Mar. 2, 1900] No Invasion by Menelik's Troops 307 CURRENT HISTORY King Menelik of SINCE the outbreak of the war in the Transvaal, and the realization that the subjugation of the Boers, if accomplished at all, is going to be a much more serious task than the British ever reckoned on, all sorts of rumors have been in circulation in regard to outbreaks in various portions of the English possessions. Among them was one which stated that King Menelik of Abyssinia, at the head of an army of forty thousand men, was marching into the Sudan with the intention of claiming a part of that territory for himself. This rumor, which was rife in both Paris and Rome, caused some anxiety at first, for the reason that King Menelik is a most powerful monarch, and his enmity would be a serious thing for England just at this moment, when she has been obliged to weaken her power in the Egyptian Sudan for the sake of maintaining her supremacy in South Africa. King Menelik is one of the most remarkable monarchs in the world. Though a savage, this ebony king is wide awake to all the necessities and intricacies of foreign policies. He is perfectly conscious that the great Powers of Europe desire his friendship, and has received and listened to messages from more than one of the European rulers. A couple of years ago England and France both sent expeditions laden with presents for this dusky ruler, and in addition Prince Henry of Orleans visited him while on his travels in South Africa. Menelik received all his visitors with the same calm dignity which characterizes all his actions, but soon showed them that he was not to be won over with gifts. Menelik has studied the history and the politics of Europe, and long before the first of the embassies reached him he had discovered for himself that he was the only ruler in Africa who had an army sufficiently well trained to offer formidable resistance to the designs of European Powers, and, furthermore, that now the Mahdi was dead, 308 A Wide-awake King [Mar. 2, he was the only African monarch powerful enough to oppose these same schemes for annexation. When the embassies were sent out from England and France the envoys_displayed a good deal of unseemly haste and rivalry. Each feared that the other might be the first to reach the King, and obtain from him the desired promises of alliance, and so they practically raced each other across the continent. The ambassadors need not have had any fear, however, for Menelik was in no hurry to bestow his friendship, but listened to the representatives of both countries without committing himself too far with either. Russia then became interested in the matter. Her good offices were accepted in so far that the Negus appointed a Russian to be Governor-General of the Abyssinian Provinces. It was the desire of the King to improve the condition of his country, and the Russian officer who had been sent to him as an ambassador, pleased him better than the other men he had seen; he therefore offered him the appointment. This was in 1897, and with such a ruler as the Negus it is only natural to suppose that considerable progress has been made in the three years that have gone by. The report that the Emperor was on the warpath was therefore sufficient to cause considerable alarm. Telegrams from Paris, however, state that King Menelik's chief councilor has just arrived in France, and that he brings with him the assurance that the ruler's intentions are entirely pacific, and that he has not been moving any hostile army into the Sudan. The councilor is to remain in Europe for a year, during which time he will visit the various courts and will undoubtedly study European methods in the interests of his master. At the time the rumors were first circulated the coolerheaded people realized that it was next to impossible that the Negus could be in any way siding with the Dervishes, against the British; but it is, nevertheless, a great relief to know for a fact that Menelik is still the friend of Europe. The rule of the Dervishes has been most disastrous to peace and civilization; their practice has always been to 1900] No More Danger from the Mahdi 309 destroy any of the native villages which they captured, to ravage the fields for any crops that were growing, and to take the inhabitants off to sell into slavery. The result of this wicked policy has been to lay waste the whole country over which they passed and leave it as bare as if it had been swept by a fire. The title of Negus, or Negus Negust, as it is in full, means king of kings. The ancient empire of Abyssinia is what was known as Ethiopia, and the full title of Menelik is Negus Negust, or King of Kings, and Emperor of Ethiopia. The Negus, who is sufficiently wise to know that a happy and prosperous kingdom must have its fields under cultivation and its people free of all fear and molestation, at once saw that the Dervishes were his worst foes in Africa, and for more than twenty years he has been doing his share to break their power in the Sudan. It is said of Menelik that he no sooner began to study foreign politics than he realized what commerce could do for his country, and that the railway, which afforded an easy means for the carrying of produce, was the best friend man could have. He has been patiently waiting for the time when the Nile railway system shall have been perfected, when his country will have direct communication with the markets of the world. The present exports from Abyssinia are principally gold and ivory, for, though the country is fertile, and sugar, cotton, and the vine thrive in it, none of these industries has been cultivated, mainly on account of the insecurity from Mahdist incursions. The people contented themselves with pasturing their cattle, and tilled little soil but that which they needed to furnish food for their own personal uses. There is, however, no doubt that Abyssinia can be made highly productive, and the prosecution of the railway schemes in the Sudan and the visit of the councilor to Europe seem to point to the fact that the Negus intends to start his people in their new commercial career, now that the power of the Dervishes has been broken. There have been no fresh facts in regard to the mutiny in the Sudan of late, and it is therefore to be supposed 310 Underground Rapid Transit Assured [Mar. 2, that it has been suppressed by the new Sirdar, General Wingate. The Rapid Transit Mr. John B. McDonald, after some delay and much anxiety, has at last obtained satisfactory securities, and the contract for the construction of the rapid transit road has been signed. The cost is to be $35,000,000, and it is said to be the largest contract ever entered into by an American city. The road is to run from the Post Office to Spuyten Duyvil Creek, on the west side, and to Bronx Park, on the east. The contract was signed on Saturday, February 24th, in Comptroller Coler's office, in the presence of a number of persons interested in the work. Owing to the assistance of the firm of August Belmont & Co., all the financial difficulties, which at one time threatened to swamp his enterprise, have been swept away, and Mr. McDonald was able to sign the con tract. The securities were furnished in part by August Belmont & Co. and in part by Mr. Perry Belmont. Before signing the contract Mr. McDonald gratefully acknowledged the debt he owed to Mr. August Belmont, who has stood by him throughout the matter. He publicly stated that it was only through Mr. Belmont that he was able to sign at all. He is now bound to break ground for the road within thirty days, and has declared that if the plan is agreeable to the Rapid Transit Commission, he will begin work on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th, and combine the ceremony with the usual Patrick's Day celebrations. The engineers who designed the road divided it into four sections, and it has been decided that Mr. McDonald shall be permitted to begin work along the entire route instead of being compelled to finish it section by section. That New Yorkers may soon be able to journey to their homes in comfortable seats, instead of being compelled to hang on to straps, seems almost too good to be true. |