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350 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC NEWS. [July 24, 1868. PHOTOGRAPHY AND THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION. On bringing to a successful issue the Abyssinian campaign, it is gratifying to learn that the scientific staff of Royal En gineers attached to the expedition have contributed in no small degree towards the triumphant termination of the affair. Besides rendering invaluable services to the army, and gleaning information which has added greatly to our former knowledge of Abyssinia, the engineers, surveyors, signallers, telegraphers, well sinkers, photographers, and others have materially helped to civilize the country, and have left behind them works which will, no doubt, prove to be the germs of enlightenment and progress. A railway of 12 miles was constructed, a grand trunk road leading upwards of 400 miles into the interior was made, the greater- part of the country was surveyed and mapped out, and a telegraph line of some length established ; and although some of, these works were removed and others destroyed before the British left, still their existence for a brief period only was sufficient to show the Abyssinians what can be done by European nations. It is with that branch of the staff devoted to photography that we have at present to do. As we stated on a previous occasion, the chief photographer in charge of the party was Serjeant Harrold, R.E.; he was assisted in his work by seven non-commissioned officers and men, all of whom, how ever, with one exception, fell sick before Annesley Bay was reached on the return journey. The equipment was a very bulky affair; it was divided into two portions, one being styled A and the other B, and each consisted of eighteen boxes. B equipment remained at Senafe untouched, and was returned to England without having been opened ; while A invariably accompanied the advance guard until the expedition reached Lat, when, as strict orders were issued to leave all baggage behind, Serjeant Harrold and his companions, in preference to remaining in the rear, parted from their paraphernalia, and went forward as fighting soldiers. Subsequently the equipment was forwarded to Magdala, but arrived, unfortunately, too late on the afternoon of King Theodore’s burial to allow of a photograph of the body being taken prior to its interment. This is very much to be regretted, as, with the exception of a sketch made by Mr. Holmes a few hours after the king's death, and since photographed by the Stereoscopic Company, no authentic portrait is in existence. The number of pictures taken, amounting to sixty-five in all, are for the most part very fair specimens of photography, and when the conditions under which they were taken are considered, the result is certainly very creditable. A view of lake Ashangi, taken from a distance, with grassy slopes and picturesque foliage in the foreground, is exceedingly pretty, and reminds one very much of a Cumberland or Westmorland scene. The Tacazza and Takasi rivers, the latter supposed to be one of the sources of the Blue Nile, both afford charming views of wood and water. Two pano ramic views of Zoola and Senafe, each consisting of three negatives, are very fine productions, and testify to great skill and tact upon the part of Serjeant Harrold and his assist ants. Then we have a view of the interiorof Magdala, showing the description of architecture most in vogue in Abyssinia, the houses being circular in form, built of bamboo and thatched with straw, and resembling very closely English hayricks. Magdala Church and King Theodore’s grave form the subject for another picture; and in the next we see a barn-like building, with a few out-houses, which bears the high-sounding title of “ King Theodore’s house, treasury, mint, &c.” Then we have a faithful sketch of the lofty fortress from which the Emperor first saw the approach of our men, and down the steep side of which his soldiers ran in exulting glee to capture what appeared to be a heavily- laden baggage-train, but which, unfortunately for them, was nothing less than a battery of steel guns. The finest picture of the whole scries is, to our thinking, a view of a stupendous cliff overhanging the Bashelo river; the scene is beautifully lighted, and the mass of granite, which forms a sheer pre cipice some hundreds of feet in depth, stands out from a mass of dark foliage in bold relief. Lastly, we have several groups of native chiefs, of the European and native prisoners, of Kassai and his staff, of the Queen of the Gallas, &c. The European artisans who made King Theodore’s cannon are likewise shown, as are also two daughters of the late Mr. Bell, who in earlier and happier times was the King’s Commander-in-Chief and bosom friend. One more portrait deserves mention ; it is that of a wearied old man, an Abyssinian fiddler, in his native costume, with his one stringed instrument upon his knee. His grey locks, thrown back from his forehead, reach down to his shoulders, and impart to his grave, thoughtful face a truly venerable air: he is the bard of other days. The pictures, if not all of them faultless in their production, tell their tale with grave fidelity, and form valuable illustrations to the story we have all read of the Abyssinian campaign. Accidents with the apparatus and chemicals seem to have been of rare occurrence ; everything was carefully returned to its proper place and firmly packed in the transport boxes whenever the day’s work was ended and a march ordered. Sensitizing and printing had to be carried on whenever there was a short halt, or in early morning before setting out; but seeing that in many cases the day’s tramp began at three a.m., and lasted till eight or even ten p.m., the opportunities for working were few and far between. The sand storms in some parts of the country were very troublesome, frequently blowing over the dark tent, which, in order to be very light and portable, had been made somewhat topheavy. The nega tives in the plate-boxes suffered also from the same cause, the sand entering the smallest crevice, and sometimes doing serious damage to the plates. The only other misadventure of importance was the bursting of an ether bottle which had been securely packed in a tin case ; the heat was so great that the bottle exploded, tearing the case to pieces and making it go off like a small shell. The stock of albumin ized paper failed after the first few weeks, and all the prints had afterwards to be taken on plain salted paper. The albu minized paper was found very’ difficult of preservation, and became blackened and discoloured very soon after being sensitized, so that its absence under these circumstances was of little importance. One difficulty seems to have been rather severely felt by Serjeant Harrold, a difficulty which it was impossible to combat, and which is inherent with military discipline. In an ordinary way, a photographer, if he cares at all for his reputation, will insist upon taking an object in his own way ; that is to say, at such a time and under such circum stances as ho may deem most fit. Now, with a military photographer it is different. He is ordered at once to take a certain object in a certain manner, and any little objec tions that he may make as to the sun shining direct into the camera, or the objects being on the move or too far dis tant, are treated as so many excuses, and he is there, not to argue, but to obey ; and obey he must. It is for this reason that many of the photographs are taken in opposition to every photographic law, and anything like a successful re sult could not therefore be expected. However, the chief photographer and his principal assistants, Corporals Gardner and Marshall, seem to have met this difficulty without flinch ing, and have gone boldly to work in a manner that eannot be too highly commended. Contrivances and makeshifts of all kinds had frequently to be resorted to in a quick decided manner ; and, as shown by the results, these arrangements were often the saving of the picture. There was little need of working with dry plates, as the dark tent was always handy. Serjeant Harrold prepared, however, one batch of dry coffee plates, but was unfortunate in their employment. He received directions to photograph the interior of Addegrath Church, an! proceeded, therefore with his camera and his coffee plates to fulfil his instructions. He had focussed some rude paintings on the ground glass,
