Les voyageurs français et les relations entre la France et l'Abyssinie de 1835 à 1870 (suite et fin)

Though Ethiopia was known since ancient times, her contacts with the outside world had not been regular. It is only from 1830 onwards that relations with Europe increased. The first French attempts were private ones : the Saint-Simonists Combes and Tamisier in 1835, as well as the brothers d'Abbadie from 1838 to 1848 made scientific explorations, whereas Aubert-Roche and Dufey, 1837-38, were looking for economie openings. Then officiai missions swiftly followed one another : a scientific one led by Th. Lefebvre, 1838-43, a disastrous trading attempt by the Nanto-Bordelaise Company, 1840-41, and the travels of Captains Ferret and Galinier, 1840-42. They were the reason for the being of a French Consulate at Massawa (1840). Simultaneously, a Lazarist mission established itself in Tigré, and a Capuchin one settled in the Galla country. In Shoa, Rochet d'Héricourt's travels (1839, 1843) as well as Captain W. C. Harris's mission, sent by the Bombay Presidency (1841), in keeping with the British Government, both being concerned at seeing France settling in these countries, remained ineffectuai, notwithstanding the conclusion of political and commercial treaties between Sahle Selassie, King of Shoa, and Harris (September 1841) on the one hand, and Rochet d'Héricourt (May 1844) on the other. In Bourbon, due to shortage of labour resulting from the abolition of slavery, recruiting Abyssinian workers was the aim of a third expédition headed by Rochet d'Héricourt (1847-49) as well as Th. Lefebvre's one in 1848. Neither resuit gave satisfaction. This was the aim of Henri Lambert (1855-59) too, who, also, recommended the création of a military and commercial establishment on the gulf of Tajura coast. One of Capitaine de frégate Russel's missions, sent off contract labor recruiting, seeking out, as he was, a point of supply for the French fleet, in the expectation of the opening of the Suez canal, only acquired the possession of Dessié Island for a coal dump, in spite of the signing of a more extensive treaty with Negoussie (1860). It was to the court of Theodoros that Guillaume Lejean, French consul at Massawa, went for a commercial mission (1862), though with no favourable results. His departure (1864) was a turning point in Franco-Ethiopian relations, which were practically interrupted by the death of Theodoros (1868) on the Ethiopian side, and the fall of the Second Empire, on the French side. As a resuit of the purchase of Obock by Fleuriot de Langle, in 1862, shortly after Henri Lambert had tragically disappeared, schemes of commercial establishments on the coast were laid. But the attempts of the Lyonese Company of La Verrière (1864), and of the tradesmen Hennaü and Lisbonne (1865) failed. It was in the scientific field that the results of the explorations of the French travellers were the most tangible. On the political and commercial grounds we shall have to wait till the founding of the Obock Colony and the accession to the throne of Menelik to see French influence become stronger.Though Ethiopia was known since ancient times, her contacts with the outside world had not been regular. It is only from 1830 onwards that relations with Europe increased.Malecot Georges. Les voyageurs français et les relations entre la France et l'Abyssinie de 1835 à 1870 (suite et fin). In: Revue française d'histoire d'outre-mer, tome 58, n°212, 3e trimestre 1971. pp. 279-353