Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1885 — THE WAR IN THE SOUDAN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE WAR IN THE SOUDAN.

A Comprehensive Hap, Slowing at a Glance the Scene of Military * Operations. Another Garrison in Danger of Sharing the Fate of Khartoum—A Sketch of £1 Mahdi. A MILITARY MAP. Exhibiting the Scene of Operations in Egypt. i We print to-day a clear and well-defined map of the seat of war In the Soudan. It shows the position of the British forces and the routes and distances between different strategetio points. The fall of Khartoum not only released the main army of, the Mahdi for active operations in other parts of the field, but gave courage to the Arabs, and caused tribes which had been vacillating an<j affecting neutrality to openly take sides against the British and their scattered forces. That Gen. Wolseley should have thus scattered his forces can be accounted for on no other supposition

than that he depended upon Gen. Gordon’s repeated assurances that he could hold Khartoum indefinitely, and thus keep the.principal force of the Mahdi lnlly employed in that direction. The failure to do this, through unexpected treachery of a portion of the Egyptian garrison, disconcerted all his plans, and a retrograde movement became Inevitable in order to concentrate all his forces.

FIGHTING IN THE DETEST. A Garrison in Peril oi Sharing the Fate Of Khartoum, A dispatch from Snakin confirms the report of a brilliant victory won by the Mndir of Taka and the Shnkria tribe of friendly Arabs against the Hadendowah tribe in an attack made by the latter upon some friendly tribes for supporting the garrison at Kassala with grain. It is now stated that daring the battle no less than 3,600 of the Hadendowahs were killed and among the slain was Sheik ah Moosa. The Kassala garrison is short of food and ammunition, and, as the place Is hard pressed by the enemy despite the recent repulse, surrender must soon result unless the garrison is relieved. The difficulty encompassing the gairison of Kassela is increased by the appearance of the Italians at Massowah, which Interferes with the authority of CoL Chermside, who was preparing an immense convoy, with provisions, munitions and money, for Kassala, Those measures of relief are now suspended. Kassala is the second city in importance in the Soudan. It has 20,000 inhabitants. The garrison numbers 3,000. Kassala is the keystone to the line of frontier strongholds of Senheit. Amdib, Ghlra and Gullabot, all of which are resisting the Mahdi. Kassala has been besieged for a year. Chermside has offered re-enforcements, but the commandant refused them, as he was unable to feed them. Unless either England or Italy now afford speedy relief, Kassala will share the fate of Khartoum. Gen. Brackenbury’s Advance Toward AbaHameu. A dispatch from Korti says: Gen. Brackenbury, commander of the late Gen. Earle’s forces, reports from Debbeh, opposite Kanlet Island, that the 2lst February this entire force, including 780 animals, guns, and equipment complete, crossed ovet.to the right bank of the Nile, ready to advance at daybreak Sunday to AbuHamed, forty Smiles distant. Brackenbury/Had visited the scene of Col. Stewart’s muftrer and found some of Stewart’s - visittn2-oaf#s, papera belon ing to Herbin and Power, and a shirt-sleeve stained with blood. The Bteazner which conveyed Stewart from Khartoum to the place where murdered is now sixteen feet above the present level of water. She Is gutted and filled with sancU The houses and all property belonging to the blind man, Fakrl Elman, one of the principal instigators of Stewart’s murder, were completely destroyed.

