implores Theodore to pardon them. " The
emperor's clemency and mercy," he writes, " would
afford much gratification to the whole of our
Christian community, and satisfaction to the
illustrious British government, whose efforts
in the interests of Christianity are well known."
The monster, who burns his subjects alive by
scores at a time, is appealed to as " the chosen
of God, full of all Christian virtues."  The
good patriarch is but a man, and having a
favour to ask, gave himself plenary absolution,
no doubt, for addressing thus one whom he
knew to be a merciless tyrant.

This pastoral of the Armenian patriarch at
Constantinople reached the British consul in
Jerusalem towards the close of last March.
The consul immediately waited on the Armenian
patriarch in the Holy City, who warmly
seconded the efforts of his superior. "His
eminence" selected Bishop Sihac, whose name
is thus written in official documents, and who
is his vicar-general, to proceed with a letter
from himself to the emperor. This letter was
accompanied by presents, consisting of objects
from the Holy City, such as crucifixes, rosaries,
&c., certain to be held in the highest veneration
by the Most Christian King. This letter
also was beautifully illuminated, and in
reference, it is said, to the condition of the
captives, the initial letter represented Christ Bound
in Chains. On the 14th of April the vicar-
general, Sihac, had reached Cairo on his way
to Massowah. He carried with him presents
made of olive wood from the Mount of Olives,
mother of pearl from Bethlehem, a sceptre
made of a bough from Abraham's Oak, and a
cross of gold surmounted with diamonds,
containing relics venerated by Orientals. The
patriarch also sent with his vicar-general a
complete and splendid suit of vestments, crosier,
prayer-book, communion plate, &c.; so that
the patriarch could perform high mass before
the king in full canonicals, with sacred
accessories from the Holy City. The Jerusalem
patriarch knew how to address Theodore in a
manner even more calculated to affect him than
that adopted by the Constantinopolitan. There
was a shadow on Theodore's birth, and rumour
said that his mother was little better than a
nautch-girl. Theodore's first proclamation
denounces this " hellish falsehood," and asserts
the purity of the emperor's descent from
David. The clever patriarch, with Oriental
tact, assures the emperor that he is enchanted
to see in the "august person of the emperor the
true type of the queen eulogised in Holy Scripture,
who was enamoured of the wisdom of
Solomon." Prudence compelled him also to
admit the guilt of the captives; but he prays
his most merciful majesty to look graciously
upon the English consul and his companions,
and to pardon them for all the faults they may
have committed. This appeal is strengthened
by assurances of protection and assistance to
the Abyssinian residents and pilgrims visiting
Jerusalem, an advantage the emperor had pre-
viously sought in vain. Thus furnished, the vicar-
general, Sihac, set out from Cairo for Massowah.
No authentic information respecting his subsequent
progress has reached either the patriarch
or the British consul at Jerusalem. What a
number of links in this ecclesiastical chain were
put in motion by a solitary Armenian wayfarer
in St. Petersburg!

The history of the Emperor Theodorus is
romantic. He was known, prior to his
usurpation of the sovereignty, as Lij Cassai.
Being the nephew of the famous Dejas Comfou,
and claiming to be a descendant of the old
Ethiopia kings, he seems to have formed the
design of seizing the throne at an early period.
The circumstances then existing in reference
to the imperial court favoured him. There was
a puppet emperor, named Johnnse, and an
acting emperor, Ras Ali; the former was satisfied
with the possession of the still beautiful
mother of Ras Ali, who exercised power over
the whole kingdom. Lij Cassai contrived to
wed the daughter of Ras Ali, and straightway
rebelled against his own father-in-law. This
lady, young, beautiful, imperious, and ambitious,
like a second Tullia, urged her husband to
destroy her father, and obtain the crown she so
ardently coveted. Many chiefs in succession
were sent against Lij Cassai, but their followers,
dazzled by his unlimited promises, and
charmed by his insinuating manners, abandoned
their own rulers, and ranged themselves under
his standard. At last, Ras Ali engaged his
opponent in the battle of Amba Chara. He
was utterly routed, fled to the Galla country,
and, dying soon after of a broken heart, left
Lij Cassai undisputed master of Central
Abyssinia. Then followed a succession of triumphs.
All trembled before the fierce assaults and
increasing power of the usurper, until he became
sovereign ruler of the whole territory, from
Shoa to Matemna, and from Eojam to Hamazin.

To obviate any flaw in his title to the throne,
Theodore proclaimed that he was elected
emperor by universal suffrage. His first official
document, addressed to the French residents in
Abyssinia, is intended to remove that imputation
upon the respectability of his family which
the Patriarch of Jerusalem so adroitly referred
to. The document is a curious jumble of
references to the historical events recorded in
Scripture. It runs thus: — "I, Theodore,
created by the Trinity, and made by it an
installed servant and prince, to all his children
given by God — to all the Franks. By your
God, and the God of your friend Theodore, who
appeared unto Moses at Sinai and on the Red
Sea; who appeared unto Joshua at Jericho;
who anointed Saul with the sign of Samuel
when he sought the lost asses; who, when Saul
left the ways of the Creator, commanded Samuel
to anoint David! As Solomon became king,
through David, according to the word of the
prophet and his father, although Adonias without
the will of God, but by tlie favour of the
nation, was proclaimed king by the people; so
Solomon begat Menilek of the Queen of Sheba,