, while my new friends ran round by the street to join their comrades. The inner court presented a glorious spectacle; for, neither party having any spears or other more dangerous weapons than clubs, they were not afraid of hurting one another. I had just time to see three or four men go over, and to remark to them that 'crutches are cheap,' but no more, for I was met by a huge Galla, who came rushing at me with a knotty club formed of the stump and root of the agam. In pure self-defence I caught his right hand with my left, and ' countered ' him under the left eye. In one respect the consequences were natural, for he went over like a shot ; but, as I afterwards saw, the blow took a most peculiar effect on his skin, for, instead of causing a healthy black eye, it raised a lump like an egg just on the crown of the cheek-bone, at the same time taking the skin off. The poor fellow did not at all appreciate this mode of action : he had seen me unarmed and made his onslaught, then suddenly found himself on the ground—what weapon could I have used ? Medicine, DO doubt : so he did not even take the trouble to get up, but crawled on all-fours to the near- est wall ; where he squatted down, crying like a child, and blubbering out, I was at the battle ot Bellies and the Berea campaign ; I fought the Bilges,' &c. (enumerating all hia actions) ; and now I am going to die the death of a dog in a Copt's house in Adoua!' He thought for certain I had employed some magic or other mysterious means, and that he must certainly die."

The laws.of Abysginia are a compound,of those of thiaaws and tke.ciermanic .nationo. Deta,h 'Must be .0Fpiated4ly death, or by arrangement with the not .df kw. Here is an exaniple of the manner in which a zigicl adherence to the letter of the law is made to work justice in the "case": in-practice, unfortunately, it is often the reverse. The story is taken from the chapter on "laws," &c.

"Two little boys were playing in the woods near a village. Wandering about, they chanced to see a tree called owleh,' on whose branches was a aantity of ripe wild fruit. The fruit is not very delicious, not more so than

e hips and haw, found on our hedges ; yet any one who can remember the pleasure with which in his boyish days these berries were collected and eaten, -will excuse our young heroes when I relate how, having looked upon the fruit, they longed for it. But though the ' owleh ' is not usually of very large growth, still the lowest branches were above their reach. To climb the tree was an arduous task, for these children were but of the ages of eight and five. The temptation, however, proved superior to the obstacles, and the elder boy with some difficulty succeeded in reaching the desired object. Higher and higher he mounted, till at last he stood on a bough from which he could gather the best fruit ; and then with what feelings of joy and pride at his superior age and powers did he help himself, and throw down a supply to his little companion ! But 'pride will have a fell'; and whether in this case it was brought about by the bough's breaking or his foot's slip- ping I cannot well remember, but, however it may have been, the adage :proved true, and down came our climber right on the head, and nearly down the throat, of his little comrade, who happened at that moment to be stand- ing with upturned eyes and expectant mouth, waiting a fresh shower of the golden berries. The elder lad got up unhurt beyond a few bruises; but, to 'his horror, his friend rose not from the ground. He shook him, spoke to him, pinched him ; but all to no purpose. The little fellow was dead.

"The elder child, shocked and frightened at having so unwittingly caused his companion's death, ran blubbering home, and told his mother all about it. The story got wind in the village and the parents of the deceased child brought home the body, and set up howling and lamenting over it. More- over, nothing would satisfy them but that the elder boy should be put on trial for his life, as having been the cause of the other's death. This they 'urged in the hope, no doubt, of a compromise in money from his family, or In other words, making the best they possibly could of a bad business. "The trial was long; but after much examination of the different books, and many opinions taken of the wisest men in the country, it was ultimately Concluded that of a truth the boy was by law guilty of death.

"But how was he to be killed ? Why, of course, as he had killed the other : so in fact the sentence was, that the dead boy's brother should climb the tree and tumble down on the other's head till he killed him. This, how- ever, did not suit the deceased's mother's feelings; for, thought she, `If I consent to this, perhaps my other boy may die, or injure himself in his fall more than him whom he has to kill.' So she ,preferred letting the culprit off to risking the life of her only surviving aon.

If the foreigners at Constantinople and other commercial and diplomatic cities in the Turkish dominions form but an indifferent sample of their respective nations, it may be supposed that foreign residents in Abyssinia are a still less select class. The man who sojourns there must form some strange acquaintance. Here, from an account of a wedding-feast, is a picture of the White society of 41.dorta.

