Alpine vegetation of Habesh, for most of the plants. consist
dered as constituting the Abyssinian Flora belong to -the
lower, regions. The oranges and citrons, and the sugar-canes
of which Ludolf speaks as abounding in Abyssinia, are not
found in the highlands, where, on the other hand, wheat and
teff produce rich harvests. The most characteristic plant of
the higher region is the ensete, a palmiform plant, the banana
of Abyssinia. The plains afford pasturage to numerous herds
of oxen and horses. The open tracts are infested by innumerable
troops of hyaenas, which venture even into the streets of
Gondar.
Tf 5. Eastern Limits of Abyssinia.
The high region of Amhara, or rather the province of Derri-*
bea breaks off towards the north-east, by a mountainous d e scent
into the plains of Sennaar and Lower Ethiopia. #jfeii'er4l
precipitous defiles lead the traveller into the lower country;
In the two principal of these, Tscherkin and Girana are4be
limits beyond which camels never ascend towards the heights.
On the outskirts of the highlands and at their feet, are the
vast forests of Waldubba and of Walkayt, abounding with
troops of monkeys, elephants, buffaloes, and wild boars. The
human inhabitants of these tracts and of the adjoining, forests*
and likewise of the valleys of the Tacazze and the Angrab,
are Shangalla Negroes, who in several parts environ the hill^
country of Abyssinia.*
S e c t io n I l r— Enumeration of the different Races of
People inhabiting the Abyssinian Empire.
Several different races inhabit the old empire of the ne-
gush, or Abyssinian sovereign, who are commonly included
* Ritter, ubi supra. See Bruce’s striking and graphical description of this country
and its productions, in the fourth volume of his Travels. Bruce, returning
through Sennaar, descended the hill-country by way of the defile of Tscherkin.
M. Poncet entered Abyssinia from Sennaar, and ascended by the pass of Girana.
See Ritter’s Erdkunde, theil i. on Africa. The preceding outline is chiefly a short
abstract from Ritter’s elaborate account of the physical geography of this part of
Africa.
under the^iname of Hafeë'sh 'oï1 Abyssins. They’ are clearly
'distingpishedNrnpi ea<?bl other by their languages, but resenb-
bla morè. or less both>in manners antLin? .physical character.
There are:*pthen races^different from the';Abyssins- ia theée
respects, who*.inhabit the ^B^^iandj^a»jtikiÿt^,of;the empire,
connected with. its higt&iy^ and^eopfe^n'es partly subjected!
to its^dd^’nion. IsghaB mow’enUiinpjratet.the.fformep,
»and shall, in a futureisSeetion,1pi;o‘c^^s.tö.ithïè''l,akter class.
1T 1. Tigrani,l5$ Abyssins ’of Tig§e*X§
These are the inhabitants of the kinswam of Tigré already
M^sGribed, .or Aby.ssiniu.to the eastward of the Tacazze.cr Asy
taboras, They speak a language,^hich has, b j^ |y .prrnpd by
Tebpz and L?udtq ^ ' lingua Tigrana.’ The kingdom^tyiJigrjé
nearly coinpjdesrin extent with the old kjpgdon%*©£/A:$urn.;
çn.dhe history ,of which, and,+of the Geez or.»Md.JEt.biopio.
language, I shall, in the sequel, make sqpap;remarks;,
*f[ ,2. The Amharas.
The Amharas have been for ages the dominant people
in Abyssinia; thé genuine Amhara rarejeqifsidered as a higher,
and nóblei; cU^te, as the military and royal„ tribe.. Their orb
gipa! country is supposed to bè the province&of Amhara,^ towards
the south-east of Abyssinia: here at least* was "the
capital of the empire, when the sceptre of the n'éguöh passed
from Axum to the. remote Shoa. The Amharic’ language;
however, now, extends over all the eastern parks' of Abyssinia,
including various provinces, ..some of which appear to
have had vernacular languages of their own.
f 3. Agows.
There are two tribes bearing this appellation who speak
different languages, and inhabit different parts of Abyssinia :
they are the Agows of Damot, one of the most extensive of
the southern provinces, where they are settled upon the.
sources and banks of the Nile ; and the Agows of Lasta or
Tchera, who, according to Mr. Bruce, are Troglodytes, living
in caverns, and paying the same adoration. to: the Tacazze