The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-08-08 00:00:00

40 MEN KILLED AND WOUNDED.

SUPPOSED HEAVY LOSS OP THE ENE.VY.

[Ornoim, Tama/m.l

The following telegram bas been received at the W.f..
office from Sir A. Alkali, dated Alexandria, Sunday,
1.35 a.m. :
Persistent native reports existing for the last two
days that Arabi Wee retiring from Hair-et-Dover
upon Darnanhar, I determined to make • mounds,
awe, which would ascertain clearly whether Arabi still
held his orginal position strongly. For this purp.we I
directed • half battalion of the Duke o! Commit.*
Light Infantry and • hall battalion of the South
Staffordshire Regiment, with one 9-pounder gun and
the whole of the mounted infantry, to advance along
the east bank of the hiahmondieh Canal. The 60th
Riles, with one 9-pounder gun, wore to advance, along
the west bank. !lege constituted my left attelt.
They wars to follow the line of the canal till they
reached • house In • grove of trees towards the pont
where the railway °owing from Cairo &tyros:hes
nearest to the canal. Along this line of rail a ateti,g
battalion of M ,rines was to come up in • train to tie
Mahan& Junction, preoeded by the naval armo•ir.d
train care/big one 40-pound. r gun and two 9-le.u..der
guns, • Nordenfelt, and two Gatlin.. The trains was
to stoo at the Mebane junction. Tee Mar.ues were
to detrain there and advance by the a I ay Ike,
scamps...ie., by two 9-pounder guns and cove el by
the tire of the 10-pounder from the trait. 'rho Lit
column couimeucad its ecletuice at aqu w ter t Ito iu
the ettent"n from the out-piceet stat.ou .4 t
Ran:ilea lines, mowing by both balks of the canal. It
soon came into action with the enemy, who were
strongly p.eted in a g.oup of palm tree) on the
Seater° .id,, and • etc dig defensible how./ ant gone
upon the other, rtiese poaitious were c 'tried. At thia
time Lieutenant Ii Avant Vyse, of the li,d a, ate.chel
to the m tunt.rd infantry, an 1 a sol lot of the corps
were killed. Ti, enemy then te,k lip a sec ad
1./coition half • mild in the rear of tit, fir,t, up n the
east bank of the canal, emong high crops ant b-usea,
and behtod she irregular bank, of the cin .I. F. m
this position alto the enemy WAS drivel, with great
I accompanied the right column en) self. whch
followed what warn s meerhat the chord of the arc
upon which the left column was moving. I p ac,d the
marines and the Wpciander guns, dr .gge I by blue-
jackets, ti the weot of and under ewer of the rall*ay
emb,nkment, and moved them forward as rapidly ee
possible, ad quite out of sight of the enemy
with Colonel 'fbackwall, with • view .4 g r ff
tbeir retreat. After • time our movement wet
perceived, and the enemy opened up ak us with
artilliery. I pushed on as rapaliy an pus-tilde 11l I
come to the pint where the railway appr. aches .nare.t
to the kdahmoudieh Canal. I then ..pe..ed lire with
musketry kern the railway embankment ulem the
enemy lining the banks of the hdahm h Cin 4.
Tue two 9-pounders were dragged up ..n to the ernharik.
meut, and came lot, action with the enemy's guns, the
40-pounder firing over our heals against the point
where the enemy'. forces were beginning to rypear.
Fixing my right upon brat side, of the Lab ...Ames;
I now threw forward two compsuies tie Cirri a
house near the canal, and followed up Chi, move.
went by throwing some four c .mpanies clii m re to
my left upou the brinks of and across the cane!. I hal
now attained the po..iU..n I wialted, arid formed •
diagonal line across both the canal and the railway.
Toe enemy fell book slowly before us. The Me .4 the
7-oounders and 9-centimetre gun., which they eh otly
after brought into sctiou, was speedily g ttoter by
the fire of my artillery. The obj.-.ct of the rec
Anne upon my part wa4 attained Door 114 In wig,/
the enemy to develop his full power before with rac-
ing, I bell my petition for abJut three-riu awed ..f an
hour until dusk was repidly drewing on. I letermined
now to withdraw. This movement WWI CLrria.l uot
with the most perfect regulatity and preci-ion I y the
marine battalion under Colon°. Tomo.. they fell
back by alternate CoMitalliei with the regulati•y of a
field-day. Every attempt of the enemy to ,olv..nce was
worths 1 by the beautiful precision of the 4 /poun let
and the steady firing of the 9.pounder guls. lb.
looses of the enemy seem to have been v,ry „rat, and
they were so dispirited that, contrary to time umal
practice et Asiatics, they made no attemp. to follow he
our withdrawal. The gnus and It. ops were quietly
entrained at the nahalla Junction, an I el.aly
steamed back to Alexandria. At the Pattie tille the
left a ilumo withdrew along the bank, the cell.' to
the Ramleh linos unmolested. A 1 a n.con4aissaitos
the sus:news of the move was all that I could Wish.
I regret to state that our lose has been :mueslis'(
heavy. It was especially so in the Shrine la tab.'
sod the seamen under my immediate 'hr t. 'n, woo. I
fear, have lost one man killed and come 2o eonedei,
In the left attack, as far as I bane yet head, there
has been one officar an lone private kilied and nix or
seven privates wounded. '1 he fficer ki.lel is. I
grieve to state, Lieut. !toward Vytie, of the lido..
Ile we one of the moot prowieing office,. I hen, e'er
met. Detailed lists f the killed and wounded will Li
telegraphed as received.