We will now turn to the eastern part of the Nile basin--the first to be explored, the last to be finished. It has been already related how, alarmed at the rapid successes of the Portuguese in India, the Persian Gulf, and East Africa, the Abyssinians resolutely ejected the Portuguese missionaries from their country during the seventeenth century, and how the attempts of Louis XIV. to supplant the Portuguese by French influence resulted disastrously. Bruce had broken the spell which rested on this strange country, so fascinating to Europeans, because while being absolutely “Africa” it was ruled, and for the most part inhabited, by more or less Caucasian races, its rulers having a Semitic history which attached them to the fountains of civilisation. Our previous review of exploration in Abyssinia ended with Bruce’s journey, and with the attempts on the part of French and German explorers during the early part of the nineteenth century to enter Abyssinia up the course of the Blue Nile. Meantime the overland route to the East had been conceived by Lieutenant Waghorn, the British government had seized Aden in 1839, and a much greater interest than heretofore was taken in the navigation of the Red Sea, which was rapidly becoming the main route to India. Although Abyssinia then as now had no acknowledged political control over any part of the Red Sea littoral, it was early recognised that Abyssinia was an important factor in the political problems governing the control of the Red Sea. Even before the safety of the British route to India became a matter of urgent importance, we had sought to enter into direct relations with Abyssinia. In 1805 a British mission under Lord Valentia and Consul Henry Salt was sent to conclude an alliance with Abyssinia and obtain a port on the Danakil coast by means of which Britain could, if necessary, convey troops to Abyssinia, and so take a French Egypt in the rear. The writings of Henry Salt added greatly to our knowledge of the peoples, languages, and fauna of Abyssinia and of the Zanzibar coast, but did not contribute materially to the elucidation of Nile problems. During the first part of the nineteenth century Abyssinia was in the throes of civil war caused by the struggles for supremacy between the ruler of Tigre (the northern province) and the Ras or Governor of Amhara (the central province). The Ras of Tigre--Sabagadis--threw open northern Abyssinia to the English, cordially inviting missionaries, mechanics, and explorers to enter his dominions. In this way the Church Missionary Society’s missions to eastern Africa started by the despatch of Protestant missionaries (mostly Germans in the pay of the Society) to Tigre. On the other hand, the war between Tigre and Amhara having resulted in the death of both the chiefs, a third potentate, the ruler of the lofty Samien Mountains, annexed Tigre, and out of opposition to his predecessor’s policy invited Frenchmen to develop the country. Captains Galinier and