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MUNZINGER, WERNER (1832-1875)

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 14 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MUNZINGER, See also:WERNER (1832-1875) , Swiss linguist and traveller, was See also:born at Olten in See also:Switzerland, on the 21st of See also:April 1832. After studying natural See also:science, See also:Oriental See also:languages and See also:history, at See also:Bern, See also:Munich and See also:Paris, he went to See also:Egypt in 1852 and spent a See also:year in See also:Cairo perfecting himself in Arabic. Entering a See also:French See also:mercantile See also:house, he went as See also:leader of a trading expedition to various parts of the Red See also:Sea, fixing his quarters at See also:Massawa, where he acted as French See also:consul. In 1855 he removed to Keren, the See also:chief See also:town of the See also:Bogos, in the See also:north of See also:Abyssinia, which See also:country he explored during the next six years. In 1861 he joined the expedition under T. von See also:Heuglin to Central See also:Africa, but separated from him in See also:November in See also:northern Abyssinia, proceeding along the Gash and See also:Atbara to See also:Khartum. Thence, having meantime succeeded Heuglin as leader of the expedition, he travelled in 1862 to See also:Kordofan, failing, however, in his See also:attempt to reach See also:Darfur and See also:Wadai. After a See also:short stay in See also:Europe in 1863, Munzinger returned to the north and north-See also:east border-lands of Abyssinia, and in 1865, the year of the See also:annexation of Massawa by Egypt, was appointed See also:British consul at that town. He rendered valuable aid to the Abyssinian expedition of 1867-68, among other things exploring the almost unknown Afar country. In See also:acknowledgment of his services he received the C.B. In 1868 he was appointed French consul at Massawa, and in 1871 was named by the See also:khedive See also:Ismail See also:governor of that town with the See also:title of See also:bey. In 187o, with See also:Captain S. B.

See also:

Miles, Munzinger visited See also:southern See also:Arabia. As governor of Massawa he annexed to Egypt the Bogos and Hamasen provinces of northern Abyssinia, and in 1872 was made See also:pasha and governor-See also:general of the eastern See also:Sudan. It is believed that it was on his See also:advice that Ismail sanctioned the Abyssinian enterprise, but on the See also:war assuming larger proportions in 1875 the command of the See also:Egyptian troops in northern Abyssinia was taken from Munzinger, who was selected to command a small expedition intended to open up communication with Menelek, See also:king of See also:Shoa, then at enmity with the See also:negus Johannes (King See also:John) and a potential ally of Egypt. Leaving Tajura See also:Bay on the 27th of See also:October 1875 Munzinger started for See also:Ankober with a force of 350 men, being accompanied by an See also:envoy from Menelek. The See also:desert country to be traversed was in the hands of hostile tribes, and on reaching See also:Lake Aussa the expedition was attacked during the See also:night by See also:Gallas—Munzinger, with his wife and nearly all his companions, being killed. Munzinger's contributions to the knowledge of the country, See also:people and languages of north-eastern Africa are of solid value. See Proc. R.G.S., vol. xiii.; Journ. R.G.S., vols. xxxix., xli. and xlvi. (obituary See also:notice) ; Petermanns Mitteilungen for 1858, 1867, 1872, et seq. ; Dietschi and \Veber, Werner Munzinger, ein Lebensbild (1875); J. v. See also:Keller-See also:Zschokke, Werner Munzinger Pasha (1890).

Munzinger published the following See also:

works: Uber See also:die Sitten and das Becht der Bogos (1859); Ostafrikanische Studien (1864; 2nd ed., 1883; his most valuable See also:book) ; Die deutsche Expedition in Ostafrika (1865) ; Vocabulaire de la langue de See also:Tigre (1865), besides papers in the See also:geographical serials referred to, and a memoir on the northern See also:borders of Abyssinia in the Zeitschrift See also:fur allgemeine Erdkunde, new See also:series, vol. iii.

End of Article: MUNZINGER, WERNER (1832-1875)

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