مجموعة ٦ / ٨ (١) "سلسلة مطبوعة: ١٩٢٩ إلى ١٩٣٨". [ظ‎‎٢‎٩‎٠] (١٠٦٢/٥٨٥)

of the island. This island is said to be very rich in minerals of various kinds,
together with semi-precious stones, and some gold, but no water is available,
aiid there is no anchorage. Many attempts have been made from time to time
to develop the workings, but these natural difficulties have always proved too
much for the concessionaires,
3. Port Sudan .—The Senior Officer, Red Sea Sloops, was in harbour in
“ Clematis ” on arrival, together with the French Sloop “ Vitry le Francois ”
and two submarines, returning from Madagascar, which had been met with at
Port Said in April, outward bound,
# * * ? * * * *
{iv) The tents belonging to the Governor General arrived on the
and were embarked together with nine native servants, and Major Cheesman
the British Consul at Shangila in Abyssinia, for whom a passage had been
granted. The ship sailed for Djibouti next day.
(v) The fact that Major Cheesman found it necessary to come to Port
Sudan is interesting, as illustrating the difficulties of travel in Abyssinia. His
post is to the S.-W. of Lake Tsana, about 150—200 miles N.-W. of Addis Ababa,
hut owing to the flooding of the Bine Nile it was necessary for him to trek for
twelve days to the Soudan frontier at Gallabat, expend another week in reach
ing Khartoum, spend two days in the train to reach Port Sudan, four days bv
sea to reach Djibouti, and tljeii travel another 500 miles on the Ethiopan Rail
way to reach Addis Ababa.
His post is a most lonely one, with no white men within reach. He receives
a mail about once in six months, and may go as long as eighteen months with,
out seeing another white man.
Being stationed in the Northern pa rt of the country, he is somewhat beyond
the usual route of slave caravans making for the coast, but he has seen slaves
m small numbers being taken to the,North, as if making for the Eritrean frontier
but these might well he for sale within Abyssinia itself, and not for export. ’
• m ]le in ^ ed t 7 ° ^f a , r d the export traffic as likely to be of small dimen,
sions aithough he admitted it was largely outside his sphere. He told me
surprise to him ^ 1011 011 arrival at D J ibouti came as a great
wav and T.nf weather was encountered all tb
va>, and not one ot the natives, some of whom saw the sea for the first time
were overcome, a most unusual circumstance. n 1 1
One dhow was met with at niaht north of fWifro PnoU
W P tl, 0 Malta. be inil0Cent ' H ' M:a Win ” was passed’next
Snr^oiflieutfnanLras ,wt a^shore^ 1 The “p was a( ** هذه التواريخ تقريبية ! for, and Ui
kidney disease, and was in a dang,tons condition snffer ” 1 " , fr0 , I |
have enabled him to carry on his rlnfip^ rmfii r‘ i f metbcme supplied wii
formed that he might have exnired -it le ieved ^ihout it, I am in
were made to the Port Officer, Aden •inri m01 ? ient - The necessary signal
been relieved and sent to hospital. ’ " aY ° sinc@ beai ’d that the man ha
when course wasVltereV'for ^ubab 0ll T t ’ South of tbe Hanish Islands to Perim
nothing suspicious was found. ' PP 10 ached the coast at daylight, bu
S aidt wlLliCeTvery tSnlai ^ IP 5 ' DjiboUti ’ aa Major Cheesma,
were Abyssinians. ‘ " n,0ral effeet on the servants, a couple of when
Resident, Aden, sayingUmUiPlLf r f eived trom the Politica
tion, and asking if T could fetch Mm as X,-!•' T ,ers to atteml the Corona
by the time ordered. ’ ' otil eiwise he could not reach Djibout
my way to Berbeih Pnb/etT'tV yonl Ippro™!* 1 h “" that 1 C01,ld embark him 01
klajorChee^man, thP s Xfnts t andX t XXk f,f h n y 0T1 of the 17th - whei
sailed for Aden the following afternoon ‘ ere Ianded at once, and the shit