"At last we entered ; but we found nearly as much difficulty in getting from the yard intothe 'das' as we had done in passing from the street into the yard—the crowd being almost as dense, and quite as unruly. The peo- ple who had fed, and those who had not, were mixed together; the former presenting themselves a second time for admittance, while many of those who bad had nothing. were refused entry by mistake. This gave rise to a terrible scene of confusion, quarrelling, and uproar ; and we were glad to find that our worthy host bad reserved a place where the Whites were to be seated alone. We were seven in all—Demetrius, the master of the feast ; Michael, an Albanian silversmith, who had run away from IChartom with a quantity of silver which had been given him to be worked ; a Copt who had been ser- vant to a priest ; a man named ' Welda Rafael, whose grandfather was an Armenian ; Yohannes, (who had been a coiner,) also Armenian ; and old Hajji Ali, who had been a servant of some of the Mamelukes, and had fled with them from Egypt. Such was our select party ; and though most of them_, from long residence in the country, must have been well accustomed to Abyssinian manners, yet each preferred a seat on the couch, anxious to arrogate to himself the superiority of White descent. One, however, called 'Ingeder,' son of a Greek named Apostoli, had been accustomed to eat raw beef from childhood, and preferred it and Abyssinian society to all such vain distinctions. "The Abyssinian guests were squatted round the tables in long rows, feed- ing as if their lives depended on the quantity they could devour, and wash- ing it down with floods of drink. I never could have believed that any poe- tic could take so much food ; and certainly, if the reader wishes to see a curious exhibition in the feeding line, he has only to run over to Abyssinia and be present at a wedding-feast. Imagine two or three hundred half-naked men and women all in one room, -eating and drinking in the way I have de- scribed in a former chapter, but with this difference—that the private party is well-ordered and arranged, while the public hang-out' is a scene of the most terrible confusion. ere all decorum is lost sight of; and you see the waiters, each with a huge piece of raw beef in his bands, rushing frantically to and fro in his desire to satisfy the voracious appetites of the guests, who, as he comes within their reach, grasp the meat, and with their long crooked swords hack off a lump or strip, as the case may be, in their eagerness not to lose their share. One men was reported on this occasion to have eaten tal- lak ' and itamash' of raw beef (each weighing from four to five pounds) and seven cakes of bread, and to have drunk twenty-six pints of beer and 'tedge.' From what I saw I can believe a good deal ; but this appears rather a stretcher.' We of the Frank seat were presented with our share of the broundo,' &c. ; but as our thoughtful host had informed us that a dinner, eooked by his own hands in the Turkish style was awaiting us in an inner apartment, we merely, for formality's sake, haled the offered delicacies, and then handed them over to our servants, who standing behind us were ready enough to make away with them. The silversmith Michael, before coming to the feast, had, it would appear, been pouring a tolerably copious libation to some god or other ; for he was considerably elevated, and being anxious to show off, commenced eating in the Abyssinian fashion, nor did he stop until he had cut a large gash in his nose."

It will be seen that raw flesh is still eaten in Abyssinia; and Mr. I3arkyns pronounces it good when eaten warn' from the animal He has not seen a steak out from the living cow, but has no doubt of the fact, or of Bruce's veracity, however strange his stories may seem. In fact, our traveller has singular tales of his own to tell. We will close with some remarkable instances of the effects of abstinence and exercise upon physical injuries. The beneficial power of abstinence in wounds and.ffisease is well known in Eu. 'rope, if the emistitutiopluttCbear-tt. Lekiw eleoe cif bk. Parkyos violent eaercise -was joined with very shod eontnons : %vas about the time when his royalty was stopped for want of supplies. It will be seen that he went barefoot.

"As a general rule, abstinence does no harm in these climates, but, on the contrary, it is always a good thing, and often necessary. I never felt lighter in my life, or more-free from the many ills that vex humanity; than during this my long period of semi-starvation. Wounds of all kinds healed on me like magic, and I never knew what it was to feel lazy or ..fatigued. On one or two occasions I remember being much astonished at the little I suffered from otherwise ugly wounds about the feet. Once, in running down the stony and almost precipitoua path which leads to the Mareb, I struck my bare foot against an edge of rock, which was as sharp as a razor ; and a bit of flesh, with the whole of the nail of my left foot little toe, was cut off, leavin only the roots of the nail. This latter I suppose to have been the case, as it has grown all right again. I could not stop longer than to polish off the bit which was hanging by a skin, for we were in chase of a tarty of Bare; who had cut the throats of three of Waddy's s nephews the night before—(by the way, I'll tell that story afterwards, to show what cowardly louts some of the Abyssinians are)—but was obliged to go on running for about twenty miles that afternoon, the greater part of the way up to our ankles in burning sand. Whether this cured it I know not, but I scarcely suffered at all from it next day, and forgot it the day after. Another day I was running after an ante. lope which I had wounded, and in my eagerness jumped over a bush, anion to the trunk of a fallen tree. Now it so happened that a bough had once stood exactly where my foot now lighted, but, having been broken off, had left a jagged stump, one splinter of which of about the thickness of a ten. penny nail, entering the ball of my foot, passed so far through that the point appeared like a black spot immediately under the skin, half an inch above the junction of the third and fourth toes, towards the instep, and then broke short off. I got my game, butchered it, and carried it home, (some two miles,) with the splinter in my foot ; which I then drew out with a nail- wrench. A quantity of blood issued from the wound, but, with the excep. tion of a little stiffness for a day or two, which, however, nowise prevented my walking, I suffered no pain at all. Now had this occurred to me in Europe, and under a good European diet, I should have been at least a fortnight laid up with a bad foot. As for thorns in the feet, it may be easily imagined that, in a country where there is scarcely a tree unfurnished with these appendages, and some of them of the length of three or four inches, .the whole ground must be strewed with them,' and consequently, that the fret of a person going bare- foot must frequently act, to all intents and purposes, the part of pincushions; yet I can truly say, that after some time, such is the force of habit and the thickness of skin that one gets by use, I thought no more of picking half.a- dozen thorns out of my feet than an English sportsman would of kicking away the clod of clay he may have accumulated on his shooting-bootsin crossing a soft ploughed field."