Antoine d'Abbadie
Astronomer, geodetist, genographer, physician, numismatist,
philologian, born 1810; died March 20, 1897. While still a young man, he
conceived the project of exploring Africa. Having prepared himself
by six years' study, he spent ten years exploring Ethiopia, and
achieved scientific results of the greatest value. D'Abbadie was a
fervent Catholic, and during his explorations in Ethiopia made every
effort to plant there the Catholic Faith. It was at his suggestion
and that of his brother Arnauld, companion and colabourer of
Antoine, that Gregory XVI missionaries to carry on the work. He
published in the "Revue des Questions Scientifiques," the organ of
the society, a work on the abolition of African slavery. He gave his
estate, called Abbadia, in southern France, to the Academy of Sciences of Paris,
to carry on research. His will provided,
furthermore, for the establishment of an observatory at Abbadia,
where a catalogue of 500,000 stars must be made, the work to be
confided to religious and to be completed before 1950. His principal
writings are: "Catalogue raisonné de manuscrits éthiopiens"
(Paris,
1859); "Résumé
Géodésique des positions déterminées en Ethiopie:
(Paris, 1859); "Géodésie d'Ethiopie ou Triangulation
d'une patrie de
la haute Ethiopie: (4 vols., Paris, 1860-73);"Observations relatives
à la physique du globe, faites au Brésil et en Ethiopie" (Paris,
1873); "Dictionnaire de la langue Amariñña."
--II. Abbadie, Arnauld Michel D', geographer, younger brother of
preceding, b. in Dublin, Ireland, 1815; d. 8 November, 1893. In 1837
he accompanied his brother's expedition to Abyssinia, where he soon
acquired considerable influence, and never failed to employ it in
the interest of the Catholic missions. His most important work is
"Douze ans dans la haute Ethiopie" (Paris, 1868).
THOMAS J. SHAHAN
Transcribed by Christine J. Murray
The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia