Abyssinia

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 79, 31 October 1916, Page 6

Abyssinia

JIC BATTUE R EPORT EIJ. GOVERNMENT VICTORY. ■I - • ' .' - Press Association—Copyright. Router's Telegrams y ; ' (Received 12.25 p.m.) London, October 30. The Daily Telegraph states that the British Minister in Abyssinia" announces that a big battle 25 miles . from Adis Abeba resulted in a' complete victory for the Government. Raisinakhail, father of Ledjjesu, 'the' Emperor,\ was taken, prisoner. Ledjjesu is believed to be among the tribes on the Somali-Abyssinia frontier. v The Government of Abyssinia is a despotic monarchy. At its head is the Emperor, whose full title is Negusa Nagast za-Ityopya, "King of, ■>'tne Of Ethiopia," Next to : him come the kings (negus-) of the subordinate states, and the governors; (ras) of the chief provinces. The; late Emperor Menelik issued a decree: in 1907 announcing tliie constitution, of a cabinet on European lines. The army, estimated at 150,000, and '.well armed with modern weapons, is organised territorially, and consists of a paid standing army which garrisons the several provinces and of a militia in local levies. The empire is bounded on the north and east by Eritrea (on, the Red Sea coast) and Somaliland, on the south by British East Africa; and on the south-west and west by the Uganda Protectorate and the Soudan. The whole area is about 200,000 square miles, and the population is estimated at about eleven millions. Adis Abeba as down to 1901 the capital of Abyssinia and lies in the midst of the mountains near one of the sources of the Blue Nile.