THE MAHDL Biographical Sketch of the Han Who la Causing England So Huch Trou' le. The following account of the Mahdi was drawn up by the late Lient. Col. Stewart, who • was killed at Merawi on his way down the Nile ftiorh Gen. Gordon at Khartoum : Mahomet Aohroet, the Mahdi, is a Dongolawi, or native of the Province of Dongola. fils grandtkther was called Fahil, and lived on the Island of Naft Arti (Art! is Dongolawi for , “island'’). This Island lies east of and opposite Ordl, the native name for the capital of Doni gola. His father was Abdullahi, by trade a cari penter. In 1832 this man lett and went to Shindi, a town on the Nile south of Berber. At that time bis family consisted of three sons and one daughter, called respectively Mahomed, Hamid, Mahomet Achmet (the Mahdi), and Nur-el-Sham (Light of Syria). -1 Shindi another son was bom called Abdallah. As a boy Mahomet Achmet was apprenticed to Sherif-en-deen, his uncle, a boat- {?}, residing at Shakabeh, an island opposite Sennaar. Having one day received a beating from bis nn le, he ran away to Khartoum and Jo ned the free school or “Medressu" of a falcnlearned man, head of a sect of dervishes), who resided at Hoghali, a vil age east of and dose to Khartoum, This school is attached to the tomb of Sheik Hoghali, the patron saint of Khartoum, and, who is greatly revered by the Inhabitants of that town and district. (The Sheik or Uds tomb or shrine, although he keeps a free school and feeds the poor, derives a very handsome revenue from the gifts of the pious. He claims to be a descendant of the original Hoghali, and through him of Mahomet.) Here he remained for some time studying rel gion, the tenets of his Sheik, etc., bat dW pot make much progress in the more worldly acoom. lisbmrnts of reading and writing. After a time he left and went to Berber, where he joined another free school kept by a £heik Ghubush at a village of that name situated nearlv oppos to to Mekherref i Berber). This school is also attache! to a shrine greatly venerated by the natives Here M hornet Achmet remained six months, completing his religious education. Thence he went to Arad up (Tamarind Tree) village, south of Kana. Here In 1870 he .bojame a uisciple of another faki— Sheik Nur-el-Daim (Continuous Light). Nur-el-Daim subsequently ordined him a Sheik or IU, aud ha then left to take up his home in the Island of Abbs, near Kana, on the White Nils. Here he began by making a subterranean excavation (khaliva —retreat) into which be made a practice of retiring to repeat tor hours one of the names of , the Diety, and this accompanied by fasting, in-

cense-burning, and prayers. His fame and sanctity by degrees spread far and wide, and Mahomet Achmet, became, wealthy, collected disciples, and married several wives, all of whom he was careful to select from among the daughters of the most influential Baggara Sheika (Bsggara—tribes owning cattle and horses) and other notables. To keep within the legalized number (four) he was in the habit of divorcing the surplus and taking them on again according to his fancy. About the end of May, 1881, he began to write to his brother falls (religions chiefs), and to teach that he was the Mahdi 'foretold by Mahomet, ana that he had a divine mission to reform Islam, to establish a universal 'equality, a universal law, a universal religion, and a community of goods (“beyt-nl-mal"); also that all who did not believe in him should be destroyed, be they Christian, Mohammedan, or pagan. Among others he wrote to Mahomet Saleh, a very learned and influential faki of Dongola, directing him to collect his dervishes (followers) and friends and to join him at Abba. ; This Sheik, Instead of complying with hja request, informed the Government, declaring the man mnst be mad. This information, along with that collected from other quarters, alarmed ‘his Excellency Reoaf Pasha, and the result was the expedition of Ang. 3, 1881 . In person the Mahdi is tall, slim, with a black beard and light brown complexion. Like most Dongolawis, he reads and writes with difficulty. He Is local head of the Gheelan or Kadriee order of dervishes, a school originated by Abdul Kader-el-Ghu am , whose tomb is, I believe, at tiagdad. Judging from his conduct of affairs and policy. I should say that he had

considerable natural ability. The manner in which he has managed to merge the usnally discordant tribes together denotes great tact. He had probably been preparing the movement for some time back. j,

