The Political Status of Spitsbergen

while in the country. I remember they murdered one of our permanent European officials whilst we were actually on our way out of the country. But the sign and symbol of their Christianity, which they were always .ready to produce and which they always expected any of us to produce if we wanted to claim any assistance from them, was something blue, either blue ribbon or blue paper; or indeed anything else that was blue. I was very desirous of finding out an explanation for this, and I was told by the Chief Rabbi of one of the synagogues in London that I should find that explanation if I looked in the Bible through the book of Leviticus. All I could find was the vague statement that the border of certain garments of the priests was to be blue, and I was informed that this was introduced originally into Abyssinia by the Jews. I should like to know whether it was universal, whether it was an ancient custom, or whether, after fifty years, they still recognize that blue symbol as indicating the brotherhood of Christianity. Mr. HODSON : With regard to the first question as to the mountain nyala ; it is a species of kudu first discovered by Buxton and often called the Buxton kudu. As far as I am aware, it is only found in Abyssinia, and its habitat there is very restricted. As to fever in Abyssinia I do not know why it should be of a more virulent type there than in other parts of Africa, but it certainly seems to me that it is so. The only explanation I can give is that, as a rule, fever is contracted in the lowlands and perhaps soon after one ascends mountains over 8000 feet high. Probably the sudden change of altitude has something to do with it. Certainly it is difficult to throw off malaria fever in Abyssinia once it has been contracted. With regard to the question asked by the President as to the similarity between the country north of Addis Abbaba to that of the south, I have never been north of Addis Abbaba, so that I cannot offer any opinion. As to the blue symbol I have never had any Abyssinian ask me for anything blue, nor have I noticed them wearing it, so I think it must have been a local peculiarity in northern Abyssinia and not in the south

Geography · Physical geography · Political science · Politics · Geology · Global Politics and Economy · Law

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