KHARTOUM. Gen. Colston’s Description of tbe Chief Arabian City. Khartoum is a city numbering between 60,000 and 00,000 people. Several European consuls reside there. The American consul was Azar Abd-el-Melek, a Christian Copt from Esneh, and one of the principal merchants. The European colony is small aad continually changing; for Khartoum is a perfect graveyard for Europeans, and iu the rainy season for natives also, the mortality averaging then from tmrty to forty per day. which implies 3,000 to i, OOO for the season. Khartoum is the commercial center of the Soudan trade, amounting altogether to $63,000,000 a year, and carried on by about 1,000 European and 3,000 Egyptian commercial houses. Drafts and bills of exchange upon Khartoum are as good as gold in Cairo and Alexandria, and vice versa. From official sources I learned that the city contained 3,060 houses, many of them two-storied, each having from ten to 160 occupants. Stone and line are found in abundance, and the buildings arc, after a fashion, substantial, the houses belonging to rich merchants being very spacious and comfortable. There are large bazaars, in which is found a mu oh ..greater variety of European and Asiatic goods than would be expect-d in such distant regions. In the spacious market-place a brisk trade is carried on in cattle, horses, camels, asses, and sheep, as well as grain, fruit, and other agricultural produce. Many years ago an Austrian Roman Catholic mission was* established and liberally supported by the Emperor of Austria and by contributions from the entire Catholic world. It occupies a large parallelogram surrounded by a solid wall. Within this inclosure, in beautiful gardens of palm, fig, pomegran te, orange, and banana, stand a massive cathedral, an hospital, and other substantial buildings, Before the people of Egypt and the Soudan had been Irritated by fore gn interference, such was their perfect toleration and good temper that the priests and nuns, in their distinctive costumes, were always safe from molestation, not only at Kfiartonm, bnt even at El Obeid and the neighborhood, where the majority are Mussulmans and the rest heathens. It was stated some months'ago that Gordon had abandoned the Governor's- palace and transformed the Catholic mission into a fortress, its surrounding wall and massive buildings rendering it capable of strong resistance.

KORTI. The Present British Base of Operations in Egypt. Korti, the headquarters of Lord Wolseley, on which point all the different branches ot the expedition are ordered to concentrate, is at tbe sharp bend of the Nile where its course for a short distance is toward the west. About fifty miles below Korii is Debbeh, where it is probable that the whole force will be established after it has been brought together at, Korti. At Debbeh the Nile takes rather a sharp turn and resumes its northern coarse. This place is just on the border of the territory ruled by the Mndir of Dongola, a Sheik who has remained steadfast in his friendship tor and co-operation with the British. In peaceful times Debbeh is a place ot some importance, because there the great caravan route to El Qtx id and the Darfour region leaves the Nile -and strikes off to the southwest across the Baynda Desert. Korosko. the other point mentioned as the locat on of a portion of the British force. Is some 00 miles farther down the Ni e, and from here starts tbe caravan route across the Nubian Desert to Abn-Hamed, at the sharp bend in the coarse of the river, 180 miles above Korti. Korosko is not far above the First Cataract, and below that point the navigation of the Nile is unobstructed. When Lord Wolseley’s whole force is mastered at Korti, it will probably be about 8,50 i men strong, a- Wolseley kept about 3.000 men with him at Korti, Gen. Brackenbury has about 2,200, Gen. B filler about 1,900, and there are abont 1,400 at Gakdul Wells. ,

GUBAT. A Sacred Village. Gubat, the present center of British military operations in the iroudan, is a village of 130 houses and about 700 inhabitants." It is surrounded with vegetable gardens, widen supply the markets of BBendy, of which town Guoat Is virtual.y a suburb, although situated ou the other side of the Nile. It contains, also, the cemetery where were buried some of the most famous saints and chieftains of Sbendy, a fact which makes the village sacred in the esteem of the entire Mohammedan world, and wiU render its occupation by the British peculiarly lrr.tating to ElMahdl A marble bust of Coi. Fred Burnaby, paid fen: by popular subscriptions, is to be placed as a memorial in the new Binning* ham Art Gallery. Thebe is a great difference between a dude and a man, bat at a distance i they look very much alike.